Presentations available from the ODFHS
The ODFHS now has a full set of presentation equipment, including a large screen.
Members of the Society are able to offer a range of talks, as outlined below.
The fee, payable to the ODFHS, is £35; with possibly a small addition if the venue is not near Ormskirk.
In the first instance, please email the Chairman - details can be found on the Contacts page - who will put you in touch with the appropriate presenter.
A different view of the SOMME
1 Hour, 40 slides
An introduction to the reasons the Somme attack took place on the 1st July 1916. Examples of the problems faced by the soldiers & the artillery & the massive amount of equipment carried by the soldiers. Modern photographs of the battlefield. An example of confusion of the records of a soldier who died.
An introduction to the boatfamilies website
30~40 minutes, 18 slides (live use of the website can extend this presentation).
Development of the website from idea to reality. Demonstration of how to use the site. Example of a remarkable boating family. Mention of unusual records. (Question & answer may use live internet access if available).
Boatfamilies on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal
1 hour, 24 slides
The development of the canal, using examples linked to two families. The first boatman moved to Salford and died on the Somme (France) 1/07/1916. The second boatman left a large family to carry on the boating tradition.
Enumerator’s walks
1 hour, 40 slides
Reason for the research. An explanation of the history of censuses from Doomsday onward. A study of an area (of Aughton) through the censuses, features that can be used to identify the location of individual houses. Examples from Scarisbrick which show other aspects of the changes which took place over the period.
Do all roads lead to Ormskirk?
1 Hour, 26 slides
History of the development of human habitation in the area. Study of the rivers & streams of the area, with photographs to illustrate. Development of Ormskirk as a market town. Study of the development of roads & footpaths. (Only 5 sketch maps used in this presentation).
Life in Ormskirk from Old Diaries
1 Hour, 26 slides Many diaries make mention of Ormskirk & nearby
Reasons people kept diaries. Examples of compilations & records of touring the area. Examples of Account books and true diaries.
Finally a list of sources used.
2 Quizzes: both quizzes are intended to be “fun” but challenging.
1 hour each using photographs shown on the projector & printed copies of questions.
One uses 13 photographs of places within the town of Ormskirk and asks contestants to identify them.
The second uses 10 photographs from the area of SW Lancashire around Ormskirk &, again asks contestants to identify them.
A Priest in the Tree
55 - 60 minutes, 57 slides
An overview of the Anti-Catholic legislation which affected the lives of English men who trained as priests between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, followed by a summary of five members of the Hurst family who trained as priests.
This talk ends with an overview of useful resources: if wished, these can be left out, which would shorten the running time by approximately 5 minutes.
Catholicism in Ormskirk
65-70 minutes (max - can be reduced), 67 slides
An illustrated overview of the Catholic community in Ormskirk, from the seventeenth century
onwards, exploring significant personalities and the establishment of St. Anne's Roman
Catholic Church.
The Trouble with Edward
55 - 60 minutes, 57 slides
The story of a Victorian accountant with a colourful criminal past, who moved from
Worcester to Maghull. Illustrated with certificates, family tree charts and newspaper
extracts.
The CHURCHYARD of the Ormskirk Parish Church
36 slides, 60 mins
The discovery of plans and notebooks has helped to illuminate the layout of the two oldest sections of the churchyard, and pin point burials between 1868 and 1898 despite the relocation of many of the gravestones.
The identities of the EFFIGIES in Ormskirk Parish Church
33 slides, 45 mins
A new look at the monumental effigies in the Derby Chapel of Ormskirk Parish Church which were originally at Burscough Priory which corrects some misidentifications of the past.
The exterior of the east of the DERBY CHAPEL in Ormskirk Parish Church
22 slides, 30 mins
A short talk which looks at the heraldry, on the outside of the Derby Chapel, which illustrates the history of the Chapel.
The TOMBS in Ormskirk Parish Church
22 slides, 45 mins
A look at the heraldry on the two remaining tombs in Ormskirk Parish Church and the third missing one, based on Dugdale’s visitation of 1664. This identifies the tombs and those for whom they were built.
Who was ORM?
15 slides, 30 mins
A short talk which attempts to identify a candidate for the builder of the first church in Ormskirk, which has given the town its name.
SIR WILLIAM STANLEY OF HOLT and Henry V11: Changing Loyalties
39 slides, 60 mins
The Life of Sir William Stanley using his support for the Yorkist cause in the Wars of the Roses, via his intervention in the Battle of Bosworth, to his execution by the king he put on the throne.
RICHARD III AND THE STANLEYS
39 slides, 60 mins
The Stanley brothers and the wars of the Roses, their support for the Yorkist cause, and the intervention at the Battle of Bosworth which gave Henry Tudor the crown.
Researching IRISH ANCESTORS
1 hour, 42 slides
An overview of resources available for researching Irish Ancestors, using the internet and by personal visits to Ireland
Covers BMD's, Parish Registers, Census, Census Substitutes, National Archives etc.
GUIDED WALK around Ormskirk
1 hour during daylight hours, not Thursday or Saturday (Market days)
The town centre is well paved and most of the walk is in the pedestrianized area.
A walk around the centre of Ormskirk pointing out various historic features and buildings of interest to family historians and anyone who is interested in the history of the town.
ORMSKIRK Area HOSPITALS in the GREAT WAR
1 hour, 28 slides
Sections explore the need for extra hospital facilities in the Ormskirk area, then gives examples of possible users of local hospitals before the war, leading to some soldiers who were hospitalised.
Places are identified and examples of employment and treatments of soldiers other than for wounds.
Finally names of some soldiers (most not Ormskirk men) who were treated.
BACK TO BASICS
75 minutes, 37 slides
This talk is principally intended for new researchers. It uses research into the life of a soldier in the First World War to explore the use of the many sources for information now available on line. Three men with the same name are identified & methods to separate them are outlined with possible pitfalls emphasised.
A JOURNEY TO CARNFORTH (or a not so brief encounter)
1 hour, 82 slides
An illustrated story of 1) a blast furnace man's move from the West Midlands to Carnforth for work, 2) The Carnforth Iron works Trail, 3) The search for his various homes in the area and 4) the trials & tribulations of the presenter's journey through family history research.
THE CHALLENGES FOR THE ROYAL NAVY IN THE GREAT WAR
1 hour, 39 slides
First part, an overview of the build-up to the 1st WW, both practical and political. Considerations of the "mind-set" of the Royal Navy and the difficulties faced.
Then an outline of some of the errors made in battles from the earliest through to the end. With mention of two Ormskirk-area men and also the Mersey Ferries involvement.
