A Visit to Lancashire Archives

by Chris Ainsworth

An ancient royal grant, an illustrated medieval “Book of Hours” and several items relating to recent SPAG events were on show at Lancashire Archives (and Public Record Office) in Preston. Twenty SPAG members enjoyed a welcome hot drink and presentation by Vicci, Lead Engagement Archivist, followed by a tour of the publicly available archive itself.

We were lucky to see “behind the scenes” in the temperature and humidity-controlled store, and see some of the earliest items in the Lancashire Archives collection, including a grant of land from 1166 by King Henry II to “Geoffrey the Crossbowman”, and a fabulously illustrated fifteenth century “Book of Hours”.

 

Vicci and her colleagues had kindly also put on display the Guardians’ Minute Book (of Poor Law Boards of Guardians Haslingden Poor Law Union, up to 1845) relating to the workhouse that was near St James’ Parish Church Haslingden, before that workhouse combined with the workhouse at Tunstead, Stacksteads, and moved in 1870 to the new Pike Law Institution (off Union Road, Rawtenstall).

Also on display was an 1826 record of the commutation of various people’s death sentences to transportation. This item was requested as, three quarters of the way down on the right of the document, the name of “Mary Hindle” can be made out – this Haslingden resident’s sad tale was told on a recent SPAG walk. The bottom of the document shows that the named people were to be:                    “… transported to New South Wales or Van Diemans Land [the colonial name for Tasmania].”

One “Broadside Ballad” was on display, though the main collection of the “Harkness of Preston” ones is held in Preston’s Harris Museum collection.

Also on show was a copy of the “ticket of leave,” showing the Irish land reform activist Michael Davitt’s early release from his penal servitude at Dartmoor Prison.

Overall, it was fascinating to see what resources are available to all – for free – so we are grateful to Vicci and her colleagues for a really interesting visit!

Further information about Lancashire Archives, and how to search their collection, is available here.

Harkness’s “Broadside Ballads” are available here.