County Library and Information Service
Community History
Guide to the Local Collections
Fleetwood Collection
Wyre District.
North Albert St
Fleetwood
Lancashire
FY7 6AJ
Tel: 01253 775800
Fax:01253 775804
E-mail: fleetwood.library@lancashire.gov.uk
Subsidiary collections covering the immediate area are held at Garstang Library, Windsor Road, Garstang, (tel: Garstang (01995) 604052), and at Poulton Library, Blackpool Old Road, Poulton, (tel: Poulton (01253) 888900). Intending enquirers are advised to telephone the Local Studies Librarian at Fleetwood for guidance as to which collection might best meet their needs.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
9:30 - 17:00
9:30 - 19:00
9:30 - 12:30
9:30 - 19:00
9:30 - 17:00
9:30 - 16:00
4. Scope and arrangement of the collection
The collections contain books, maps, newspapers, council documents, photographs, census and parish records, pamphlets and ephemera relating to the locality. Material is normally for reference use only, but many books are available for home reading.
5. Catalogues and bibliographies
All book and pamphlet material is included on Lancashire County Library and Information Service's online Talis catalogue.
BAINES Lancashire 1824
BARRETT'S Directory of Preston and Fylde districts 1889, 1892, 1901, 1910, 1922, 1926, 1929, 1932, 1940, 1952
BULMER'S History and directory of Lancaster and district 1912, 1913
Fleetwood Almanack 1910, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929
KELLY'S Directory of Lancashire 1901
MANNEX & CO. Directory of Westmorland with Lonsdale and Amounderness in Lancashire 1851
MANNEX & CO. Lancaster district 1881
SLATER'S Directory of Lancashire 1882
Directories can be found on the Library's online catalogue.
7. Electoral registers and poll books
Electoral registers:
Fleetwood 10 October 1973 - 10 October 1992 microfilmed, 10 October 1993 -, hard copy.
Hambleton, Preesall, Stalmine 1972 -
Thornton Cleveleys 1972 -
None. The main collection of rate books for the county is held at the Lancashire Record Office.
9. Census enumerators' returns
The 1851, 1861, 1881 and 1891 census schedules for the bulk of the Fylde are held.
LANCASHIRE PARISH REGISTER SOCIETY printed volumes are held as follows:
Bispham 1599 - 1754
Blackley 1655 - 1753
Cockerham 1591 - 1657
Egton-cum-Newland 1792 - 1841
Euxton 1734 - 1781
Finsthwaite 1726 - 1841
Goosnargh 1639 - 1753 marriages 1639 - 1812
Halton 1727 - 1837
Kirkham 1601 - 1653
Lancaster 1599 – 1748
Lytham 1679 - 1754
Manchester, St. James 1788 - 1837
North Meols 1813 - 1837
Pilling 1630 - 1721
Poulton 1591 - 1677
Rivington 1637 - 1837
St. Michaels on Wyre 1659 - 1707
Satterthwaite 1766 - 1840
Stalmine 1583 - 1724
Woodplumpton 1604 - 1784
Microfiche copies of Bishop's Transcripts of the following parishes and dates are held:
Aldingham 1695 - 1756
Altcar 1663 - 1810
Barton 1850 - 1900
Bispham 1596 - 1900
Blackpool (St. John) 1821 - 1900
Bleasdale 1782 - 1900
Broughton 1653 - 1900
Calder Vale 1867 - 1900
Cartmel 1724 -
Cockerham 1595 - 1900
Colton 1623 - 1812
Fleetwood 1841 - 1900
Formby 1781 - 1837
Fulwood 1861 - 1900
Garstang St. Helen 1567 - 1900
Garstang St. Thomas 1824 - 1900
Goosnargh 1639 - 1900
Hambleton 1695 - 1812
Inskip 1848 - 1900
Lancaster 1749 - 1786
Leigh 1558 - 1625
Marton 1591 - 1900
Newchurch 1813 - 1841
Ormskirk 1678 - 1697
Out Rawcliffe 1841 - 1900
Over Wyresdale 1724 - 1900
Pilling 1630 - 1721
Poulton-le-Fylde 1591 - 1677
Preesall 1899 - 1900
Ribchester 1694 - 1736
Rivington 1637 - 1837
Rochdale 1582 - 1616
St. Michaels on Wyre 1660 - 1900
Scorton 1877 - 1900
Singleton 1841 – 1900
Stalmine 1583 - 1900
Thornton 1838 - 1900
Ulverston 1545 - 1812
Whitechapel 1818 - 1900
Winwick 1661 - 1837
Woodplumpton 1604 - 1784, 1837 - 1900
The main collection of parish records for the county is held at the Lancashire Record Office.
Evening Gazette June 1987 - . Not indexed. Microfilmed.
Fleetwood Chronicle No. 1, 11th November, 1843 - 10th August 1984. Series very slightly imperfect. Some copies 1843 - 1845 photocopies. Indexed 1843 - 1974. Microfilmed 1845 - 1984.
Fleetwood Express 1895 - 1920. Not indexed. Microfilmed.
Fleetwood weekly news. First issue 6 September 1984 - . Not indexed. Microfilmed.
Garstang Courier 1965 - . Slightly imperfect run. Not indexed. Microfilmed 1974 -
Garstang Guardian December 1974 - . Slightly imperfect run. Not indexed or microfilmed.
Poulton-le-Fylde news 1972 - 8. Not indexed or microfilmed.
Thornton-Cleveleys Times 1972 - 9. Not indexed or microfilmed.
Thornton-Cleveleys weekly news. First issue 23 September 1988 - . Not indexed or microfilmed.
Lancashire Lantern includes an index to stories from local newspapers covering several areas of the county.
13. Maps and plansHISTORIC SOCIETY OF LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE. Transactions, 1964 - 1995 (imperfect).
LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY. Transactions, 1888 - 1959. Slightly imperfect.
Family tree magazine, 1985 -
History today. 1988.
Lancashire archaeological bulletin, 1975 - 1988.
Lancaster University Regional Bulletin, August 1972 - Summer 1979.
Life in Fleetwood today, issue 1- , 1990 -
Local historian, 1972 -
Local history, 1984 -
Northern history, 1966 - 1974; 1976 - 1977.
The Record (LANCASHIRE AUTHORS' ASSOCIATION),1988 -
Although the coverage noted below is to some degree imperfect, sufficient sheets are held to make the collection generally useful.
Ordnance Survey
6" to 1 mile. Most sheets of the 1st edition (c. 1845) for Wyre District are held, with imperfect coverage of subsequent editions. Coverage for current sheets is good.
25" to 1 mile. 1891 - . Imperfect coverage of editions 1891 - 1938. Good coverage of current sheets on the 25" to 1 mile scale.
50" to 1 mile. Good coverage for current sheets.
14. Council minutes and minutes of official bodies
FLEETWOOD URBAN DISTRICT and FLEETWOOD MUNICIPAL BOROUGH COUNCIL. Minutes, 1888 - 1974.
WYRE BOROUGH COUNCIL. Minutes, 1974 -
The collection includes numerous photographs and postcards, both in black and white and in colour, of all parts of the Wyre district. Some aerial photographs are held. Coverage at present is fuller for Fleetwood than for other areas.
The Library is currently developing an online database of photographs from the county's various library collections; this is available as part of Lancashire Lantern.
16. Sound and video recordings
There is a small collection of cassette tape recordings, made prior to 1974, consisting of interviews with older inhabitants connected with the fishing industry.
None. The main repository of archives for the county is held at the Lancashire Record Office.
There is a small collection of local videos.
Index to Fleetwood fishing vessels. At present the index is incomplete.
Microfilm reader. Microfilm reader/printer. Microfiche readers. Photocopiers. Tape recorder. Slide viewer.
21. Books useful as introductory reading
CURTIS, Bill. Fleetwood; a town is born. Terence Dalton Ltd. 1986.
CURTIS, Bill. Images of Fleetwood and Wyre towns. Breedon. 1996.
FISHWICK, Henry. History of the Parish of Garstang. Chetham Society, first series, vols. 104-5, 1878-9.
FOSTER, David. Excursions into Fylde history. Hendon Publishing Co. Ltd. 1978.
PARRY, Keith. The Resorts of the Lancashire coast. David and Charles, 1983.
PORTER, John. History of the Fylde of Lancashire. W. Porter and Sons, 1876.
RAMSBOTTOM, Martin. Fleetwood - a town trail. Fleetwood Heritage Committee, 1985.
ROTHWELL, Catherine. History of Fleetwood-on-Wyre. Unpublished F.L.A. thesis, 1974.
SUTTON, J.H. Early Fleetwood: 1835 to 1847. Unpublished M. Litt. thesis, 1968.
22. Other Family History Sources
All our libraries provide free access to the Ancestry website which gives access to Census Records for England, Wales and Scotland 1841-1901) and indexes to Births, Deaths and Marriages for England and Wales (1837-2005).