Category: family history
John Moore – thanks Dad
John Moore – wills and family history I have posted before about how to find and use wills in family history research. The 1744 will of John Moore of Kirkbampton is one of those that tells us ... Read More
Fishing rights
Fishing rights may not sound an exciting topic, but for people researching their family history, they can be an unexpected source of ‘treasure’. Signs saying ‘no fishing’ are a familiar part o... Read More
William Weight : advice on variations
William Weight married in his 40s, died in his 80s, and doesn’t seem to have left much of a mark on the world. But having taken a photo of his and wife Isabella’s grave, at Beacon Edge Cemetery, P... 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
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
Lost gravestones
The lost gravestones of Holy Trinity Church, Carlisle, inspired this post about the importance of such memorials to anyone who cares about history and their ‘roots’. Tell people you like to wander... Read More
Benjamin Franklin’s experiment in Cumberland
Pouring oil on troubled waters Pouring oil on troubled waters – as a metaphor – is familiar to all of us. It means trying to calm a dispute with soothing words. Benjamin Franklin’s experimen... Read More
Tracing your family history: Wills
Among William Shakespeare’s almost countless famous lines is one from his will: ‘Item, I give unto my wife my second best bed with the furniture.” If you’re tracing your family history or... Read More