Priest Pot: Difference between revisions
piece about furness monks, manor house and fishery
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'''Priests Pot''' is a small tarn at the northern end of [[Esthwaite Water]], a short distance south-east of [[Hawkshead]]. It was once part of the larger lake formation of Esthwaite before is was cut off by alluvial deposits from [[Black Beck]], and other natural processes (see formation). This ultimately kick-started the development of the carr (wetland area) that now completely surrounds this tarn.<ref name="blair42">{{blair-2003|42}}</ref>
It is possible this tarn was used as a fishery by the residents of Hawkshead Hall, just north of the village, and later by the monks of Furness Abbey.<ref>{{whaley|268}}</ref> The monks had built a 'grange' here and more than likely used the tarn as a fishpond or stewpond,<ref>[https://www.hawkshead-village.co.uk/?HAWKSHEAD:History_of_Hawkshead Hawkshead Village] Accessed 7 July, 2023.</ref> which is simply a place to keep live fish in readiness for cooking. Several hundred years ago there would have looked very different, and the shoreline easily accessible.
Created by natural processes after the ice had excavated the basins of the lake, this unassuming tarn is protected by the encompassing Esthwaite Water Site of Special Scientific Interest (1987) and Ramsar (1991) status. It is adjacent to the North Fen National Nature Reserve. [[Out Dubs Tarn]] is a similar body of water at the southern end of the lake.
The tarn is estimated to be around 4 metres (13 feet) deep, lying at an elevation of 66 metres (216 feet).
==Formation==
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