WIGAN AND DISTRICT FIELD CLUB

The collection is a very detailed and interesting one. It will be of anyone with an interest in the natural history of the local area, or indeed local clubs and societies. The Record Books contain photographs and details of members, which may be of use to family historians.

EA 1715, 4019, 4046

The collection has been deposited in three stages. The most recent deposit (July 2000) was the Record Book Volume III that completed the collection of the Wigan and District Field Club. The early Annual Reports of the Wigan Field Naturalist and Scientific Society are thought to be in existence, possibly in one of the Borough Libraries.

Edward Birkenhead, who was a Master of the Mining and Technical School, and his assistant Ralph established the Field Naturalist and Scientific Society in 1862. If proved to be a very popular society for a few years, only to lose momentum and fade away in 1873. Nevertheless it did lay foundations for the creation of the Wigan and District Field Club on 21st September 1945.

By pure coincidence, four lecturers at the Wigan and District Mining and Technical College believed that the town needed a natural history society after the turmoil and upheaval of the Second World War. They had three main aims:

1. To further the study of natural history and allied subjects

2. To promote an interest in all aspects of the countryside

3. To encourage and assist the conservation of wildlife, particularly in the Wigan area.

The meetings of the society included lectures and field trips to study the natural history of the locality, with the occasional social events.