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Theme Tour: History

SOUTH EAST CHESHIRE STUDIES UNIT

WHO WE ARE

 The South East Cheshire Studies Unit is a local history resource unit. Although it is part of Manchester Metropolitan University it welcomes interest and support from the wider community. It has two members of staff employed by the university:-
Mary Morris, who is Head of the Studies Unit, has done research into Alsager during the war years and growing old in nineteenth century Sandbach.
The research assistant for SECSU, Freda Maxfield, has produced a number of articles on the history of Alsager.
Voluntary helpers assist with some of the work.

The Studies Unit collects, stores and researches historical material about the local area. It has small archives of documents, photographs and tape recordings. It has a substantial quantity of nineteenth century census data, much of which is now on a computer database. These resources are useful to family historians, those researching local history and for teaching within the university.

As the Unit is Alsager based much of its work has been concentrated here but whenever possible this is extended to surrounding towns and villages. For example, the census database for Church Lawton has almost been completed with the help of its Heritage Society.

Although the Unit has university support it needs to attract additional financial help from external sources in the form of grants and donations. It also seeks to increase its income from sales and services.

CENSUS DATABASE PROJECT

The census is a valuable historical source which began in 1801. It was undertaken every tenth year and attempted to record every member of the population. The documents are only available for public inspection after 100 years.

For a number of years the Studies Unit has been constructing a census database for south -east Cheshire. Our records begin with the 1851 census, a more detailed and therefore a more useful source of information than those from previous years. We hold a comprehensive collection of photocopies of the census enumerators' books for the second half of the last century covering townships in this area including Alsager, Sandbach, Rode Heath, Church Lawton and Haslington. A major data entry programme is in operation to transfer this material to a computerised database for rapid and effective analysis.

Unlike many such projects which select samples our database includes every individual record. All the information goes in plus some coding to enable rapid extraction of categorical data when required. Work is labour-intensive, the research assistant is only part-time and voluntary help is intermittent, so it has taken a long time.

Datasets are now complete for Alsager, Barthomley and Church Lawton for the 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1881 censuses and progress is being made for the 1891. Other towns and villages are being worked on at various stages.

ARCHIVES

Documentary archive

The unit collects a variety of documentary sources such as theses, deeds, personal memorabilia and ephemera. Donated material is very welcome. Copies can be made where necessary so that the original can be returned to the donor.

Photographic Archive

A photographic archive has been collected with the generous help of local residents and others whose families had connections with the area. Pictures were unearthed as far away as Canada.

Many of the photographs have been exhibited and used in publications. A booklet of pictures of old Alsager is available from SECSU.

Oral History Archive

A number of tape recordings have been collected which provide a valuable resource for history within living memory. Some of this material has been transcribed and indexed for easy access to the data. Material has been collected for Alsager, Barthomley and Buglawton.

Future Acquisitions

SECSU has agreed to house the extensive library of research material belonging to the South Cheshire Family History Society. This will be a mutally beneficial arrangement whereby family historians can gain access to the library and SECSU can use the material for further research.

LOCAL HISTORY RESEARCH

 Alsager has an active History Research Group which works closely with the South East Cheshire Studies Unit. Members of the group include retired business people and teachers, professional researchers and academics. They are currently working on a definitive history of Alsager. This will be published in time for the millennium celebrations.

We collect documents, photographs, ephemera etc. If you have anything you wish to contribute please do let us know. We shall be most glad to hear from you.

PUBLICATIONS

Alsager's Village Past: a photographic glimpse of times gone by, by F. Maxfield & M.Morris

Available by post for £4 (UKP) including UK postage. Cheques must be made payable to Manchester Metropolitan University. Please write name and address on back of cheque. All proceeds are contributed to SECSU's research fund.

Calendars

For several years we produced a calendar of old photographs. Most of the pictures are different from those in Alsager's Village Past. A few old calendars are still available at £1.25p (UKP) including UK postage.
Please note all cheques must be made out to Manchester Metropolitan University with name and address of sender on the back.

If you would like to know more about any of the above or would like to share your memories of Alsager or its surroundings, please contact us.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Director of the Unit: Mrs Mary Morris : m.morrisSECSU@MMU.ac.uk

Research Assistant: Mrs Freda Maxfield : f.maxfield@MMU.ac.uk


CREWE + ALSAGER FACULTY
MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
HASSALL ROAD
ALSAGER
CHESHIRE
ENGLAND
ST7 2HL
Tel: 0161 2475318
Fax: 0161 2476374
 
 
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