Category: Cumbria history
William Jarman – and Customs job titles
It’s not hard to imagine what brought William Jarman to Bowness-on-Solway circa 1824. But what became of him of later is patchy. I am publishing this post in the hope that someone ‘out there’ wi... Read More
High Hesket war memorial
High Hesket war memorial is just one of countless (or uncounted) such memorials across the length and breadth of the UK. Every name on every memorial has a story behind it, of a life lived and a lif... Read More
Hallowe’en in the ‘pagan borderlands’
Hallowe’en is a subdued affair in 2020, due to Covid-19 and lockdowns. But then in the UK, it mostly always was. The short history is that it became a Big Thing in the US, due to Scottish and Irish ... Read More
I was born ‘neath a northern sky
‘Neath a northern sky is an unusual post for Cumbrian Characters, being both very short and basically a question. There are no Cumbrian Characters in this post (or are there?) and it is a search for... Read More
Notice to quit – the Hutton John estate
‘I hereby give you notice…’ In fairness, when A F Huddleston, of Hutton John, signed the slip of paper in August 1857, it did give his tenants seven months’ notice he wanted them out of their ... Read More
Cholera, flu, whooping cough: welcome to the 1830s
Cholera, influenza, the 1830s saw epidemic succeeded epidemic across the UK. And Cumbria was no exception. Epidemic, pandemic, lockdown, social distancing… 2020 has shaken the world and Mankind’s ... Read More
‘Most atrocious deed’: the Longburn murders
The Longburn murders of 1808 rocked Cumberland and beyond, for the way a man shown kindness ‘repaid’ it with brutality against two defenceless victims. Recorded in stone A gravestone near ... Read More
Restitution of conjugal rights: the deserted spouse
‘Restitution of conjugal rights’ sounds a strange thing for a deserted wife or husband to seek to obtain from the courts. But in 1913, when the wife of a Cumbrian war hero petitioned for restituti... Read More