Weaverham History Society

Colin Edmondson, an amateur historian, researcher and writer, will be taking a look at the effect of salt mining at Marston and Northwich.  

The talk this month is given by Edward Hilditch whose grandfather lived in Cheshire and kept a diary.  He lived at Elworth, Sandbach and worked at Fodens.  The talk this evening covers a period of relative prosperity when Edward's grandfather gained promotion at work and was able to buy a few luxuries.

This month Professor Ian Morison, who has worked at Jodrell Bank since 1965, will be talking about how the passage of time has been measured over the centuries and the problems of synchronising clocks one with another (will train timetables be mentioned perhaps?).  He will also explain how Pulsars provide the most accurate clocks in the universe and how astronomers have been able to calculate when our universe began.

At one time the Wirral was a mini-state with its own language - the old Viking language called Old Norse.  Eleven hundred years ago when the Viking settlers arrived in the Wirral they would have seen cranes on a sandbank.  "Tran" is their word for a crane and "mere" is a sandbank - hence Tranmere.  Were your ancestors really Vikings?  Professor Stephen Harding, Professor of Applied Biology at the University of Nottingham, will reveal the DNA connecting us with the…

Bernard Dennis, a member of the British Longbow Society, will be talking about Francis Egerton, the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater who commissioned the building of the Bridgewater Canal, often said to be the first true canal in Britain.  This canal was built by James Brindley from the estates of Francis Egerton at Worsley to carry coal to Manchester.  A pioneer of naval construction, Francis Egerton is famed as the "father of British inland navigation".

Dr Mike Nevell is the Head of Archaeology at the University of Salford and co-editor of the Industrial Archaeological Review.   He will be looking at the Roman past of Northwich that lies beneath our feet.

Mike Royden is a local historian and author who has been researching and writing about the local history of Liverpool, Merseyside, S W Lancashire and Cheshire for over 30 years.   He will be bringing signed copies of his latest book, Village at War, for you to purchase.