Author: HarrietP
Journalist and amateur genealogist
Lancelot Harrison, gunsmith and truss maker
The gravestone of Lancelot Harrison, is sited near the entrance to Beacon Edge Cemetery, Penrith. It stands out for two reasons: first, it looks ‘too new’ for someone who died in 1880, and; second... Read More
Dalston registers – love and Latin
Dalston registers cover the parish and village of that name in Cumbria. But this post is of general interest to: anyone researching their family history anywhere; anyone interested in Cumbrian history... Read More
Bequests that raise a smile
Bequests that raise a smile Bequests in family wills can often tell us a lot about the person, their status, their priorities, and their relationships. And where there’s a will, there’s an occasio... Read More
Charles Gilder – and hydropathy
The gravestone of Charles Gilder and his wife Hannah Gilder, née Maud, has a bird on the top. Presumably a dove, its wings are outstretched and its head high. The symbolism may not have been intentio... Read More
Handloom weavers – starvation in Carlisle
Handloom weavers – starvation in Carlisle In my previous post, I contrasted the ‘bright lights’ of Christmas 1854 in Carlisle with the plight of families who were dying from starvation and relat... Read More
Christmas 1854 in Carlisle
Christmas 1854 was the starting point for my research simply because I looked at Christmas in Penrith in 1853 previously. What quickly ‘jumped out at me’ was a reminder that poverty and desperatio... Read More
John Howson a Penrith coach builder
John Howson began his career as a Penrith coach builder with a hiccup, and ended it in misfortune. Here is his story. Who was John Howson? Perhaps it’s not surprising, when researching the Victorian... Read More
Life in Georgian Cumbria
Cumbrian Characters doesn’t touch much on Georgian Cumbria. Mainly because it’s easier to find information on the 19th century. Births, marriages and deaths were standardised as a civil matter... Read More