Cumbria Archives

Cumbria Archives Welcome to Cumbria Archives. Collecting, conserving & making archives accessible to all.

The Archive Service cares for parish registers, other church records, wills, electoral registers, maps and plans, poor law records, title deeds, and photographs. The archives of many families, businesses, local authorities, solicitors, societies and schools also help form a fascinating record of all aspects of life in the county. We provide:

Places in our Archive Centres where you can look at arc

hives for yourselves
An education service for local schools, colleges, students and teachers
Information and advice on the preservation and conservation of archives
Facilities for official organisations, churches, businesses and members of the public to donate or deposit archives for safe-keeping
Exhibitions and talks on the work of the Archive Service and archives in our care

"On the way home from school"This photograph forms part of William Brewis Redmayne's collection. William was a photograp...
27/03/2026

"On the way home from school"

This photograph forms part of William Brewis Redmayne's collection. William was a photographer, author and naturalist of Carlisle and Dalston.

Full collection can be found via https://shorturl.at/RPNgy


There is an interesting selection of wildlife illustrated in the artist Percy Kelly's letters to his friend Joan David f...
23/03/2026

There is an interesting selection of wildlife illustrated in the artist Percy Kelly's letters to his friend Joan David from the 1980s. These are held at Whitehaven Archives. Here are a few snippets. Explore Your Archive 🐿🐦

'Writing under stress': the meaning and materiality of pauper lettersFree workshops provided by Nottingham Trent Univers...
13/03/2026

'Writing under stress': the meaning and materiality of pauper letters
Free workshops provided by Nottingham Trent University in association with Cumbria Archives on Wednesday 15 April 2026 and Thursday 16 April 2026, 10 AM to 4.15 PM, at Carlisle Archive Centre. More details and booking at https://cumbriaarchives.org.uk/news-and-events

(image, letter from Daniel Dobson to his brother and sister, requesting relief for him to buy furniture, 11 Jan 1824, Kendal Archives, WPR 19/7/6/17/1).

Not much health and safety in evidence for these workers connecting a suspension bridge across the River Kent! It's anot...
16/02/2026

Not much health and safety in evidence for these workers connecting a suspension bridge across the River Kent! It's another great photo from the Duff collection here at Kendal Archives Explore Your Archive

We love this atmospheric photo from the Duff collection at Kendal Archives! We think it's showing an area of Kendal in t...
17/11/2025

We love this atmospheric photo from the Duff collection at Kendal Archives! We think it's showing an area of Kendal in the 1960s when parts of the town were demolished prior to redevelopment. No Sunday services that week. Explore Your Archive

Do you know the tale of the 'Girt Dog' or 'Wild Dog of Ennerdale'? Described as a 'demon' or 'vampire' dog that purporte...
27/10/2025

Do you know the tale of the 'Girt Dog' or 'Wild Dog of Ennerdale'? Described as a 'demon' or 'vampire' dog that purportedly killed hundreds of sheep in area in 1810, it was believed to have escaped from a travelling circus. It wreaked havoc and evaded capture for several months before being shot by a local man. The wild dog is believed to have been a now-extinct Thylacine or Tasmanian Tiger. Whitehaven Archives holds a pamphlet on the story printed by Callander and Dixon, booksellers, stationers and printers of Whitehaven in 1864. Explore Your Archive 🐶🐯👹

According to a log book for Beckermet School in 1881, pupils were treated to entertainment from a professor of ledgerdem...
25/09/2025

According to a log book for Beckermet School in 1881, pupils were treated to entertainment from a professor of ledgerdemain (sleight of hand) and ventriloquism! They were also examined on their arithmetic and dictation on the same day, to balance out the fun. 📖🎓🏫 Explore Your Archive

This weekend is Egremont's annual Crab Fair which features the venerable traditions of climbing the greasy pole, Cumberl...
19/09/2025

This weekend is Egremont's annual Crab Fair which features the venerable traditions of climbing the greasy pole, Cumberland Wrestling, the parade of the apply cart and the World Gurning Championship. Find out more about this and other curious competitions on the Library On website (the British Library's spotlight on special collections) https://tinyurl.com/beztj9yt which features material from 🍎🍏🤼‍♂️

Here’s something brilliant from Kendal Archives — Alfred Wainwright’s school report from 1930! 📄✨Turns out the famous fe...
15/09/2025

Here’s something brilliant from Kendal Archives — Alfred Wainwright’s school report from 1930! 📄✨
Turns out the famous fellwalker was just as impressive in the classroom as he was on the fells. Top marks in nearly every subject and glowing comments from his teachers. Clearly, he was on the path to greatness early on.
It’s amazing what you can discover in the archives — the stories behind the legends!

A very busy day in the Cumbria Archives conservation studio today! Cleaning of a plan from the Kendal-based Thomas H Maw...
05/09/2025

A very busy day in the Cumbria Archives conservation studio today! Cleaning of a plan from the Kendal-based Thomas H Mawson archive and conservation packing of items for transport ready for loan and display in the forthcoming World War Two exhibition at the Beacon Museum in Whitehaven.

In the words of curator Edwin Rutherford, the exhibition promises to reveal “how local people experienced World War II. The display marks the 80th anniversary year of VE Day and VJ Day. Inspirational stories of heroism and bravery demonstrate that during World War II, ordinary people did extraordinary things.”

The exhibition “Service, Solidarity and Sacrifice” will run from 20 September 2025 – 1 February 2026. Not to be missed!

The Beacon Museum, Whitehaven

Address

Carlisle Archives
Carlisle
CA13AJ

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