Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire

REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1911

PRESENTED 18TH JANUARY 1912

DURING the year 21 new ordinary members, paying £1, 15.,

have joined the Society, while 11 resident and 4 nonresident members have died, resigned, or been removed under the rules. The net financial gain is £8, 8s. per annum. The table annexed shows the present membership.

The Council deeply regret to record the death of Mr. John George Prentice, who became a Member of the Society in 1890, and had been a Member of Council since 1894; Mr. Prentice took a great interest in the welfare of the Society, and his untimely decease leaves a gap which, both officially and personally, will long be felt by the members. The Council have also to record, with regret, the death of a distinguished Honorary Member, elected in 1870, in the person of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, C.B., O.M., who died in December last in his ninety-fifth year.

1 Recorded in vol. lxii. as 41 in error.

Nine meetings have been held during the year, the first or Annual General Meeting being devoted to a lantern display arranged by the Photographic Committee; at the other eight meetings papers have been read dealing with some local subject. The sixth meeting of the Society, by kind permission of the Library, Museum, and Arts Committee of the Corporation of Liverpool, was held in the Reference Library, William Brown Street, where Mr. George T. Shaw, Chief Librarian, had prepared an exhibition of the Herdman drawings, an explanatory paper being read by Mr. R. Stewart-Brown, M.A., F.S.A.

It is a satisfaction to the Council that the attendance of the members continues good, and that the increase of interest in the work of the Society, noticed in the last Report, is fully maintained, the Excursion and Photographic Committees, elected in January 1911, having been of great assistance.

An excursion, which was well attended, took place in July to Trevalyn Hall and Gresford; the members were hospitably entertained by Mrs. Griffith-Boscawen, and the Rev. E. A. Fishbourne kindly acted as cicerone at Gresford Church. The second excursion planned by the Excursion Committee was abandoned owing to the labour troubles.

On the resignation of Mr. F. C. Beazley as Honorary Treasurer in January last Mr. S. W. Phipps was elected to fill that office, and in June Mr. J. Brownbill, M.A., kindly accepted the position of Honorary Editor, Mr. Beazley retaining the Honorary Secretaryship.

Volume lxii., for 1910, was issued to the members in August last, and has been favourably noticed in the Press. The thanks of the Society are due to the Editors of the Liverpool Daily Post, Liverpool Courier, Chester Observer, Chester Courant, Birkenhead News, and Birkenhead Advertiser for regular insertions of reports of meetings.

The circulars to libraries and individuals inviting membership, adverted to in the last Report, have resulted in an increased membership, two libraries and eight individuals having joined the Society in response, and the Council are glad to report that

the first year's subscriptions of these new members more than defrays the cost of the circulars and specimens of Transactions and Illustrations accompanying them; at the same time this was an extraordinary effort, involving the issue of about 900 circulars, and it cannot, for some years at least, be repeated.

The Council regret to notice that the readers of papers are drawn from a very limited circle, and would welcome papers or communications from other contributors.

The scope of the Society could be considerably enlarged, and the annual volume might be greatly improved, if every member would induce some friend to join the Society.