Cumbria Archive Service

Last updated

Cumbria Archive Service was established to serve the English county of Cumbria. Rather than having just one county record office, Cumbria County Council operated four local record offices, now known as archive centres, in Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, Kendal and Whitehaven.

Contents

On 1 April 2023, the county council and 6 district councils were abolished. In their place two new councils were created, with local government functions transferred to the two new unitary authorities: Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council.

The four archive centres

Carlisle Archive Centre was officially opened in 1962, although archives had been collected before that date and archive staff had been appointed from c.1944 onwards. For many years, it operated from the Alma Block within the grounds of Carlisle Castle. It moved to newly converted premises at Petteril Bank House, on the south side of the city and about two miles from its centre, in 2011. Important collections include family and estate records of the Earls of Lonsdale from the 12th-20th centuries. The staff provide administrative assistance for the Egremont Estate Office at Cockermouth Castle. [1]

Kendal Archive Centre was also established in 1962 under a joint archives committee for the former counties of Cumberland and Westmorland and the City of Carlisle. Few archives other than local authority records had been collected before this date. The office operates from the main County Offices in the town. Important collections include Appleby Castle estate records (containing papers relating to Lady Anne Clifford, 1590-1676), and the business records of Thomas Mawson, landscape architect, 19th-20th centuries. [1]

Barrow Archive Centre was opened in purpose-built premises in 1979 (following local government reorganisation and the creation of the new county of Cumbria). Records had been collected locally in temporary premises at Dalton-in-Furness since 1975 and the new office also absorbed records from the Furness Collection, gathered from 1948 onwards by the Central Library in Barrow. Following building extensions the record office joined with the local studies library in 1998 to provide a unified service within a joint search room. Important collections include records from the Furness estate office of the Duke of Buccleuch. [2]

Whitehaven Archive and Local Studies Centre was officially opened within specially converted premises in August 1996. It collects archives mainly from the south and west portions of the former county of Cumberland. [2]

All four archive centres are recognised by the Lord Chancellor as places of deposit for public records. They are also designated as diocesan record offices by the Bishop of Carlisle. A specialist unit for the conservation and repair of records operates from within the archive centre at Petteril Bank House, Carlisle.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlisle</span> Cathedral city and county town of Cumbria, England

Carlisle is a cathedral city in the ceremonial county of Cumbria in England. It is the administrated by Cumberland Council, which covers an area similar to the historic county of Cumberland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumbria</span> Ceremonial county of England

Cumbria is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Carlisle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westmorland</span> Historic county of England

Westmorland is a historic county in Northern England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland</span> Historic county of England

Cumberland is an historic county in Northern England, it mainly corresponds to the district of Cumberland and the part of Westmorland and Furness including Penrith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitehaven</span> Town in Cumbria, England

Whitehaven is a town and port on the English north west coast and near to the Lake District National Park in Cumberland, Cumbria, England. It lies by road 38 miles (61 km) south-west of Carlisle and 45 miles (72 km) to the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It was the administrative seat of the former Borough of Copeland, and has a town council for the parish of Whitehaven. The population of the town was 23,986 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendal</span> Cumbrian town in England

Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. It lies within the River Kent's dale, from which its name is derived, just outside the boundary of the Lake District National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penrith, Cumbria</span> Market town in Cumbria, England

Penrith is a market town and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. It is less than 3 miles (5 km) outside the Lake District National Park and about 17 miles (27 km) south of Carlisle. It is between the Rivers Petteril and Eamont and just north of the River Lowther. The town had a population of 15,181 at the 2011 census. It is part of historic Cumberland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio Cumbria</span> Radio station in Carlisle, England

BBC Radio Cumbria is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Cumbria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumbrian Coast line</span> Rail route in North West England

The Cumbrian Coast line is a rail route in North West England, running from Carlisle to Barrow-in-Furness via Workington and Whitehaven. The line forms part of Network Rail route NW 4033, which continues via Ulverston and Grange-over-Sands to Carnforth, where it connects with the West Coast Main Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hesket, Cumbria</span> Parish in Cumbria, England

Hesket is a large civil parish in the Eden District of Cumbria, England, on the main A6 between Carlisle and Penrith. At the 2001 census it had a population of 2,363, increasing to 2,588 at the 2011 census, and estimated at 2,774 in 2019. The parish was formed in 1894 with the passing of the Local Government Act 1894 and was enlarged to incorporate the parish of Plumpton Wall following a County Review Order in 1934. Hesket is part of the historic royal hunting ground of Inglewood Forest. Settlement in the parish dates back to the Roman occupation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service</span> Fire and rescue service in north west England

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness in England. Since 2012, the headquarters for the service's 38 fire stations are at Penrith next to the headquarters of Cumbria Constabulary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumbria County Council</span> Former local authority in England

Cumbria County Council was the county council for the non-metropolitan county of Cumbria in the North West of England. Established in April 1974, following its first elections held the previous year, it was an elected local government body responsible for the most significant local services in the area, including schools, roads, and social services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire</span> Bus operator

Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire operates both local and regional bus services in Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, England, as well as Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, which operates bus, coach, rail and tram services across the United Kingdom.

The Cumbria Rugby Union is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in the county of Cumbria in England. The union is the constituent body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for Cumbria, and administers and organises rugby union clubs and competitions in the county. It also administers the Cumbria rugby representative teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumbria House</span> Municipal building in Carlisle, Cumbria, England

Cumbria House is a municipal building in the Botchergate area of Carlisle, England. It is used by Cumberland Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Offices, Kendal</span> County building in Kendal, Cumbria, England

The County Offices, also known as County Hall, is a municipal building in Stricklandgate, Kendal, Cumbria, England. The structure, which was the headquarters of Westmorland County Council from 1939 to 1974, is a Grade II listed building. The building serves as the meeting place of Westmorland and Furness Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westmorland and Furness</span> District in Cumbria, England

Westmorland and Furness is a unitary authority area in Cumbria, England. The economy is mainly focused on tourism around both the Lake District and Cumbria Coast, shipbuilding and the port in Barrow-in-Furness, and agriculture in the rural parts of the area.

References

  1. 1 2 Janet Foster & Julia Shepherd, British Archives: A Guide to Archive Resources in the United, 3rd edition 1995, ISBN   9780333532553.
  2. 1 2 Janet Foster & Julia Shepherd, British Archives, 4th edition 2002, ISBN   9780333735367

See also

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.