Recent Posts
A toast (or 40) to the Carlisle Canal
The opening of the Carlisle Canal in 1823 was a cause (or excuse!) for great celebration. And a lot of people were keen to raise a toast to – well, anyone and everyone they could think of. More than... Read More
Dr Anthony Peat, the Workington obelisk
Dr Anthony Peat spent his life ‘in incessant toil for the relief of human suffering’. He was ‘the doctor of all classes, and his kindness to the poor was a notable feature of his character’. ... Read More
The Dearham Riot: ‘headstrong passion’ in 1863
The Dearham Riot of August 4, 1863 doesn’t occupy much, if any space in history books. For which reason, it seems a topic worthy of some space on Cumbrian Characters. If the idea of the village of D... Read More
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
Food control, and war service for women
Food control was a matter of national concern in the UK in both the First World War and the Second World War. If the trade-off for the national prosperity of the Industrial Revolution was people leavi... 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