Lynne’s 7x Great Grandfather was William Lightfoot of Wedholme Hill in Wigton Parish. Although there is still much work to be done, it would appear that the family resided there well into the 19th century – perhaps their descendants still do!

In 1673, the said William married Jane Browne and they had 8 children. William died in 1712; Jane in 1719.

Their son ,Joseph Lightfoot, was born in 1684 and married Jane Barwise of Oulton (daughter of James Barwise and Jane Robinson) in 1713. Eldest son, William, inherited the estate, and his descendants are those who remained at Wedholme Hill.

Second son, Joseph Lightfoot, married Jane Williamson in 1748 in Holme Cultram. They had three children. Eldest son William inherited a freehold enclosure at Woodriggs in Thursby.

Their younger son, Joseph Lightfoot, was born in 1753 and married Betty Armstrong in 1789 at Westward. Joseph and Betty lived at Oulton where Joseph worked as a joiner. Many other Lightfoot families lived in that area. The couple had 14 children, several of whom did not survive. Joseph died in 1819, while Betty survived until 1841.

Their second son, Joseph Lightfoot, was born in 1791 and married Ann Fell, the daughter of John Fell and Margaret Railton, in Wigton in 1817. The couple lived at New Houses and Low Side, both in Bolton, and had 13 children. Ann died in 1847. By 1861, Joseph had moved with some of his children to Gilcrux, where he died in 1865.

Their ninth child, Joseph Lightfoot, was a miner and spent most of his adult life in Gilcrux. He married Mary Ann Gillespie in the Register House, Cockermouth, in 1862. They lived in Bullgill, Gilcrux parish, and had 8 children.

Their eldest daughter, Ann Lightfoot, was born in 1864. Before her marriage to Henry Wilkinson in 1894 , she worked as a servant/cook, reputedly for a family called Bigland, and perhaps at nearby Hayton Castle. She later moved to Haltwhistle, and then to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Northumberland.