Kendal, or KIRBY KENDAL

Kendal, or KIRBY KENDAL, a market-town of Westmorland, on the Kent, 22 miles by rail N. of Lancaster and 13 SW. of Ambleside. It is a gray straggling place, with an ancient Gothic church, a ruined castle (the birthplace of Catharine Parr), a town-hall (1828), and a grammar-school (rebuilt in 1887). Flemings settled here in 1337, and the town became famous for its woollens and 'Kendal-green' buckram; whilst Pococke in 1754 refers to its 'manufacture of a sort of frieze call'd cotton, at 8d. a yard, sold mostly for the West Indies, for the slaves.' Nowadays the industries include heavy textile fabrics, such as horse-cloths and railway rugs, besides leather, snuff, paper, &c. Incorporated as a municipal borough in 1575, Kendal returned one member to parliament from 1832 till 1885. Pop. (1851) 11,829; (1891) 14,430. See two works by C. Nicholson (1832-75).