Lanercost Genealogical Records
Lanercost Birth & Baptism Records
An index to births registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of birth certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
A growing index of births registered in the region. Records include a reference to the sub-registration district, making it easier to order the correct certificate.
A collection of indexes and transcripts of birth and baptism records that cover over 250 million people. Includes digital images of many records.
An index to births registered at the central authority for England & Wales. The index provides the area where the birth was registered, mother's maiden name from September 1911 and a reference to order a birth certificate.
An index to births registered to British Army personal at home and abroad.
Lanercost Marriage & Divorce Records
An index to marriages registered throughout England & Wales. This is the only national marriage index that allows you to search by both spouse's names. Provides a reference to order copies of marriage certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
A growing index of marriages registered in the region. Records include a reference to the sub-registration district, making it easier to order the correct certificate.
Marriages recorded in the register of the meetinghouse at Beckfoot. Most records list the name of both parents.
A collection of indexes and transcripts of marriage records that cover over 160 million people. Includes digital images of many records.
Digital images of documents from civil divorce cases. The cases cover both the cause of the case and the outcome, such as division of property and visitation rights. These records also contain details of illegitimate children. Cases can be searched by a name index.
Lanercost Death & Burial Records
An index to deaths registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of death certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
A growing index of deaths registered in the region. Records include a reference to the sub-registration district, making it easier to order the correct certificate.
Images of millions of pages from cemetery and crematoria registers, photographs of memorials, cemetery plans and more. Records can be search by a name index.
A collection of indexes and transcripts of death and burial records that cover over 140 million people. Includes digital images of many records.
An index to deaths registered at the central authority for England and Wales. To 1866, only the locality the death was registered in was listed. Age was listed until 1969, when the deceased's date of birth was listed. Provides a reference to order a death certificate, which has further details.
Lanercost Census & Population Lists
An index to and digital images of records that detail 40 million civilians in England and Wales. Records list name, date of birth, address, marital status, occupation and details of trade or profession.
The 1911 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
A tax levied on the wealthier inhabitants of Cumberland.
The 1901 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
The 1891 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
Newspapers Covering Lanercost
A local newspaper including news from the Carlisle area, family announcements, business notices, advertisements, legal & governmental proceedings and more.
This fully searchable newspaper will provide a rich variety of information about the people and places of the Carlisle district. Includes family announcements.
Britain's most popular provincial newspaper, covering local & national news, family announcements, government & local proceedings and more.
A collection of transcribed extracts, particularly BMD columns, from over 20 newspapers.
An index to personal notices in a railway employee magazine.
Lanercost Wills & Probate Records
Searchable index and original images of over 12.5 million probates and administrations granted by civil registries. Entries usually include the testator's name, date of death, date of probate and registry. Names of relations may be given.
Digital images, indexed by testor's name, of 28,716 wills, administrations, inventories and other probate documents. The records can shed light on an individual’s relations, possessions, land holdings, legal agreements and more. They cover various jurisdictions throughout the north of England.
An index to wills, administrations and inventories proved by the Diocese of Durham and Carlisle District Probate Registry. The index provides a reference, which can be used to view original documents.
An index to 263,822 wills, administrations and other probate documents proved by an ecclesiastical court in York. The index included the testor's name, residence, year of probate, type of document and reference to order copies of the referenced document(s.).
An index to 10,195 wills, administrations and other probate documents proved by an ecclesiastical court in York. The index included the testor's name, residence, occupation, will & probate year, language, type of document and reference to order copies of the referenced document(s.).
Lanercost Immigration & Travel Records
A name index connected to original images of passenger lists recording people travelling from Britain to destinations outside Europe. Records may detail a passenger's age or date of birth, residence, occupation, destination and more.
A full index of passenger lists for vessels arriving in the UK linked to original images. Does not include lists from vessels sailing from European ports. Early entries can be brief, but later entries may include dates of births, occupations, home addresses and more. Useful for documenting immigration.
An index to and images of documents recording over 1.65 million passengers who arrived in Victoria, Australia, including passengers whose voyage was paid for by others.
Details on over 600,000 non-British citizens arriving in England. Often includes age and professions. Useful for discerning the origin of immigrants.
Details on thousands of 17th century British immigrants to the U.S., detailing their origins and nature of their immigration.
Lanercost Military Records
A searchable list of over 100,000 British Army POWs. Records contains details on the captured, their military career and where they were held prisoner.
Details on around 165,000 men serving in the British Army, Navy and Air Force who were held as prisoners during WWII.
Index and original images of over 5 million medal index cards for British soldiers It can be searched by individual's name, Coprs, Unit and Regiment. Due to the loss of many WWI service records, this is the most complete source for British WWI soldiers
This rich collection contains contains records for 1.9 million non-commissioned officers and other ranks who fought in WWI. Due to bomb damage in WWI, around 60% of service records were lost. Documents cover: enlistment, medical status, injuries, conduct, awards and discharge. A great deal of genealogical and biographical documentation can be found in these documents, including details on entire families, physical descriptions and place of birth.
An index to nearly 900,000 military personnel who were awarded the Silver War Badge for sustaining injures. Records include rank, regimental number, unit, dates of enlistment and discharge, and reason for discharge.
Lanercost Court & Legal Records
The cartulary and other records of the important Cistercian house of Holm Cultram. The records cover many places in Cumberland.
Records of over 300,000 prisoners held by quarter sessions in England & Wales. Records may contain age, occupation, criminal history, offence and trial proceedings.
Over 175,000 records detailing prisoner's alleged offences and the outcome of their trial. Contains genealogical information.
Digital images of ledgers recording those registered to vote, searchable by an index of 220 million names. Entries list name, address, qualification to vote, description of property and sometimes age and occupation.
From the late 18th century many prisoners in Britain were kept on decommissioned ships known as hulks. This collection contains nearly 50 years of registers for various ships. Details given include: prisoner's name, date received, age, year of birth and conviction details.
Lanercost Taxation Records
A tax levied on the wealthier inhabitants of Cumberland.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
This vital collection details almost 1.2 million properties eligible for land tax. Records include the name of the landowner, occupier, amount assessed and sometimes the name and/or description of the property. It is a useful starting point for locating relevant estate records and establishing the succession of tenancies and freehold. Most records cover 1798, but some extend up to 1811.
An index linked to original images of registers recording apprenticeship indentures. Details are given on the trade and nature of apprenticeship. Many records list the parents of the apprentice.
A compilation of records from the Court of the Exchequer primarily dealing with taxes and land. These records are in Latin.
Lanercost Land & Property Records
The cartulary and other records of the important Cistercian house of Holm Cultram. The records cover many places in Cumberland.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
This vital collection details almost 1.2 million properties eligible for land tax. Records include the name of the landowner, occupier, amount assessed and sometimes the name and/or description of the property. It is a useful starting point for locating relevant estate records and establishing the succession of tenancies and freehold. Most records cover 1798, but some extend up to 1811.
Poll books record the names of voters and the direction of their vote. Until 1872 only landholders could vote, so not everyone will be listed. Useful for discerning an ancestor's political leanings and landholdings. The collection is supplemented with other records relating to the vote.
Abstracts of records detailing the estates and families of deceased tenants from the reigns of Henry III and Edward I.
Lanercost Directories & Gazetteers
A directory of settlements in Cumberland & Westmorland detailing their history, agriculture, topography, economy and leading commercial, professional and private residents.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
Lanercost Cemeteries
Images of millions of pages from cemetery and crematoria registers, photographs of memorials, cemetery plans and more. Records can be search by a name index.
Photographs and transcriptions of millions of gravestones from cemeteries around the world.
Profiles of several hundred mausolea found in the British Isles.
Several thousand transcribed memorials remembering those connected with the nautical occupations.
A searchable database of photographs relating to railways and canals in Britain.
Lanercost Obituaries
The UKs largest repository of obituaries, containing millions of searchable notices.
A growing collection currently containing over 425,000 abstracts of obituaries with reference to the location of the full obituary.
A collection of 364 obituaries of Quakers from the British Isles. The volume was published in 1849 and includes obituaries of those who died in late 1847 through 1848.
This transcribed and searchable work by Sir William Musgrave contains 10,000s of brief obituaries. The work is a reference point for other works containing information on an individual.
A text index and digital images of all editions of a journal containing medical articles and obituaries of medical practitioners.
Lanercost Histories & Books
A collection of thousands of images, largely postcards and photographs of the former counties of Westmorland and Cumberland.
A large collection of photographs depicting the counties of Cumberland and Westmorland, arranged by place.
Detailed descriptions of Cumbria parishes from Mannix & Whellan, History, Gazetteer and Directory of Cumberland and Westmorland.
A history of a period when ministers who did not conform to the Common Book of Prayer were ejected from their positions. This after a period of religious tolerance under Cromwell. The book also includes biographies of the several hundred ejected ministers.
A collection of maps and descriptions of the counties of Cumberland and Westmorland – their settlements and features.
Lanercost School & Education Records
A name index connected to digital images of registers recording millions of children educated in schools operated by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education. Records contain a variety of information including genealogical details, education history, illnesses, exam result, fathers occupation and more.
A name index linked to original images of registers recording the education and careers of teachers in England & Wales.
A name index linked to original images of short biographies for over 120,000 Oxford University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
A transcript of a vast scholarly work briefly chronicling the heritage, education and careers of over 150,000 Cambridge University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
A searchable database containing over 90,000 note-form biographies for students of Cambridge University.
Lanercost Occupation & Business Records
An extensive website detailing over forty different industries connected with the former counties of Westmorland and Cumberland.
Profiles of collieries in the north of England, with employment statistics, profiles of those who died in the mines and photographs.
Over 1,000 photographs relating to railways in the former counties of Westmorland and Cumbria.
An index to records detailing hundreds of railway employees in Westmorland and Cumberland.
Reports of mining distastes, includes lists of the deceased and photographs of monuments.
Pedigrees & Family Trees Covering Lanercost
Pedigrees of gentry families from Cumberland and Westmorland. Also describes their coats of arms.
A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.
Biographic and genealogical information of early Quakers in Cumberland.
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
Lanercost Royalty, Nobility & Heraldry Records
Pedigrees of gentry families from Cumberland and Westmorland. Also describes their coats of arms.
A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
Over 600 pedigrees for English and Welsh families who had a right to bear a coat of arms.
Lanercost Church Records
A history of a period when ministers who did not conform to the Common Book of Prayer were ejected from their positions. This after a period of religious tolerance under Cromwell. The book also includes biographies of the several hundred ejected ministers.
Historical and architectural dictionary to churches in the two counties. Contains numerous sketches of church features.
Histories and photographs of churches in Cumbria and the Lake District.
Documentation for those baptised, married and buried at England. Parish registers can assist tracing a family back numerous generations.
The primary source of documentation for baptisms, marriages and burials before 1837, though extremely useful to the present. Their records can assist tracing a family back numerous generations.
Biographical Directories Covering Lanercost
A history of a period when ministers who did not conform to the Common Book of Prayer were ejected from their positions. This after a period of religious tolerance under Cromwell. The book also includes biographies of the several hundred ejected ministers.
A history of Cumberland and Westmorland's influence and affairs in Westminster. Also contains short biographies of the counties' members of Parliament.
Abstract biographies of people connected with mining in the North of England.
A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
Lanercost Maps
A map delineating Church of England parishes in the two counties.
A collection of maps and descriptions of the counties of Cumberland and Westmorland – their settlements and features.
A collection of digitalised maps covering the county.
Several maps depicting parts of Cumbria.
A number of maps of northern England with the locations of collieries plotted.
Lanercost Reference Works
Two guides for locating and using manorial records for family and property history.
A beginner’s guide to researching ancestry in England.
Compiled in 1831, this book details the coverage and condition of parish registers in England & Wales.
A comprehensive guide to researching the history of buildings in the British Isles.
A service that provides advanced and custom surname maps for the British Isles and the US.
Civil & Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction
Historical Description
LANERCOST is an extensive parish, comprising four townships and the hamlet of Kirkcambeck, extending 10 miles in length from east to west and 9 from north to south, and is intersected by the Kingwater and other small streams; it is 2 ½ miles north from Brampton junction station on the Newcastle and Carlisle section of the North Eastern railway, and 1 ½ north-east from Naworth station on the same line, in the Northern division of the county, Eskdale ward and petty sessional division, Brampton union and county court district, rural deanery of Brampton, and archdeaconry and diocese of Carlisle. The Roman wall ran through a great portion of this parish; its foundations are visible in many places, and in others the remains are several feet in height, the largest portions being at Harehill and Birdoswald. The priory church of St. Mary Magdalene, the western arm of which serves as the parish church, was consecrated in 1169; the portion now in use consists of the nave, with aisle on the north side, and was restored and fitted in the present century, and there is one bell, cast by Park and Chapman in 1773, and hung in a cot on the west face of the tower. The church, regarded as a whole, is a cruciform structure, in the Transition Norman and Early English styles, and originally comprised a choir, with small lateral chapels, transepts with eastern aisles, opening into the chapels, nave of four bays, with north aisle, and a lofty embattled central tower; but the choir, transept and tower have long been roofless, and their walls, much dilapidated, are now covered with foliage, The portion of the church still in use contains numerous monumentas memorials, including a stone tablet in the aisle, erected in 1761, by the Rev. G. Story, vicar of Lanercost, to the founder of the priory, Robert de Vallibus, and Ada (Engaine), his wife; on the east wall is a tablet of metal bearing an inscription to Sir Rowland de Vaux, of Triermain, restored in 1863 by his descendant, F. L. Ballantyne Dykes esq. of Dovenby Hall, in place of the original, now lost, but said to have been affixed to a still existing tomb in the north transept; at the east end of the nave is an inscribed brass to the Rev. Isaac Dodgson, sometime vicar of Lanercost, d. 1873, and a tablet to Thomas Addison M.D., F.R.C.P. for 37 years physician and lecturer at Guy’s Hospital, London, d. 29th June, 1860; he was interred in the churchyard here, and this memorial was placed by Elizabeth Catherine Addison, his widow, in March, 1862. On the south side of the eastern pier of the arcade are medallion portraits by the late Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm bart. R.A. of the Hon. Charles Wentworth George Howard M.P. d. 11th April, 1879, and the Hon. Mary (Parke), his wife, d. 26th August, 1843, and below is an inscription; on the same pier, affixed to a board, are portions of the inscribed metal fillets once on the tomb of Sir Thomas, 2nd Baron Dacre K.G. and Elizabeth, his wife, now in the chapel on the south side of the choir; at the west end of the aisle is a memorial window, designed by Sir E. Burne Jones bart. and executed by the late W. Morris, to George William Frederick, 7th Earl of Carlisle K.G., P.C. and sometime Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, d. 5th December, 1864; this window was erected in 1890 by the Earl’s sisters, in place of one inserted by his tenants in 1866, and which had been accidentally damaged; there is one by the same artists to Dr. Brown, d. 1873, and another to John Addison, yeoman, elder brother of Dr. Addison, mentioned above; in the east window of the nave are three shields of arms, formerly in the dining room of the abbey house, but removed here by Mr. Nowell, when steward of Naworth estate; all three display the arms of Dacre, quartering others; the centre shield represents an illegitimate branch; that on the right exhibits Dacre impaling Denton, and underneath is an inscription in Latin by Sir Thomas Dacre kt. natural son of Thomas, Baron Dacre K.G. who, after the dissolution of the abbey, was the first to come here, and founded the family of Dacre of Lanercost; at the end of the north wall of the aisle, within a blocked doorway, is now fixed the broken shaft of the cross, the base of which still stands on the priory green: the north aisle appears to have been enclosed and fitted for parochial purposes about 1680, by the Rev. Mr. Dickenson, then incumbent; between 1739—49, the nave, which had been left ruinous, was roofed in, and the church thus enlarged was refitted, the cost being defrayed by the parishioners, with the assistance of a brief, issued in 1732, the estimated cost being £1,100: the church now affords 300 sittings. The register dates from the year 1684. The living was declared a vicarage 13th November, 1866, and includes Kirkcambeck, annexed for ecclesiastical purposes, 28th June, 1872; net yearly value £216, with 80 acres of glebe and residence, in the gift of the Earl of Carlisle, and held since 1896 by the Rev. Thomas William Willis B, A. of Downham College, Cambridge. There is a Primitive Methodist chapel at The Banks, and at West Hall a Wesleyan chapel, built in 1835, and enlarged in 1883.
The priory of St. Mary Magdalene was founded here in or a little before the year 1169, by Robert Vaux, or de Vallibus, for canons of the Augustinian Order, and consecrated in that year by Christian, Bishop of Galloway or Candida Casa (Whithorn), and it was endowed by the founder with a certain extent of open fields adjoining, besides others, also the village of Walton, and various rights of pasture, fishing and thoroughfare, adding afterwards other benefactions, and his charter was subsequently confirmed by Richard I. In 1280, Edward I. and his queen Eleanor visited Lanercost, and were met at the gate by the prior and canons, and in 1281 (22nd March), Ralph de Ireton, Bishop of Carlisle, was received in the same manner. In 1296 (29th April), a Scottish force, led by John (Cumyn) 3rd Earl of Buchan, reached Lanercost in the course of an incursion, but retreated after burning some of the conventual buildings, and in the year following it was ravaged by Wallace. Edward I. during the march of his army towards Scotland, again lodged here, remaining from September 29th, 1306, till Easter, 1307, and many important writs are dated from Lanercost during this period, including one by which the notorious Piers Gaveston was banished from the kingdom. Robert Bruce, King of Scotland, came here in August, 1311, with a large army, stayed three days, and flung most of the canons into prison, and in 1346, the priory was again attacked by David, King of Scotland, its treasures carried off, and the building much damaged, so that, even in 1409, it remained in a ruinous condition, its lands uncultivated, and the monks in great poverty; subsequently the buildings appear to have been restored, but in 1536 the monastery was suppressed, the net income being then a little over £77. The prior, John Robinson, was allowed to hold the rectory of Aikton, but the site and buildings of the priory were granted, 34 Henry VIII. (22nd November, 1542), to Thomas Dacre, of Lanercost, and this grant was confirmed and enlarged by letters patent, 6 Edward VI. (28th June, 1552), and in 1559 some of the conventual buildings were converted by the grantee into a dwelling house. The priory is beautifully situated in a valley on the north side of the river Irthing, and its precincts are entered by an ancient gatehouse, standing about 130 yards westward, near the high road, and originally groined. The architectural details of the church show that it was erected by degrees; the earliest portions, comprising the base course on the south side of the nave, and in the south transept, are of Transitional character, the materials being obtained, apparently, from the adjacent Roman wall or camp on the north; the remainder is elegant Early English, of which the clerestory of the nave and the west front are beautiful examples; the latter has a bold recessed doorway, over which is an arcading, and above this are seven tall lancets, three of which are pierced as windows; in the gable is a niche containing an effigy of St. Mary Magdalene, and a kneeling figure on her right hand, said to represent a monk. The choir retains portions of a piscina and sedilia, and an aumbry, and there are other piscinae in the chapels; in the south wall of the choir, resting on the sedilia, is a stone coffin of somewhat unusual form; near the site of the high altar lies the gravestone of the Rev. Thomas Fawcett, perpetual curate of Lanercost from 1730, d. 1746, and Mary (Fenton) his first wife, d. 1741; in the south-east angle of the choir, and forming part of the beading of the clerestory, is a fragment of a Roman altar, which the inscription shows to have been dedicated to Jupiter by Julius Saturninus, tribune of the 1st or AElian Cohort of Dacians. In the chapel on the north side of the choir are buried the Hon. C. W. G. Howard M.P. and Mary, his wife, whose remains, originally interred at Streatham, Surrey, were removed here on the death of her husband in 1879; in an adjoining grave is buried Elizabeth Dacre, 4th daughter of the present Earl of Carlisle, to whose memory there is an effigy in terra-cotta modelled by the lata Sir J. E. Boehm bart. R.A.; on the south side of the chapel stands a nameless altar-tomb of post-Reformation date, the upper slab of which partially covers the piscina. In the south chapel, under an arch, stands the fine altar-tomb of Sir Thomas Dacre, son of Sir Humphrey, and 2nd Baron Dacre K.G. who commanded a body of horse at Fiodden Field (9th September, 1513), and died in 1526, and of Elizabeth (Greystoke), his wife, ob. 21st August, 1516; this tomb, finely designed and exquisitely wrought, bears shields of arms of Dacre and Greystoke; each side is divided by canopied work into three compartments, once enriched with figures, two of which, both ecclesiastics, remain; at the angles were figures of angels with outspread wings, and two of these also are left; the sides of the tomb are also adorned with quartered shields, encircled by the garter; the effigies have disappeared, and what remains of the brass inscription is now preserved in the nave, as already stated. On the south side of this chapel is another tomb of the Dacres, the front of which is divided into five compartments, each enclosing a quatre-foiled circle; in three are blank shields, the two others display escallops; on this tomb reposes the full-length effigy of a layman, said to have been removed here from the churchyard; it is much worn, and has carved across it an inscription to John Crow, of Longlands, d. 1708, aged 25, who, it is averred, was killed by falling from the clerestory; the figure seems to belong to the late 14th or early 15th century. In the north transept, under an arch in the north wall, is an altar-tomb, the front of which is divided into five compartments, and in the centre is a shield with the arms of Vaux of Trier-main; the tomb has consequently been assigned to Sir Rowland de Vaux kt. and it is believed to have originally borne the epitaph which, in a restored form, now appears on the east wall of the north aisle, as already described; fragments of the effigy of a knight of the latter part of the 14th century, clad in chain mail, covered with a jupon or tunic, displaying the arms of Vaux, have been placed on this tomb; in the aisle of this transept stands the altar-tomb of Sir Humphrey Dacre, 8th holder of the barony and 1st Baron Dacre of Gillesland, ob. 30th May, 1485, and Mabel (Parr), his wife, ob. 16th November, 1500; the recumbent effigies, one of which was remaining in 1803, are now gone, but the inscriptions, though much defaced, may still be made out. The north side displays the arms of Parr and Roos quartered, but the supporters no longer exist; on either band are figures of angels holding shields, with the coats of Dacre and Vaux; on the south side are griffins supporting a shield, with the arms of Dacre, Vaux, Multon and Morville, flanked by angels as before, and at the end of the tomb is a large shield, similarly quartered; in the aisle is also a stone inscribed to James Dacre esq. last heir male of the Dacres, of Lanercost, d. 16th July, 1716, and there are several stone slabs, one of which has moulded sides, but neither inscription nor device; another, 6 feet 2 inches by 2 feet 7 inches, had matrices of brasses, and near it is a small coped slab of grey freestone of the early 14th century, bearing on the top a stepped cross, on one side a sword and on the other a pilgrim’s palm branch and scrip; placed against the north and east walls of the aisle are four other gravestones, two of which lay for many years in the churchyard, and were afterwards laid on the site of the high altar; the largest, 5 feet 10 inches by 2 feet 5 inches, is incised with a floriated cross, rising from a calvary of seven steps, and has on one side a sword and on the other a plain cross; cut longitudinally on this slab is an inscription to Barbara Harding, of Cragil Hill, d. December, 1740; the other, 5 feet 4 inches by 1 foot 2 inches, displays a floriated cross on two steps; within its circular head, and on one side, are a pair of shears; of the remaining two stones, one is a fragment, incised with a dwarf floriated cross on three steps, and on the with a dwarf floriated cross on three steps, and on the perfect side a roundel charged with an escallop; it probably century; the fourth, also fragmental, is the head of a coffin-slab of grey freestone, with an elaborate but rudely carved cross forming a quatrefoil; placed in the aumbry of the transept is the headless bust of a figure, assumed to represent a deacon; in the wall of the south transept, but visible only from the cloister garth, is a slab 4 feet 8 inches by 1 foot 9 inches, incised with an eight-limbed floriated cross, between a book and, a sword, and near it is fixed a plain slab, which has perhaps been reversed. The church is 178 feet in length, and the nave, including the aisle, has a width of 40 feet; the transept is 91 feet long, the choir 52 feet 6 inches, and the central tower is about 27 feet square; the cloister garth, on the south, is 82 by 70 feet; but of the ambulatories there are now no traces save a few corbels on the south wall of the church and the west wall of the transept; the eastern portion of the cloister buildings, which would have contained the chapter house, has disappeared, but on the south side is the undercroft of the refectory, 102 feet long, with nine vaulted bays, and two doorways opening to the cloister; at its south-west angle is a strong tower, called the prior’s lodging, and having a Perpendicular upper storey; the western side of the garth is occupied by the guest house, 57 feet long, and other rooms, with cellarage below. The alterations made in the buildings by Thomas Dacre were continued by his successor, Sir Christopher Dacre, whose initials, with the date 1586, appear on the fireplace of the hall, and in a small chamber next its north end, which is oak panelled, and has a plaster frieze enriched with the Dacre arms, and small windows looking into the nave of the church; at the south end of the hall are screens, and remains of a minstrels’ gallery, and traces of the decorative work on the walls and beams are still distinguishable. A little distance west of these buildings stands another tower, supposed to have been built about 1280 by order of Edward I. and now forming part of the vicarage. About 20 yards north of the west front of the church stands the base and part of the shaft of a cross; another portion of which, as previously stated, is now in the north aisle; this cross, when perfect, bore the following inscription:-“Anno ab Incarnatione MCCXIIII. et VII. anno Interdict, optinente sedem aplicam Innocent. III. imperante in Alemania Othon, regnante in Francia Philippo Johe in Anglia Willmo in Scotia facta h. crux.” Hardly more than half the legend now remains, the rest having been cut away in order to substitute an epitaph to an infant in July, 1657.
Lanercost has been suggested by the late Dr. Collingwood Bruce, and the late Rev. J. Maughan, rector of Bewcastle, as the site of the Roman station, Petriana, which in the “Notitia,” is given as next in order to Amboglanna. Most antiquaries have hitherto fixed the site of Petriana at “Castlesteads,” about 2 miles west of Lanercost, and 7 west from Birdoswald, but there appear to be good reasons for distrusting this conclusion, especially as the distance between this stations, on this hypothesis, is above the average. The whole of the conventual buildings have been constructed with stones, the character of which does not correspond to the material of which the wall is built, and as the quantity used was necessarily great, and many of the stones are Roman, it is inferred that they were taken from ruins near at hand, once forming a Roman station, and possibly, therefore, Petriana. Some of these stones are inscribed, and include an altar, built into the clerestory of the choir, and three centurial stones, one in the wall of the crypt, another in the wall of the vicarage garden, and a third, dug up in 1860, in the farm yard. In 1859 the following inscription was discovered by the Rev. J. Maughan, on the face of a limestone quarry close to Banksburn, and about half a mile from Lanercost; it is probably of the 2nd century, and its existence so near to Lanercost is highly suggestive; it runs:-“I BRVTVS DEO AL PET,” i.e., “Junius Brutus, diecurio of the cavalry of Petriana.” The inclosure to the north-west of the priory affords some traces of streets and foundations of buildings; similar evidences have been met with in the gardens, and below the present bridge are the remains of an ancient bridge, apparently of Roman work.
The Earl of Carlisle is lord of the manor and the principal landowner. There are several small freeholders in the parish.
Schools
National (Church of England), Island (mixed), built in 1862, for 115 children; average attendance, 52.
National, Lees Hill (mixed), built in 1876, for 100 children; average attendance, 54.
Most Common Surnames in Lanercost
| Rank | Surname | Incidence | Frequency | Percent of Parent | Rank in Eskdale Ward |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tweddle | 55 | 1:23 | 19.23% | 140 |
| 2 | Smith | 54 | 1:24 | 2.07% | 6 |
| 3 | Armstrong | 50 | 1:26 | 1.79% | 5 |
| 4 | Graham | 42 | 1:31 | 1.05% | 1 |
| 5 | Watson | 40 | 1:32 | 2.24% | 16 |
| 5 | Little | 40 | 1:32 | 1.99% | 11 |
| 7 | Nixon | 32 | 1:40 | 3.73% | 32 |
| 7 | Waugh | 32 | 1:40 | 11.35% | 142 |
| 9 | Thompson | 30 | 1:43 | 1.02% | 4 |
| 10 | Harding | 24 | 1:54 | 8.86% | 155 |
| 11 | Batey | 23 | 1:56 | 17.42% | 328 |
| 12 | Martin | 22 | 1:58 | 2.46% | 30 |
| 12 | Bell | 22 | 1:58 | 0.61% | 2 |
| 12 | Holmes | 22 | 1:58 | 3.96% | 56 |
| 15 | Wilson | 21 | 1:61 | 0.63% | 3 |
| 16 | Atkinson | 20 | 1:64 | 1.48% | 19 |
| 17 | Oliver | 19 | 1:68 | 17.12% | 384 |
| 18 | Davidson | 17 | 1:76 | 1.49% | 22 |
| 19 | Kennedy | 16 | 1:80 | 3.46% | 77 |
| 19 | Dobson | 16 | 1:80 | 5.76% | 147 |
| 19 | Potts | 16 | 1:80 | 4.51% | 109 |
| 22 | Nichol | 15 | 1:86 | 6.17% | 179 |
| 22 | Mitchinson | 15 | 1:86 | 6.61% | 194 |
| 24 | Rowntree | 14 | 1:92 | 32.56% | 914 |
| 25 | Brown | 13 | 1:99 | 0.63% | 10 |
| 25 | Forster | 13 | 1:99 | 2.61% | 66 |
| 25 | Story | 13 | 1:99 | 3.75% | 112 |
| 25 | Creighton | 13 | 1:99 | 11.93% | 391 |
| 29 | Calvert | 12 | 1:107 | 7.32% | 274 |
| 29 | Forrester | 12 | 1:107 | 6.19% | 223 |
| 29 | Ewart | 12 | 1:107 | 9.16% | 330 |
| 29 | Bulman | 12 | 1:107 | 4.26% | 142 |
| 29 | Heward | 12 | 1:107 | 40.00% | 1,209 |
| 29 | Moscrop | 12 | 1:107 | 10.26% | 365 |
| 35 | Phillips | 11 | 1:117 | 4.45% | 175 |
| 36 | Dixon | 10 | 1:129 | 0.53% | 14 |
| 36 | Nicholson | 10 | 1:129 | 0.68% | 17 |
| 36 | Hope | 10 | 1:129 | 2.46% | 95 |
| 36 | Goodfellow | 10 | 1:129 | 5.05% | 220 |
| 36 | Routledge | 10 | 1:129 | 1.32% | 36 |
| 36 | Blaylock | 10 | 1:129 | 3.62% | 151 |
| 42 | Noble | 9 | 1:143 | 2.93% | 127 |
| 42 | Dodd | 9 | 1:143 | 2.15% | 90 |
| 42 | Elliot | 9 | 1:143 | 1.79% | 64 |
| 45 | Bowman | 8 | 1:161 | 1.41% | 54 |
| 45 | Irving | 8 | 1:161 | 0.44% | 15 |
| 45 | Holliday | 8 | 1:161 | 1.21% | 43 |
| 45 | Telford | 8 | 1:161 | 1.68% | 71 |
| 45 | Gord | 8 | 1:161 | 100.00% | 3,079 |
| 45 | Burtholme | 8 | 1:161 | 88.89% | 2,793 |
| 51 | Richardson | 7 | 1:184 | 0.48% | 18 |
| 51 | Turnbull | 7 | 1:184 | 2.29% | 130 |
| 51 | Percival | 7 | 1:184 | 4.27% | 274 |
| 51 | Moses | 7 | 1:184 | 9.33% | 565 |
| 51 | Laidler | 7 | 1:184 | 28.00% | 1,379 |
| 51 | Mitchelson | 7 | 1:184 | 35.00% | 1,609 |
| 51 | Crive | 7 | 1:184 | 100.00% | 3,452 |
| 58 | Green | 6 | 1:214 | 1.73% | 112 |
| 58 | Hutchinson | 6 | 1:214 | 1.60% | 103 |
| 58 | Fleming | 6 | 1:214 | 2.19% | 153 |
| 58 | Warwick | 6 | 1:214 | 2.59% | 187 |
| 58 | Milburn | 6 | 1:214 | 1.63% | 104 |
| 58 | Hyslop | 6 | 1:214 | 17.65% | 1,081 |
| 58 | Sawyers | 6 | 1:214 | 42.86% | 2,034 |
| 65 | Johnson | 5 | 1:257 | 1.12% | 82 |
| 65 | Hetherington | 5 | 1:257 | 0.47% | 23 |
| 65 | Lumley | 5 | 1:257 | 41.67% | 2,282 |
| 65 | Battle | 5 | 1:257 | 41.67% | 2,282 |
| 65 | Barnfather | 5 | 1:257 | 4.63% | 394 |
| 65 | Boustead | 5 | 1:257 | 3.82% | 330 |
| 65 | Thirlwall | 5 | 1:257 | 7.14% | 603 |
| 72 | Campbell | 4 | 1:321 | 0.80% | 66 |
| 72 | Foster | 4 | 1:321 | 0.72% | 56 |
| 72 | Johnstone | 4 | 1:321 | 0.67% | 49 |
| 72 | Storey | 4 | 1:321 | 1.79% | 197 |
| 72 | Rutherford | 4 | 1:321 | 2.09% | 230 |
| 72 | Ridley | 4 | 1:321 | 1.63% | 176 |
| 72 | Musgrave | 4 | 1:321 | 2.23% | 245 |
| 72 | Lear | 4 | 1:321 | 57.14% | 3,452 |
| 72 | Corbet | 4 | 1:321 | 80.00% | 4,423 |
| 72 | Beaty | 4 | 1:321 | 1.34% | 135 |
| 72 | Patrickson | 4 | 1:321 | 3.13% | 338 |
| 72 | Laidlow | 4 | 1:321 | 4.55% | 495 |
| 72 | Beckton | 4 | 1:321 | 7.84% | 789 |
| 72 | Christer | 4 | 1:321 | 100.00% | 5,112 |
| 72 | Bulkeley | 4 | 1:321 | 100.00% | 5,112 |
| 72 | Schollick | 4 | 1:321 | 50.00% | 3,079 |
| 72 | Turnbul | 4 | 1:321 | 36.36% | 2,421 |
| 72 | Blaycock | 4 | 1:321 | 26.67% | 1,948 |
| 90 | Grant | 3 | 1:428 | 2.31% | 333 |
| 90 | Walton | 3 | 1:428 | 0.63% | 70 |
| 90 | Moor | 3 | 1:428 | 1.33% | 195 |
| 90 | Carruthers | 3 | 1:428 | 0.32% | 26 |
| 90 | Teasdale | 3 | 1:428 | 0.89% | 118 |
| 90 | Bath | 3 | 1:428 | 27.27% | 2,421 |
| 90 | Wedge | 3 | 1:428 | 60.00% | 4,423 |
| 90 | Carlyle | 3 | 1:428 | 1.72% | 254 |
| 90 | Sproat | 3 | 1:428 | 2.80% | 400 |
| 90 | Storrow | 3 | 1:428 | 10.71% | 1,273 |
| 100 | Turner | 2 | 1:643 | 0.36% | 59 |
| 100 | Mitchell | 2 | 1:643 | 0.35% | 53 |
| 100 | Parker | 2 | 1:643 | 0.28% | 40 |
| 100 | Shaw | 2 | 1:643 | 0.78% | 169 |
| 100 | Lee | 2 | 1:643 | 0.72% | 150 |
| 100 | Johnston | 2 | 1:643 | 0.09% | 9 |
| 100 | Hind | 2 | 1:643 | 0.59% | 117 |
| 100 | Downie | 2 | 1:643 | 4.55% | 888 |
| 100 | Snowden | 2 | 1:643 | 3.51% | 711 |
| 100 | Coulthard | 2 | 1:643 | 0.38% | 63 |
| 100 | Jopling | 2 | 1:643 | 100.00% | 6,688 |
| 100 | Faulder | 2 | 1:643 | 1.05% | 232 |
| 100 | Hudspith | 2 | 1:643 | 5.56% | 1,036 |
| 100 | Wannop | 2 | 1:643 | 1.08% | 238 |
| 100 | Moffet | 2 | 1:643 | 4.76% | 932 |
| 100 | Boxford | 2 | 1:643 | 100.00% | 6,688 |
| 100 | Mitcalf | 2 | 1:643 | 100.00% | 6,688 |
| 100 | Leear | 2 | 1:643 | 100.00% | 6,688 |
| 118 | Walker | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.08% | 21 |
| 118 | Robinson | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.04% | 7 |
| 118 | Jackson | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.05% | 12 |
| 118 | Scott | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.05% | 13 |
| 118 | Cooper | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.47% | 205 |
| 118 | Anderson | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.22% | 80 |
| 118 | James | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.23% | 87 |
| 118 | Marshall | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.40% | 171 |
| 118 | Wilkinson | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.11% | 31 |
| 118 | Adams | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.67% | 298 |
| 118 | Murray | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.11% | 28 |
| 118 | McKenzie | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.45% | 199 |
| 118 | Fisher | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.12% | 34 |
| 118 | Dawson | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.21% | 74 |
| 118 | Ross | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.83% | 360 |
| 118 | Hunter | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.24% | 89 |
| 118 | Matthews | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.60% | 267 |
| 118 | Morrison | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.58% | 259 |
| 118 | Lowe | 1 | 1:1,285 | 2.08% | 827 |
| 118 | Ferguson | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.16% | 46 |
| 118 | Hodgson | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.04% | 8 |
| 118 | Whitehead | 1 | 1:1,285 | 1.22% | 514 |
| 118 | Burns | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.12% | 35 |
| 118 | Gordon | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.66% | 294 |
| 118 | Allan | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.53% | 234 |
| 118 | Banks | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.28% | 108 |
| 118 | Todd | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.23% | 84 |
| 118 | Douglas | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.28% | 107 |
| 118 | Welsh | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.62% | 279 |
| 118 | Blackburn | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.44% | 196 |
| 118 | Hogg | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.38% | 164 |
| 118 | Charlton | 1 | 1:1,285 | 1.11% | 484 |
| 118 | Ogden | 1 | 1:1,285 | 33.33% | 5,889 |
| 118 | Jamieson | 1 | 1:1,285 | 1.28% | 549 |
| 118 | Croft | 1 | 1:1,285 | 100.00% | 7,784 |
| 118 | Cowan | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.40% | 171 |
| 118 | Skelton | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.32% | 124 |
| 118 | Milton | 1 | 1:1,285 | 16.67% | 3,884 |
| 118 | Usher | 1 | 1:1,285 | 2.56% | 985 |
| 118 | Newby | 1 | 1:1,285 | 1.23% | 524 |
| 118 | Jardine | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.76% | 328 |
| 118 | Hewson | 1 | 1:1,285 | 1.52% | 625 |
| 118 | Paxton | 1 | 1:1,285 | 25.00% | 5,112 |
| 118 | Snowdon | 1 | 1:1,285 | 2.08% | 827 |
| 118 | McWilliam | 1 | 1:1,285 | 8.33% | 2,282 |
| 118 | Hewitson | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.36% | 145 |
| 118 | Byers | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.46% | 203 |
| 118 | Saul | 1 | 1:1,285 | 1.32% | 561 |
| 118 | Western | 1 | 1:1,285 | 7.69% | 2,156 |
| 118 | Jobling | 1 | 1:1,285 | 6.67% | 1,948 |
| 118 | Forester | 1 | 1:1,285 | 1.96% | 789 |
| 118 | Railton | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.67% | 297 |
| 118 | Baty | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.58% | 259 |
| 118 | Pierson | 1 | 1:1,285 | 100.00% | 7,784 |
| 118 | Millican | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.46% | 201 |
| 118 | Elwood | 1 | 1:1,285 | 4.76% | 1,566 |
| 118 | Warton | 1 | 1:1,285 | 33.33% | 5,889 |
| 118 | Haugh | 1 | 1:1,285 | 1.69% | 690 |
| 118 | Bendle | 1 | 1:1,285 | 2.63% | 1,006 |
| 118 | Heads | 1 | 1:1,285 | 25.00% | 5,112 |
| 118 | Swindle | 1 | 1:1,285 | 1.35% | 574 |
| 118 | Cartner | 1 | 1:1,285 | 0.75% | 324 |
| 118 | Bowerbank | 1 | 1:1,285 | 1.41% | 595 |
| 118 | Cowman | 1 | 1:1,285 | 1.52% | 625 |
| 118 | Shortridge | 1 | 1:1,285 | 3.13% | 1,144 |
| 118 | Charleton | 1 | 1:1,285 | 25.00% | 5,112 |
| 118 | Birrel | 1 | 1:1,285 | 6.67% | 1,948 |
| 118 | Gelderd | 1 | 1:1,285 | 8.33% | 2,282 |
| 118 | Gaddes | 1 | 1:1,285 | 2.38% | 932 |
| 118 | Harbin | 1 | 1:1,285 | 50.00% | 6,688 |
| 118 | Winthrop | 1 | 1:1,285 | 4.55% | 1,519 |
| 118 | Ballentyne | 1 | 1:1,285 | 50.00% | 6,688 |
| 118 | Cubby | 1 | 1:1,285 | 2.50% | 967 |
| 118 | Howit | 1 | 1:1,285 | 100.00% | 7,784 |
| 118 | Ryce | 1 | 1:1,285 | 100.00% | 7,784 |
| 118 | Hesleden | 1 | 1:1,285 | 100.00% | 7,784 |
| 118 | Bachus | 1 | 1:1,285 | 100.00% | 7,784 |
| 118 | Ellrington | 1 | 1:1,285 | 100.00% | 7,784 |
| 118 | Wetherburn | 1 | 1:1,285 | 100.00% | 7,784 |
| 118 | Luman | 1 | 1:1,285 | 100.00% | 7,784 |
| 118 | Gillesby | 1 | 1:1,285 | 20.00% | 4,423 |
| 118 | Stroker | 1 | 1:1,285 | 100.00% | 7,784 |
| 118 | Milican | 1 | 1:1,285 | 50.00% | 6,688 |
| 118 | Jims | 1 | 1:1,285 | 100.00% | 7,784 |
| 118 | Shirlwell | 1 | 1:1,285 | 100.00% | 7,784 |
| 118 | Oad | 1 | 1:1,285 | 100.00% | 7,784 |
| 118 | Kennody | 1 | 1:1,285 | 100.00% | 7,784 |