Introduction

The Liverpool & South West Lancashire Family History Society (L&SWLFHS) was originally founded as the Liverpool Family History Society in May 1976. The inaugural meeting held in the Liverpool Central Library was attended by 30 people with common interests in tracing their own ancestry through personal research and exchange of information. Liaison with the Record Office was established to seek advice on the locality and use of local archives. As the membership of the Society grew, other branches were set up by members residing outside Liverpool, but within the Liverpool Diocese and the historic area of the West Derby Hundred. These were St. Helens (sadly disbanded), Southport, Skelmersdale, Leigh, Warrington and Widnes and a special interest group for those with Anglo-Irish ancestry (also sadly disbanded). The Society changed its name to accommodate the Groups, first to Liverpool and District F.H.S. Then to its present name, to reflect the area within the Hundred.