The owner of the Carlislehistory.co.uk website has been recording the names on the gravestones in Carlisle's Richardson Street cemetery, the city's main burial place since 1855.

A surname index has been produced to the 20,000 names recorded.
 An ongoing project, but very useful for those tracing relatives or carrying out family history research.

The site operates a very basic A - Z index and searching the index is free of charge.

More detailed information, such as full gravestone transcription, map and set of pictures are available for a small charge.

Further information

Carlisle City Council Bereavement Services Information about Carlisle Cemetery and details of other municipal cemeteries. Details of opening hours and other services available

 Historical searches can be carried out upon request, usually free of charge.

In the beautiful English village of Wreay, only five miles outside Carlisle is St. Mary's church.

Built in 1840-1842 to the specific Basilica design of Miss Sarah Losh in memory of her sister Catherine and parents.

Losh family burial plot

To the North of the church lies the Losh family burial plot.  A unique design with balustrades of stone edging the site and ornate carvings on some of the memorial stones depicting pine cones, palm trees and sea shells.

These designs were popular around the late 19th Century, reflecting the poineering seafaring journeys and discoveries of the time.

Among the people resting here are:

John Losh, partner in the Walker Alkali Works, Newcastle, High Sheriff of Cumberland in 1811, Provincial Grand Master for Cumberland who died 31 Mar 1814 and his wife Isabella, 17 Oct 1799, daughter of Thomas Bonner of Callerton Hall, near Newcastle.

Joseph Losh, 1789 - 17 Jan 1848 aged 59.

Sarah Losh, amateur architect, who rebuilt St. Mary’s Church, Wreay in 1840-42 and also built the Village School and other buildings in the village, 29 Mar 1853.

Sarah & Katherine

Katherine Isabella, who died aged 43 and buried on 26 Feb 1835.

John Joseph Losh, Lieutenant Colonel, 42nd Madras Native Infantry, Military Auditor of  Madras, Died 12 Mar 1862.

Robert Henry Losh of Langarth Cottage, Brisco. Died 7 Nov 1867. 

William Septimus Losh, 24 Sep 1888 of Woodside and his wife (and first cousin) Sarah Spencer, 1883 daugther of George Losh.

Frances Elizabeth Losh, 22 Nov 1878 and her husband, Francis Coleridge Hutchinson, M.D., of Douglas, Isle of Man, 6 Oct 1863, both of The Cottage, Brisco.

Some of the stones are well weathered and the inscriptions barely discernable.  However, those wishing to trace an ancestor may do well to vist the following site detailing a Losh family history.

Near the burial plot is a mausoleum dedicated to Sarah's Sister Catherine, containing an alabaster figure of her seated and holding a pine cone in her hand. The work of a Carlisle Sculptor, David Dunbar.   Pine cones are symbolic of eternal life and are used widely throughout the site and the church, the most recent sculpture added in 2000 to commemorate to millemium.

Cross & Mausoleum

A runic cross stands behind the mausoleum in memory of Sarah's parents, which is said to be a copy of the Bewcastle Cross.

Nestled in cemetary at the ancient 12th Century Priory at Lanercost in Cumbria are many graves belonging to people of note.  One of these plots belongs to the Howard family, who's generations of males have held the title of Earl of Carlisle since the 17th Century.

Charles Howard was created Earl of Carlisle by Charles II. This title was to remain in the Howard family at Castle Howard until the division of the family estates after the death of the 9th Earl and Countess.

On the opposite side of the path from the Earl's graves is the resting place of Ankaret Cecelia Carolyn Jackson (nee Howard). Wife of William Jackson & daughter of Charles James Stanley Howard, 10th Earl of Carlisle.

Alongside this is William Jackson 7th Baronet and his second wife Ina.

As one enters the priory gates, there is a small group of three trees to the left.  These were planted in 1964 in memory of George, the 11th Earl of Carlisle by his son Charles.

Nestling in a tranquil corner of the Low Gardens of Dalemain historic house in Penrith, Cumbria, is a delightful, small and understated resting place for all the pets of the house since 1931.

Woodland resting place for the animals of Dalemain.

The oldest of the graves belongs to Bunty, the children's Cairn Terrier 1931 - 1941, with others belonging to Jack the Bearded Collie 1942 - 1956 and seven of the corgis including; Sunny, Bumble, Honey, Tim and lastly Barney all between 1945 and 1974.

Bunty, the children's Cairn Terrier headstone 1931-1941

Buried alongside the family pets are Heather the Fell Mare 1962 - 1989 and the well known black Fell Stallion Dalemain Nettle 1968 - 1989, whos prizewinning stock were renowned for their exceptionally good temperament. Owned and bred by Mrs. McCosh of Dalemain.

The Stallion, Dalemain Nettle on the right, running out with mares and foals

Above image courtesy of The Fell Pony Society

Whilst researching a family tree, we came across The Cumbrian War Memorials blog site... an amazing labour of love and an absolute must visit, for anybody interested in military history.

'There are many war memorials in Cumbria. The United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials at the Imperial War Museum lists over 800 in the county but this is a gross underestimate. There are perhaps two or three thousand commemorating conflicts from the middle ages to Iraq & Afghanistan. They take every imaginable form. An example is this delightful sundial that stands in St Mary's churchyard, Longsleddale commemorating the village dead from the Great War.
This blog has been set up in the hope that it may inspire others to contribute towards establishing a comprehensive listing of memorials in the county. If recorded they are less likely to be destroyed, as many have been. They pose many questions; about the validation of war, of death and remembrance and of ideas of community or nationhood'.

Visit the Cumbrian War Memorials Blog and help them to conserve the memorials to Cumbria's fallen, from Jacobite rebellions to the more recent events in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The aim of The War Graves Photographic Project is to photograph every war grave, individual memorial, MoD grave, and family memorial of serving military personnel from WWI to the present day and make these available within a searchable database.

Now working as a joint venture with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, this will enable families, scholars and researchers to obtain, via the CWGC or TWGPP websites, a copy of the photograph of a grave or memorial which for many is impossible to visit due to the location.

This service has only been made possible through the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers, from all walks of life, who feel the need to Remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and who realise the importance for families to see where their loved ones are laid to rest or commemorated. This emulates the CWGC ethos to 'Remember in Perpetuity'

This project aims to photograph in excess of 1.75 million graves or memorials from Commonwealth Nations and many from other military forces around the world.

Use the search facility to check if a photograph is currently held and available but please remember that the CWGC records hold 1.75 million casualties so there is still a little more work to do before the archive can be considered complete.