Talk Review Steve Halliwell – My Work As A Local History Detective

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On Friday 27th January I attended a talk at Ingol’s Intact Community Centre in Preston, given by Preston based historian, Steve Halliwell, in which he explained his life as history researcher, with lots of tips for anyone interested in looking into local and family history. Steve has a primary interest in natural history and ornithology which he developed while living and working on the Scottish Hebredean island of St Kilda. It was there that he started looking into the background of various history and philosophy societies. It was an interest that Steve maintained when he moved to Preston. Steve showed that it is impossible to separate local history from family history as it is often charting the lives and family trees of various families that shows the effects of history on community. He showed the names of two people living in the Hoghton Tower region in Central Lancashire. Following census reports, birth, marriage and death certificates showed the families coming together through marriage. A look at maps of the areas the families lived in showed a long footpath connecting their respective properties. There were quicker routes the eventual husband could have travelled to the town where he worked but it seems likely he took the longer route to be able to flirt with the several pretty daughters, one of who he was destined to marry. The very terrain, studied on old maps, became a clue to how the families merged via the altar. The buildings of Lancashire and Preston have their histories too of course. The old Grammar School, (seen among many impressive slides illustrating the talk) has since been demolished and its stones used to shore up the banks of the tidal Ribble River nearby. Steve touched on my own favourite area of historic study too, pubs, (he has written books on the pubs of Preston, one of which I have) showing how the Blue Anchor pub and surrounding yard was among many casualties demolished to make room for the city centre Harris art gallery and museum centre. He also showed us that Preston had one of the first police forces in Britain (and the World) outside London, with the force formed in 1815. The centrepiece of Steve’s research remains the subject of one of his most celebrated books, Moses Holden (1777 – 1864), a humble Bolton born hand-loom weaver who took it upon himself to provide his own education. Holden was fascinated by astronomy in particular and felt that his study was slowed down considerably by the expense of text books on the subject which were written mainly for professional academic astronomers. Moses speeded things up for himself by grinding his own lenses for home made telescopes and also helped create lenses for local photographers as well as microscope lenses. Moses went on to write map-book of the constellations visible from the Earth, purposely making it easily readable and accessible to the layman, providing massive encouragement to many other amateur scientists who lacked a university background. Moses never allowed his science to conflict with his religious beliefs – he was a lifelong Methodist Minister. He gave many talks and lectures on his findings and founded Preston’s Institute For The Diffusion Of Knowledge, which became the foundation for the University Of Central Lancashire (UCLan) centred in Preston. A plaque honouring Moses Holden was unveiled there by Steve who was also an honoured guest at the 2016 opening of the university’s huge Alston site Observatory, with its main telescope named after Moses Holden. Steve wrapped up lovely presentation with some random looks at amusing obituaries he has read from the archive studies he has conducted including that of one Frank Bradley who was still climbing ladders with hods full of bricks at the age of 96. After a lively question and answer session the Intact Centre provided a very nice buffet for the attendees so thanks to everyone involved, especially of course, Steve Halliwell. Arthur Chappell