About Cumbria Archives
Cumbria Archives is a local government archive service in north west England, provided by Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council, and created as part of the major reorganisation of local councils in Cumbria in 2023. Between 1974 and 2023, we were Cumbria Archive Service, a department of Cumbria County Council. Before 1974, the service was known as the Joint Archives Service, provided by Cumberland County Council, Westmorland County Council and Carlisle City Council, and established in 1960. Discover more information about the history of our service from 1800.
We provide:
- A nationally approved Accredited Archive Service.
- Places in our Archive Centres where you can look at archives for yourselves
- Facilities for official organisations, churches, businesses and members of the public to donate or deposit archives for safe-keeping
- An education service for local schools, colleges, students and teachers
- Information and advice on the preservation and conservation of archives
- Volunteering opportunities with us for students and the general public
- Exhibitions and talks on the work of Cumbria Archives and archives in our care
- Charitable Archive Trusts which can make grants
Find out more below about our publications and forms.
Cumbria Archives policies:
- Collections Care Policy (PDF 205KB)
- Collections Development Policy (PDF 106KB)
- Collections Information Policy (PDF 100KB)
- Preparing Your Collection: Guidance for Depositors and Donors (PDF 90KB)
- Public Access Policy (PDF 103KB)
- Searchroom Rules (PDF 109KB)
- Standards of Service (PDF 40KB)
- Terms of Donation and Deposit (PDF 140KB)
- Volunteer Policy (PDF 103KB)
Cumbria Archives vision: Your history, your place - be part of it - statement (PDF 204KB)
Researcher Declaration: Privileged Access Agreement form (PDF 61KB) that should be completed/submitted by academic researchers requiring access to closed records before they visit Cumbria Archives.
Media Licence with charges for commercial publication: agreement to be used for broadcast of Archive Service resources, with scale of charges for publication of images in broadcast, print and on-line: