ISSUE No. 31 SUMMER 2002 The Newsletter of Wigan Heritage Service FREE From the Editor EUROPE IN FOCUS WELCOME to the summer edition of Past Forward. As always, you will find a splendid mix of articles Angers 2002 by contributors old and new. These are exciting times for the Heritage Service, which has ANGERS is twinned with will be loaned to Angers for the enjoyed an international profile of Wigan, and indeed with a exhibition. Local firms Millikens late - worldwide publicity followed number of other towns, and William Santus, as well as Alan Davies’s feature in the last including Osnabruck, Pisa, Wigan Rugby League Club, have issue of the recently discovered Haarleem and Seville. During also made contributions to treasure Woman’s Worth (see p3), September, the French town will Wigan’s part of the exhibition. while the History Shop was featured in the final episode of be mounting a major exhibition, Wigan Pier Theatre Company Simon Shama’s History of Britain, ‘Europe in Focus’, which will will also be taking part, as will shown in June. And the Service feature displays and John Harrison, a young flautist has played a key role in Wigan’s contributions from all its from Winstanley College, Wigan. contribution to a major exhibition in twinned towns. I will ensure that a plentiful Angers, its twin town, in Wigan Heritage Service has supply of Past Forward will be September (see right). played a leading role in Wigan’s available - a good opportunity to Nearer to home, I am delighted with the progress which is being contribution, and a selection of expand the readership on the made by the Friends of Wigan museum artefacts and archives continent! Heritage Service, with lots of exciting projects in the pipeline. My sincere thanks to all of you who ‘Friends of Mesnes have shown an interest, including The Parish attending the meetings, and also Park’ Appeal to Philip for all his hard work in Map developing and encouraging the Dear Mr Gillies group. As Chairperson of the ‘Friends of The 5th Manchester Regiment I know many people, and particularly Mesnes Park’, I would like to make an figures very prominently in this those who participated in the project, appeal through Past Forward for 50 issue - an excellent exhibition is have been wondering what has volunteers, whatever your particular currently on display in the History happened to the Parish Map. skills or interests, to join our ranks. If Shop (this is reviewed on p18), Good news! It is safe and well, successful, this would enable us to complemented by a splendid and the necessary funding has now qualify for a grant to help with the rose article by regular contributor Fred garden refurbishment. Please contact me Holcroft (p6). This exhibition has been procured to display it in its entirety in the History Shop. Plans as soon as possible if you are interested. been long in the making, but the Incidentally, the child handing the wait has certainly been are as yet at an early stage, but I can cheque over in the top left photograph in worthwhile. Congratulations in definitely say that the Parish Map Past Forward 29 is my daughter, now particular to Dawn and all those will be on public display before who have been involved. Karen Strong - and now nearly 40! [see I am pleased at the way various Easter 2003. This will be the first also this issues Who? Where? Ed.] articles in Past Forward lead other time that the map will have been Kathleen Banks readers to put pen to paper, displayed in one venue in its entirety. ‘Friends of Mesnes Park’ something which they most likely More details in the next issue of 42 Rylands Street would not otherwise have done. Past Forward. Ed. Wigan WN6 7BL This issue is no exception - Tel: 01942 236448 witness the articles on VC’s and the Bug, to quote two very differing COPY DEADLINE articles from both ends of the wide Please note that the Past Forward spectrum which the magazine covers. If you are one of the many copy deadline for issue On Tape whose memory is triggered by an no 32 of Past Forward is article you have read in Past 4 October. I am delighted to announce that this Forward, and feel moved to project is now progressing, and this respond in any way, do make sure current issue of Past Forward is that you put pen to paper - as All comments and always, I will do my best to ensure correspondence should be being used as a ‘dry run’. Assuming that your name goes in print. addressed to: there are no unforeseen problems, As always, my thanks to all of Editor, ‘Past Forward’, then the next issue (no 32, due out in you who have contributed to the Wigan Heritage Service, Market November), will be accompanied by a magazine, whether by contribution Suite, The Galleries, Wigan WN1 cassette tape version, for the visually or encouragement - your many 1PX impaired and housebound. Ed. complementary comments are greatly valued! Cover: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during their visit to Wigan, 20 May 1938. They also visited Leigh later in the day. 2 Manchester Evening News 19/4/02 Seatle Times, U.S.A. 21/4/02 The Chronicle, Queensland 22/4/02 The Independent 20/4/02 Star Press, Indiana, U.S.A. 20/4/02 Daily Telegraph 20/4/02 Turn to page 4 3 ‘Womans Worth’ HCL revisited Motorcycles Leigh – an IN THE last issue of Past Forward Academic onslaught I mentioned the finding of the manuscript ‘Woman’s Worth’. The The world of antiquarian book unknown article was picked up by the dealers, academics from various Council’s Public Relations spheres of interest, publishers Department, who felt it worth a desperate to reprint the work (six so manufacturer separate press release, most far), as well as interested members importantly targeting the Press of the public, bombarded the comes to Association which has world-wide Archives with Emails and letters. influence. With today’s advances An article in The Daily in communications, that press Telegraph contained a typical light release soon found its way onto piece of journalistic invention, the screens of journalists around namely that the work was written the globe who made it headline “two years before the outbreak of THE world of transport in all forms and its news!! the Civil War”!! This led to a history attracts enormous interest around Coverage ranged from written response from Dr. the UK, probably more than in any other Australia’s SMH network through Margaret Bent of Oxford University country. Britain is famous for its army of to the Star Press, Indiana, The who remembered seeing a ‘anoraks’, out there boldly researching Seattle Times, The Houston manuscript in the Bodleian and documenting the most obscure Chronicle, The Sydney Times and Library (doc no. 1030) with aspects of transport you can imagine, from many others. For a brief few days virtually identical content. This in the history of a single railway siding to Wigan, and most importantly turn set off a trail of research photographing today’s latest trams and Wigan Heritage Service, was the which led to a Revd. William Page buses. The photographic legacy left to us centre of the universe – which, of (1590-1663), Fellow of All Souls by this enthusiastic breed is enormous, course, we already knew was the College Oxford, 1618-1648. The and very important, as what features in the case! manuscript appears to have been background in the photographs is today of Radio interviews were given to left to the Bodleian by his great interest. CNN News, BBC World Service and executors after 1663. As with all forms of transport, most of BBC Radio Bristol, the latter being Meanwhile, Professor Kari which were either invented or developed carried out on the mobile phone at McBride in Arizona (who you may in Britain, motorcycles attract a great deal 10.30 p.m. while sat in the Mort remember from the Past Forward of interest. This interest can often come Arms in Tyldesley! article) continued her researches from those who had to rely on them as The English press articles by contacting Dr. Bent and their sole means of transport, say from the ranged from The Times, The pursuing the content of the Page 1920’s through to the 1970’s. Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, manuscript. Kari is coming over in Motorcycles are also fascinating from summer and hopes to view both The Independent and Manchester a design history standpoint. The 200 mph Evening News, along with our local ‘Woman’s Worth’ and the Page manuscript. Arizona University is monsters of today can be traced directly press. also keen to publish a scholarly back to those heavy-duty former pedal transcription. She personally feels cycles with engines bolted on of the late Richard and Judy! the script to be of the late 16th 19th century. century and based on the Geneva Just before the First World War tens of small scale businesses were attaching A phone call from a researcher Bible (the Geneva Bible became engines to frames and declaring them for the world famous academic the most widely read and ‘motorcycles’, each with their own chat show Richard and Judy led influential English Bible of the company identity as though unique, when to an invite on the programme to 16th and 17th centuries. It was really most motorcycles used a limited discuss the finding of ‘Woman’s continually printed from 1560 to number of engines and identical cycle Worth’.