The Victoria County History is one of the world's longest-running research projects, exploring England's rich local history.
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Cumberland
This is the home page for the Victoria County History of Cumberland.
The Victoria County History of Cumberland
Two volumes, I (1901) and II (1905) were published in the early years of the 20th century.
The first VCH publication for the historic county of Cumberland to be published since 1905 is our VCH Short, Kirkoswald and Renwick, published in 2019.
Part of volume II, detailing the medieval religious houses in the county, is available free, open-access on British History Online.
VCH Cumbria
Work on the VCH in Cumberland is carried out by the Cumbria County History Trust under the direction of Dr Chris Donaldson with volunteer guidance and support by Dr Sarah Rose, both of the Regional Heritage Centre at Lancaster University.
The Cumbria County History Trust has been established as a registered charity to raise funds and volunteer resources for the work, and to provide the community focus for the project.
No town or village histories had been published for the historic counties of Cumberland and Westmorland before the VCH Cumbria project was launched in 2010; the only parts of Cumbria previously to have been researched in detail by the VCH were the Furness and Cartmel areas, which were formerly in Lancashire and are covered in VCH Lancashire, Volume VIII (1910). The VCH Cumbria project is using the Civil Parishes as they existed around 1900 as the basis for dividing the counties of Cumberland and Westmorland into units for the preparation of articles.
Victoria County History of Cumbria: Kirkoswald and Renwick
Richard Brockington (Author), Sarah Rose (Author)
Support VCH Cumbria
Cumbria County History Trust
Two Cumberland volumes have been published to date, and volume two is available on British History Online.
No Westmorland volumes have been published to date.
Prior to the launch of the VCH Cumbria project in 2010, no VCH town or village histories had been published for the historic counties of Cumberland and Westmorland. The only parts of Cumbria previously to have been researched in detail by the VCH were the Furness and Cartmel areas, which were formerly in Lancashire and are covered in VCH Lancashire, Volume VIII (published in 1910). The first parish history for VCH Cumberland, Kirkoswald and Renwick, was published in 2019.
The VCH Cumbria project is using Civil Parishes as they existed around 1900 as the basis for dividing the counties of Cumberland and Westmorland into units for the preparation of articles. This means there are 348 places in Cumbria for which separate articles will be written.
All the work is being done by volunteers, under the direction of Dr Fiona Edmonds and Dr Sarah Rose of Lancaster University. Guidance and skills training ensure that the high standards of scholarship expected from the Victoria County History are maintained, and that the work provides a factual, reliable and authoritative work of reference for everyone with an interest in the history of their town or village - and possibly their family too.
The Cumbria County History Trust has been established as a registered charity to raise funds and volunteer resources for the work, and to provide the community focus for the project. For more information about VCH Cumbria, please visit Cumbira County History Trust where you can also find the draft histories for townships that have been completed.