HUDDERSFIELD & DISTRICT FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY
Huddersfield & District Family History Society was formed in 1987 and is now one of the most successful and proactive societies in the country, writes Susan Hutson, as she introduces the society and its activities
SPOTLIGHT ON...
The area the society covers is the Kirklees Council administrative area in West Yorkshire which, as well as Huddersfield, includes the towns of Dewsbury, Batley and Holmfirth, and the surrounding districts and villages. With a land area of over 400 square km and a population of around 433,000, it is a mix of typical northern towns and very rural areas.
We have our own research room, based in Meltham, a short journey from the centre of Huddersfield, which is open part of every day except Sunday – see our website https://hdfhs. org.uk/contact-us/. We have a large group of volunteers: those who work at our research room – known as The Root Cellar, and those who volunteer ‘out in the field’, recording memorial inscriptions (MIs).
The MI team have recently worked on the large Lockwood Cemetery in Huddersfield, which, along with the already transcribed Edgerton Cemetery, covers a large number of burials which have taken place since the mid 19th century. Over the spring and summer of 2023, the team worked on smaller burial grounds at local churches and this work will be starting again this spring at new locations. Many of these MI records can now be found on Findmypast.
Since our new website became available about a year ago, with new and engaging content, we have found an increase in membership, more sales from our online shop and a new interest from overseas – Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States – in our Ancestral Tourism offer.
We are able to offer a bespoke Ancestral Tourism package for those visiting from overseas (or elsewhere in the UK), where we will undertake specific research and plan a visit to ancestral homes, churches of interest, and places linked to the textile industry, mining, or other occupations associated with our ancestors.
We also offer a tour guide who will plan a whole day, or days, to ensure that visitors get the best out of their visit. A fee is agreed in advance for this work.
Our dedicated research team work on more general family history enquiries – to contact them you will find more details on our website.
We support many loc
