• Blog - Social History

    Ministry of Labour Instructions Centres

    1 January 2024

    In 1934 my grandfather worked at Bourne Transfer Instructional Centre in Lincolnshire, one of many work camps set up by the Ministry Of Labour to retrain unemployed young men. At Bourne, the men spent much of their time clearing ground owned by the Forestry Commission, prior to re-afforestation. Although grandad may not have learnt much about agriculture here, it did give him a taste for working on the land which was something he did until the early 1950s. Although I had a couple of photos of my grandfather with “Bourne TIC 1934” written on the back, I knew nothing about the…

  • Blog - Places - Social History

    Llanberis Castle Hotel

    25 December 2023

    Built in the mid 19th century, the Castle Hotel is located on High Street in Llanberis. It closed in the 1980s and fell into disrepair, before being completely renovated and converted into a shop and flats. Slide the arrows to compare the images When the hotel was sold in 1861, it appears there were no buildings across from it because it boasted views of Llyn Padarn and Dinorwic Quarry. The hotel, gardens, coach house and stables were sold again in 1883, and was purchased by the Cambrian Building Society of Cwmyglo for £820. They sold the building in 1889 for…

  • Blog - My Family - Places - Social History

    Mason Street, Bolton

    24 December 2023

    In the late 19th century, my 3 x great grandfather William Higginson owned four houses on Mason Street in Bolton, numbers 78, 80, 82 & 84. He lived at number 82 with his family and rented out the other three houses. William was a sawyer in a wood mill, so I’m curious as to how he ended up owning four houses and what happened to them. This post is to try and help me get my own thoughts and research down. Location Mason Street ran off Mayor Street, parallel with Wellington Street, between Deane Road and Queens Park. Today the…

  • Blog - Social History

    Winter Hill Mass Trespass

    6 September 2021

    My grandad told me many times that his father and uncle where at the mass trespass at Winter Hill near Bolton in 1896. As this is the 125th anniversary, it seems like a good time to write a brief post about the event. Today Winter Hill is probably best known as the home of a television and radio transmitter, but in the 19th century its open moorland was a place for the residents of Bolton to escape the overcrowding, noise and grime of the town. The land was owned by Colonel Richard Henry Ainsworth of Smithills Hall, and used by…

  • Blog - Guides & Resources - Social History

    Euxton Catholics

    17 August 2020

    Euxton in Lancashire was home to two of Lancashire’s oldest Catholic families, the Andertons and the Molyneuxs. The Molyneuxs were the biggest landowners in the area, while the Andertons initially leased and later purchased Euxton Hall from them. One branch of my maternal family, the Higginson were Catholics from Euxton who worshipped in secret at Euxton Hall during Catholic persecution in the 17th century. Euxton Hall History St Mary’s Catholic Church, Euxton There has been a Catholic church in Euxton since at least the 1500s. Following the Reformation, and from the persecution of Elizabethan times, Catholics in Euxton practised at…

  • Blog - Places - Social History

    Vanished Streets Of Bolton

    1 May 2017

    While researching my family history, I found that some of the streets people had lived on in Bolton no longer existed. I compiled a list and then used census searches to locate surrounding streets that still exist, along with the National Library of Scotland‘s side by side map viewer to pinpoint their locations. This is by no means a complete list of all Bolton’s lost streets, and if you would like me to add any others, let me know. I will be adding to the list as I come across more ancestors’ addresses. Map of Bolton in 1931 from the…