Author: HarrietP
Journalist and amateur genealogist
Tenants v lord. The peasants are revolting!
Tenants v lord. The peasants are revolting! Whenever a lord of the manor fell out with his tenants, there was usually one winner. But while I couldn’t resist the old joke line about peasants, those ... Read More
Railway tragedy
‘Railway tragedy’ was sadly a common heading in old newspapers. Anything to do with the railways was an incredibly dangerous occupation. Though unlike mining, the tragedies were mostly individuals... Read More
Spring cleaning tips 1880
Spring cleaning and genial breath… Well, quite. The above is from the Lakes Chronicle and Reporter, of March 4, 1887. And contains what was apparently a cliché in those days. It was a new one on me... Read More
Rain and storms – Cumbria 1852
‘With hey, ho, the wind and the rain; … For the rain it raineth every day.’ I think there may have been one (fully) dry day so far in 2026 (writing this on February 15), but I couldn’t tell yo... Read More
Bog Hall on the Solway
Bog Hall, or Boghall*, hasn’t the same cachet as, say, ‘Larkfield House,’ or ‘Sea View’. Being more in the ‘Gasworks Lane’ vein of nomenclature. But it’s not without interest. For it w... Read More
Hutchin Graham and the free pardon
Hutchin Graham thought he had a ‘get out of jail free card’ in 1605. The reason shows up in Pacification document 17 and 17b. This is another post in a series, transcribing the documents p... Read More
Princes in the Tower – a logical look
Richard III counts as a ‘Cumbrian Character’ because for a time when he was Duke of Gloucester, ‘the north’ was his power base. Richard was, for a while, Constable of Carlisle Castle and Warde... Read More
Hutton in the Forest Christmas 1808
Hutton in the Forest (the parish church, not the pictured hall) was the venue for ‘an uncommon occurrence’ just before Christmas 1808. Hutton in the Forest parish register, 1808. December ... Read More