The Family History Society of Cheshire 🌾🌳

A woodcut of a witch, taken from a 1643 book on the subject

*New Post*

In my latest post I revisit the subject of witchcraft in Shropshire and discuss its historic and folkloric legacy. This is my most comprehensive study of the subject so far! I hope you enjoy!

nearlyknowledgeablehistory.blogspot.com/2024/01/witc...

#witchcraft #history #folklore #witch

INSTRUMENT OF ABDICATION. I, Edward the Eighth, of Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Emperor of India, do hereby declare My irrevocable determination to renounce the Throne for Myself and for My descendants, and My desire that effect should be given to this Instrument of Abdication immediately. In token whereof I have hereunto set My hand this tenth day of December, nineteen hundred and thirty six, in the presence of the witnesses whose signatures are subscribed. SIGNED AT FORT BELVEDERE IN THE PRESENCE OF Albert Henry. George. Edward RI

On this day in 1936 Edward VIII signs the Instrument of Abdication

📷 via British History on Facebook for the image

Day 10 of @fhsofcheshire.bsky.social's #AdventCalendar2025

🤶❄️🎅It's Quiz-mas 🤶❄️🎅

🎶🔔🎶Music heads needed today 🎶🔔🎶

Another great bit of reseach by Paul - even though I was wincing at the Welsh pronunciations going on alongside me 🤣😱🤣

Note to self - hide the biscuits next week!

#BiscuitGate

Day 9 of the @fhsofcheshire.bsky.social #AdventCalendar2025

🎄❄️🎄It's Quiz-mas 🎄❄️🎄

🤶🤶🤶How will you do today? 🎅🎅🎅

a man with long hair and a beard is looking at the camera . ALT: a man with long hair and a beard is looking at the camera .

The joys of family history! From a simple birth certificate with no father named, today at the @fhsofcheshire.bsky.social I was able to extend the tree of one of our members back several generations. The joys of volunteering - plus there was plenty of biscuits! #Genealogy

Mosaic restoration reveals more about Great Waldingfield sisters The sisters returned with stones from their travels to Europe and the Middle East.

The story of sisters Emily & Anne-Louise Bailey who in 1861 brought back marble, granite, porphyry & alabaster rocks from Egypt used to create a mosaic for the reredos at St. Lawrence Church, Great Waldingfield, Suffolk which are now being restored. 👇
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Gillingham museum finds duplicates of destroyed drawings The director of the Royal Engineers Museum in Gillingham says they were "devastated" by the theft.

Staff at the Royal Engineers Museum, Gillingham, Kent find duplicate copies of some of the 1,742 historic military drawings destroyed last month when a van was stolen & set alight last month. 👇
BBC News - Museum finds duplicates of destroyed drawings
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Day 8 of the @fhsofcheshire.bsky.social #AdventCalendar2025

🎅🤶❄️It's Quiz-mas ❄️🎅🤶

🎄🎄🎄🎄A picture quiz today? 🎄🎄🎄

Two men in overalls up tall ladders in a corridor and one consulting a box of records on a trolley. Behind the ladders is floor-to-ceiling shelving containing tied bundles of records.

Despite being called a museum, we estimate that 60-70% of our collection is in fact books and archive. We are one of two archives of Met history, the other being the National Archives, which took all Met central records until 2000. #ExploreYourArchive #EYAYourArchive

#familyhistory goes hand in hand with #localhistory. When a small industrial museum goes, we lose part of our history. #Kidderminster loses its #CarpetMuseum on 20 Dec and #Walsall’s #LeatherMuseum may go the same way. Support your museums and archives while you still have them.

Stockport, looking from Petersgate on to the busy market in the early 1900s (Stockport Heritage Trust).

How Rochester Cathedral inspired Dickens to reclaim Christmas Charles Dickens' love for Christmas arose after a visit to Rochester Cathedral, Secret Kent hears.

How a Charles Dickens visit to Rochester Cathedral, Kent inspired the publication of A Christmas Carol in 1843 which was widely acclaimed to reinvigorate Christmas as a celebration rather than just centre it around an event in the life of Jesus. 👇
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Chesterton historical land survey offers snapshot of village life An 18th Century survey reveals details of life in Chesterton before it became a Cambridge suburb.

Cambridgeshire Archives has bought The Terrier of John Chettoe's Property in Chesterton from a private owner in South Africa. The document offers a snapshot of life in an 18th century village which is now a suburb of Cambridge. 👇
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Day 7 of the @fhsofcheshire.bsky.social #AdventCalendar2025

🤶🎅It's Quiz-mas 🎅🤶

🎄🎄🎄🎄Will today be the day you get full marks? 🎄🎄🎄

Pin board with FHSC Events depicted in Post it notes

#WhatsOn this week at @fhsofcheshire.bsky.social

Group meetings at #Crewe #Northwich #Sale - all Christmas socials, such be fun

Helpdesks at #Chester & #Wallasey

Find out how to join FHSC 👉 www.fhsc.org.uk
From as little as £13 a year its fabulous value for everything we offer to members

😪

I might get one done for this afternoon Ruth.

Glad you are enjoying the quiz too

a person is putting a donut in a cup of tea . ALT: a person is putting a donut in a cup of tea .

You'll be lucky with our chief biscuit tester @chiddickstree.bsky.social about! 🤣🤣

We had a great time chatting all things #Cheshire with @joesaunders1.bsky.social

Another fabulous post from Paul, enjoyed this one, be sure to check out the other stories from his WWI Battlefields trip, they are all on Paul's website

Photograph of Gertrude Bell's grave in Baghdad.

Looking ahead to next year for today's #ExploreYourArchive #Anniversaries theme, 2026 marks 100 years since the death of Gertrude Bell.

Her archive of photographs and letters of her travels and life in the Middle East are still used globally today.

Explore the archive here: gertrudebell.ncl.ac.uk

The story behind the 'ghost' of Burton Agnes Hall Burton Agnes Hall is said to be haunted by Katherine Anne Griffith who died there in 1620.

The legend of Katherine Anne Griffith has echoed through the corridors of Burton Agnes Hall for centuries and shows no sign of fading. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Day 6 of the @fhsofcheshire.bsky.social #AdventCalendar2025

It's Quiz-mas 🎅🤶

🎄🎄🎄🎄How many will you get today? 🎄🎄🎄

Day 6 of the @fhsofcheshire.bsky.social #AdventCalendar2025

It's Quiz-mas 🎅🤶

How will you do today 🤔🤔

Dr Mike Esbester – People make the railway University of Portsmouth historian Dr Mike Esbester draws on the Railway Work, Life & Death project to look at the accidents railway workers had before the Second World War, and find out more about…

🚨 OUT NOW!🚨

Delighted to share some Railway Work, Life & Death research as part of the latest #Railway200 'Great Rail Tales' podcast!

Find out more about past railway staff, & the innovative safety campaign which changed British society!

railway200.co.uk/podcast/mike...

POOR LAW INFIRMARIES | Explore Your Genealogy Infirmaries within workhouses were generally introduced in the nineteenth century although after Gilbert's Act, some workhouses has special areas for the accommodation of the sick. However, they…

Poor Law Infirmaries. Workhouse infirmaries catered for the sick, aged infirm and maternity issues. www.exploreyourgenealogy.co.uk/poor-law-inf...

The Genealogy Guy introduces "Walk & Talk Genealogy" - The Big Move Mell, the host of the "Armchair Genealogy" podcast, discusses the...

🎙️ Just published a new episode of Armchair Genealogy - Family Tree & History: The Genealogy Guy introduces "Walk & Talk Genealogy" - The Big Move. Have a listen:

Death by turnip remains one of the History's most bizarre reasons for carrying off a member of Parliament.