Launch of Thomas Machell’s Westmorland at The Armitt
For the first time, Thomas Machell’s remarkable and fascinating Westmorland – the 17th century guide to every parish in the county – is publicly available and accessible at The Armitt.
Machell’s stunning work has been transcribed for a modern audience by Dr Jane Platt. Such is the scale of his monumental, detailed study that previous historians were defeated by it, but Dr Platt took 10 years of tireless application to complete this – an achievement celebrated by The Armitt at a recent special event. The Armitt hosted the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society (CWAAS) to launch the first ever publication of Westmorland.
Machell was the rector of Kirkby Thore in the late 17th century and compiled his ‘Collections’ for the county of Westmorland. These were unpublished in his lifetime and remained so for 350 years until Dr Platt undertook the scholarly challenge of transcribing Machell’s manuscripts for publication.
Dr Platt talked of the pleasures and pains of completing such a task. Professor Angus Winchester responded with high praise not only for Dr Platt’s epic accomplishment but for the wealth of information historians may now find in Machell’s work.
Significantly, the launch took place in Machells’ county of Westmorland in Ambleside at The Armitt. The study covers every parish in the county, not only the Kendal and Lake District parts but also the area around Appleby and Machell’s own parish of Kirkby Thore. There are additional chapters on subjects such as heraldry and antiquities.
The whole publication, enhanced by Dr Platt’s Introduction and her copious and informative footnotes, is now available for free consultation on the website of the CWAAS – search Cumbria Past. However, there are only a handful of hard copy versions, appearing in three substantial volumes, which have been printed. The goodwill and support of the CWAAS and a donation by a Friend of the Armitt have enabled one of those copies to be lodged permanently at The Armitt. This is the only such publicly available copy in Machell’s own county of Westmorland and therefore a historic acquisition and important object in its own right, as well as a research resource.
The Manager & Curator of The Armitt, Faye Morrissey said, “We were so pleased to host this special event with the CWAAS, but even more so that we now have a physical copy of this substantial and significant publication which is available for public access. We hope that there will be many people interested in reviewing the material in our library setting and using the facilities to support local and wider study.”
Thomas Machell’s Westmorland is available and accessible now within the library of The Armitt and can be viewed during the museum’s opening hours. Please see the website www.armitt.com for details.
LAUNCH OF THOMAS MATCHELL’S WESTMORLAND AT THE ARMITT
