December 2020 - Cumbrian Characters

Flooding: Carlisle 1822; Whitehaven 1827

Posted on December 27, 2020 by HarrietP

Flooding is topical after Storm Bella lashed the UK with roaring winds and heavy rain overnight last night (December 26, 2020). So this post is a look back at previous winter storms, flooding, damag... Read More

Christmas 1843 in Cumbria

Posted on December 20, 2020January 22, 2021 by HarrietP

Charles Dickens’ arguably most-popular work, A Christmas Carol, was published in 1843. It was also the year of the first Christmas card. So, how did folk in Westmorland celebrate Christmas 1843?’ ... Read More

Hubert Crackanthorpe and Leila Macdonald

Posted on December 13, 2020January 22, 2021 by HarrietP

The last Crackanthorpe to be recorded on Cumbrian Characters was a tragic one. And the short version is that Hubert Crackanthorpe was an author who died young, likely as a result of suicide. With fact... Read More

A toast (or 40) to the Carlisle Canal

Posted on December 6, 2020 by HarrietP

The opening of the Carlisle Canal in 1823 was a cause (or excuse!) for great celebration. And a lot of people were keen to raise a toast to – well, anyone and everyone they could think of. More than... Read More

Cumbrian Characters

Family history is so much more than names and dates

Month: December 2020

Flooding: Carlisle 1822; Whitehaven 1827

Christmas 1843 in Cumbria

Hubert Crackanthorpe and Leila Macdonald

A toast (or 40) to the Carlisle Canal