Resources

In this section we identify the various resources which will help us research the different periods in the history of Millom. And it needs to be acknowledged, these are few and far between.

Transactions

Transactions, the Journal of Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeology Society (CWAAS) are the main resource.

CWAAS was formed in 1866 for the advancement of education and culture in the fields of the arts, heritage and science in the ancient counties of Cumberland and Westmorland. It is one of the key sources of information about the history of Millom District.

Transactions, from 1870's through to 2010's, have been searched using the term 'millom.' Each year was searched and the findings divided into decades.

Here is an overview of the most relevant articles with appropriate extracts.

And here is a link to search Transactions.

Here is another list of articles, with abstracts, from Transactions which were searched using the term 'Millom.' 381 articles came up.

Cumbria Archives Service

Within Cumbria there are several archives which hold relevant information regarding Millom's history. These are Barrow, Carlisle, Kendal and Whitehaven. You can search the archives on-line here.

Rev William Slater Sykes

The Rev William Slater Sykes was curate at Holy Trinity church, Millom, from 1894 to 1900. He was a keen antiquarian and conducted research wherever he was posted to. Millom being no exception. He donated three notebooks to Holy Trinity church. Barrow Archives agreed to scan these and some of our volunteers have now transcribed them so they are searchable. To access the originals and the transcripts to Sykes Project.

We are aware that Whitehaven Archives have a Sykes notebook and have asked them if they might scan it and then we can transcribe that, too.

Local Books

Frank Warriner, another keen antiquarian and friend of Sykes, used the Sykes notebooks to compile two books about Millom: The Millom District A History, first published in 1932 and Millom People and Places, first published in 1937. Although republished by Michael Moon in the 1970's both are now out of print but there are copies in Millom Library and you can occasionally find them at on-line book-sellers.

Alan Atkinson wrote A Cumberland Iron Town and its Railways, published in 2012. This is still available at local bookshops and at Millom Heritage and Arts Centre.

Manorial Records

Manorial records from Millom Manor are held at Carlisle Archives. This is what the National Archives says about them:

Manorial records are a vital source for local, social, family and economic history. These records can reveal historical information about local areas in England and Wales, predominantly before the 1920s, including details of:

the community living on the manor and its social structure, including the division of households

local agriculture

the tenure and transfer of property among tenants

disagreements between tenants

markets and trade more generally

industrial developments.

You can find out more about manorial records here but you will have to visit Carlisle Archive to actually see them as they are not available on line.

Here is a list of what the Millom Manorial Records include.