Author: Harriet
Robert Sewell – a curious will
Robert Sewell was the man who told world-renowned astronomer William Herschel that he was wrong. Robert Sewell was right, but while history records that Herschel got it wrong when it came to lunar vol... Read More
Time for a short break
Cumbrian Characters is taking a short break for a short summer holiday. There are lots of lovely old posts to read to keep you going in that time 🙂 And here is an old postcard of Port Carlisle to l... Read More
Bicycle mania in Cumbria in 1869
The 2019 Tour de France is coming to an end, after 23 gruelling days. The winner on the Champs Elysées on Sunday will have completed around 2,000 miles, over 21 stages, and beaten almost 200 other co... Read More
The Moon and the Cumbrian who disagreed with William Herschel
A post for Saturday July 20, 2019: the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing. A trawl through local newspapers in the late 1700s show Cumbrians were interested in the heavens. And one Cumbrian Ch... Read More
Robert Lowther – the ‘tyrant of Barbados’
Robert Lowther (1681-1745) doesn’t count as a ‘Cumbrian Character’ in one sense. For sure, he was Cumbrian. As for ‘character’, the strict definition is ‘qualities that are interesting and... Read More
Bee mine, honey: a cautionary tale from Shap
Love can be sweet. But wooing someone with bees can end up with one of you being stung, as a Shap saddler learned to his cost. Before the courts Cumbrian Characters’ URL is ‘crimesofthecenturies.c... Read More
The Yanwath railway explosion
The Yanwath railway explosion of 1867 killed two men instantly, woke people for miles around – and had lasting effects for the village. The Yanwath railway explosion outlined The evening of Tuesda... Read More
Drunkenness – the Georgian view
In a previous post, I looked at the 18th century craze for gin. And how a Cumbrian Character – George Smith, of Kendal – published a ‘how to’ guide for setting up a small commercial still. Sm... Read More