Illegitimacy and Infant Mortality in four Lancashire parishes 1840-1849

As part of my Postgraduate Diploma, I conducted a 5000-word project on the life chances of illegitimate children who were baptised in the Lancashire parishes of Adlington, Chorley St Lawrence, Coppull and Rivington. The period looked at was between 1840 and 1849, which was the first full decade after the introduction of the New Poor Law of 1834. This study found regional differences between Lancashire and England as a whole.

Chorley Holidays: The tradition of the Lancashire wakes week

'Waec' is thought to have been an Anglo-Saxon festival, which then became a religious celebration after the country's conversion to Christianity.  A parish would hold a festival on the day of their church’s patron saint, and the congregation would attend a late-night vigil of prayer - a ‘wake.’  As I'm sure you can imagine, any religious significance was soon forgotten and it grew into a lively occasion, with events such as bull baiting and bare-knuckle fighting.

The Painting of Chorley by John Bird

I was reminded recently of this beautiful oil painting of Chorley by John Bird (1768-1829) (A full scale version can be seen here). I don’t know about you, but it really makes me feel like I’m stood in Georgian Chorley. But where exactly was it?