Cheshire Local History Association

Our Society is also a member of the CLHA. Their next quarterly meeting is on 8th July in Frodsham. Click on agenda and minutes of last meeting.

Please also note that the CLHA is holding its annual History Day on 25th October in Winsford on 'Legacies of Conflict in Cheshire'. Click on Day for more details and an application form.

BALH Newsletter

Our Society is a member of the British Association for Local History. Bob Welch has passed on the link to the latest BALH newsletter. Please click on BALH

Request for any information on the Winterbothams at Tarporley

We have had a request from someone carrying out research. He asks:

I am wondering if anyone in your society could tell me anything about the Winterbotham family of Tarporley. The context of my question is that I am in the process of editing the dairies of the industrialist Sir Francis Joseph (1870-1951) who lived much of his life in Alsager. In the 1930s there are several references to visiting friends the Winterbothams at Tarporley. Often the diary entries indicate exactly where the person lived and sometimes what he did but in this case no such luck so far.

Sir Francis Joseph.was the head of the coal factor and colliery owner Settle Speakman. He was also a director of several companies including the LMS Railway, Imperial Airways, BSA, RTZ, Midland Bank etc.

If anyone has any information or any potential sources or contacts, please comment on this post or email me (paul.bujac@virgin.net) and I'll pass these on.

Visit to Port Sunlight 27th June

Members visited Port Sunlight Museum and the Lady Lever Gallery. Report and hopefully pictures to follow.

Tilstone Fearnall School Project.

Following the AGM Derek Marshall presented the research work that a small group of Tiverton members has been carrying out. This group has looked at the history of Tilstone Fearnall School. This school was built in about 1840 with the support of Lord Tollemache but closed in the 1990s and is now a private house. It was the school for local children including many from Tiverton until Tarporley Secondary Modern was built when it then became a primary school.

It was pleasing to see many of the audience had been pupils at the school and a lively discussion ensued. The project group had gathered a significant amount of data, documents and photographs. The Society Committee will work with the group to see how best to archive this information and make it more available.

AGM 22nd May 2014

The Society held its AGM on 22nd May. This was well attended with numbers boosted by several local visitors who had come to see the presentation on Tilstone Fearnall  School.

The main points from the AGM were:

• A review of the past year by Neville Carr, Chairman. Membership was healthy  and members had enjoyed a full and varied programme of talks and visits. (See this weblog for more details of these events). Neville thanked all the people who had helped the Society over the year, particularly those retiring Committee members.
• A financial summary by Bob Welch, Treasurer, which showed that income exceeded outgoings by some £300 and we had some £1700+ in the bank. It was agreed that subscriptions should remain at £10 pa.

• A new Committee was elected but with old faces. The Chair, Secretary and Treasurer continue in their posts. Di Carr and Ann Wall are retiring from the Committee having been there since the Society was originally founded. Chris Caplin volunteered to join the Committee.

• Di Carr presented the outline  of next year's programme. This will be developed and published before our September meeting.