The Objects of the Society are the Maintaining and Increasing of Interest in Lancashire Dialect
Welcome to our website!
We trust that you will find it interesting and hopefully you will be able to contact any of us should you wish to do so, via e-mail or by telephone to any of our committee members.
Better still, why not come and visit us at one of our meetings? Tha'll find a gradely welcome theer. Then if you'd like to join us afterwards, we'll be more than happy to welcome you as a member.
The Society was formed in 1938 by a group of Lancashire Dialect enthusiasts. It lapsed in 1940 due to the effects of the Second World War but restarted in 1950. It has continued to the present day.
Writing competitions are held annually and trophies are awarded at the annual "suppering do" to the winners of each class, to be held for the following year. Entry is now open to non-members. Please see the COMPETITIONS page.
Some members are willing to speak or perform at your meetings. Please click on SPEAKERS
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MEETINGS
Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every month from October to June, commencing at 7.30 pm
at St Andrew's Methodist Chapel, Entwisle Road, Rochdale, OL16 2HZ (B6266 road) - between Rochdale Leisure Centre and Aldi .
There is free onsite parking. See foot of page for image and map.
The annual subscription of £5 is due at the October meeting.
Voluntary donations at each meeting help defray the cost of the room hire.
The usual format for meetings is: -
A welcome to all from the evening's Chairman, a rendition of Edwin Waugh's song "A Lift on the Way", followed by a reading of a poem or extract from one of Waugh's works by a pressed volunteer and then the 'parish notices' from the Secretary.
Members are entertained by a speaker or a performer. Sometimes this is a guest speaker; often it is one or more members.
A vote of thanks is given and then there is a second Waugh song, the most appropriate "Toddlin' Whoam".
After this, the immortal words of our previous President, Jack Lye, "Tha con aw pike off whoam neaw!" end the evening at about 9.00 pm.
There are two additional special meetings each year :-
On the TUESDAY following the MARCH MEETING, a "suppering do", a traditional potato pie supper, is held to celebrate Edwin Waugh's birthday.
Trophies won at the annual writing competitions are presented, followed by entertainment .
Booking is essential.
Doubtless someone will spot that the Waugh's birthday supper is in March and yet Edwin Waugh was born on 29th January 1817. Consider it our version of an "official birthday". Due to some members coming from quite a distance to the supper, many moons ago it was decided that, as the weather is usually better in March than January, the meeting should be moved to March.
This meeting will be held at our usual meeting place - St. Andrew's Methodist Chapel. See above for directions.
Click here for the Invitation form for this meeting.
Formerly, on the THIRD SATURDAY in JULY, a concert was held in the afternoon, followed by a traditional Sunday School Tea. This year, 2020, it will be the annual Waugh's Well Walk, followed by a Strawberry Tea. See the end of Waugh's Well Walk below for details.
Click here for the Syllabus to see the details of all the meetings.
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Voluntary donations at each meeting help defray the cost of the room hire.
The usual format for meetings is: -
A welcome to all from the evening's Chairman, a rendition of Edwin Waugh's song "A Lift on the Way", followed by a reading of a poem or extract from one of Waugh's works by a pressed volunteer and then the 'parish notices' from the Secretary.
Members are entertained by a speaker or a performer. Sometimes this is a guest speaker; often it is one or more members.
A vote of thanks is given and then there is a second Waugh song, the most appropriate "Toddlin' Whoam".
After this, the immortal words of our previous President, Jack Lye, "Tha con aw pike off whoam neaw!" end the evening at about 9.00 pm.
There are two additional special meetings each year :-
On the TUESDAY following the MARCH MEETING, a "suppering do", a traditional potato pie supper, is held to celebrate Edwin Waugh's birthday.
Trophies won at the annual writing competitions are presented, followed by entertainment .
Booking is essential.
Doubtless someone will spot that the Waugh's birthday supper is in March and yet Edwin Waugh was born on 29th January 1817. Consider it our version of an "official birthday". Due to some members coming from quite a distance to the supper, many moons ago it was decided that, as the weather is usually better in March than January, the meeting should be moved to March.
This meeting will be held at our usual meeting place - St. Andrew's Methodist Chapel. See above for directions.
Click here for the Invitation form for this meeting.
Formerly, on the THIRD SATURDAY in JULY, a concert was held in the afternoon, followed by a traditional Sunday School Tea. This year, 2020, it will be the annual Waugh's Well Walk, followed by a Strawberry Tea. See the end of Waugh's Well Walk below for details.
Click here for the Syllabus to see the details of all the meetings.
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WAUGH'S WELL WALK
For many years there has been an annual walk, to Waugh's Well. In good weather it is a lovely walk; in a howling gale and heavy rain it ain't so pleasant, though it is still very bracing and there is a real sense of achievement once done.
We set off from Gincroft Lane, Edenfield, and stop every 15 minutes for a poem or a song, following the old wagon road and tramways on top before enjoying a picnic lunch at Fo' Edge. At the well, there are more readings and songs by the walkers and others who have gathered there to await their arrival, before descending on the Coal Road via Dearden Clough, again stopping every 15 minutes.
Some years ago, after the walk there was a tea at a nearby chapel. Then the tea moved to Jarvis Street Chapel and was followed by an evening concert by and for the walkers and other members who came after tea.
As there came a time when some of the current members felt a bit too doddering to do justice to both walk and the concert, the format was changed again. The walkers head back to a hostelry for beer, food, music and song after the walk. The concert and tea take place on a different day - the third Saturday in July meeting referred to above.
Sadly, John Taylor, who led the walk for many years, died in 2011. Sid Calderbank, of stage and television fame, has led the walk since 2013.
This year, 2020, we are returning to a similar arrangement to the original -
The Summer Concert is to be held at the Edenfield Community Centre on Saturday 18th July 2020.
It will incorporate a walk to Waugh’s Well and a Strawberry Tea. The tea will be approx. £5 per head.
Gradely folk only attending the concert may arrive from 2.30pm. Alyson has discovered a super recipe for parkin – she isn't sure it will live up to Anne Ridgeon’s but she will provide a slice for everyone.
Walkers will meet at 11am at the bottom of Gincroft Lane in Edenfield, BL0 0JQ, for the walk before returning for the concert.
Map of the walk start point and the Community Centre (see Edenfield Nursery) - CLICK HERE
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The following members offer their services as speakers / entertainers to outside organisations.
Please contact the member directly to enquire about availability, terms, fees, etc.
Sid Calderbank 01257 269397 lancashire.sid@hotmail.com
Sally Williams 01706 826227 tynewydd3@msn.com
Sally writes under the name of Sally James
The Tin Pot Poets 01706 826227 tynewydd3@msn.com
Alyson Brailsford 07773710325 alyson.brailsford@gmail.com
Betty Lightfoot 0161 794 2387 mandblightfoot@hotmail.co.uk
Robin Parker 07977481766 robinparker@hotmail.co.uk
Michael Higgins 0161 626 4007 wickentree@aol.com
Dr. Paul Salveson 07795 008691 paul.salveson@myphone.coop
The speakers / entertainers have provided the following information :-
Sid Calderbank
Sid's talks on the Lancashire Dialect are -
'A Lancashire Garland' - The History of the Lancashire Dialect in Songs, Stories and Poems
'Love and Romance in Victorian Lancashire' - Poetry and Prose from Lancashire's finest
'The Lancashire Cotton Famine' - How we survived the American Civil War (1861 - 65)
'Jone O'Grinfilt' - Lancashire's most successful 19th century ballad
'The Poets & Poetry of Victorian Blackburn' - Just what it says!
Sally James
Sally writes in both Standard English and Lancashire Dialect and is available to give readings of both genres if required.
Her latest pamphlet of poems, "Coal Dust and Confetti" in Standard English is about the harsh realities of life in the Lancashire Coalfields.
The Tin Pot Poets
Ron and Sally Williams founded the Tin Pot Poets in 2014 . Both are long standing members of the Edwin Waugh Dialect Society. They both write in humorous dialect verse but can be serious or topical if desired. They are available to give performances when required and have recently made a CD, the profits from which are going to the Rossendale and Pendle Mountain Rescue Team.
Alyson Brailsford
Her talk is 'Journey through life as seen through the pen of the Lancashire dialect writers'
Betty Lightfoot
- performs her own poems and monologues, mainly childhood and past and present family memories.
Robin Parker
His talk is entitled 'From East End to Edenfield; history of the Lancashire comedy monologue'
Michael Higgins
My occasional topics for the Royton History Society have included Morris Dancing and Rushbearing, Rhymes and Songs of the Christian Year, Peterloo, and various specialised local history topics such as History of Royton, Bonnie Prince Charlie and the ’45 in Lancashire etc. In 2013 (the 500th anniversary) I spoke to half a dozen societies on Lancashire and the Battle of Flodden - The Lancashire troops made up a third of the English army. So anything on Lancashire is my general interest.
As for the subject of Lancashire literature - dialect and standard - I have not actually put together anything as yet. I do recite and sing dialect and standard verse at poetry and music events and could produce something on medieval Lancashire verse up to today.
Alternatively I could do an outline of more obscure dialect writers and their work.
Dr. Paul Salveson
Among his talks are -
'Dialect literature of the Lancashire Cotton Industry'
'Allen Clarke/Teddy Ashton... Lancashire's Romantic Radical'
'Women dialect writers in Lancashire'
NB. The Society accepts no responsibility for any person named here or the quality and/or suitability of any performance by them.
