Recent Posts
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
Thursby Post Office
Thursby Post Office these days is sited within the Parish Hall, in Matty Lonning (possibly my favourite-ever street name, as it sounds like the name of the hero in a folk song! The original Thursby Po... Read More
Changing customs
Changing customs – 2022 Changing customs – let’s start with very recent times! Christmas this year seems to have started before Bonfire Night. Hallowe’en was a wash-out, with heavy r... Read More
Yanwath railway hero
The Yanwath railway explosion of February 26, 1867, killed two men and caused massive damage to homes in the village.https://crimesofthecenturies.com/index.php/2019/06/30/yanwath-railway-explosion/ Ju... Read More
Thomas Watman – daddy?
Thomas Watman of Newton Holme had three daughters called Mary, and one Gretna Green marriage, so for sure qualifies as a Cumbrian Character. In my book, Port Carlisle, a history built on hope there ar... Read More
Thursby war memorial
Somewhere in a foreign field: Joseph Percy Lawson and John William Salkeld Thursby war memorial The village of Thursby must have counted itself ‘lucky’ that there are just two names on Thursby war... Read More
Joseph Dalton
The grave of Joseph Dalton and his wife Ann Dalton stands out a little among the thousands in Beacon Edge Cemetery, above Penrith. The stone is black and there is a white, circular plaque inset at the... Read More
Sarah Ann Mason strong through adversity
Sarah Ann Mason , strong through adversity A strong woman, a ‘toy boy’, sexism, a tragic accident, a cruel loss, and domestic abuse. The simple inscriptions on the grave of the Masons, in Beacon E... Read More