Named in honour of Joseph Livesey of Preston, one of the early teetotal pioneers, the Livesey Collection forms an internationally significant resource for the study of the Temperance Movement
The Livesey Collection is named in honour of Joseph Livesey of Preston, one of the early teetotal pioneers. In 1987, the Livesey Collection transferred to the University of Central Lancashire from the British National Temperance League in Sheffield. Since then it has been enriched by donations from temperance groups and individuals.
The Livesey collection is held in Preston, home of the Temperance movement of the 19th Century. The temperance materials form a major part of the archival collections of the institution whose parent establishment Joseph Livesey helped to set up in order to educate and improve the lot of the working classes. The collection now forms an internationally significant resource for the study of this subject that is as relevant to contemporary study as it is to the understanding of the culture of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The collection is made up of a significant number of journals, monographs, bound collections of pamphlets and other non-textual items. These include lantern slides, posters, banners, textiles, crockery and ephemera. The collection represents temperance societies and culture from the 19th century onwards, from Band of Hope groups to the Rechabite Friendly Societies. Also included in the collection are works relating to non-conformist religious groups in the Preston area.
Some items in the Livesey Collection are listed in the Library Search, and others are available to view in the university repository. The Archives can be searched for specific items (i.e., search 'Livesey'). We are in the middle of a project to digitise the bulk of the collection so the number of items available to view from this source is growing everyday.
If you are interested in visiting the collection please see the advice on Using the Special Collections. If you cannot find the item you are looking for on the catalogue or in the digital archive or if you would like to make an addition of a temperance related item or collection to the Livesey Collection or discuss any other related issue please email us facultylibrarians@uclan.ac.uk.
"We won't go home till morning, till day-light does appear"
"So faithfully drawn by the Artist as to require no explanation"
"Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground"
"Is not this a striking figure of the obstructive character of moderation?"
