Wigan Album

I'm glad you have posted these on here for all to see. I have seen them but never looked in them!

I caught sight of them when conducting a Funeral there today. Such stuff should be made more widely available.

I know, I was the one there helping :)

Ah! Thank you - I'll be returning to look at a few more volumes.

I was there this morning and thought I would have a look at the rest, a very interesting read. Do you know if there would have been just one book for the church for all to read, or maybe a few to order like we have the monthly pews news now?

On the spine of the volumes I have (4 duplicates of the 1904 volume, incidentally! - not 4 quarter-volumes as I assumed) is inscribed the name of the publishers of 'The Church Monthly', F Sherlock, and the name of a bookbinders is printed inside, along with the Contents for the year's volume. I would deduce from that that the Parish had a number of bound volumes made up for those who wanted to keep their year's magazines for posterity - two of the volumes have Subscribers' written names in them. I expect their families gave them to the church, perhaps when clearing a house after a death. With one volume is the first-ever issue of the magazine, for January 1902 - just the Parish material, two pages. Subscribers for the new venture are sought, to take the magazine each month as it is printed.