The programme of events during 2016 has sought to reflect the long and distinguished history of the Society. The anniversary weekend at the beginning of September fell, almost to the day, on the 150th anniversary of the first meeting at the Crown Hotel in Penrith. Our weekend, located as it was in and around Penrith, included a dinner attended by over 90 members, and addressed by the Society’s senior past-president, Dame Professor Rosemary Cramp, and a conference with over 120 delegates. The contributors to the conference showed how effectively the Society has contributed to the historiography of Cumbria during the period of its existence, and our current president identified some of the themes that may engage Society members during the next few years.

The anniversary weekend also saw the launch of Revealing Cumbria’s Past which, in its nine chapters, explores both the history of the Society and examines the Society’s contributions to both the archaeology and history of the county. The volume also provides short biographies of all the Society’s presidents. A bequest from a past member enabled this volume to be given to all members of the Society.

In advance of this anniversary year the Society sets itself three special projects. The first was the digitisation of all volumes of Transactions which, thanks to a small group of enthusiastic members, was completed during 2016 and is now available to all on the web. The second was the listing of the Society’s archive and the archives of many of its more prominent members. This has been a personal project of Adrian Allan, who has searched far and wide, and found many collections of which the Society was unaware. The project is work in progress, but much has been achieved during the anniversary year. The third was the creation of a special volume of Transactions which contained a number of papers on Cumbria and the First World War. 2016 marked the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, as well as the centenary of the Society’s rather low profile wartime celebrations of its first fifty years.

Our past president Professor Angus Winchester gave a lecture on the history of the Society to each of the regional groups, Society members visited Cunsey Forge and Newlands Furnace in Furness, Ravenglass and the Muncaster estate on the west coast (where the anniversary cake was cut and enjoyed by members), Keswick Museum where the banners and site specific exhibition as well as the recently improved museum were explained, and numerous sites in Penrith (with the assistance of the Penrith regional group). The Society joined with the Lunesdale Archaeology Group (and the Kendal regional group) for a tour of Low Borrow Bridge Roman fort (the Society’s first excavation and a site still being supported by the Society), and the Cumbria Vernacular Buildings Group for a day in honour of our past president Professor Ron Brunskill at Burgh by Sands.

The display of specially commissioned banners visited sixteen venues during the year. At most locations the host institution created an exhibition of artefacts, photographs and documents connected to Society personnel or the Society’s activities. At at least one venue the Society was able to support the exhibition through providing a grant to further understand one of the chosen exhibits which had been donated by a past CWAAS member. These exhibitions were seen by countless people and were widely reported in the local press.

On the education front, the Society welcomed students from Kendal College and schools in Carlisle and on the west coast who helped to create some of the exhibitions, providing opportunities for the professionals of the future to gain real-life experience of working in the heritage environment.

Over six hundred people attended events. Partly as a result of the events of this anniversary year we have welcomed some 85 new members who have joined the Society. We hope that they will play a significant part in the Society’s activities as it moves towards its bicentenary.

Click on any image above to download the full banner as a pdf file.