Is there a Lord in your lineage, a fiefdom in your family tree?
Earlier this year, Tatton approached The Family History Society of Cheshire (FHSC) to ask them if they would consider talking about beginner’s genealogy and research into family history for one of our series of summer lunchtime lectures. This ever-growing industry, benefitting from advances in technology, is now believed to be one of the single biggest reason for people using the internet.
Enter Alan Bennett - no, not that one, but the Chairman of the Family History Society and a keen and experienced genealogist. Following initial discussions with the Marketing Department and Caroline Schofield, Mansion and Collections Manager, we hoped that the FHSC would not only be able to illuminate our lecture attendees but also shed light on some of the hidden stories behind the historical owners, estate, farm and Mansion workers of Tatton Park.
In just a few short months, and entirely voluntarily, Alan has done just this. But in a true 21st century fashion. He has developed a website for Tatton, which gathers information from census returns, other peerage websites and ‘documents’ the names of the many people who lived and worked on this historic estate. It’s in the very early stages, but is one that we hope will be of great interest to local residents, those with family members who perhaps worked on site and general visitors to Tatton or researchers.
The aim is to gradually add all the available census information and populate it, potentially, with images, pictures, even details of, for example ‘what did a housemaid do?’ and potentially members of the public’s stories about their relatives who may have worked here. There is also a section to include the names/information about the Egertons’ visitors and places associated with the family. There is certainly room to grow!
We’re really excited about this project and the new and developing relationship with The Family History Society of Cheshire (FHSC).
If you require further information or a member of your family/friends once worked here, please contact Alan at chairman@fhsc.org.uk or Eleanor Pownall at eleanor.pownall@cheshireeast.gov.uk
