The cover image was restored by the transcriber and isplaced in the public domain.
JOHN SALKELD BLAND.
(Frontispiece.)
TITUS WILSON, PRINTER, KENDAL
The river Lyvennet rises on the northern side of therange of hills stretching eastwards across Westmorlandfrom Shap Fells. It runs through the parishes ofCrosby Ravensworth and Morland, receives the tributarystream of the Leith, and falls into the Eden near TempleSowerby. The distance from its source to its outfall isless than ten miles measured in a straight line; but thelittle valley is full of varied interest, to which each agehas contributed a share. Half way down the stream, andout on the west, lies Reagill, and in it, Wyebourne; andWyebourne was the home of John Salkeld Bland, who,nearly fifty years ago, compiled this manuscript history of"The Vale of Lyvennet."
John Bland's grandfather was a yeoman farming hisown land at Reagill. He had a family of two sons,Thomas and William, between whom he divided it;Thomas, who was an artist and sculptor of no meanability, remaining at Reagill, while William establishedhimself at Wyebourne, a mile away, married, and alsohad two children; one being John Bland himself, theother a daughter, now Mrs. Dufton, to whom the thanksof this Society are due for use of her brother's manuscript,and for her kindness in supplying information about thefamily.
John Bland was only six months old when he lost hismother, from whom, perhaps, he inherited a constitutionaldelicacy from which he always suffered. He was educatedat the well-known school at Reagill, and afterwards atCroft House, Brampton. Early in life he began to showa gift for drawing, but he never received lessons; hisaptitude, like that of his uncle, was purely a natural one.
He also studied botany, geology and chemistry. Before[iv]he was twenty-two he had made a geological map of thedistrict; this came before the notice of some of the leadingauthorities of the day, and received high praise fromthem; it is interesting, therefore, as it affords us proof ofthe high standard of merit reached by his work. Heafterwards went over to America for a time; an expeditioncomparatively rare in those days. During the summer of1866 he made studies from nature of about a hundredwild flowers, painted in water colours, and had justfinished mounting them before his death. For his weaknessof health had sho