I have learned through the years that no amount of proofreading will catch every mistake: there will always be something. I am also learning that a late text change can have unexpected consequences. In copies from the first printing of The Vanishing Age of Sail, the opening chapter, Origins, begins with the statement that Cumberland is among the most remote of England’s counties. It was certainly so in the 1830s, but the historical county of Cumberland is no more.
In 1974, the new county of Cumbria brought together Cumberland with Westmorland as well as parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire, all in the name of local government efficiency. In the circular nature of things, Cumberland re-emerged in 2023 as a unitary authority. In the Maryport of today, Kelsick and Mary would be living in Cumbria but able to vote for members of the Cumberland Council.
The western part of modern-day Cumbria was formerly the county of Cumberland. It is one of the most remote areas of England, isolated by geography and set apart by history.
You may want to download this PDF erratum to print and slip between the book’s pages.
The beautiful maps in The Vanishing Age of Sail were created by the talented David Atkinson at Hand Made Maps. Each is true to a contemporary source map, simplified in some areas and expanded in others to correlate to the lives of those in the book. This map of the historical county of Cumberland is based on A Topographical Dictionary of England (London, 1848).
