London’s Oldest Catholic Churches

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churches, London, useful

London’s Oldest Catholic Churches

This blog entry from The Jacobite Intelligencer has some interesting details and photographs, well worth a look.

The Catholic National Library

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archives, registers, useful

Saint Michael’s Abbey Church

The Catholic National Library has over 70,000 books, pamphlets and periodicals including theology, spirituality and related subjects, biography, history (including Catholic Family History), and many works not freely available elsewhere. The library has a website where details of services and opening hours can be found. There is a very useful online catalogue.

Of particular interest to family historians is the collection of Mission Register transcripts dating back to 1694. These are typescripts on loan from the Catholic Family History Society. N.B. Some of these have now been published by the CFHS as data disks (see the list here)

The collection started life in 1912 and from 1997 the library (known as the Catholic Central Library) was located in Lancing Street, London and you may see references to this name and location in older books and magazines. When the lease ran out the library was without a home. However thanks to the Abbot of St Michael’s Abbey, Farnborough and the Empress Eugenie Memorial Trust which own the assets of the Abbey, the entire Library is now housed in its precincts under the new name of the Catholic National Library.

 

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CFHS North West Region – Summer Outing 2013

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Chester, St Werburgh

The North West Region of the CFHS have send me details of their summer outing. This year they are visiting St Werburgh’s Church in Chester.

A Roman Catholic Church of St Werburgh was opened in Queen Street, Chester, in 1799, and classes were probably held before a school was built in 1854.

A new church was built in Grosvenor Park Road in the 1870s. St Werburgh’s has been a much loved church of the Catholic community in Chester. Built by Edmund Kirby, it has soaring gothic arches and tall lancet windows, giving a wonderful sense of style and space. Cardinal Manning celebrated Mass here on Christmas Day 1875 before the church was completed. The solemn opening took place on 13th July 1876 with a Pontifical High Mass, the first in Chester for three hundred years

Here’s the programme – if you are interested in attending contact details are at the bottom of the post.

11:00 Mass in Church
11:40 Coffee & Registration, Parish Centre, 26 Brook St., Chester
12:00 History of the Mission from 1757-2013. Speaker: Fr. Paul Shaw (Parish Priest)
13:15 Lunch
14:15 Places of Catholic interest in Chester. Speaker: Gerry Tighe (Chester Blue Badge Guide)
15:00 Walking Tour of above places (optional) led by Gerry Tighe, Or visit the Family History Help Desk (Centre)
16:00 Tea

Cost £5.00 per person (inc. lunch) Please pre-book with

Mrs J M Smith
10 Irving Close
Woodsmoor
Stockport
SK2 7DX
0161 483 9199
jeansmith1934@talktalk.net

North West Region Programme for 2013

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Cheetham Hill, Chester, Irish Fusiliers, Manchester, North West, St Werburgh, Workhouse

The North West Region of the CFHS have sent me their programme of events for 2013. Guests are welcome and contact details are at the foot of this post.

Saturday February 16

The Royal Irish Fusiliers at Gallipoli – Memoirs of John David Purcell. Speaker: Margaret Purcell, Venue: Talbot Library, Weston St., Preston

Saturday April 13      

Catholic Records in the Workhouse. Speaker: Brian Plumb, Venue: St Oswald’s Social Club, Padgate Lane, Warrington, WA1 3LB

Saturday July 13

Summer Outing St Werburgh’s Church, Chester – see separate post

Saturday November 16        

St Chad’s, Cheetham Hill, Manchester (Mission from 1776). Speaker: TBA, Venue: Salford Diocesan Archives, St Augustine’s, All Saints, Manchester, M15 6BW

All Meetings start at 2 pm unless otherwise stated. Visitors welcomed. Further information and travelling directions from Meetings Organiser :

Maureen Fitzgibbon, Pinewood, Hawley Lane, Halebarns WA15 0DY (sae please)  0161 903 9567  maureen.fitzgibbon94@gmail.com

Really Useful Leaflet

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Family History Societies, FFHS, useful

If you are a newcomer to family history I can recommend the Really Useful Leaflet that the FFHS (Federation of Family History Societies) produce. It has a list of useful websites and gives a good view of just how much information is available. It is true to say that in the early stages of research, quite a bit of progress can be made by going it alone, however, there will be times when your research grinds to a halt, and that is where membership of a society can be of great benefit. The FFHS has over 180 member societies throughout the world and the names and web addresses are included in this leaflet. They will be happy to share their knowledge and come up with ideas for you to pursue. They may also have produced transcriptions of the more unusual records that as yet are unavailable on-line.