Cumbrian Roots

We all called our grandmother, Mamie. She was born in Nanaimo in 1891 to a mother who, as a young child, travelled the Oregon Trail and settled with her family on Vancouver Island. Mamie's father, Robert Lamb, was born and raised in Cleator Moor, a village near Whitehaven, Cumbria, England. He and his siblings attended St. Bees School, founded in 1583... papers signed by the first Queen Elizabeth.

After his education was complete, Robert emigrated to Canada, arriving in Nanaimo as a mining engineer. He met Ann Eliza and they were married. Our grandmother was their only child. Tragically, he was killed in a mine explosion in Fernie, BC in 1902 when Mamie was 11 years old. Throughout their lives, both Nana Lamb and Mamie remained in touch with family in Cumbria. I grew up seeing photos of these relatives, reading their letters, and hearing stories of their lives. Over the decades, family visited in Victoria and also in England.

It is with this in mind Sandy and I are visiting Cumbria as our first stop on our UK holiday.