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We are in the process of bringing all our magazine articles online.
Articles that are not yet online can be viewed by downloading the magazine PDFs. To help find these articles, Table of Contents are provided for magazines with articles that are not yet online.
Meetings are held in Gaskell Hall, 17 Emesgate Lane, Silverdale, LA5 0RA at 7.30 pm unless otherwise stated. Our talks generally finish by 9 pm
Come and join us, as a member or as a visitor:
- Annual membership, Single – £10
- Annual membership, Couple – £18
- Visitors to a single meeting – £2
Wed 30th September 2026 – A Virtual Tour of Medieval Lancaster – Dr Chris Tinmouth This talk will illuminate Lancaster’s medieval heritage ‘beyond the castle’ and take you into the streets, yards and houses of Lancaster through the map of John Speed (1610).
Wed 28th October 2026 – Muncaster Castle’s Wartime Secret Dr Rob David Between 1939 and 1945 a significant proportion of Britain’s national collection of Modern Art from the Tate Gallery in London was brought to Muncaster Castle to save them from destruction from bombing.
Wed 25th November 2026 – Field Names in the North West of England – Prof Angus Winchester
The names of fields, those most minor of place names, provide a richness in detail, bringing alive past environments and the history of the farming landscape.
Wed 16th December 2026 – Brockhole 125 A Pictorial History of a House and Garden – Kevin Grice
The talk traces the history of Brockhole from its construction in 1900 up to the present day. It draws on rare photographs of the house and grounds as well as archives and other documentation.
Wed 27th January 2027 – The History of Coniston Copper Mines – Mark Hatton
An illustrated talk of the mines and the story of the men, women and children, who for three centuries mined copper ore from here from a depth of upto 1500 feet.
Wed 24th February 2027 – Lancaster Quakers and Slave Ownership – Dr Ann Morgan
A talk about a group of Lancaster Quakers involved in slave ownership and how this fitted the accepted social, political and moral attitudes of the 17th and 18th centuries towards the enslavement of Africans.
Wed 31st March 2027 – Home Sweet Home – Ambleside Oral History Group Judith Shingler and Will Steele
Home sweet home explores the changes in people’s expectations regarding housing over the hundred years covered by AOHG archives.
Wed 28th April 2027 – The Secrets of Sizergh Castle Mrs Janice Wilson
The secret of Sizergh explores and unravels Sizergh, the people and places uncovering fascinating facts and including the legacy and impact of the Strickland family on Britain at war.
The Mourholme Local History Society’s mission is to promote advancement of education of the public in the history of the Warton Ancient Parish by collecting, showing, enabling access and preserving documents and photographs relevant to the district thereby promoting the protection of the physical remains of Warton Ancient Parish.
What We Do
The Society:
- Provides lectures by visiting speakers on historical events in the area.
- Encourages members to carry out and publish their own research.
- Publishes magazines and books concerning the historic parish of Warton, which included the townships of Borwick, Carnforth, Priest Hutton, Silverdale, Yealand Conyers Yealand Storrs and Yealand Redmayne (commonly referred to as The Yealands).
- Store archives of historic material of local concern.
- Maintains this website.
The Charity
The Society’s charity number 512765 registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Its charitable objectives are:
- To promote advancement of education of the public in the history of the Warton Ancient Parish be means of the lectures, discussions field studies and visits to places of historical interest.
- To collect and preserve documents and photographs relevant to the district and to assist in the protection of the physical remains of the past.
- To make available to the public from time to time such writings or documentary evidence as may be appropriate.
The trustees are:
- Chair: Nina Gaubert
- Treasurer: Andrew Guy Davies
- Trustee: Dr Christine Elizabeth Boydell
Click here to view the constitution (PDF).
Contact Details
To contact us, please email
or complete our contact form.Please note that we are unable to undertake family history researches (unless you think it likely that we will have information concerning a specific family).
Sponsors and Volunteers
We would like to thank all those sponsoring and helping the society including:
- Kualo for providing free hosting of this website.
- 3R Foundation for providing a grant toward microphones.
How can I join the Society?
Click here to download a membership form (PDF). Complete and post to the Society Treasurer:
Andrew Davies 2 Maryland Close Silverdale CARNFORTH LA5 0TL
or, simply come to our next meeting and “sign up” there and then. (See Events for dates). You will be made very welcome!
How much does it cost?
There is an annual membership fee of £10 per year for an individual or £18 for a couple or family. Membership is renewable over the summer. Visitors are welcome for an entrance fee of £2 per meeting.
Who are the members?
Anybody who has an interest in the local history of the area can be a member, not necessarily only those who live within the boundaries of the old parish.
Where does the Society meet, and when?
The Society meets in Gaskell Hall, Silverdale at 7.30 pm on the last Wednesday of the month between Septrember and April (except the December meeting which is on the second Wednesday).
Priest Hutton Schedule: DRB 1/156 Ordered by Plot Number
Yealand Conyers Schedule: DRB 1/219 Ordered by Plot Number
Yealand Redmayne Schedule: DRB 1/220 Ordered by Plot Number
Warton-with Lindeth Schedule: DRB 1/195 Ordered by Plot Number
A person’s service record and other information can be viewed by clicking on their name in the memorial details.
If you are interested in researching further, some useful websites are:
- Ancestry (which you can access free from most local UK libraries provided you are a member).
- Find My Past (which you can access free from most local UK libraries provided you are a member).
- Commonwealth War Graves Commisson.
- Imperial War Museum.
- Wartime Memorial Project (subscription required).
- National Archives UK
We try to avoid any infringement of copyright; if you own the copyright to any image we have displayed.
Warton Hall Farm c1900 
Millhead Road 
Shovel Inn 
Beech Hill, 115, Main St. 
121 & 121a Main Street 
125-131 Main St. 
From south of Main Street 
Boon Cross, 188 Main St 
145-155 Main St. 
Tudor Cott, 137 Main St 
Old almshouses, now gone 
Back of 174-178 Main St. 
15,17,19 Main St.; almshouses; 48 Main St. 
Old Methodist Chapel 
Borwick Lane 
Almshouses and church 
80 & 82 Main St. If you would like to contribute any images to our galleries, please contact the web editor
We try to avoid any infringement of copyright; if you own the copyright to any image we have displayed, please contact the web editor
If you would like to contribute any images to our galleries, please contact us.
Bank Well Silverdale 
Cove Road, 1995 
Douthwaites, May 1908 
Douthwaites 
Empire Day, 1912 
Empire Day 1912 
Fairy Steps Tithe Maps are large scale maps. Each field or piece of land featured on a tithe map carries a number. By cross-referencing this number with the corresponding number under the Field Number column in the Tithe Schedule, we can learn:
- Landowner name
- The occupier
- Field name and/or description of the property
- The state of cultivation of the field
- The size (acres, roods and perches)
- Tithe owner – i.e. to whom the tithe is paid.
Tithe Maps, produced for many (but not all) areas of England and Wales between 1841 and 1851, were a necessary means to the rationalising of the ancient system of giving one tenth of the production of any parcel of land to the church. By the time of the Tithe Commutation Act 1836 tithes were often paid to landlords, and sometimes in cash rather than kind. These Tithe Maps and Schedules stipulated the tithes to be paid henceforth from each field and property. For a fuller description of this history see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tithe_map
As a result, tithe maps and schedules are an invaluable resource to local historians and genealogists, providing a snapshot of the detailed map of the land, the names of owners and occupiers, and a short description of the use of that land.
Other map resources are:
- maps.nls.uk – The National Library of Scotland has a full collection of historic Ordnance Survey maps which can be viewed online.
- lancaster.libguides.com/Lancashirehistoricmaps – digital copies of historic Lancashire maps – mostly from the collection of Dr Ian Saunders.
The Society has an archive of relevant books, photocopied documents, maps and journals stored at St. John’s Church, Yealand Conyers.
Contents of the Archive
- Box files (photocopied material)
- Townships by name alphabetically
- Background material (eg Acts of Parliament)
- Whole parish (eg newspaper articles, census records)
- General by topic (eg agriculture, industry, transport)
- Families (eg Washingtons)
- Directories (copies from)
- Oral history transcripts
- Maps (photocopied)
- Alphabetically by township
- By type (eg OS, tithe)
- Books by category
- General history
- How to research local history
- North west history
- Neighbouring area
- Warton parish
- Mourholme Society magazines
- National and local history journals
There are plans to make archive directories available online in the future.
- Box files (photocopied material)
Below are other events with history connections, these are not part of Mourholme Local History Society:
A 1931 collection of 7 articles originally published in the Lancaster Guardian in 1911 by Helen Cordelia Ford of Yealand Manor. These offer an informal but fascinating picture of Yealand in the pre-WW1 period, together with recollections of Yealand’s past.
“In lasting memory of the men of this parish who laid down their lives in the Great Wars and in gratitude for the safe return of their comrades. 1914-1919. 1939-1945. Their name liveth for evermore.”
World War II: 1939-1945.
George Graveson William Hoult Rawcliffe Richard Kirby Harold Kidd Edward Stephenson Walter Rendall Pederson John Peat Ray Wharton Edward Pennington Thomas Winter Buried in the churchyard and therefore not on the War Memorial
John Ainscow Dugdale Muriel Beatrice Ogilvy Richard Houghton Walter Hales George Ireton There are a number of servicemen buried in Warton Church who are remembered on other War Memorial within the ancient parish of Warton. This was due to other graveyards not consecrated at the time of World War I.
The following person has been identified as being from Warton who is not listed on the War Memorial:
In St Oswald’s Church there is a Roll of Honour
Edward Allonby William Escolme John Moore Edward Armer Robert Fairclough Thomas Moore James Armstrong John Fawcett James Moss William Armstrong George Foxcroft Richard Moss Herbert Ashworth James Foxcroft William Moss Richard Ayrton Edwin Fryers Herbert Murray Frank Bellamy Bertram Graham Lewis Newman Harold Bellamy Thomas Graham Arthur Parker John Benjamin William Graveson Edward Pennington Frederick Bennett Ephraim Greenwood Willliam Platt Thomas Bennett Edward Gregg William Ratcliffe William Berry Walter Hales William Riding Heslam Bibby Robert Hall Frederick Robinson Laurence Blenkhern John Hamilton Robert Rothwell Richard Blenkhern Ralph Harrison Albert Shaw Clifford Bradley Carl Haycock Geoffrey Shaw Ernest Bradley Thomas Haycock Alec Smith Harold Bradshaw Richard Heald Alfred Smith William Braithwaite Thomas Heald Edgar Speight Robert Brockbank Richard Hisom Richard Speight George Brown Thomas Hoggarth John Stavert James Brown William Hoggarth George Stephenson Albert Burrow Frank Howarth Joseph Stott Arthur Burrows Frank Hudson Charles Thackray Allan Bush Robertson Hughes James Thompson William Bush George Ianson Thomas Thwaites Frank Canby Harry Ianson Herbert Unsworth William Clarkson John Ianson Richard Unsworth Norman Clayton James Ireland George Watson Robert Clayton George Ireton Thomas Weller Nathan Cottam James Ireton Harry Wetherall Robert Cottam Richard Ireton Thomas Whitehead Sidney Cottam John Jackson Percy Wilcock William Creary Richard Jackson George Wilson Thomas Darlington Robert Jackson Jack Wilson William Dawson Ernest Just Thomas Wilson James Dodgson James Lally Stephen Woods John Dodgson George Lane Albert Wooff Robert Dodgson David Lee Edward Wooff James Dowker James Lee Walter Wright John Dowker Savile Lyne William Dowker Richard Marsden 
“In memory of our glorious dead 1914-1919” and “In memory of lives lost 1914-1918 1939-45 and hope for eternal peace.”
World War 1
H. Graham Smith Captain W.H. Fallowfield Driver H. Escolme Signaler T.G. Rawlinson Sapper W.E. Roper Captain F. Gaskell Lance Corporal M.W. Lund Forewoman World War 2
M.R. North Lieutenant Royal Navy F.H. Smith Marine In St John’s Church, Yealand there are both private and Commonwealth War Grave Commission graves. The graves are:
William James Airey Private William Henry Fallowfield Private Fred Gaskell Private Minnie Western Lund Forewoman 
“Erected by public subscription in honour of the men of Silverdale and Lindeth whose names are hereon inscribed who gave their lives in the Great War 1914-1919. Their names shall remain for ever and their glory shall not be blotted out.”
Silverdale Names WW2 1939-1945
John Maurice W. Briggs Cecil W. Hall Kenneth Hewitson St. John’s Church, Silverdale, also carries a memorial to those who died in the Great War 1914-1919.
In addition to those named on the war memorial is the name:
The Carnforth war memorial carries a number of plaques:
“Erected to the glorious memory of the men of Carnforth who obeyed the call of duty, went forth and died for their King and Country in the Great War 1914-1918.”
“This tablet was erected to the honoured memory of the men of Carnforth who have died since the armistice through the effects of their war service 1918-1924.”
Bert Cambray Victor H. Postlethwaite James Wood Thomas W. Cornthwaite Edward H. Smith Joseph Wright John A. Nuttall Richard A. Smith John T.H. Parkinson Robert B.P. Whiteside “Erected to the glorious memory of the men of Carnforth who obeyed the call of duty, went forth and died for their King and Country in the Great War 1939-1945.”
“To the honoured memory of the men of Carnforth who died after the close of the 1939-1945 war from the effects of war service.”
First World War Second World War
There were also a number of servicemen who returned from both wars.
There are also people who died who had connections to Carnforth but are not on the War Memorial. The information was found during searching newspaper articles.
“This Hall was erected in Grateful Memory of
who laid down their lives in the “GREAT WAR”
