26 replies to this topic

[sthwales]

This forum is a godsend, and I for one would like to thank the moderators and Steve Nulty too if he had any influence in the decision.

St Helens Connect is an awesome site - the census transcriptions are better than I've seen for any other district in the country.

Something you didn't mention in the original post in this thread, Steve, is that Prescot was originally a sail-making centre before Liverpool was thought of, and that sailors coming up the Mersey used the steeple at St Mary's as a landmark when approaching (not sure where they would have docked at that time though).

Keep up the good work - I'm sure this Prescot forum will mushroom

Cheers
Clive

[dotcomdan]

stephen nulty, on Jan 26 2009, 03:26 PM, said:

Those with any kind of interest in local history will be aware that Prescot has a long and varied history and that the township of Prescot predates many of the other local areas. We’ll all at some point have looked at the likes of Ancestry and found our St Helens forefathers recorded as being born, married or dying in the Prescot registration district. This was the case until the creation of the St Helens RD in (I think) 1937.

I also found, as part of the transcription, that a significant number of those people working in the watch industry were natives of Warwickshire, specifically from Coventry. I wondered about this and did a bit of Googling, and I also spoke to the staff at Prescot Museum. It turns out that Coventry was also a bit of a hot spot for watch making, but was also in decline at the same time as Prescot. The resurgence of interest and associated jobs in the 1890’s caused a significant migration of people from Coventry, seeking work and a decent life in Prescot.

With reference to the first part of the quote, in my experience of trying to get copies of birth certicates etc from St Helens Registry Office, I was told to go to Prescot because all Catholic Records are kept there, so I did and got them and the staff were very helpful. I think it is something to do with the Diocese.

Secondly I have a grand uncle and aunt who lived next to the Griffin at Eccleston, who were watch maker and watch hand maker respectively, neither got married as far as I can see in the census records. They came from Billinge. I have an old book on the history of Prescot, so I'll keep an eye on the thread to see if I can be of any use.

[stephen nulty]

Clive

Good point on the sail-making, it was something I'd forgotten about. It always struck me as a strange industry to have in a town severla miles inland.

"The Church On The Hill" was indeed a well known landmark and if you're ever approaching Prescot from the south, perhaps along Knowsley Expressway, you can still see it as a landmark as there hasn't been a lot of development there.

File-making was also a big industry in the town. I'm not sure if it's still there, but Blundells in the area of East Street made some really high quality sets of files, and a few of my mates did their apprenticeships there back in the 1970's.

[sthwales]

This subject of Prescot's industries fascinates me for some reason!

I guess we've all got relatives who worked either for the BI, watch-making or filemaking - I know my tree's full of them.

I tried Prysmian Cables the other week (apparently all that's left of BICC). Very nice lady in their Wrexham office told me that there are no surviving employment records of any substance - dead end.

Prescot Museum staff told me that any records of the watch-making industry were sent to Liverpool Maritime Museum (?) but I've yet to follow that up.

Wouldn't know where to start with the filemaking, but it would be nice just to know when certain individuals started & ended their employment

[stephen nulty]

I've a draft posting abouit the history of BI, but it's not quite finished at the moment. I worked there from 1973 to 1986, following my dad and grandad, as well as countless uncles, aunts, cousins, etc.

The Maritime Museum has the old editions of "The Link" (BI Staff Magazine) but they're not readily available and can only be viewed by appointment. Although I have lots of references to the magazine on my web site, it was all provided courtesy of John Yates (jvy20) and I still need to get to the musuem to see the actual copies.

[gypsygeoff]

All my wifes family, her brother in laws too,all come from Prescot,I am an outsider being from Gods little acre being Rainhill.
I have at home a Lancashire life magazine from 1980,in it it has a map of Prescot circa 1600,we also have a book called Prescot of yesteryear.I will try and find these among my countless collection of ''lets keep this we may need it one day'' magazines,papers etc.

[potter]

Hi Steve,
Great post, fascinated by any history on Prescot area, as family originally from the town and have loads of connections to it.At present, absorbed in trying to put together a social history on the pottery industry and the families involved in the trade, in and around Prescot.The potteries of Prescot contain some of the best archeological and social family history in the northwest.Any information on the potteries I will gladly receive.Just a quick mention of the site on Parish clerks prescot project online, which gives alot of details of parish records on baptisms, marriages and deaths from St. Mary's church, Prescot.If anyone hasn't seen the site well worth a visit.Cheers Nutgrover.

[potter]

Hello Steve,I have not replied to some questions on site, having been offline.I have replied to you as nutgrover before, but now registered under potter.So questions on potters and pottery sites in and around Prescot feel free to ask away. I also have a large number of names of families from Prescot over the years.The previous questions that have been asked I will follow-up on as soon as I can. potter.

[GeoffB]

Regarding the BICC Staff Magazine - The Link

Apparently Wigan Local History has acquired a set of the BICC Company Magazines, 1936-1970 (Acc. 2009/5)

Haven't looked at them yet - yet but their facilities are excellent and it should be easier to get at the originals there than Liverpool

If you haven't seen it they publish an excellent magazine - 3 times per year - issue 51 refers to BICC Magazine acquisition

all available on line http://www.wlct.org/...ge/pforward.htm

[stephen nulty]

Geoff

I've visited this site a few times over the years and have always been impressed by the site and especially by the "Past Forward" magazine.

I'm wondering if the set of magazines which they have acquired is related to the BI acquisition of General Cables in Leigh?

If the magazines are generally available to the public, then this is definitely better that the Liverpool set which can only be viewed one day a month by prior appointment !!

[Rubber Ducky]

Dave, on 26 January 2009 - 09:21 PM, said:

Gilly: Rainford, Rainhill and the other places that you mentioned were never a problem because they're inside the borough. So they're different from Prescot in that sense and this is why it needs a separate forum.

here's 1 dave I've just joined the site so where does Whiston sit? when I was born my address was 122 windy Arbor Rd whiston NR prescot the school I went to was Whiston sec modern in Delph lane haha

[Handsome Johnny]

this is not a joke, but the old public toilets behind the fusilleer pub should be renovated and maintained as they are possibly the last example of victorian public toilets left in england!!