that thrived in the area due to the forests that originally covered the surrounding hills, and the close proximity of two rivers for processing the wood. Staveley means literally the 'field of staffs' (from the Middle English plural stave for staf OE stæf and the ME leye meaning pasture from Old English leah; akin to Old High German loh thicket, Latin lucus grove). Woods in the area include: Beckmickle Ing (3.58 ha). A semi-natural wood with wet woodland adjacent to the River Kent. It is managed by the Woodland Trust Craggy Plantation, which is mainly deciduous. This area was used in the 1990s for testing various measures to control the spread of North American grey squirrels into the native red squirrel habitats. In 2016 the Lake District National Park Authority announced its decision to sell Craggy Wood. After a successful appeal to raise the necessary funds, ownership was transferred to the Cumbria Wildlife Trust who intend to manage it as part of a larger nature reserve by linking it to Dorothy Farrer's Spring Wood. Dorothy Farrer's Spring Wood (4.6 ha). This wood is managed by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust. There is a tradition of coppicing, which the trust continues in the interests of biodiversity. Birdlife includes the pied flycatcher. Mike's Wood (3 ha) native woodland planted in the 1990s by the organisation Friends of the Lake District. River Gowan The Gowan, a tributary of the Kent, comes into the village from the west after passing through the village of Ings. There is sometimes flooding at the confluence. There are two road bridges and also pedestrian bridges over the River Gowan in the village. As a result of the Storm Desmond flood both the road bridges were closed because of damage to their structures, cutting the village in two for vehicular traffic. The Station Road / Abbey Square bridge was reopened after minor repairs. Gowan Old Bridge, a twin arch stone bridge with attached concrete footbridge near the confluence of the rivers, had severe damage to its central pier and remained closed. It was demolished in June 2016, after the re-routing of the gas main. A new single-span concrete beam bridge was constructed to replace it and opened on May 18, 2017. History The area has been inhabited since around 4000 BC (evidence of which can be seen close to High Borrans) when ancient Britons established farms. It has been suggested