Family and local history resources
Use these resources to research your family history and explore the history of Cumbria and beyond. Some resources are only available in Cumberland libraries.
Ancestry
Use Ancestry to research your family history, including birth records, census records and obituaries.
Ancestry is free for library members to use on public computers in Cumberland libraries.
Findmypast
Use Findmypast to research your family history, including census records, birth, marriage and death records, parish records and historical newspapers.
You can access Findmypast for free using computers in Cumberland libraries. This includes access to the 1921 Census.
You cannot access the library subscription from home, but you can download records in the library and access them later from your Findmypast account.
Cumbria Image Bank
More than 50,000 historic images of Cumbria can be viewed online on the Cumbria Image Bank website.
Carlisle Library also holds thousands of prints, photographs, engravings, postcards and portraits documenting the county’s history and heritage.
Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland
Research the origins and history of surnames from Britain and Ireland, including English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish and Cornish surnames.
Access the Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland
British Newspaper Archive
Search historic newspapers online using computers in Cumberland libraries.
Create an account to access the service for free in the library. You can download records to view again at home.
The British Newspaper Archive website
Using external online resources
Cumberland Libraries provides access to online resources from external providers. Their terms and conditions apply when you use these services.
Parents and carers are responsible for supporting children and young people when they use external websites and apps.
Cumberland Libraries accepts no responsibility for materials accessed from external providers.