1 Newsletter Newsletter Newsletter Newsletter FRIENDS OF LANCASHIRE ARCHIVES NOVEMBER 2013 New Mission Statement for Lancashire Archives Jacquie Crosby, Archives Service Manager ‘Inspiring people and communities to explore their heritage; promoting and continuing to collect Lancashire's archives while preserving them for everyone to use and enjoy, now and in the future’ Lancashire Archives staff have developed a new mission statement as we work towards becoming an accredited archive service, aspiring to meet an exacting new national standard. I like the statement because it emphasises the positive work we are doing and affirms our belief that we will, in some form, survive the continuing local government cuts. It refuses to dwell on the gloomy facts that user figures are now back to the level they were at the end of the 1970s, and that we will lose an archivist's post next April. Instead, it celebrates the imaginative and creative work, being led by our Access team, to open up Lancashire's archive collections to new people - creative writing, a dramatic production, vintage fairs, a mediaeval day and a programme of Tuesday talks. It also seems very appropriate to launch it around the time of the new Explore Your Archive campaign. What do you think? Do come and explore your archive and let us know. Inside Festive Treat 29th November—Your Last chance to book! page 10 Mr Langshaw’s Square Piano page2 Cheese and Wine Evening 14th March page 3 The OS comes to Lancashire page 4 Membership Matters page 6 National Archive Awareness Campaign and Lancashire Day 27th November page 11 From Pencil to print in 70 Years page 7 Memories of the Home Front page 8 Evacuation in Wartime Britain page 12
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NewsletterNewsletterNewsletterNewsletter F
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New Mission Statement for Lancashire
Archives Jacquie Crosby, Archives Service Manager
‘Inspiring people and communities to explore their heritage; promoting and continuing
to collect Lancashire's archives while preserving them for everyone to use and enjoy,
now and in the future’
Lancashire Archives staff have developed a new mission
statement as we work towards becoming an accredited
archive service, aspiring to meet an exacting new national
standard.
I like the statement because it emphasises the positive
work we are doing and affirms our belief that we will, in
some form, survive the continuing local government
cuts. It refuses to dwell on the gloomy facts that user
figures are now back to the level they were at the end of
the 1970s, and that we will lose an archivist's post next
April.
Instead, it celebrates the imaginative and creative work, being led by our Access team,
to open up Lancashire's archive collections to new people - creative writing, a dramatic
production, vintage fairs, a mediaeval day and a programme of Tuesday talks. It also
seems very appropriate to launch it around the time of the new Explore Your Archive
campaign.
What do you think? Do come and explore your archive and let us know.
Inside
Festive Treat 29th November—Your Last
chance to book! page 10
Mr Langshaw’s Square Piano page2
Cheese and Wine Evening 14th March page 3
The OS comes to Lancashire page 4
Membership Matters page 6
National Archive Awareness Campaign and Lancashire
Day 27th November page 11
From Pencil to print in 70 Years page 7
Memories of the Home Front page 8
Evacuation in Wartime Britain page 12
2
“Mr. Langshaw’s Square Piano”
Author Madeline Goold will be the
guest speaker at our Cheese and Wine
Evening on Friday 14th March 2014 Madeline Goold is a British sculptor who trained as a lawyer.
She has also played the piano since childhood—and it was
this avocation that sparked her interest, a few years ago, to
look into buying a historical instrument. In her search, she
heard about "square pianos," early-19th-century instruments
that were produced during the transition from harpsichords
to modern pianos. She had wondered about this musical
curiosity but had never seen one. Then, idly surveying the
listings for an antique auction one day, she saw this entry:
"Two Square Pianos."
At the auction house, Ms. Goold was disheartened to find that
the first lot was a large rectangular wooden box that had been gutted and converted into a
chicken coop. Then she stumbled across a "dusty coffin" about six feet long. She was able to lift
the lid a few inches, enough to catch sight of a small keyboard. She reached in and pressed a
key. Nothing. Then another: "This time a muffled, sour little note came out. It was the oldest
voice I had ever heard."
A striking aspect of "Mr. Langshaw's Square Piano" is
the sense of how the sounds of the past can be heard
today in the instruments made two centuries ago by the
craftsmen of Broadwood (a company, by the way, that's
still in business— though its pianos are now made in
Norway). We can also still hear the hand of John
Langshaw. One of his many musical skills was the
crafting of barrel organs—giant music boxes, really, with
rotating metal barrels pierced by nails to signal which
tone should sound, whether a single note or four-part
harmony. Although the tune is mechanically generated,
the taste and judgment of the maker are permanently
recorded. Ms. Goold found one of Langshaw's barrel
organs. "When it plays 'See the Conquering Hero Comes'
it is probably as authentic a Handelian sound as one can
hear. Few people then or now, armed only with
hammer, nails and pliers, could produce music so
delightful, so enchanting."
This report is drawn from Rachel Mullen’s review
published in the Wall Street Journal online in November
2009
ISBN-10: 9781933346380
Mr. Langshaw from Lancaster City Museum
collections
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Friends of Lancashire Archives
Charity Registration Number 518611
CHEESE AND WINE
EVENING With a wide range of drinks and nibbles
Friday 14th March 6.30pm for 7.00 pm
at the Lancashire Archives
Speaker: Madeline Goold, author of
“Mr Langshaw's Square Piano”
FLA members £9.50 / Non-members £10.00
To be held at Lancashire Archives on Friday March 2014
Please complete and return to: Brenda Fox, 12 Derby Road, Garstang, PR3 1EU.
Tel. 01995 604379
Name(s) ………………………………………………………………………………………
Address ………………………………………………………………………………………
Postcode ……………………………
Telephone ……………………….. Email……………………………………………
I enclose a cheque for ___________ made out to Friends of Lancashire Archives
4
The O.S. Comes to Lancashire Zoë Lawson
Whilst carrying out research into the silk industry in the Lancaster area in the 1841 census, I
came across an interesting entry. In the tiny hamlet of Marshaw, just east of Abbeystead on
the northern boundary of the Forest of Bowland, the census listed four Irishmen residing in
the Moorcock Inn (no longer there) whose occupations were designated as ‘ordnance survey’.
Here were some of the men who worked tirelessly to measure our landscapes to produce the
first detailed map of the county by the Ordnance Survey (O.S.) and who built the iconic trig
points so treasured by walkers.
The background to the first edition 6 inches to 1 mile map of Lancashire and how these four
Irishmen, Michael Corran, William MacFaran, Charles Morran and Michael Hannon, came to be
in Marshaw is interesting. The origin of the O.S. as an agency for mapping lies back in the mid-
eighteenth century with the military surveying of the Scottish Highlands in order to subjugate
the clans after the Jacobite Rising. However, it was the publication in 1805 of the first edition 1
inch to1 mile map of Essex (sheet no. 1) which marks the birth of the O.S. as we know it today.
This was the beginning of the systematic mapping of the whole country by means of a
trigonometric survey, known as the First Series. Unfortunately, this was suddenly interrupted
in the mid 1820s before the northern counties could be surveyed. The mapping of Ireland
became a priority and the O.S. not only moved its operation in 1824, but started surveying on
a much larger scale of 6 inches to 1 mile.
The reason for this change of scale was that the Irish maps were ostensibly produced for
taxation purposes. The Irish ‘cess’ tax, used to fund local services such as jails, road and bridge
repairs and officials’ salaries, was assessed on the value of ‘Townlands’, local districts similar
to Lancashire townships. However, the precise acreage and valuation of these townlands were
in many cases vague, leading to inequalities and disputes. Hence the need for a precise large
scale survey.
To begin with the O.S. project in Ireland was manned completely by British military
Marshaw on the 1844 OS Map from Marshaw on the 1844 OS Map from Marshaw on the 1844 OS Map from Marshaw on the 1844 OS Map from MARIO maps onlineMARIO maps onlineMARIO maps onlineMARIO maps online
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engineers (sappers), as Irish citizens were deemed
to be lacking the skills and untrustworthy. In the
event it was the low grade, ill-educated and
frequently drunken British army personnel who
were not up to the task and by 1825 Irish country
labourers were being employed at one shilling a
day. By the end of the survey in 1841 Irish labourers
outnumbered British army surveyors 4 to 1. The
Irish performed the more manual tasks involved
such as digging and laying out the measuring
chains.
With the Irish survey finished, the O.S. returned to
the mainland to complete the remainder of the First
Series. But in the twenty-year period since the last 1
inch to 1 mile had been produced, industrialisation
had drastically changed the landscape of Britain
and it became clear that the larger scale mapping of
6 inches to 1 mile was more appropriate. The
Ordnance Survey Act of 1841 made way for the 6
inch County Series with the northern counties being
the first to be surveyed and the resulting maps
reduced to 1 inch to complete the First Series.
Lancashire was, in fact, the first county in England to be surveyed at the larger scale and it
seems from the evidence of the census that the O.S. must have retained the experienced Irish
labourers who were familiar with surveying at this larger scale. However there is an anomaly.
The Lancashire survey was said to begin in 1842 and the map containing Marshaw (sheet 35)
states that it was surveyed in 1844. Yet the Irishmen were clearly there in June 1841 at the
time of the census. There was an earlier 2 inches to 1 mile survey carried out and subsequently
abandoned for the 6 inch but this was confined to south Lancashire. The only explanation is
that these Irishmen represented the vanguard O.S. contingent preparing the ground for the
surveyors.
Life for these labourers was harsh. They often had to live in tents but in this instance they
were residing in an inn, surely a welcome reprieve and one providing a good trade for the
publican, William Pye. There is no doubt that the O.S. could not have managed without the
good will and cooperation of local people who were required to give place names and other
information. In some areas the surveyors must have been treated with suspicion but mostly I
suspect communities were curious and intrigued by their activities.
Little research, if any, has been carried out on the O.S. in Lancashire and it would be
interesting to find out if there are any further examples of O.S. workers in the 1841 census in
other parts of the county.
Marshaw Bridge and old weir from Geograph
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Membership Matters
Subscriptions for 2014 are due on 1st January. The rates remain unchanged at £10 for
a single member, £12 for family members, £15 for associate members and £10 for
overseas members.
There is a space on the form for you give details of your email address. If you com-
plete this you will be giving your consent to receiving communications, newsletters
and AGM material by email. The number of email recipients is increasing little by lit-
tle. Over half our members now receive their newsletter this way.
If you have an email address please opt for this method as it gives us a significant cost
saving and enables more money to be set aside to help Lancashire Archives.
Postal recipients should retain the mailing label. You will notice these have been
coded. Your membership number followed by ‘C’ means you pay by cheque, and your
membership number followed by ‘S’ indicates you pay your subscription by Standing
Order. A renewal form is not included for those who pay by Standing Order. If you
wish to amend any particulars please get in touch with me .I hope this makes it easier
for you to avoid duplicating your payment.
E-mail recipients
The renewal form will be emailed separately to those members who pay by cheque.
GiftAid
To remind you if you have made a GiftAid declaration the letter ’G’ has been added to
your membership number on the mailing label.
If any more members are taxpayers and wish to enable us to reclaim tax on their sub-
scription please contact me for a form.
To make a GiftAid declaration you must pay sufficient income and/or capital gains tax
to cover the amount that can be reclaimed by all the Charities to which you make a
donation. So you must consider all your charitable giving as a whole.
If your circumstances have changed and you should withdraw your declaration please
let me know.
Janet
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The FLA is doing its bit to save costs by sending out the Newsletter by email to as many
members as possible.
The email edition of the Newsletter is in colour, and the savings made in postage, print and
stationery go towards the work of the Lancashire Archives. Support provided by the FLA is
essential to their work.
So to join the email list send your email address to our Membership Secretary, Janet Lane