It was at a meeting convened in response to a circular issued by George Charles Yates (held in the Rooms of the
Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, in George Street, Manchester), that several antiquaries and historians (including
William Ernest Armytage Axon, James Croston,
Alfred Darbyshire,
Lt-Col. Henry Fishwick, Robert Langton, George Webster Napier, Thomas Glazebrook Rylands, Rev. Joseph Heaton Stanning, Henry Taylor, and
William Thompson Watkin) proposed the creation of a society with the purpose of organising excursions to places of historical and archaeological interest in Lancashire and Cheshire. These individuals were elected to form the society's first officers and Council. Honorary Membership (bestowed between 1883 and 1988) was awarded to various individuals who made a contribution to the society or to the life of the Counties Palatine, recipients included
James, Earl of Crawford (1883),
Charles Roach Smith (1885),
Charles William Sutton (1888),
Isabella Banks (1893), Sir
Henry Hoyle Howorth (1903),
Robert Dukinfield Darbishire (1903),
Charles Roeder (1903),
John Wilfrid Jackson (1918), and Sir Edward Holt, Bt (1943), amongst others. Although the society is based upon
Manchester, its studies and activities embrace the region. Its purpose is the education of the public by fostering and promoting the study of any aspects of the
archaeology (traditional and industrial),
history,
social history,
genealogy,
architecture and the
arts,
trade and
trades, the history of
institutions and
local government,
customs, and
traditions of the area covered by the Palatine Counties of
Lancashire and
Cheshire (and succeeding local authorities). The society became a
registered charity in 2004. ==Journal==