Great Musgrave

Great Musgrave is a village in the Eden district of Cumbria, England. It is about a mile west of Brough.

Great Musgrave
St Theobald's Church, Great Musgrave
Great Musgrave Location in Eden, Cumbria Show map of Eden Great Musgrave Location within Cumbria Show map of Cumbria
Population	165 (2011)
OS grid reference	NY767135
Civil parish	Musgrave
District	Eden
Shire county	Cumbria
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	KIRKBY STEPHEN
Postcode district	CA17
Dialling code	017683
Police	Cumbria
Fire	Cumbria
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Penrith and The Border

Great Musgrave sits atop a hill near the river Eden and Swindale Beck. Its location provides views over the vale of Eden and the nearby northern Pennines. The village name comes from the Musgrave family who lived here. The civil parish includes Little Musgrave and is called Musgrave. The population of this civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 165.[1]

Stone-built cottages in the main village street

The village was served by Musgrave railway station which opened in 1862 and closed in 1952.

The stone church of St Theobald, on the edge of the village, dates from 1845–46, but two earlier churches (the first dating back to the 12th century) stood nearby. Unfortunately they were placed too close to the river and were subject to floodingin 1822 the water was 3 feet (0.9 m) deep in the church.

Leading up to the present church with its slate roof is a row of horse chestnut trees. The square church tower contains two bells. The interior has one small stained glass window, a 13th-century coffin lid, a brass of a priest dated 1500 and carved heads on the roof beam corbels above the windows.

The church has an annual rush bearing ceremony on the first Saturday in July. Girls wear garlands of flowers, and boys carry rush crosses in a procession through the village and to the church where a service of praise and thanksgiving is then held.