Huck’s Bridge and Huck’s Brow, Westmorland
My Grandfather had a postcard of Huck’s Bridge. When it came into my possession I was surprised that this small corner of Cumbria was printed on a postcard and then later even more surprised to find more of them existed (the joy of ebay).
I’m not sure where he acquired the card but he had it because of our family connection to this bridge.
The Hucks can be traced back to the 1500s in this part of eastern Westmorland (now Cumbria). Huck’s Brow and Huck’s Bridge on the A6 are a reminder of the influence they once had in this area.
Huck’s Bridge is named after the First Toll Keeper, Gerrard Huck who was Toll Keeper there in 1777. The family moved from Shap to High Borrow Bridge some time in the mid 1600s and descendants of the family have remained in the parish until the present day.
From ‘A Life by Huck’s Brow’ by Anne Hyelman..
“In 1745 they reluctantly played host to the remnants of Bonnie Prince Charles’s army, having the foresight to bury the pewter and oatmeal in the field behind. The rebels stayed one night and left the next day taking all the household footwear in exchange for the tattered remains of their own once fine shoes. The visit of the Highlanders and the burial of the pewter are well documented. Family tradition also tells that it was a devil of a job finding the buried pewter afterwards!
The bridge was built by Francis Webster in 1826.
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