Carlin peas (cajanus cajanwas) are a traditional northern food eaten during lent on Passion Sunday, the Sunday before Palm Sunday.

Cooked Carlin Peas

Carlin Peas are a small, hard brown pea known by many other names, such as; Maple Peas, Pigeon Peas, Brown Peas and Black or Grey Badgers and were first recorded during Elizabethan times.

It is likely that they originated from the Monastic gardens of the Middle Ages  and for a long time, have been used to feed pigeons.

Easter

The eating of Carlin peas during the period of Lent bears no religious significance but instead, seems to be linked to the civil war of 1644, where the Royalist Newcastle was under siege from the Scots.  The lack of food meant that the people on both sides of the Tyne were dying of starvation.

Legend has it that a French ship managed to dock at Newcastle with a cargo of Maple Peas.  Other tales, tell of  a ship, laden with peas, which became stranded at South Shields a fortnight before Easter Day. The peas were washed ashore and salvaged by the locals.

The real story is lost in time but for centuries, Passion Sunday (the fifth Sunday of Lent),  in some Northern regions of England, became known “Carlin Sunday” and the small brown peas became popular at this time.

Although it would appear that the folklore is strongest in the North East, the tradition of eating Carlin peas at this time has spread to other areas of Northern England, Yorkshire and Lancashire.

There is a Northern saying;  “Tid, Mid, Miseray, Carlin, Palm, Pace-Egg Day”, which helps people remember the order in which the days fall.

An explanation

The saying is derived from the psalms, hymns and Sundays of the Christian religious period of Lent.

Tid – Second Sunday in Lent when the Te Deum Laudamus hymn was sung,

Mid – The third Sunday when the Mi Deus Hymn was sung.

Miseray – the fourth Lenten Sunday, was when the Miserere Mei Psalm was chanted.

Carlin – Passion Sunday, the fifth Sunday in Lent, adopted by the North Eastern regions as Carlin Sunday.

Palm – Palm Sunday, the sixth and final Sunday of lent.

Pace Egg – A corruption of “Pasch” from the Latin and Greek root for “Easter”. Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after Lent

Growing Carlin Peas

Carlin peas are now classed as a heritage or heirloom variety, often referred to as the medieval mushy pea.

The peas can be grown in the same way as Sweet Peas.  They will grow to about six feet high, bearing attractive white and purple flowers. The seed pods are filled with small brown peas which can be used fresh, or dried for winter use.

Cooking Carlins

Around the Northern regions and especially in the North east of England, a number of methods of cooking and eating these small peas exist.

These vary greatly from just soaking the peas overnight, then after rinsing, boiling until tender.    They can then be served hot as an accompanying vegetable, or fried  in butter,  adding brown sugar and sometimes Rum.

They can also be  eaten cold with salt, pepper and vinegar.

Served like this, they were to be found on  the bars of many north east pubs on ‘Carlin Sunday’

Salt should never be added during cooking as this actually stops the cooking process.

If you have any traditional family recipes or modern recipes for Carlin Peas, then please let us know.  You can send them to us via the comments section at the bottom of this post.

More information

Everything you need to know about Lent - British Life and Culture

My Dish.co.uk - A traditional recipe for Carlin Peas

Old Varieties - How to obtain Carlin Pea seeds

Attached to the side of the former Carlisle City Church in Lowther Street, Carlisle is this tablet to commemorate the visit of a President to the City.

Plaque on building in Lowther Street. Carlisle

As part of his ‘Pilgrimage of the Heart’ in 1918, President Woodrow Wilson visited the area where his mother, Janet (Jessie or Jeanie) Woodrow Wilson, was born.

President Woodrow Wilson, was the 28th President of the USA.

Upon arriving in Carlisle, by train,  the President made his way to  The Crown and Mitre Hotel where he signed the freemen’s roll.  This roll is collected in what is known as the Dormont Book.

The party then visited Annetwell Street where he saw the site of his late grandfathers chapel.

Later in the day The President was asked to address those gathered at the Lowther Street Congretational Church by the Pastor Rev. Edward Booth.

A full description of the visit is available via The New York Times.

This was the second visit to the city.  His first was as an unknown tourist in the 1890′s.

The Presidential link to the City

Crown and Mitre - Carlisle

Janet Woodrow,(his mother) was the daughter of the Rev. Thomas Woodrow and his first wife, Marion Williamson.

The Reverend Thomas Woodrow M.A., was a Scottish Presbyterian minister.  It is said he was the first of his family to leave Scotland in over 500 years.

He preached at a church in  Annetwell Street, Carlisle, between February 1820 and June 1835.

In 1836 the family emigrated to New York.

More about the Presidential visit to the UK

According to the US State Department of State President Woodrow Wilson also met with Met with Prime Minister Lloyd George and King George V during his visit to the UK between December 26-31, 1918.

Further information

Full Text of Woodrow Wilson and his life.

The village of Glasson is situated at the end of the Lancaster Canal, south of the City of Lancaster in Northern England.  It was a small farming hamlet known as Old Glasson and Brows-saltcote.

A boat maneuvers in the dock

Development of the area was organised by the Lancaster Port Commission due to the difficulty of navigating the River Lune to the docks in Lancaster. They realised that a dock would help shipping and in turn increase the prosperity of Lancaster due to increases in trade.

Building was financed by Lancaster merchants and it needed two Acts of Parliament in 1738 and 1749 to allow the construction of the walls and quays.

The dock area was built by Thomas Morris in 1787.

He was a civil engineer and also noted for his work on the West India Export Docks on the Isle of Dogs in London.

The docks were connected by a branch to the Lancaster Canal in 1826.

The canal leaves Glasson Dock heading for Lancaster

Many of the buildings in the village were built in the 19th century, including the church (Christ Church).

The quay was connected to the railway network in 1883.

Built by the London and North Western Railway Company the railway operated until the closure of passenger services on 5th July 1930.

Goods traffic continued until 7th September 1964.

The trackbed of the disused branchline is now a linear park and cycleway called the Lancashire Coastal Way.

A number of pictures exist of trains moving nitro-chalk and other goods ready for transport.  This product was made in nearby Heysham and at Billingham in the North East of England. It was used as a fertiliser.

Some commercial use is still made of the docks however it is now tourists and pleasure craft that occupy most berths.

The area, in part, is operated by British Waterways Marinas Ltd.

Christ Church Glasson Dock

Christ Church

Built in 1840, Christ Church was expanded, with the inclusion of a chancel, in 1931-2.

The church sits adjacent to the towpath of the Lancaster Canal on the edge of the dock complex.

The church was built by the Lancashire architect Edmund Sharpe in 1840. It is in the Diocese of Blackburn

Edmund Sharpe became mayor of Lancaster in 1848–49 and played an important part in implementing the first Public Health Act in the area.

A number of war graves are situated in the cemetary.

Wildlife

The Glasson Branch of the Lancaster Canal in south Lancaster has been identified as one of the top ten places to see watery wildlife across British Waterways’ 2,200 mile network of canals and rivers.

Swans and other birds in the estuary near to Glasson Dock

Alongside an impressive variety of birdlife in the winter, the Glasson Branch of the Lancaster Canal affords lovely views across Morecambe Bay to the high fells of the Lake District .

The canal’s proximity to the sea means that gulls are present at all times, including Mediterranean and yellow-legged gulls.

Whooper and Berwick swans can sometimes be seen, together with over-wintering pink-footed geese.

Guides are available free from British Waterway’s offices, the customer service centre on 01923 201120 or visit www.waterscape.com

Walk, cycle or a day trip?

Many adventures can start or end in the area.

The Coastal Way is a 137 mile footpath following the coastline between Merseyside and Cumbria. The section running through Lancashire is called the Lancashire Coastal Way.

Lancashire Coastal Way

Here are a few websites we have found describing visits made by other people to the area and sources of more information.

• The Rossendale Ramblers have published photographs and text.
• Walks around Garstang and area.
• Dave and Edith Browns’ website photo walks. They did a walk here in 2007.
• Martlet Derbyshire accompanied by Myra, Iain and their bus passes.
• For the youngsters here is a worksheet to do whilst visiting the area
• The Lancaster Canals Trust have produced a virtual tour of the Glasson Branch
• Lancaster City Council have produced a cycling leaflet for the area

Many motorcyclists come to the area, maybe because of the promise of a hearty meal and cup of tea at the Lock Keepers Rest or one of the local hostelries.

Cafe d’lune has recently opened just outside of the dock complex offering a friendly welcome, home made cakes and a great place for a rest.

It looks like this place has been here a while. Can you add to the history as information on the web is sketchy?

Fishing

As long as you have a rod licence and a British Waterways permit, you can fish along the whole length of the Lancaster Canal.

Fishing in the dock area

Permits are available from the British Waterways Wigan office British Waterways, Waterside House, Waterside Drive, Wigan WN3 5AZ Tel: 01942 405700 Email: enquiries.northwest@britishwaterways.co.uk

If the lines don’t go tight then you could opt for buying the fish ready smoked from the nearby Port of Lancaster Smokehouse.

Established over thirty years ago, the company has retained and maintained the traditional methods of preparing and curing fish and meats of all kinds.

Specialities include haddock from the Western Isles of Scotland, cold smoked eels, dry cured backs of English bacon, black puddings as well as hickory smoked almonds and cashew nuts.

The shop is open 9am till 5pm on Mondays to Fridays and 10am till 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays. West Quay. Glasson Dock . Lancaster LA2 0DB . Tel 01524 751493 . Email: sales@polsco.co.uk

Further information

Gallery