Author: Harriet
Wedding invitations with a Cumbrian twist
Wedding invitations are a mixed blessing for the recipient (I am not alone in thinking this, right?!). You have to set aside a weekend and spend a fortune on accommodation, getting there and back, a n... Read More
The Staffield Murder of 1856
The Staffield Murder of 1856 filled a lot of column inches in newspapers: likely the first and last time this little Cumbrian hamlet featured on the wider public consciousness. Whodunnit? While TV dra... Read More
Deodands – in case of death, forfeit the horse
Deodands, a strange ‘gift to God’ Deodands – [ dee-uh-dand ] noun English Law. Animals or articles that, having been the immediate cause of the death of a human being, were forfeited to... Read More
Cumbrian superstitions
The Cumbrian superstitions in this post may not be unique to Cumberland and Westmorland, but they were claimed as such by writers in Victorian times. “I’m not superstitious, but…” Friday the 1... Read More
Frances Farlam, a ‘lunatic’ from grief
The sad story of Frances Farlam tells us a lot about bereavement, mental health, and how both were ‘treated’ towards the end of the 19th century. It also shows that infant deaths – so common t... Read More
The telephone: ‘useless for postal purposes’
A 2016 survey by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) asked people what two possessions (non-living things) they’d save from a fire if they had three minutes to do safely. The results were Cr... Read More
William Jackson – no Mr Darcy
William Jackson, yeoman, of Yanwath, was 44 and a wealthy bachelor when he married Emma Pears in 1872. It’s hard not to read the marriage certificate without thinking of such great novels as Middlem... Read More
Mardale Green – and the tipsy parson
Mardale Green is one of those ‘ghost’ communities that have been a casualty to ‘progress’. Being Cumbrian Characters, this post isn’t just about the lost buildings: it al... Read More