Lancashire Genealogy

A large proportion of my maternal family came from the historic county of Lancashire. Over the years of research, I’ve found many online resources that have been very useful.

Genealogy Records

• Lancashire Online Parish Clerk (Free)
  This is a great starting point for research in Lancashire and contains a large number of transcripts of parish baptism, marriage and funeral records that are free to view. You can also search for a person named in a record, which means you can find if your ancestors were the godparents at baptisms, or witnesses at weddings. Although some of the records are now available on Find My Past and Ancestry, Lan-OPC is continually being updated, and I have found it has more records, and the transcripts contain more information than the transcripts on the paid sites.
  The site also has a comprehensive list and some details about the parishes and churches of Lancashire.
• Lancashire BMD (Free)
  Official civil registration of birth, marriages and deaths became a legal requirement in 1837. Lancashire BMD has transcripts of many, but not all, of the Lancashire Registry Office records.
• Euxton, St Mary’s Catholic Church (Free)
  The church has placed transcripts of its parish records on their website. They are also very helpful if you contact them for advice.
• Chorley History Society (Free)
  Articles on Chorley and the surrounding area.
• Manchester And Lancashire Family History Society (Paid)
  The society started out as a group of workmates discussing their family history in 1964, and has grown to cover research for the whole of Lancashire. As well as their online resources, there are also branches in Manchester, Bolton and Oldham that offer help to members and non-members.

Social History 

• Bolton Worktown (Free)
  An archive of the photographs and documents from the first Mass Observation project carried out in 1937 in Bolton. It gives a fascinating insight of daily life in the town just before the outbreak of war.
• Amounderness (Free)
  The site has a large amount of historical information about the Fylde. There are articles and photographs covering just about everything you could need to know about the history of the area, including the schools, churches, club days, shops, employment and entertainment.
• Lost Pubs Of Bolton (Free)
  Even if you have no interest in the hundreds of closed pubs in Bolton, this is a great resource for finding photos and information about old street in Bolton where your ancestors lived.
• Bolton Revisited (Free)
  A comprehensive guide to the history of Bolton.
• Lytham Heritage Group (Free)
  Preserving and sharing the history of the ancient parish of Lytham (which includes Ansdell, Fairhaven, Heyhouses, Kilgrimmol and what is now St Annes.
• Bolton Pictures From A Bygone Age (Free)
  As the name says, old photos and information of Bolton. Not the easiest site to navigate, but worth the effort.
• Yesterday’s Fleetwood (Free)
  An archive of the history of the fishing port of Fleetwood.
• Facebook
  There are Facebook groups that share old photos and information about most towns. These are the ones I’ve found interesting:
  Lancashire Genealogy
  Lytham’s Past
  Bygone Bolton
  Ancient Bolton
  Fleetwood’s Past and Present
  Wesham & Kirkham Memories of the Past
  Warton and Freckleton's Past

 Map showing the historic country of Lancashire. 
Credit: Lan-OPC