I'm beginning to get my material together for The Shackletons of Whitehaven sequel which means gathering all the Whitehaven and district notes, emphemera, and objects I hope will inspire me. I have to say it's a labour of love. The Shackletons of Whitehavenamazon.co.uk/dp/B0BCWBF31D I've been rooting around in my shoe boxes and cupboards and I… Continue reading Whitehaven Farthing Token
The devil is in the detail - historical research.
My daughter asked me recently how I came up with the names for the characters in my books. Choosing them is actually something I really enjoy and I have several ways of doing it. Sometimes I just have it to hand and that's true of Stag in "New Beginnings on Vancouver Island". https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1913719383/ My hero was… Continue reading How to avoid C. Spray – getting your names right.
If, like me, you enjoy reading gravestone inscriptions then Whitehaven will not disappoint. I like to read the names, ages and family connections. Whitehaven's gravestones are particularly interesting because often the places where people died reveal the trade and history of the town. The tombstone above is a point in case. Jeremiah Pattinson died aged… Continue reading Whitehaven’s Gravestones.
I’ve chosen these more or less at random from the Miscellany section of “History, Gazetteer and Directory of Cumberland – 1847".* The miscellany is sub-titled “Comprising the addresses of Clergy, Gentry, Partners in firms, and others not arranged under the Classifications of Professions and Trades.” I assume this means they were regarded as the "great… Continue reading Some Whitehaven Citizens in 1847
A Cumbrian Merry Neet [A Merry Night Dance] For my fact checking I’ve been re-reading “Jollie’s Sketch of Cumberland Manners and Customs.”* First published in 1811, it has some interesting info about Cumbrian Merry Neets. These were dances organised by an individual specifically to raise money – ‘to put a pound or two in his… Continue reading A Merry Neet
From Lorna's Command Centre 