A definitive history of Lonsdale has been published.
The Big Red Book for Westmorland, edited by Dr Sarah Rose and Professor Angus Winchester, offers the history, since ancient times, of the 13 civil parishes making up the Lonsdale ward, one of the four divisions of the ancient county of Westmorland.
It is the 250th Big Red Book to be published by the Victoria County History of England, the UK’s longest running local history project, and the first for Westmorland.
Its publication was celebrated at an event at Lunesdale Hall in Kirkby Lonsdale by the Cumbria County History Trust.
The Cumbria Victoria County History Trust is run by the trust, a charity set up to gather and co-ordinate resources for the county project which relies on local volunteers co-ordinated by staff members of the history department at Lancaster University.
The celebration was chaired by Lord Inglewood, Vice Lord-Lieutenant and patron of the Cumbria County History Trust.
Others present included High Sheriff Dr Geoff Jolliffe, Lizzi Collinge MP, Paul Cassell, chairman of Kirkby Lonsdale Town Council and Warren Allison, treasurer of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, a major supporter of the Cumbria County History Trust.
Sir Roland Jackson, trust chairman, said: “This is a major milestone in our project to publish the definitive history of all 348 parishes in Cumbria, from the earliest written records to the present day.
“We welcome volunteers who wish to contribute to the documentation of their local history, and those who are able to support the charity financially. Please get in touch with us if you can help.”
Dr Rose added: “This long-awaited volume is a wonderful achievement, and testament to the collaborative efforts of a range of people, including the project’s academic team, our volunteer researchers and local residents.”
