Watchhill is a hamlet in the parish of
Allhallows, Cumbria, England. The parish had 538 recorded residents in the 2001 census. Watchhill is sited near the highest point in the parish, most of the houses fronting the
B5299 road from Caldbeck Common to
Aspatria
Aspatria is a town and civil parish in Cumberland, Cumbria, England. The town rests on the north side of the Ellen Valley, overlooking a panoramic view of the countryside, with Skiddaw to the South and the Solway Firth to the North. Its dev ...
. It is so named because it once housed a beacon allowing residents to be alerted to raiders stealing cattle. In the days of the
border reivers
Border Reivers were Cattle raiding, raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border. They included both Scotland, Scottish and England, English people, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality.Hay, D. "E ...
such warnings were vital, and allowed cattle and people to be protected in the nearby
pele tower
Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and about 1600. They were free-standing ...
at
Harbybrow.
External links
Map linked to Allerdale Council site
Hamlets in Cumbria
Cumberland (unitary authority)
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