LOCAL historians continue to be fascinated by the Bolton Shakespeare Society - an organisation which operated for 30 years after being founded in 1916 on the 300th anniversary of old William's death.

Margaret Koppens, a member of the Halliwell Local History Society, is preparing an article for a future newsletter and has been pouring over some of the material in the society's archives.

It includes a Bolton Evening News report from May, 1917, when the society was celebrating its first birthday.

There were more than 100 members who took part in reading circles at Bank Street (Rev J. Cyril Flower MA), Emmanuel Vicarage (Rev J.A. Lauria MA), St George's Road Congregational School (Miss I. Hutchinson) and 24 Duke Street (Miss A. Swain).

It seems some people "looked askance" at the formation of a society unconnected with the war which was raging at the time.

But the first annual report read: "We hold strongly, however, that we are doing work of national importance in fostering a society for the study of Shakespeare, which, besides widening the intellectual outlook, and thereby coming into line with the scheme of the new Minister of Education, develops the character and ennobles the soul."

It was felt that the members owed it to those fighting that they should not return "to an England wholly given up to the consideration of material problems and intellectually and spiritually barren."

This was all splendidly high-minded, but there is a poignant reminder of the uncertainty of the times on a membership card which is signed "R. Barlow."

His address is "somewhere in France."

The programme for 1917-18 included lectures on "The Physicians of Shakespeare's Plays (Dr Edward Somers JP of Pendleton) and "Shakespeare and Toleration - a Study of Shylock (J. Cuming Walters, Editor, Manchester City News).

It seems that the Society continued to contribute to the intellectual life of the town until it was wound-up in 1946.

One of the indefatigable secretaries, Miss Isobel Hutchinson, died in 1938.