Meet the Peterloo Experts

Michala is a professional genealogist and social historian at Manchester Metropolitan University.

She is based at the Manchester Centre for Public History & Heritage, specialising in the period 1800-1950.

Michala is founder of Unearth the Past; A professional history research company, specialising in corporate and family history.

Her personal research interests include living and dying in Victorian Britain, with a particular focus on the experience of the working classes, crime and street gangs.

She has made over 60 appearances on local radio and has featured in national and regional TV programmes, such as Channel 4’s Great Canal Journeys, BBC’s Heir Hunters, Who Do You Think You Are?, Channel 4’s Genealogy Roadshow, BBC Breakfast, Channel 5 News, BBC News and Granada News.

Michala has written for and has featured in several newspapers and magazines, such as the Mail, The Stylist, The Daily Mirror, M.E.N and Who Do You Think You Are Magazine? She is a published author with the History Press – her books focus on the ‘grim’ side of living in a Victorian city.

She is the Editor of the new Public History and Heritage NW Magazine and the former Editor of the Manchester Region History Review. Find out more.

Robert is a leading academic on the history of the Peterloo Massacre of 1819, a major episode in the history of Manchester and of British democracy.

He has recently completed his book, Peterloo: the English Uprising, published by OUP in 2019. He has also written several articles on Peterloo and related subjects for journals such as Past and Present, History and Labour History Review, and edited a Peterloo edition of the Manchester Region History Review.

Robert, as consultant historian to the Peterloo 2019 commemoration programme, supported the work of museums, galleries, libraries, community groups, film and documentary makers and the Manchester International Festival for events in 2019.

He has appeared on the Radio 4 programme The Matter of the North – the Radical North and various other TV and radio programmes. He also co-authored graphic novel – Peterloo: Witness to a Massacre.

Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society, FHS was formed in 1964 and is now one of the largest family history societies in the world. Although the Society is united by a common interest in Genealogy and Family History, members also pursue interests in closely related fields. Many are also local historians, whilst others share an interest in the application of computers to genealogy.

The Society and its Branches, between them, offer around 50 meetings a year at which an invited speaker or a Society member will speak on a topic of genealogical interest. To become a member and to find out more.