The Droving Tradition of the Upper Eden Valley

There were several periods when Fairs were banned by Royal Proclamation because of outbreaks of disease. Foot and mouth, TB, sheep pox, sheep scab, parasitic diseases, or more generally “the murrain” are all recorded and drovers were required by law to report any sick animal in transit to the Church Warden of the parish.  
As well as cattle and sheep, geese, turkeys, pigs and donkeys were also driven to and from the fairs. Donkeys were bought by Irish drovers returning home from the London cattle markets, they were much in demand for carting peat, carrying creels, milk and other goods and a string of 20-40 was not uncommon along the drove roads of the dales.  

A whole network of drove ways can be traced throughout the Upper Eden Valley, many existing as broad green tracks across the upper fellsides, as can be found north of Ravenseat, along Cotter Clints, above Birkett Common and east of Wandale Hill. Others are in evidence in the valley bottoms approaching the lower settlements or crossing the rivers via a twinned ford and bridge as seen below Fawcett Bank Rigg and Cautley Spout.  Over centuries the passage of animals and travellers, particularly on sloping sections, has scoured the surface of some of the routes to produce a sunken way as at Boggle Green above The Thrang and across Bluecaster Side. In later times the “roads” skirted known outposts to avoid the payment of toll charges for the drover was ever watchful of his profits.  

This evidence in the landscape is reinforced by the names found on old maps or even existing today as in Drover Hole Sike and Drover Hole west of Tan Hill. As well, there is Halfpenny House just outside Kirkby Stephen – the halfpenny reputedly being the charge per animal per night for grazing on the stances provided, but not until the 18th century, prior to that, according to Haldane, no charges were levied.  

Court proceedings of later centuries have provided some evidence of the risky nature of the drover’s life but nothing has yet been uncovered about droving- associated crimes of the medieval period within the locality.  In Kirkby Stephen’s case, it is likely that much of the evidence from the 14th century was destroyed in the Scottish raids.  What is more, it is unlikely that details relating to the droving scene in general were recorded, since it concerned the lives of people considered of no great consequence and who themselves possessed few, if any, writing skills.