Need a geography lesson for Cumbria, England

Question

I am trying to find where my 4th great grandfather Thomas Little (Little-4638) may have been interred. On Find A Grave it lists a possible match https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/187387820/thomas-little  but I am uncertain. First I am not familiar with geography of the UK. Second the page does not list a year of birth or death nor does the photo of the stone sharp enough (for my old eyes) to be read. This side of the family were Quakers in later generations but I am uncertain when they joined the Society of Friends. Since I live in the US, I don't have a frame of reference to know if where this cemetery is located close to where Thomas Little lived in Stapleton Parish. Could someone who is familiar with this part of England tell me please?

Thanks in advance

Comments

Hi - I can tell you more about this geography and this profile. It's a part of my own paternal line. How are you related? Not familiar with any Friends among us but you never know!

Leake Little

Answer 1

Beckfoot is on the coast, about 40 miles away from Stapleton. It seems unlikely that someone would be buried so far away from where they lived unless that was the nearest Friends burying ground. On edit: close examination of the gravestone in the photo reveals that the inscription says "in affectionate remembrance of Thomas Little of Bitterlees", which is about 2 miles from Beckfoot. The style of the gravestone makes it much more likely that it's from the early to mid 1800s than the 1700s.

Comments

I agree - and it couldn't hurt to have the stone 'rubbed' with charcoal on parchment paper or something similar to figure out the dates listed too...

Answer 2

A website that I find temendously useful for United Kingdom Genealogy is www.genuki.org.uk followed by the FamilySearch Research Wiki. Both contain links, boundaries, history etc. GenUKI is created and maintained by volunteers so some areas are more detailed than others.

Answer 3

The National Library of Scotland has a great map collection.  https://maps.nls.uk/

Comments

Especially the historic maps from 17th century up to the present for Cumberland or the Barony of Gilsland and Eskdale area...  Stapleton is just a few miles from the Liddel Water border with Scotland presently. Look also for Solport, Rowellton and other nearby districts for more detail.