David Mason, ably assisted by his wife Doreen, concluded the story of Nantwich Workhouse. He outlined the changes brought about by the 1834 Poor Law Act which compelled parishes to unite into Unions whose responsibility it was to deal with the poor. Poor relief was given to both in-patients and out-patients, who were given assistance in their homes.

The workhouse staff included the Master, a Nurse, and a Schoolmaster. A Medical Officer attended to the needs of sick patients. Every effort was made to see that local traders supplied goods of good quality. Evidence of this survives in documents showing how several traders were dealt with for sending poor quality goods.

Daily menus show a variety and were adequate. Discipline was strict, the stoppage of tobacco and beer being logged in punishment books. The itinerant poor were given tasks to complete before moving on. There is evidence of shady dealing and the resultant dismissal of officials. Sleaze is not just a modern feature.

David made the evening a huge success and we look forward to his next project on the county asylum.

A speaker from the Cheshire Record Office gave a talk on Criminal Records, which although patchy until the mid 19th century give a good source of history and way of life. Many records were damaged with the passage of time and others discarded.

From mid 15th century Cheshire had its own courts. Church Court covered cases of a moral nature and the records of this court showed many aspects of in-fighting and disruption in the church.

The Consistory Court was responsible for probate and the administration of wills. Manorial Courts met regularly to govern their area and organised road and bridge repairs and also governed the standards of ale and bread. People whose goods failed to reach the required standard were listed and fined.

Quarter Sessions met regularly every quarter as the name suggests. All aspects of Crime were passed through the sessions, the most serious being passed on to the Assize Courts.

In 1857 a separate system took over the administration of Wills. With the amalgamation of the Cheshire Record Office and Chester City Office the records are now kept together and this helps when researching. If ones ancestors fell foul of the law, one has a better chance of a mention. The talk was well illustrated by many examples of respective documents.

Mr Fred Holcroft gave a talk on the Tithe Maps and apportionment and its usefulness to local and family historians. Originally tithes were collected in kind to finance the Parish Church. The incumbent made tithing tours to collect the tenth part of every crop and cattle. These were sold off to pay the expenses of running the parish including the incumbent's stipend. Local differences in production and the quality of land led to many arguments for a more equitable system. Better methods of agriculture produced bigger yields leading to higher tithes. Several attempts were made to introduce monetary charges to replace the tithe in kind.

In 1836 a TITHE AND APPORTIONMENT BILL passed through parliament to standardise the tithe charges. Upwards of 12,000 parishes were inspected and valued. All parishes were subject to discussion before a charge was agreed. The papers relating to these meetings are held in the P.R.O. and contain much of interest to both family and local historians.

The first available, large scale, maps are the maps drawn by the surveyors. Every field is given a number together with its acreage and crop. The apportionment book lists the owner and occupier of the land. By using the two documents it is possible to build up a picture of a parish and its people. Three copies of the documents were made. A copy was sent to London and is now in the P.R.O.; one went to the local diocese and the third was kept in the parish chest.

Minor alterations to the Act were made to settle local differences and in 1936 the tithe was abolished. We have recently been given a copy of the tithes and apportionment for a local Parish and this will be in our library at Alsager.

At this meeting Mrs Sandra Burghess gave a talk on the Sneyd family from Keele. She traced the lineage and the movements of the family at Keele. She has done much research into the people from below stairs. There was a pecking order, ranging from the butler and housekeeper down to the kitchen servants. Charts showed a surprising difference in yearly wages and turnover of staff. The charts could be of help to family historians whose ancestors worked at Keele.

Ann Watkins of Midland Costumes gave a fascinating talk on dating old photographs. Portrait photography dates from c1850 and the changes in fashions was well recorded.

The important features of fashion are the place, the time and social standing. The movement of fashion is well illustrated in a series of books issued by the Cloth Hall in Manchester. A common fallacy is that Victorian fashions were always black. New chemical dyes became available, they were quickly in use, black being used for ftmerals and mourning.

From 1880 to 1950, London and Paris ruled the fashion world and catalogues issued by the fashion houses reflect the changes. Fashions are always changing and the wealthy had their dressmakers to visit them and measure and subsequently fit the new garments. Then, as now, there is a very short period before the latest fashions are on sale in the High Street shops.

When trying to date a photo, note the costume, background and fit of the gown. Backgrounds were made to suit the occasion. Ann with the aid of a few deft strokes of the crayon, showed how subtle changes to the gown gave clues to the date. Emphasis on the figure changed and this can help with dating.

Men, as well as the ladies , were fashion conscious and when Prince Edward wore a lounge suit in 1875 men quickly followed. Many male waist measurements were altered by the use of corsets.

Several members had their treasured albums and gained a lot of satisfaction and knowledge. A vote of thanks was accorded and I would like to express a similar vote to Peter Baker.

At this meeting, which was previously advertised as a Workshop, Les Pickering gave a brief but very interesting introduction to the value of Newspapers in Family History Research. This was followed by an equally brief introduction to the South Cheshire Studies Centre, by Peter Chadwick. Ian Hartas was also on hand with a computer demonstration of the CheshireBMD and our own society web sites.

Miss Eileen Simpson gave a talk on Parish Registers at the August meeting. In 1538 Thomas Cromwell ordered that each parish should keep a register of baptisms, marriages and burials. The entries were made after each Sunday service.

In 1598 the Provincial Constitution of Canterbury required the registers to be kept on parchment. The surviving registers from 1538 to be entered. Various amendments were made to improve the registers, dates of birth to be given where known.

To help the wool trade, all burials were to have a woolen shroud and an affidavit made. Where this was not done a charge was made During the civil war all registers were kept by civil registrars. Many of these registers were later entered in the parish register. In 1754 Hardwicke's Act called for a separate register for marriages. Calling of banns and witnesses made it more difficult for illegal weddings.

In 1812 George Rose's Act ordered separate registers for births and deaths, and in 1837 a rnore detailed register was introduced for marriages. Eileen ended her talk by showing several slides of local examples. Marbury registers are a good example of the early registers and worthy of inspection.

A suitable vote of thanks was given.

This meeting was our AGM, but was nevertheless, well attended. The usual business of an AGM was conducted, with an opening address by the President, Les Pickering, in which he thanked everyone involved with the running of the Society affairs. Reports from the retiring Chairman, Phil Coops, the Secretary, Rick Parkinson and the Treasurer, Carolyn Arthurs, were given.

The existing members of the committee were re-elected en-bloc, with the following exceptions:

Chairman - Phil Coops retired and Jackie Chadwick elected. Treasurer - Carolyn Arthurs expressed a wish to retire from the post but in the absence of a volunteer to take the post on, indicated that she would continue until the next AGM, when she would definitely have to stand down. (A volunteer to take the post on now would be appreciated!).

Micro-fiche Co-ordinators June Arthurs continues to look after the Micro-fiche, which are not kept at the Studies Centre. Publications Stall - Ken & Marg Robinson retired. There were no volunteers to take this post on. It was suggested that the post could be split into three sections so that three volunteers could divide the work between them. There were still no volunteers. There will therefore be no publications stall at the meetings until someone volunteers to take the posts on. Strays Index This post still remains vacant.

The following, amendments were discussed. The first one was accepted and the second one was withdrawn after some discussion.

Inclusion of Equal Opportunities Clause (18) (Suggested Wording -- Open for discussion) Members of the society shall try to ensure that no person shall receive more or less favourable treatment than others, for any reason, but especially for reasons of creed, colour, race, nationality, disability, marital status, sexuality, educational background age. (This amendment accepted).

Inclusion of Associate Membership: (4c) (Suggested wording - Open for discussion) A person may become an Associate Member of the society, at a reduced rate of subscription. This will allow them to attend meetings and visit the Library /Studies Centre, where research may be undertaken. It will not qualify for other benefits such as the quarterly journal. Associate members will not be entitled to vote at the Annual General Meeting or at any other meetings where members are required to vote. (This amendment withdrawn).

A motion for the increase in subscription rates was discussed and passed unanimously. The new rates, which will take effect from 1^st July 2002 will be:-

• Individual Members £10 per annum.
• Family Members £12 per annum
• Overseas Members £15 per annum

Stephen, from Midland Costumes gave a very interesting talk, well illustrated with slides covering British army badges, medals and uniforms for the period 1885 to 1920. With the reorganization of the infantry regiments in 1880 many changes, and amalgamations took place. Most line regiments had two battalions, one overseas and the other on home stations.

The colour of the piping and dress uniforms, together with the grouping of buttons all play a part in the identification. Rifle regiments were dark green and the guards regiments can be identified by the number and grouping of the tunic buttons. The length of service of a soldier is marked by good conduct stripes, three, seven and twelve years.

Khaki first appeared during the Beer war, the red coats being too good a target for the Boer snipers. During the 1914/18 war length of service and wounds were noted by stripes worn on the right and left tunic sleeves

Various trades such as crossed rifles for marksmen, tools to represent the different trades and collar badges should be noted when trying to identify photographs

Stephen was able to offer good help and to identify members photos, a very well informed talk by an expert.

Summary to follow.

Cancelled as the Salvation Army needed their hall for their Christmas Charity Work. We apologise to all our members for the late announcment of this cancellation.