Recent Posts
Mardale Green – and the tipsy parson
Mardale Green is one of those ‘ghost’ communities that have been a casualty to ‘progress’. Being Cumbrian Characters, this post isn’t just about the lost buildings: it al... Read More
Sunstroke – a novel defence
Sunstroke is an unpleasant experience. But strangely, the NHS website makes no mention of it leading to sudden bouts of ‘periodic excitement’ years after exposure.Which means the case of George Se... Read More
Thomas Hetherington: A policeman’s lot
Thomas Hetherington gave at least 13 years of his life to the police service at a time when police forces in the UK were in their infancy. During that time he was attacked, praised, rewarded, risked h... Read More
Montague Crackanthorpe, a Cumbrian eugenicist
Montague Crackanthorpe was born in Somerset, a sixth son (his birth surname was actually Cookson). Sixth sons usually don’t hope for much, inheritance-wise, but in his 60s, he inherited a Cumbrian e... Read More
First motor cars: a Cumbrian take
First motor cars isn’t a particularly Cumbrian topic, but if you’ve ever driven over Kirkstone Pass, you’ll appreciate the anecdote at the end of this post. First motor cars – or n... Read More
Beer prices in 1959
Beer prices in 1959 may seem a random date, but it’s one I happen to have a record for. Because a battered notebook, handed down to me, records the income and outgoings of a family pub/farm. It gi... Read More
Yanwath: the charming Elizabeth Tremble
Yanwath may be a small village, but it’s a good source of historic stories. Though in fairness to Yanwath, the charming Elizabeth Tremble owned property there, rather than being a resident. A quick ... Read More
More Victorian humour
In these worrying times, we could all use a good laugh. So, having visited Victorian jokes in a previous post, here are a few more, from 1888. (I did point out in the previous post that humour really... Read More