As I read through Reference Service’s recent highlight of our online resources, I felt the familiar spark of curiosity for researching my family history. I re-logged into FamilySearch, a resource brimming with information, free and available through the library’s website. Checking if anything new was discovered along the lines of my family tree, I found pictures had been added to different members. Sticking out in the middle of ambiguous heads representing my ancestors was a man from the 15th century.

Sir Nicholas Manley, a knight and lord of Poulton Chapel had been important enough to be painted. What I discovered, though, was the depth to which Poulton Chapel had been explored. In 1995, Chester Archaeology and University of Liverpool began investigating areas of Cheshire that were accessible and full of archaeological finds from multiple historic periods. The area was known to be included in Roman Occupation, archaeologists confirming this with two Roman buildings found on the site. The chapel likely had a close connection to local Cistercian monks who influenced the area until 1534. In 1487, the abbey leased the estate to the Manley family, who expanded with a nave, chancel, and tower.

In Sir Nicholas’s profile, I found mention of a BBC episode from their series, “Meet the Ancestors.” Airing in 1998, the BBC highlighted the work done at Poulton Chapel including unearthed skeletons. Unfortunately, the episode continues to elude me; however, the script was posted online. Despite the appearance of the site, the script seems accurate to my research and the Poulton Chapel website.

Poulton Chapel

Archaeological dig in 2002

Buried near the chapel, one skeleton stood out. Given Sir Nicholas’s fealty to his religion, the placement of the grave, and the age of the bones, researchers determined the skeleton likely to be Nicholas. Due to the BBC’s attention, the skeleton visited a bone specialist and Nicholas’s face was re-created with clay. During the episode, the hosts tracked down a relative, another Manley, living fairly close to the old chapel. He happened to have an old scroll buried in his attic depicting our family’s coat of arms, inspiring the name of the episode, “The Black Hand.”

All this new information prompted me to search for resources about the family, Poulton Chapel, “Meet the Ancestors,” and more. I knew these resources were niche and if any were available, they might be found across the country. I used WorldCat, a world-wide resource sharing catalog, to discover what was out there. Although I’m still trying to find the actual BBC episode, I did find a book, Meet the Ancestors, published after the show ended.

To get my hands on the item, I used a lesser known resource at the library: Interlibrary Loan. Just like our lending system (MORE) connects 54 libraries in the west-central Wisconsin area, libraries also have access to items beyond the area. Through Wiscat, the Wisconsin resource sharing catalog, and Worldcat, Interlibrary Loan (ILL) assistants request and process items from around the nation. The book I needed came from Michigan State University.

Currently, I’m still researching my family history. I have no doubt it’s a lifelong pursuit, but I hope to inspire others to try it out.