Lancashire Record Office and Lancashire Library.

The Local Studies Collection at Corporation Street, Preston is to be closed from and including 1 April and will reopen on Monday 10 May at its new location in the Lancashire Record Office, Bow Lane, Preston. The telephone numbers will remain the same- 01772 264021 & 01772 264020.

The opening hours of the Record Office are:

Mon. Wed. Thurs. 9am - 5pm; Tuesday 9am - 8.30pm; Friday 9am - 4pm.

Some of the collection is to be shelved in the Search Room and will be available during Record Office opening hours without appointment. The remainder of the books are to be housed in a former office. Library staff will be based in this office and can be contacted through the Search Room Enquiry Desk. Visitors to the Record Office are required to register for a free readers ticket and produce some official identification.

Wills at the Lancashire Record Office.

The original wills for most Lancashire people before 1858 are kept at the LRO. There are some indexes to these wills.

Wills at Chester 1487-1837 published by the Record Society ( covers the wills of those living south of the Ribble). There is a card index which covers the period up to 1858. The Record Office has also produced indexes for the Archdeaconry of Richmond 1487-1858. This includes the Lancashire areas of the Richmond Deaneries i.e. Amounderness and Furness, Kendal and Lonsdale.

Wills after 1858:

Annual volumes of indexes covering the whole country are until the end of March available in the search rooms. Due to the merger mentioned above these are to be removed for microfiching. Paper copies are still available at the Greater Manchester Record Office and the Liverpool RO.

I do not yet know what the RO intends to do with the will volumes after fiching has been completed.

Coming Events. Talks, Conferences, Exhibitions.

Sunday 21st March 1999. History Alive: a NW Region Local History Fair. 11.00am to 5.00pm at Helmshore Textile Museum, Holcombe Road, Helmshore. Local History, Family History and Archaeological Studies, Libraries & Museum Services, Record Offices, Booksellers and Publishers from the North West. Displays showing the regions fascinating past, set in a working textile mill. Adults £1-10. Accompanied children under 14 years free. Mule spinning demonstrations and working waterwheel. We have taken three tables. So do come along and assist.

Saturday 17th April 1999. NW Group of Family History Societies. 22nd Annual Conference hosted by Liverpool & SW Lancashire FHS at the Western Rooms, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral St. James’ Mount, Liverpool. There is ample parking space at a fee of £1.00 for the day payable on arrival. Fee £13.50 to include all lectures, coffee on arrival, buffet lunch and afternoon tea. Send to David Guiver, 11 Bushys Lane, Formby, Liverpool, L37 2DX. Bookings to arrive by 27th March.

I only received a limited number of programmes but if you are interested please look at the notice board for details .

Saturday 24 April 1999. Computers in Family History Conference. The Society of Genealogists and the Manchester & Lancashire Society will be hosting a one day conference in the Chapman Building of the University of Salford.

Saturday 1 May and Sunday 2 May 1999 Society of Genealogists. Annual Fair, London.

Saturday 30 October 1999 NW Group Family History Fair (sometimes known as the Stockport Fair) will this year be held at the Guild Hall, Preston.

Binders: I now have some certificate binders for sale. With 5 pockets and 5 insets of acid free paper (holding 10 certificates) these cost £12.55. 10 pockets and binders, £16.50. 15 pockets etc. £19.75. 20 pockets etc. £23.55.

News from the Executive Committee.

Several senior members of the Executive have said they wish to resign from the posts they now hold. The membership Secretary Ted Palentine and the Vice Chairman would like to finish this year. Others say they are definitely finishing in 2000. This includes the Chairman Terry Walsh, the Treasurer Jim Topping and the Membership Treasurer Roland Hull. It would appear that it is not only computers that are going to self destruct in the year 2000. If you know of anyone suitable to undertake any of these posts please notify me or Terry Walsh.

The Society Library at Mellor is due to close at the end of March. The Chairman is negotiating for alternative premises, probably at Blackburn.

Did you miss ...

Michael Hiluta’s talk in February. It was an example to us all. He had taken three abandoned photograph albums and with only a few slender clues he had reconstituted three Rossendale Families. He introduced us to Fred and Amelia Slee and their children. Using the photographs he introduced us to the Inghams and finally to the Nuttalls. There are several mysteries yet to be solved, why did the albums include the wedding of Harry Webb? - even the little bridesmaid who was present didn’t remember. Not only had Michael found the bridesmaid he had also found Frank Nuttall, a young sailor in one of the pictures. Both these people were planted in the audience. The last of Amelia and Fred’s children had died last year in the Linden’s retirement home in Haslingden.