Carlisle, Cumberland Genealogy

Guide to Carlisle, Cumberland ancestry, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Description
CARLISLE, a city, municipal and parliamentary borough, and the county town of Cumberland, England, 299 m, N.N.W. of London, and 8 m. S. of the Scottish border. Pop. (1901) 45,480. It lies on the south bank of the river Eden, a little below the point where it debouches upon the Solway Plain, 8 m. above its mouth in the Solway Firth, at the junction of two tributaries from the south, the Caldew and the Petteril. The city grew up originally on and about the two slight eminences of the peninsula enclosed between these three streams. To the north of the Eden lies the suburb of Stanwix, connected with the city by a handsome bridge (1812-1815). The rivers are not navigable, and a canal opened in 1823, connecting the city with Port Carlisle on the Solway Firth, was unsuccessful, and was converted into a railway. Silloth, on the Irish Sea, is the nearest port of importance (21 m.). Carlisle, however, is one of the principal railway centres in Great Britain. ….. ….Of the two eminences within the three rivers, the cathedral occupies one, the castle the other. It was moated and very strong; but has been so far altered that only the keep is of special interest. A tower in which Mary, queen of Scots, was imprisoned was taken down in 1835. The castle serves as barracks. Fragments of the old city walls are seen on the western side over against the river Caldew. At Carlisle are the county gaol and the Cumberland infirmary, in connexion with which there is a seaside convalescent institution at Silloth. Other notable public buildings are the city hall, the court-houses, museum and art gallery. The grammar school, of very early foundation, received endowment from Henry VIII. Industries include the manufacture of cotton and woollen goods, and there are iron foundries, breweries, tanneries and large railway works. There is also a considerable agricultural trade. The parliamentary borough returns one member. The municipal borough is under a mayor, 10 aldermen and 30 councillors. Area, 2025 acres. The Encyclopædia britannica: a dictionary of arts, sciences, ...:(1911) Volume 5 - Page 342 (free google ebook)

Parish History
By 1848, "Carlisle comprised the two parishes of St. Mary and St. Cuthbert, which respectively contain, including parts without the city, 13,576 and 10,965 inhabitants. The living of St. Mary's is a perpetual curacy; net income, £90; patrons, the Dean and Chapter; appropriators, the Bishop, and the Dean and Chapter. The church is part of the nave of the cathedral. There are two district churches, namely, Trinity, in the parish of St. Mary, and Christ Church, in that of St. Cuthbert (as of 1848). The ancient parish boundary also included the smaller townships of Upperby and Wreay, each with their own district chapel.

There were meeting-houses for Baptists, the Society of Friends, Independents, Wesleyans, and Presbyterians; and a Roman Catholic chapel."

Church of England Parishes (and Chapelries)

 * Carisle St Cuthbert - ancient parish - 1663
 * Carlisle Christ Church - 1830
 * Upperby Chapel - 1846
 * Carlisle St Mary - ancient parish - 1648
 * Carlisle Holy Trinity - 1831
 * St James Chapelry - 1863
 * St Paul Chapelry - 1870
 * Wreay Chapelry - 1750

Resources
If you live in Cumberland then you will have access to a variety of resources; however, for those who live further afield, one can access microfilm and online records at Family History Centers. Refer to and  in the FamilySearch Catalog for available records.

Civil Registration
Carlisle is in the district of Carlisle. To search an index of Carlisle district records go to FreeBMD. The England Civil Registration article tells more about these records.

Church Records
Carlisle parish registers of christenings, marriages and burials are available online for the following years:

To find the names of the neighboring parishes, use England Jurisdictions 1851 Map. In this site, search for the name of the parish, click on the location "pin", click Options and click List contiguous parishes.

Non-Conformist Churches
There were meeting-houses for Baptists, the Society of Friends, Independents, Wesleyans, and Presbyterians; and a Roman Catholic chapel.
 * 1717 England & Wales, Roman Catholics, 1717 at FindMyPast ($), index and images (coverage may vary)

The following non-Church of England denominations were located somewhere in Carlisle, but the exact parish has not been identified:


 * Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * Society of Friends/Quaker - at the FHL Marriages, births and burials, 1701-1821at the FHL English Friends records, Cumberland and Northumberland Quarterly meeting : marriages, births and burials, 1648-1729, with supplementary records
 * Wesleyan Methodists Chapel Union Street, Carlisle Church records, 1899-1909 at the FHL
 * Wesleyan Methodist Chapel Caldewgate, Carlisle Church records, 1867-1918 at the FHL
 * Wesleyan Methodist Chapel Fisher Street, Carlisle, Church records, 1839-1909 at the FHL
 * Wesleyan Church. St. Mary - Births and baptisms, 1814-1837 at the FHL
 * Free Methodist Chapel Lowther Street, Carlisle - Church records, 1889-1929 at the FHL
 * Primitive Methodist Church. Carlisle Circuit - Church records, 1823-1947 at the FHL
 * United Presbyterian Church - Church records for Carlisle United Presbytery, 1847-1876 at the FHL
 * Independent Annetwell Chapel - Baptisms, 1785-1836 at the FHL

Genealogy From Periodicals
Hanson, Marjorie. Does Hannah Ring a Bell. History, photos and family of John Bainbridge and Ann Hodgson, with the following surnames: Stevens, Burfort, Bell, Mellish, Greene, Livermore, Burford. Family moved around Gateshead, Morland, Carlisle, Newcastle, with a branch emigrating to Australia, Ballarat, in 1852. Article in Northumberland &amp; Durham Family History Society Journal. vol.35,no2, pages 43-46. Family History Library Ref. 942.8 B2jo v.35, no2. (summer 2010)

History
Historical &amp; descriptive guide to Carlisle and district by Albert Barnes Moss - 1881 - 290 pages - Free Google eBook

Probate Records
Prior to 1858 the primary court that had jurisdiction over Carlisle was the Court of the Bishop of Carlisle (Episcopal Consistory); however, a person’s will or administration may have been probated in nearby courts or even in London. After 1858 it was in Carlisle District. Refer to the Cumberland Probate Records article for further details.

Newspapers
The Carlisle Journalis available online from 1833 to 1866. Expect more years to be added to this collection. The British Newspaper Archive provides images and transcripts of the Newspaper.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Websites
Carlisle on GENUKI