Newsletter 155

Wigan History Day

Last Sunday was History and Civil War Day in Wigan, - and it turned out to be a great day with crowds of people in the town centre, watching the skirmishing between the Roundheads and Cavaliers. The weather was glorious and the highlight of the day was when the re-enactors, from the Sealed Knot Society, fired muskets and cannon from the top of the Parish Church Tower - a commemoration of the action on Easter eve in 1643 when a company of Royalists militia occupied the Tower, in an attempt hold off a 2000 strong force of Parliamentarians. These were from the garrison at Bolton led by Colonel Assheton. They had earlier forced their way into the town having overrun the defences after just an hour's fighting. However the company in the tower were able to inflict considerable damage on the invading army, before being forced to surrender under threat of being blown up with the Tower.

Our day in the Church proved to be very successful with many visitors joining us on our stand showing great interest in our displays and artefacts. The History Day was opened by the Mayor, Joy Birch and her Consort, Albert Bradley who expressed thanks to everybody involved in organising the day and taking part in the exhibitions.

Friends of Kirkless

Last month Mary and I attended the inaugural meeting of this new group which is organised by the Wild Life Trust. The intention of the group is to provide local people and interested parties with the opportunity to enhance and look after the area which has a significant habitat and industrial heritage. The Kirkless area, which lies between Higher Ince and Aspull, was once the site of the largest iron works in Europe (and was even the target of a Zeppelin raid in World War one). The meeting was also attended by John O'Neill, representing the Greenheart Partnership, for which the area also forms part. The Wild Life Trust have secured some funding, and are keen to engage with the local community to create an amenity for all. Our involvement is to investigate the industrial heritage and identify features which could be highlighted on a heritage trail. If you have information about the site or are just interested in getting involved, the next meeting will be held on Tuesday 12th June, 7pm, at Amberswood Tavern, Ince.

Workshops on the Wirral

If you have the time and the opportunity you may want to attend one of these interesting workshops organised by the Wirral Archive Services: They include 7th June - Roman Wirral, 5th July - Anglo-Saxon Wirral (5th-8th centuries), 2nd August - Viking Wirral (9th-11th centuries), 6th September - Medieval Wirral (11th-15th centuries). The workshops run on Thursdays at 2 - 4pm. - contact 0151 606 2629 for more details.

Next Meeting

Wednesday 6th June - at our new venue, the Standish Suite at the Brocket Arms (7.30pm as usual). This month we have our own Ian Trumble who also works at the Bolton Museum. He will be giving us a talk on the Bolton Museum's Prehistoric Collection. It will be enhanced by a selection of artefacts which the Museum has kindly allowed Ian to bring with him. Some of these will be from the assemblages collected from the Rivington moors, where a number of fieldwork projects have been undertaken over the years. It's sure to be an interesting evening.

Hope to see you there - B.A.