A unique view of rules, regulations and punishments handed out to early postal workers in Furness is provided by a group of ledgers which are among the newest arrivals at Cumbria Archives.

The books are now at the Barrow Archive and Local Studies Library after being catalogued by archivist Susan Benson.

They cover a period from the 1870s to at least 1959 and deal with everything from the siting and condition of post boxes to the opening of new sub-post offices.

Details of them were discussed at a meeting of the Cumbrian Postal History Society at its autumn meeting held in Kendal.

One letter, dated June 4 in 1936 noted that there would be a £35 and 14 shillings (£35.70) annual reduction in payments to the sub-post master at Bootle, near Millom, as the telephone exchange had moved ro automatic control and so would no longer need a local switchboard operator.

Among the books are one for Barrow detailing staff conduct and another for days off taken by staff from 1878.

A postman in August 1908 was given a caution for not getting his Barrow letters to the station in time to meet the 1pm train.

The handwritten entries offer lots of information for people researching the careers of postal workers in their family.

A 1911 "establishment" book has pages of detail on the hiring of named staff members.

They include, Edith Kellett, born on February 7 in 1881, was hired at Barrow post office on November 12 in 1899.

A staff record book with entries up to 1884 notes people working at post offices including Boot in Eskdale; Bootle and Broughton, near Millom; Barrow Island and at Buccleuch Street and Bowness Road, in Barrow.

Minor changes to ways of working were recorded in great detail, including this entry about mail bags from Novemeber 20 in 1908.

It noted: "On and from this date, on certain occasions when the south train is late, a special combined bag will be made up in the Whitehaven sorting office for Millom, due at 5.53am.

"The bag will be from Carnforth and the empty bags should be returned to that office by first available mail."

On February 23 in 1903 permission was given to establish a new sub-post office at Holborn Hill, Millom.

By My 1 in 1903 John Farrington has been appointed as the new sub-post master.

The Barrow Archive and Local Studies Library, in the Ramsden Square Library at Barrow, is open on Wednesdays to Fridays from 9.30am to 5pm and has a vast range of original maps and documents, material for tracing family trees, trade directories and local history books and newspapers on microfilm.