NEXT Thursday sees the start of a new season of talks by the Askam and Ireleth History Group so we are marking the event by taking a look at village life through pictures from The Mail Archive.

The history group holds its meetings held at Duddon Road Methodist Church, Askam, from 7.30pm.

Admission costs £2, including refreshments, and all are welcome.

The first Thursday talk, on March 21, is called An Anthology of Ireleth and Askam.

Daniel Edwards will provide an interesting insight into the lives of a family living in Ireleth across many generations.

You might find a relative among the research and information provided by Mr Edwards.

On Thursday, April 18, the topic is St Bees Man.

Chris Robson will tell the story of a medieval body discovered by accident when archaeologists were digging close to the church as St Bees, in West Cumbria, in 1981.

The remains were so well preserved that liquid blood was still in him and it was possible to guess what he had eaten for breakfast!

Jean Scott-Smith is the speaker on Thursday, May 16, with a talk called Mardale — Echoes and Reflections of a Lost Lakeland Community.

This will describe research carried out by herself and members of the Shap Local History Group.

It features pictures of Mardale before the valley was flooded for a reservoir.

On Thursday, June 20, the topic is Millom – growth of a Victorian new town from 1860 to 1870.

Stephe Cove will describe the mid-Victorian growth of the iron ore mining and smelting town of Millom.

Dr Suzanne Tiplady is the speaker on Thursday, July 18, with a presentation on The Bobbin Mill at Force, Satterthwaite.

She will describe the fascinating history of what has become an icon of early industrial development in the Lake District.

The site was bought in 1824 by Robert Towers at a time when the large mills in Lancashire needed vast numbers of wooden bobbins.

On Thursday, August 15, there will be a Memories and Memorabilia Night.

This gives an opportunity to pursue personal research, or just enjoy delving into the history group's archives and recalling happy memories.

Alan Cleaver is the guest speaker on Thursday, September 19, with the topic of The Corpse Roads.

These routes were take bodies from remote communities to church burial grounds and they criss-crossed the Cumbria landscape.

Corpse roads were in regular use until the 18th Century.

On Thursday, October 17, there is a film night featuring footage of the ancient craft of charcoal burning in the Rusland Valley.

Dr Rob David will give a presentation of Whaling from Whitehaven on, November 21.

Consulting an 18th Century map,he found that the vast majority of whaling ports were on the east coast, for easier access to the Arctic.

Ports on the west coast, like Whitehaven, were only involved when whaling became most profitable.