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Welcome to the Burton & Neston History Society

The Society started as the Burton and District Local History Society on 21 April 1975 at Burton Manor College. It grew out of a local history course there led by Paul Booth from Liverpool University. Paul Booth became our President in 1999.  The Society meets monthly for talks from October to May and outings or history walks are organised during the summer months.   We have an active Research Group where members pursue their own research interests but also collaborate for projects such as exhibitions and publications.  New members are always welcome - come along to a meeting and see if you would like to join or fill in the form on our membership page. 

What we do

Our prime purpose is to study and research local history, and our research work has resulted in a number of books, smaller publications and exhibitions.  Burton in Wirral published in 1984 and Neston 1840-1940 in 1996 are now out of print, but are available in Neston Library.  Our most recent book Neston Stone Age to Steam Age was published in December 2014 and is for sale in local outlets and on Ebay.  Check our noticeboard in the reference section of Neston Library for details of our meetings and other forthcoming events.

Our Programme for 2023-24 started on Thursday 12th October
 talks are on the 2nd Thursday of the month until May 2024  (full details below).
 We meet at Gladstone Village Hall, Burton, CH64 5TH. All talks start at 8 pm and doors open at 7.30 pm.
Visitors are welcome, and it is free on the first occasion.

For any talks that may take place by Zoom, members will receive a link by e-mail.
Zoom meetings open from about 7.45pm and talks start at 8pm.              

The small car park can get full when more than one event is scheduled at the hall or the Cricket Club, so please car share if you can. Overspill car parking space is available adjacent to the cricket field (beyond the main car park on the left), but this is unlit.  When we start our 2024-25 programme in October, our meetings will move to the Church Hall at the Presbyterian Church at the top of Moorside Lane in Neston. 

Our 2023-24 talks programme: 

12th October 2023 Mary Ward The Rise of Tranmere 

9th November 2023 Edward Hilditch Grandad’s Diaries: Cheshire Family Life 1883-1914

14th December 2023 James Chalmers Becoming Lady Hamilton

11th January 2024 Anthony Annakin-Smith Chester Foundling Hospital

8th February 2024 (Sheila Leonard) The History and Restoration of the Daniel Adamson

14th March 2024 Derek Arnold The Sinking of HMS Thetis

11th April 2024 Roy Wainwright E C Hardman and his house in Liverpool

9th May 2024 AGM Report on research projects

Neston Miners Memorial and Information Project - Crowdfunding phase is now completed, our goal was reached!

We are very pleased to announce that we reached our crowdfunding goal for the project just ahead of the deadline at the end of January 2024. Many thanks to those of you who have supported the project so far, either though funding or with the considerable 'behind the scenes' efforts to progress plans.

The aims of the project are 

Coal mining in the Neston area is an extraordinary story. The historic village of Ness is proud of its memorials to Lady Hamilton, her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as well as to servicemen who lost their lives in both World Wars. 

What is currently lacking is a memorial to honour the men and children from Ness, Little Neston, and Neston who laboured in the local mines. The first of these, Ness Colliery, operated from 1759 to 1855. There were also mines at Little Neston (c.1820-late 1840's) and Neston from 1875 until closure in 1927. 

These individuals worked tirelessly underground and beneath the estuary in demanding and dangerous conditions. Tragically, some lost their lives as a result, so it is only fitting that they be remembered with a suitable memorial which will be located in the heart of Ness village.

In addition to the memorial, the project aims to install a series of interpretation boards along the coastal path, starting from the bottom of Moorside Lane at Parkgate and extending to Burton Point. These boards will provide valuable information, including one near the location of the Ness mine at the end of Denhall Quay. Other boards will include the history and other points of interest relating to the local area such as the Old Quay and Little Neston Green. 

By establishing a memorial and installing interpretation boards at key points, we can pay tribute to the individuals who dedicated their lives to the mining industry and enhance the understanding of our local history for both residents and visitors alike.

What we'll deliver:

Why it's a great idea:

The project will build on the recent installation of interpretation boards giving the history of Parkgate. Great interest has been shown by locals and visitors alike. The extra boards will encourage people to explore and learn more about the local area. The stretch of path at the edge of the marsh from Parkgate to Burton Point will form a part of the King Charles III England coastal path in the North West - see https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/england-coast-path/

The boards and memorial will be created by volunteers and friends of the Burton and Neston History Society and the local community. Two of the boards will not be on the coastal path but will be placed to encourage circular walks. Some of these will pass by local pubs, shops and cafes which will benefit the local economy.

Now that funds have been raised, these steps are being worked through to deliver the project:

‘The Neston Collieries 1759-1855: An Industrial Revolution in Rural Cheshire’

by Anthony Annakin-Smith, published by the University of Chester.

Anthony Annakin-Smith's eagerly awaited new book ‘The Neston Collieries 1759-1855: An Industrial Revolution in Rural Cheshire’ was launched on Friday 29th November 2019.  

Anthony Annakin-Smith is a long term member of our Society and its Research Group and his new book has been a labour of love, nearly 20 years in the making.

About the book…. The early coal works at Neston operated for almost 100 years and, for a time, Ness Colliery in particular was highly successful. The collieries were notable in many ways – for example for the serious acts of sabotage committed by one mine owner on the neighbouring works, for the use of canals for hauling coal deep under the Dee Estuary, and for introducing the earliest steam engine in the region. There are also links to famous names such as George Stephenson and Nelson’s future mistress, Emma, Lady Hamilton.  

The book gives a comprehensive account of every aspect of the early Neston collieries – not just a detailed review of how the mines operated but also, for example, covering the social background of the colliers and their families including their health, mortality, education and living conditions, and the operation of the land and sea trades which saw Neston’s coal shipped as far as the Americas. Other topics include the many accidents at the works and the use of child labour. Events are placed in the context of the profound changes which were affecting Britain during the Industrial Revolution.  

The mines’ story is intertwined with events in Neston and Parkgate at the time so anyone interested in our area’s past will find much of interest. Furthermore, comprehensive research into the life of every known Neston collier in the period means that there is a wealth of information on the often pitiful lives of the men and children who worked at the collieries, many with surnames which are still familiar locally. 

Dr. Mike Nevell of the University of Salford has said ‘This book deserves to become the standard work for the region on early industrial coal mining for historians and industrial archaeologists’.  

Priced at £19.99, it is available from the publisher (www.chester.ac.uk/university-press), from TIG (The Ideal Gift) and Paisley Grey in Neston, Ness Gardens, Gordale Garden Centre, Nicholls of Parkgate and Linghams in Heswall.

Local Greeting Cards for sale in support of Burton & Neston History Society

Greetings cards in five different designs are now on sale in support of the Burton & Neston History Society.

The A5 cards, printed on silk art card, show views of historic or landscape interest in the area covered by the Society.

They are on sale at Paisley Grey on Neston High Street, at Gordale Garden Centre and at our monthly meetings and for those living further afield can now also be purchased from ebay in packs of five https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Neston-Wirral-Cheshire-local-views-greetings-cards-Free-UK-postage/264567623977

All the photos for the cards were taken by local photographer Robert Thrift.

Burton & Neston History Society Exhibition 'With Punt & Gun' can now be viewed on our articles page

This exhibition was first researched and created by Ina Bushell and others from the Society, and went on show in Neston Library in 1982. It also marked the 75th Anniversary of Neston Library.

Please view the exhibition here: https://sites.google.com/site/burtonnestonhistory/home/articles


A Short History of Neston & Surrounding Villages - new printed booklet now available

A new illustrated Short History of Neston & Surrounding Villages has recently been published by the Society in printed form and is available in local outlets and on eBay.  The 31-page A5 booklet, contains a brief history of Neston, Parkgate, Little Neston, Willaston, Ness, Thornton Hough, Ledsham, Capenhurst and Raby and is illustrated with many colour photographs. It is based on the Villages Heritage Guide (pdf version still available below) with much revision of the text and many new photographs and is proving to be a popular seller. 

It can be purchased at  Gordale Garden Centre (on the Chester High Road) for £3,
and on eBay:  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-Short-History-of-Neston-and-Surrounding-Villages/264284359678?hash=item3d88934bfe:g:6jkAAOSwzqtcFiba 

We are hoping to resume sales at Village News in Little Neston and are looking for other outlets in Neston. The booklet can also be purchased at our monthly meetings in Burton.

Neston and Parkgate Audio Trails and Neston Colliery Audio Trail  

These local audio trails were put together by the Society in 2011 and can be downloaded from the Neston Town Council website at the links below.  Free to download, the mp3 audio guides explain the history behind these popular locations and should make for a more interesting visit if you are new to the area. Download to your mobile phone or mp3 player (remember those?!).  All the guides were professionally recorded by Audioguide Productions Ltd  http://www.audio-guide.co.uk/

Three local trails covering 1) Neston Parish Church  2) Neston Town Centre and 3) Parkgate Parade can be found at
https://www.neston.org.uk/about-the-area/things-to-see-and-do/local-audio-trails/

The Neston Colliery Trail* explores locations related to the Ness Collieries near the Harp Inn and Denhall Quay and can be found at:

 https://www.neston.org.uk/about-the-area/things-to-see-and-do/local-audio-trails/neston-colliery-trail/

The Colliery audio trail will be easier to follow with the help of the accompanying pdf leaflet here:

https://www.neston.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/NESS-COLLIERY-LEAFLET-small-1.pdf

A Ramble Round Burton

By Ron Jones    Illustrations by David Scott    Published 1984 (2nd Edition)

This 20-page booklet with maps and illustrations takes you on a short ramble in and around the pretty historic village of Burton in Cheshire and gives a brief history of key points of interest along the way. 

The late Ron Jones was a former president of the Burton & South Wirral History Society, (which later changed its name to the Burton & Neston History Society).  A box of pristine printed copies of the booklet, published in 1984 has recently been discovered in storage and copies are now available to purchase at £2



HomeTown Heroes by Ian L. Norris - now published on NestonPast

In October 2018 Ian Norris, a BNHS and Research Group member, published a highly-detailed 10-volume work which examined the lives and deaths of 170 men, known to have had a significant connection to Neston or Burton and who died as a consequence of the First World War.

Available then only by purchasing a version which could be used on a home computer (although printed copies of all the volumes are still available for reference in Neston Library) this large work is now accessible to all, anywhere in the world. After many months of updating the information, three more men have been identified and their stories told. The work has been digitised and is now freely available, thanks to BNHS-member, Stella Young, on the excellent NestonPast.com website.

Not only could this comprehensive resource provide interest for the many families who lost ancestors in that war, but there is a wealth of interest here for anyone curious to know more about our area's past or, more generally, to learn more about what was often described as 'The War to end all Wars'.

Many of the men's stories are evocative and, even if you are not related, paint a grim picture of the hellish conditions they faced daily. All are worth reading but, for two contrasting accounts, read about ‘Billy’ La Touche Congreve - one of two local winners of the VC - and Ratcliffe Handley who was lost in action shortly after facing a court martial. 

BNHS to have closer involvement with NestonPast website

If you are interested in the history of Neston and surrounding area you are probably already aware of the website Neston Past  http://www.nestonpast.com/   It contains an interesting, thoroughly well researched and varied collection of articles contributed by a number authors, together with maps and historic photos. Do pay it a visit if you have not already done so and consider joining the NestonPast facebook group!

The Nestonpast website was set up by Susan Chambers in November 2015, and subsequently was jointly managed by Susan Chambers and Stella Young. As of 1st July 2018 the site is being jointly managed and supported by the Burton and Neston History Society and Stella Young.

It continues as a site to share memories and research about Neston and Parkgate and now also provides information about the Burton and Neston History Society and its activities, but its main focus remains the articles. If you have any research or memories you would like to contribute to NestonPast please email info@nestonpast.com

Events

For other local events of interest, please see the events calendar: https://sites.google.com/site/burtonnestonhistory/events/calendar

 Dee Estuary from Leighton Road, Parkgate