Recent Posts
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
Sad letters to soldier husband
‘Sad letters to soldier husband’ is the story of how war tore apart a marriage. And how looking closely at census returns can provide or lead to surprising information. It’s also the... Read More
1597 plague in Cumbria
In 1597, plague swept across Cumberland and Westmorland. Some of it is well-recorded, but in parishes like Greystoke, you have to read between the lines. 1597 plague The plague of 1597/1598 may be les... Read More
Foster brothers remembered
A gravestone at St Michael’s, Bowness on Solway, records three brothers who lost their lives on active service in the First World War. Curiously, perhaps, the ‘main name’ (that on the front) is ... Read More
Parish registers and the Notorious Jade
Parish registers, if you get the chance to see them ‘in person,’ can tell you so much more than you get from using a search box on commercial (or free) genealogy websites. Sometimes the vicar of t... Read More
Last of the Inglewood Rifles
In my post on the Inglewood Rifles I finished with a section called Last of the volunteers. That reported that by 1926, only four of the original volunteer riflemen had died. And that the last of them... Read More