During the extended period of self-isolation and social distancing, members may well wish to explore some of the websites which they will find listed on our website under the heading of ‘County Guide’ and its sub-headings of ‘Organisations’ and ‘CLHF Links’. In addition, members may wish to explore such further sites as the following :-

Cumbria Libraries  https://www.cumbria.gov.uk/libraries/online_resources/onlineservices.asp . The online resources which can be accessed from home, free of charge, signing in per your Library card, include ‘British Library Newspapers’ (which include runs of the Carlisle Journal, 1833 – 66, and the Westmorland Gazette, 1818 – 67),and  the thousands of articles on individuals to be found in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

The National Library of Scotland’s website https://maps.nls.uk/os  makes available, free of charge, Ordnance Survey Maps of England and Wales (as well as Scotland) allowing one to search for and access high quality 25″ to one mile, 6″ to one mile, and other OS maps for one’s area dating from 1841 – 1952.

The National Archives provides a palaeography tutorial (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/palaeography/ ) and a Latin tutorial (https://nationalarchives.gov.uk/latin/) which assist those wishing to exploit archives whether held by TNA or local archive centres.

The British Library makes sources and resources readily available through such a guide as https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/learning-from-the-past

For those wishing to undertake family history research, there is a free online course at  https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/genealogy  Further free online courses, including those on history, may be found per EdX, including https://www.edx.org/course/subject/history

For those with children at home, The National Archives’ award-winning educational resources are particularly appreciated at this time :https://www/nationalarchives.gov.uk/education .  Their themed collection of documents includes (but is not limited to) First World War soldiers letters ; Magna Carta; Victorian lives; and  the Second World War.