A 17th century guide to every parish in Westmorland is available for the first time, thanks to 10 years of work.
Thomas Machell’s Westmorland has been transcribed by Dr Jane Platt over the past decade.
Machell was the rector of Kirkby Thore in the late 17th century and compiled his Collections for the county of Westmorland. These were unpublished in his lifetime and remained so for 350 years until Dr Platt undertook the challenge of transcribing the manuscripts for publication.
The study covers every parish in the county, including the area around Appleby and Machell’s own parish of Kirkby Thore. There are additional chapters on subjects including heraldry and antiquities.
Dr Platt has included footnotes in the publication following her 10 years of research.
Only a handful of the three-volume directory have been printed but it is available online on the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society website.
A hard copy is available at The Armitt in Ambleside, thanks to a donation by a friend of the museum and the support of the society.
The museum said: “This is the only such publicly available copy in Machell’s own county of Westmorland and therefore a historic acquisition and important object in its own right, as well as a research resource.”
The museum held an event to celebrate, attended by Dr Platt and society members.
Manager and curator of The Armitt, Faye Morrissey, said: “We were so pleased to host this special event with the society, but even more so that we now have a physical copy of this substantial and significant publication which is available for public access.
“We hope that there will be many people interested in reviewing the material in our library setting and using the facilities to support local and wider study.”
Thomas Machell’s Westmorland can be viewed during the museum’s opening hours.
