© Bacup Natural History Society 2022
On the 5th October 1889, Professor William Boyd Dawkins of Manchester formally
declared the new premises of the Bacup Natural History Society open. Prior to
their move to number 6 Yorkshire Street, the society had been housed in a cottage
on Rochdale Road, next door to the Co-operative store owned and provided rent-
free for the first year by Dr Joseph Hardman Worrall, J.P and Vice President who
lived next door, the name changing to the Bacup Natural History.
Following Dr Worrall’s death in January 1889 and his predecessor, Dr Holmes
moving premises in 1892 to a surgery across the road the cottages were demolished
and the Maden Public Baths built on the site. Professor Dawkins also paid tribute to
the working man when he gave his speech, stating that ‘the knowledge of
nature belonged to all classes’.
The first president was Mr Henry Halstead with other first committee members
being Mr Joseph Holmes Secretary; Sam Rudd, Tom Skinner, Edwin Heyworth,
William Skinner, William Crabtree, Charles Skinner, John Sutcliffe, Robert
Skinner, Thomas Sutcliffe.
Over the years there were many other notable persons connected to the
“Nat” from various walks of life these included Messrs Thomas Aitken, J.P the
second President, Dr Joseph Hardman Worrall, J.P, Vice President, Henry Kerr,
John Henry Maden, J.P, Robert Munn, J.P, George Shepherd, J.P, Dr John Percival
Brown, George Scott, John Pickup, Thomas Marsden, Levi Bolton, John Edward
Lord, James Holland, Herbert Bolton F.G.S, John Lord, Richard Wilder, J.F
Wilkinson, B.A, Reuben Hudson, Ernest Edward Barlow, P.J. Roberts F.G.S, and
W.H.Buckley to name but a few.
Members were encouraged to bring in natural history or fossil specimens collected
during their Sunday rambles a popular Victorian pastime. Following the rambles,
the members would gather to show and discuss their finds. Lectures on various
scientific or natural subjects were given by various speakers in firstly in the tea room
of the Co-operative Society and then later in Mr Gooding’s Dining Rooms on Market
Street.
Efforts had been under way since 1885 to find rooms in which to house a museum
and which would accommodate the growing numbers of members and this was
accomplished with the renting of number 6 Yorkshire Street, where on the 10th May
1889 a museum was opened in the upper front room. Some of the museums earliest
exhibits were a case of pistols and a human skeleton donated by Mr Lawrence Lord.
Esq, and a wooden spade from Scarr End pit.
During the 1880s the club was open from 7 pm till 10 pm on weekdays, and from 2
pm till 11 pm on Saturdays. A visitor to the town in 1903 asked a resident where he
would find the Nat museum. After some questioning, the resident replied “Oh! It’s
the Muck-Flea Club yo want”, whilst others called it the “bug club”.
The Bacup Natural History
Society was first inaugurated
on the 15th February 1879,
under the name of the Bacup
and Rossendale Field
Naturalist Society.
However, the secretary at the
time Mr James Holmes wrote
in 1922 that the society was
actually formed in February
1878 when he first read a
paper on Natural History and
that the first ramble he had a
written record of took place on
June 1st 1878, under the title
of the General Baptist Field
Naturalist Society.
Nat Presidents Of The Past
Thomas Aitken
Rev J Doxey
James Horrocks
James Hargreaves
Edmund Pilling
James Henry Hargreaves
Clarrie Read
Ben Ashworth
Arnold Barcroft
Richard Catlow
Ken Bowden
The Nat rooms were well equipped to cater for all the members needs including the use of a bathroom where a bath could be
had for 4d with towel or 3d without a towel. On the 30th April 1915, the committee sent their best wishes to those committee
members and members serving in the forces. A special committee consisting of the President Mr James Horrocks, Mr Brown
and Mr James Hargreaves was appointed to oversee the sending of a suitable present to those
members on active service. A gift of cigarettes was sent along with a letter informing them they
had been included in the “Nat Roll of Honour” and a poem penned by Mr Hargreaves, a local
well-known poet who wrote using the pen name “Shepster”.
Altogether 32 members were added to the Roll of Honour with five of these paying the ultimate
sacrifice, two of whom Frank and Fred were the nephews of President James Horrocks. James
became president of the Nat on April 5th 1908,remaining president and taking a very hands-on
and active part in the running of the “Nat” for 30 years, overseeing the move to new premises in
the Sunday school adjoining Zion Baptist Church in Market Street, following the serving of a
formal notice to terminate the premises at Yorkshire street on the 18th Jan 1935, by the council,
who were planning to build a new Electricity Showrooms on the site. One of his closest friends
said at the time of his death in 1939 that “he has done more than any other individual, during
his Connection with us, to advance the cause we have all so much at heart”.
A shock awaited the worshippers of Zion Baptist on Market Street, who came to service on the
morning of 8th July 1945 when it was discovered that several coping stones had fallen from the
gable end of the building this along with other faults in the building meant that by spring 1947
the committee was again searching for new premises, with a decision made by the end of
September to rent the former Hare & Hounds Public house. By September 1951 the committee
had decided to purchase the property from Massey’s Brewery Ltd, Burnley for the sum of
£350.00.
Nat Roll of Honour
Robert Booth
Ronald Crowther
Arthur Greenwood
Frank Horrocks
Edward Jowett
Joseph Marsden
William Rae Pickup
Harry Ritchings
Edward Smith
Dr Arnold Taylor
Richard Wright
William Brown
Harry Cropper
Tom Rothwell
Alfred Stansfield
Joseph Temperley
John Hoyle
Granville Collinge
James Fielding
Walter Heyworth
Arthur Grime
Fred Horrocks
Bert Lord
George Marsden
Ernest Pilling
William Horrocks
Harold Lumb
John Myerscough
Alex Pounder
Archie Rushton
Harry Suthers
Robert Temperley
Samuel Myerscough