Commemorative plaque 87720

This green commemorative plaque records: CAPTAIN FRENCH LANE. The Lane is an old mediaeval pathway from the west of Kendal to the Parish Churck in Kirkland. In 1575, in the 'Boke of Recorde of Kirkbie Kendall' it was called Rattenrowe Lane and it was named on John Speed's map in 1610 as Rotten Rowe. From about 1700 it was renamed after Captain John French who had lived at the bottom end of the lane. John French (1620-1689) was a Kendal Burgess in 1654 and 1659, a churchwarden in 1660 and was a glover by trade. He was a Captain in the Parliamentary Army during the Civil War. Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 he was briefly jailed for his alleged part in the Kaber Rigg plot of 1663. Recorded plaque organisation: Kendal Civic Society.

John French (1620-1689) served as a Captain in the Parliamentary Army during the English Civil War and was later jailed for his alleged involvement in the Kaber Rigg plot of 1663; he lent his name to the Lane in Kendal, which has been known by various names since medieval times.