Family history can reveal far more than names on a family tree. It can uncover forgotten stories, shed light on hidden aspects of the past, and offer a fresh perspective on the history of our communities. Child labour in army barracks, World War I love stories and Preston’s Windrush legacy are just some of the fascinating topics explored in the new ‘History and Heritage in Practice’ exhibition at the University of Central Lancashire’s Student Centre.
The project’s beginning
The project was conceived by Dr Philip Constable and Dr Brandon Taylorian, with Dr Constable securing funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in January. Their ambition was to demonstrate the wider historical value of family history whilst also showing that history can be engaging, relevant and accessible to everyone.
The project centred on family history, with participants challenged to uncover an event or story from their own ancestry and connect it to a wider historical theme. By encouraging local people to explore family artefacts, documents and stories passed down through generations, the project aimed not only to deepen historical understanding but also to preserve precious family memories.
To recruit participants, the team worked with organisations including Preston Historical Society and promoted the project through social media, including the popular Preston History Facebook group. The response was very positive, attracting volunteers of all ages.
Read more: New exhibit to tell Preston’s history through family stories
The workshops
Once 20 ‘co-researchers’ had been recruited, Dr Taylorian led a series of workshops beginning in February. Held every fortnight, the sessions encouraged collaboration, with participants sharing ideas, supporting one another’s research and even taking part in a peer review exercise.
Dr Taylorian explained that family history is sometimes dismissed as not being ‘real history’ or viewed as too personal to have wider significance. Challenging that perception was one of the project’s key objectives, and the workshops were designed to build participants’ confidence while demonstrating how individual stories can be linked to much broader historical themes.
The projects
I had the pleasure of visiting the exhibition on 24th June, and the breadth of research on display was remarkable. Projects ranged from exploring how Caribbean-born British citizens shaped the Preston community through to tracing First World War romances through autograph books to the artistic prowess of a Bamber Bridge school master.
Read more: Jalgos Memories Day explores everything from cricket pitches to punk nights
Murder in the barracks
One participant, Joan, focused her research on her great-grandmother, Sarah Apperly. Joan had grown up hearing family stories about Sarah witnessing the infamous murder of Colonel Hugh Crofton and Captain John Augustus Hanham by Private Patrick McCaffery. At just 10 years old, Sarah worked as a nursemaid in the army barracks, caring for injured soldiers on a daily basis.
Joan wanted to understand why Sarah’s account of the murders had never been properly documented, while also exploring the role of young women in a male-dominated environment and the impact of violence on the local community. Although Sarah was interviewed by police after the incident, her testimony was largely dismissed because of her age. Through her research, Joan also discovered that her great-grandmother had been born in London rather than Preston, overturning a long-held family belief.
Joan said the project had given her a real boost in confidence and inspired her to continue researching her family’s past, adding that she had come away with countless new ideas for future investigations.
Read more: From royal forest to military base, a short history of Fulwood
Artefacts from times gone by
Other participants had brought a large amount of artefacts with them. For example, Stephen Poleon from Jalgos Social Club brought t-shirts they designed to protest the proposed demolition of the club in 2010. The words ‘save our club’ are featured on the t-shirt, and based the design on the West Indies Flag. They changed the straight lines to wavy ones to represent the sea and in the sun they put an umbrella. The handle is a ‘J’ for Jamaica and the umbrella, originally part of the Jalgos cricket uniform, symbolised the club was welcome to people from all Caribbean nations.
Another had an autograph book kept by a nurse during World War 1. It featured pictures and autographs from the soldiers alongside poems and drawings written to her by one of the patients. This researcher’s aims were to demonstrate how the war opened a young woman’s eyes to romance but also the harsh and devastating realities of war.
One poignant moment came when I watched two participants connect over the shared experiences of their families emigrating to Britain, one as part of the Windrush generation and the other from Ireland during the mid-20th century. Despite their different backgrounds, they found common ground through stories of hardship, resilience and hope. It was a powerful reminder that family history has the ability not only to preserve memories but also to bring people together.
The exhibition features around 25 displays, including 20 created by the co-researchers themselves. It is open on weekdays from 8am to 9pm until 31st July at UCLAN’s student centre.
If you’re looking for inspiration to begin exploring your own family history or would just like to find out more about Preston, its people and history, it’s well worth a visit.
