Lancashire Family History & Heraldry Society
lfhhs.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 513437
Preston
NEWSLETTER JUNE / JULY 2017
I hope you all found Harold Hoggarth’spresentation last month stimulating and enjoyable. Judging by the responses from the floor it brought back many happy memories and experiences back from those so called ‘never had it so good’ days.
This month, as stated previously, we have had to swop the programme around a little and for our June meeting it will be a workshop and research evening, no speaker, so bring along your research stumbling blocks, hic-cups and brick-walls and we will see if we can unravel some of your troubles. The previously scheduled out-visit has now been put back to Wednesday 30th August when we shall be meeting from 7.15pm at St. Andrew’s Parish Church, Longton, which has a history going back to the 12th Century. Lots of free parking all around and the usual refreshments, maybe even more, will be available.
After a lot of hard work by a dedicated team of volunteers, LFHHS Chorley Family History Research Centre has launched its Resources Catalogue detailing all the Books, Microfiche and Parish Records that are held in the Research Centre Library.
The catalogue can be accessed on the website at html or at the centre both digitally and in hard copy.
To mark the 101st Anniversary of the Somme, this summer, “Forces War Records” is offering free access on 1-2 July, to its new interactive battlefield map, showing troop movements at the Somme. If you have an interest in any of thesebattles it could be worth a look. Make a note in your diary as free access is only for two days. is a commercial site and there may well be subsequent charges.
Lectures at Lancashire Archives, Bow Lane, Preston, July 11th - How to use the Archive 5.30 – 7pm. All you need to do is email :–
or call on 01772 533034. Also, keep up-to-date with Archive news at
The Archives are open Tuesday – Friday 9.30am – 5pm, second Tuesday of 11th July until 7pm and second Saturday of 8th July, 10am – 4pm.
"The Protestation Returns are the closest record we have to a census from 1642. If you can trace your ancestors back to 1642, and you know which county and parish they lived in, it may be worth looking to see if their names are in the Protestation Returns.
By order of the House of Commons, all adult men were asked to swear an oath of allegiance to the Protestant religion in 1642. Their names were duly inscribed in a list in each parish, and the list sent back to Parliament. In a few areas such as Cornwall, people wrote their own names, but usually a local official wrote out all the names. The Protestation Returns survive for about a third of English counties."
Check the map on the website, and you can find out if there is a return fora particular place. There is no name index, you have to look through the list to find any useful names. The writing is a bit difficult todecipher. The link for these records is:-
and
The British Film Institute have opened at site for you to access the Institute’s archive. Search for 'bfiplayer' . Once opened, search for your home town to seearchive film from the Institute.
The LFHHS Straits research centre at Oswaldtwistle will be open Thursdays and first Saturday of 1st July, 2017, 1-5 pm. Call on 01254-239-919.
The LFHHS Computer Club meets at 7.30pm Monday, July 17th, 2017 at Chorley Family History Research Centre, Astley Hall Farmhouse, Chorley. Contact Ron Chapman on 07730 – 793 - 990to let him know you are coming or for further details. For your normal research needs at the Centre, Monday/Wednesday/Friday 10am-4pm and Saturdays of 8th and 15th July, 2017, 12-4pm, ring first website at:-
Both centres offer you free access to Ancestry, Find My Past and other sites for searches, as well as pointers and advice on breaking down your ‘brick-walls’.
28th June – Dates in History
1838 – Coronation of Queen Victoria
1876 – Battle of The Little Bigb Horn (Custer and Sitting Bull)
1914 – Archduke Franz Ferdinand & wife Sophia assassinated. World War One starts
1919 – Treat of Versailles signed. Ends World War One
Happy Birthday
1491 – Henry VIII -By the Grace of God, King of England and France, Defender of the Faith, Lord of Ireland, and of the Church of England and of Ireland in Earth Supreme Head - died 1547
1793 - John Wesley – theologian – died 1791
1935 – John Inman – British actor – died 2007
Fylde Branch have started their own FaceBook Group so if you have any interest in the Fylde area, on Google go to :-
Or if you are already a Facebook member go to Fylde LFH&HS and Click the button to join. Our own Branch Facebook page, all lower case, is:- preston branch lancashire family history and heraldry society Again, Click on the button and join the Group.
Stewart McLoughlin Secretary 01772-614457