Sue Gibbons is a member of the Society of Genealogists (SOG) and will be discussing the Scottish Resources held by the SOG, another repository of information that may well be of use to us in our research. More details will be provded here soon.
Date: 3 June 2023
Day: Saturday, 2.00pm (UK time)
Venue: Online via Zoom
Speaker: Sue Gibbons
Booking: Eventbrite
Cost: members - free of charge
Cost: non-members - £3.00
Image: HH
This will be on the first Saturday in July - July 1st, and details of the visit will be released nearer to the date. Numbers will be limited.
Date: 1 July 2023
Day: Saturday, 2.00pm (UK time)
Venue: Outdoor visit starting at Manchester Central Library
Speaker: Guide Tour
Booking: Will be on Eventbrite
Cost: members only - free of charge
Image: HH
Our meeting this month will be a social event at Manchester Central Library, beginning with a short presentation on Coal Mining in British Vancouver and why you might find your Scottish (Welsh and English) Ancestors there, followed by our usual mix of 'brick walls', 'heirlooms' and discussions that help us to extend our Anglo Scots research.
Date: 2 Sepember 2023
Day: Saturday, 2.00pm (UK time)
Venue: Manchester Central Library
Speaker: Social Event
Booking: Will be on Eventbrite
Cost: members - free of charge
Cost: non-members - £3
Image: HH
Highlighting our next meeting and a selection of featured articles
We thrive because of our incredible volunteers - can you join us?
We started 2022 full of enthusiasm for a return to normal as Covid injections and boosters were reported to be having the desired result in reducing everyone’s fear of the disease. But the normal we returned to was rather different to the normal we had left behind. There was still a reluctance by some members to return to Central Library, although many remain members of the Society. Also, many speakers have appreciated the advantages of Zoom and now prefer to speak remotely rather than travel to an engagement. We had arranged to change our meeting date to the first Saturday of the year, to avoid a clash with a noisy meeting that coincided with ourselves and which gave us more space at Central Library. With Zoom meetings we have not been able to benefit from these changes as much as we had hoped.
Nevertheless, a full programme was arranged for the year. We started the year with our usual quiz and social gathering which was mush enjoyed by those who attended. Our Zoom meetings covered the subjects of Kirk Session Records by Emma Maxwell, Scottish Banking by Sian Yates, Finding Scots in Canada by Christine Woodcock, a Palaeography workshop with Alison Diamond, The Fromelles genealogical Project by Michelle Leonard and the Highland Clearances by Dr. Winstanley. These Zoom meeting were attended by many members who are unable to reach Manchester for in person gatherings.
Our meetings at Central Library included our Annual Meeting incorporating a discussion on Family Heirlooms and an occasion when Plan B was activated upon the non-arrival of our planned speaker. Those members who attended seemed well pleased with the alternative presented. Our visit this year was to the Jewish Museum which has a very interesting collection illustrating the contribution by the Jewish emigrants to Manchester.
2022 was the 40th anniversary of the formation of the Anglo Scottish FHS and to mark the occasion we had a presentation prepared by David Muil about the milestone events in those first 40 years followed by a talk by Bruce Keith ‘’Are we nearly there yet’’ about more physical milestones around the country. The afternoon also included a short quiz to test our knowledge, or lack thereof, of Scottish matters. The day ended with a party and the opportunity to talk with other members.
Our Scottish Marriage Index continues to receive contributions, and requests for more details of entries.
Hilary Hartigan continues to work maintaining our section of the new Society website. We are all extremely grateful to have such a computer savvy person as a member of our committee.
We were able to continue with the helpdesk held in the mornings of our meetings whenever we were at Central Library, although these sessions are not attended by many..
For all these activities I am indebted to the contribution given by the Branch committee members, who were unanimously re-elected at our Annual Meeting. Yvonne Gill-Martin, who organised all our speakers, Hilary Hartigan for the items in the Journal, Mark Campbell for writing and distribution of our newsletter, Ina Penneyston as our representative at SAFHS, Linda McInness for keeping a record of our committee meetings and with support from David Muil. However, some of our committee would like to share or transfer their responsibilities, so we would welcome any member who wished to join our committee and assist in the running of the Branch.
The modern Manchester Central Library is our venue for our in-person monthly meetings. The library is situated in the cultural heart of the city and is served by the St Peters Square Metrolink interchange.
Anglo Scots meetings at the library are normally held in the Performance Space on the ground floor and are accessible to all. The rooms are large, spacious and airy, disabled facilities are nearby and the library café is on the same floor.
Global events led to us arranging meetings online via Zoom and we met members who lived beyond travelling distance to Manchester. We now offer a mix of in-person and online meetings to benefit all our members.
Please note that our usual meeting date is now the 1st Saturday of each month, not the 3rd Saturday as previously, and this applies to both in-person and online events.
Our meetings are normally free to members with a small charge of £3 to non-members. Outside visits may incur admission charges for members and non-members.
Booking on Eventbrite is essential for meetings with invited speakers and for online meetings. Please follow us here, on Eventbrite and on social media, for booking details.
MANCHESTER & LANCASHIRE FHS was formed in 1964 and is now one of the largest family history societies in the world. Although the Society is united by a common interest in Genealogy and Family History, members also pursue interests in closely related fields.