Category: Cumbria history
Legends and Historical Notes on the Places of North Westmorland
Legends and Historical Notes on Places of North Westmorland, published in 1887, remains a useful resource for family historians and local historians some 134 years later. But who was Thomas Gibson, ... Read More
Solway ships in the 1800s
Solway ships and the canal When the Carlisle Canal was officially opened, on March 12, 1823, a flotilla of eleven ships and several smaller vessels sailed its length into the city.The sight of sailing... Read More
Time to catch up
Cumbrian Characters has been taking a break from new posts for a couple of weeks. You can read some lovely old ones in the meantime! For instance (picking a variety of topics): the post on haaf net f... Read More
Breach of promise: a true-life Frank Churchill
A breach of promise case is an odd post for Valentine’s Day, perhaps. But then this Cumbrian Frank Churchill sent a Valentine to the woman he later wronged. Compare and contrast Frank Churchill,... Read More
Sarah Nicholson, no merry widow!
Sarah Nicholson ‘had the misfortune to marry a man 25 years her senior’. This seemingly unlucky accident (!) led to villagers trying to drive her out in 1879. But she was no strange to violence he... Read More
Carlisle 1810: Jollie’s Cumberland Guide
‘Carlisle 1810’ may sound a random date, but thanks to Jollie’s Cumberland Guide and Directory, we have a good (if partial!) idea of what the city was like then. The guide, published in two part... Read More
Lancelot Pattinson the Patterdale cave man
The ‘case’ of Lancelot Pattinson of Patterdale is a useful one for any family historian tempted to excitement over what seems an unusual name – or indeed a good yarn! The Matterdale puzzle A Lan... Read More
Jacobite occupation: Carlisle 1745
The Jacobite rising of 1745 greatly affected Cumberland and Westmorland. This is Carlisle’s story. In my post on the celebrations at the opening of the Carlisle Canal, in 1823, I mentioned that one... Read More