|
Little Asby Common - situated to the east of Orton and north of Newbiggin on Lune, Howgill Fells map (Explorer OL19)
Grid Reference: 684092 for central location.
Purchased: 2003
Size: 660 hectares
Landscape: Limestone upland and common land
Reason for purchase: To safeguard landscape of international importance
Download property leaflet (1.8Mb)
The land covers an area of 464 hectares of upland limestone and is registered common land in the parish of Asby, to the east of Orton. It also includes a third of Sunbiggin Tarn.
 We bought the land in January 2003 with the help of a small grant from English Nature. We recognised the superb landscape value of the land, in an area that is deserving of a national landscape designation. Through management we hope to enhance the Common for all to enjoy and use our knowledge of common land management to feed back into our policy work.
The continued grazing of hefted flocks (sheep that know their own territory) at a sustainable level will bring benefits for the plants of the Common, enhance its conservation value as a mosaic of internationally and nationally important habitats, and strengthen the character of the landscape, as well as increasing the enjoyment of those who come to visit. 
The name 'Asby' derives from the Old Scandinavian askr and by, meaning the farmstead or village where the ash trees grow. The meaning of several other names on the Common can be found, e.g. Sunbiggin derives from the old English sunne, meaning sun, or the old Scandinavian sunn, meaning sunny or south building, the building on the south or sunny side of the hill. A bield means a shelter or an animal's den. - there are at least 15 names on the Common. The Dowly Tree is adjacent to the road just after the T junction on the way to Little Asby village - Dowly is Westmorland dialect for sad, lonely, melancholy and it appears therefore that this is the lonely tree. Some local people think the tree is associated with a local hangman's site whilst books on the area apparently refer to the site being haunted from a murdered drover.  Originally, Little Asby formed part of a single manor called Asby, later split into three Manors. The village lies immediately adjacent to the common land - this is just beyond the good arable and outfield land and was developed from the so called 'waste' upon which the tenants of the manor could exercise common rights for the grazing of animals, turf, wood and stone. Little Asby Common has a wealth of archaeological remains of all periods, demonstrating the continued use of this upland area from prehistoric times onwards. The full archaeological survey we commissioned in 2004 lists 194 sites, 90 of these had never been recorded before. There is a significant resource of prehistoric archaeological sites, ranging from lithic findspots that date back to the Mesolithic period, to a small cairnfield and associated field system, which includes a putative Bronze Age round cairn. Scattered across the area are small field systems and stock pounds associated with rectilinear settlements; these typically take advantage of sheltered grassy areas amongst the limestone pavement. It is possible that these reflect a low intensity occupation of the marginal lands, probably during the medieval period, and for the most part were a product of nomadic people making seasonal settlements. However, in some localised areas there is the possibility that there were more permanently established settlements. There are also extensive scattered pastoral structures, such as bields and isolated stock pounds; these stock management features appear to be the product of mainly post medieval upland grazing. The Common has extensive post medieval quarry sites, associated with a group of limekilns and the development of Little Asby. There is also evidence of small scale copper extraction and processing from one site on the south eastern area of the common. Skeletons have been found of two fighting bulls who had drowned in their battle at the eastern end of Sunbiggin Tarn. Most murders, ghosts and other apparitions seem to have occurred on the fringes of our land. However, there is reference to the murder of a drover "near Sunbiggin Tarn" in 1877 (T.Gibson - Legends and Historical Notes).
Download summary history pdf
The Common and Tarn are designated for their international nature conservation interest as both a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and also a Special Area of Conservation. The eastern part of the Common is of major international importance for limestone geomorphology/geology. There are large areas of limestone pavement, a nationally rare habitat type with its related specialist plant species. There are significant areas of suppressed heather cover where clay over-lies the alkaline bed rock. We conducted a baseline ecological survey of the Common in 2003. A new ecological survey was produced in 2008.
Curlew, lapwing and skylark appear common on the upland fell. Golden plover, lapwing, tufted duck, swan, coot, water rail along with geese, passage osprey, and gulls have been noted on or by the Tarn. Frogs are present in some of the moorland pools. Short-tailed voles are very common and short-eared owls are to be seen in the locality. Potts Beck is part of the River Eden Special Area of Conservation and is noted for its population of the native white-clawed crayfish.
There are around ten Commoners with rights to graze sheep or cows on the Common. The communal hefting grazing system is part of the cultural heritage of the Common, and something we are keen to see continue. We will work to achieve a healthy future for the Common and the graziers, trying to establish sustainable but also viable grazing levels, so as to benefit the vegetation and landscape. We have begun recording the archaeology, history and ecology of the Common and trying to ensure it is protected and enhanced. We are working with the Commoners to explore entering the Common into the Environmental Stewardship scheme. We welcome those seeking to enjoy the Common responsibly, monitoring open access and managing any problems which may arise. If we need to use labour, we will try and use local people and encourage traditional skills, such as dry stone walling. We encourage our volunteers to become involved with practical work on the Common, e.g. repairing bields and sheepfolds. We are increasingly using our land management experience to better inform our policy work, and input into debates about land management. We will especially use the Common as a resource to be used by others to explore the issues facing upland commons and agriculture, and landscape appreciation skills. In the medium term, we will support any proposals for this area to form part of an appropriate national landscape designation, e.g. Orton Fells AONB.
Mazonwath In 2009 we purchased three fields adjacent to Little Asby Common. We are developing plans to enhance these fields and maintain the walls adjacent to the common.
Two minor roads cross the Common : the C3070 from Raisebeck to Little Asby and the C3074 down to Newbiggin-on-Lune. The land is crossed by a section of the Coast to Coast walk and is also dedicated as open access land under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
There are no direct bus services across the Common, but the following routes go nearby : 561 Kendal to Appleby calls at Orton; 573 Great Asby to Appleby; 571 Kirkby Stephen Brough calls at Soulby and Crosby Garrett; 106 Kendal to Penrith calls at Orton.
General health and safety - please enjoy your time on our properties, but do be aware that there may be hazards such as uneven ground, tree roots, sink holes, derelict buildings, stock may be present, and take care when crossing any roads or rivers on or near the properties. Thank you.
Please take extra care at Little Asby as the ground is uneven and there are sink holes and loose limestone pavement, there are areas which can become waterlogged, stock may be grazing, boundary walls may be unstable,and take care when crossing the road.
|
