20/05/04 - Historic treasure on show

Cumbria County Council's archive service last night put on show an historic treasure it has recently acquired to organisations and individuals who helped with its purchase. The third of the three sets of Lady Anne Clifford's Great Books Of Record were displayed at County Hall, Kendal, at a reception hosted by county council vice-chairman Councillor Jim Webster and archive service manager Anne Rowe.    

Councillor Webster said the purchase had been made possible by a 90 per cent grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. He thanked representatives present from other organisations whose donations had assisted, including Cumbria County Council's Eden Local Committee, the Curwen Archives Trust, the Appleby-in-Westmorland Society, the Clifford Society, the Cumbria Family History Society and the Friends of Cumbria Archive Service. He also thanked Lord Hothfield, a descendant of Lady Anne, who deposited her main archive with the Cumbria archive service many years ago.   

The books would be featuring in exhibitions in Appleby and Kendal later this year, he said, and added: "We want to encourage people to use the volumes for research." Anyone who is interested in using these, or other archives, can contact the record office in County Offices, Kendal, (telephone 01539 773540).   

Anne Rowe said the books were a record of Lady Anne's 38-year fight to prove her title to her estates and included genealogy dating back to the 12th century and biography of this distinguished 17th-century woman who knew some of the leading poets and artists of her age. 

"Tonight is a celebration of bringing these books of record home and an opportunity to thank those who helped us in any way to purchase them," she said.