Recent Posts
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
The Popular Educator – and lessons for women
The Popular Educator was a series of heavyweight books published by the firm of Cassell, Petter and Gilpin, of the delightful address La Belle Sauvage Yard, London. Founded by John Cassell, the books... 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