A RETIRED teacher has taken a trip back in time through eight generations of her family.

And Anne Park has now published a book charting the family history of some of East Lancashire's popular names.

She began the book charting the Sefton family when she took early retirement 20 years ago and now hopes it will help others who want to look into their own family tree.

Names included in the book are Ashworth, Farnworth, Knowles, Marriott, Marsden, Tattersall, Pickup, Turner, Waddington, Walsh, Wood and Whittaker.

Nathan Sefton, Anne's great-great-great-great-grandfather, was from Bencock, in Pleasington and it is with him that the book begins.

Anne's own parents, Ernest and Doris, also lived in Blackburn and owned a butchers shop in Bolton Road, but moved to Norwich in 1927.

She remembers visiting the shop in her childhood and returned to the area from her Lancaster home on a weekly basis while researching her book, published by Scotforth Books.

The publication paints a vivid picture of life in the 250 years it covers while describing the development of Blackburn, the building of canals, roads and railways, unemployment, poverty, disease and squalor.

It also includes tales of illegitimacy and suicide along the way.

Anne, 75, said: "It seems to have upset one branch of the family where someone married three times, but it had to be included for the facts to be accurate. When I finally finished I was obviously relieved, but it was a bit of an anticlimax really after all that work.

"I'm hoping now that those whose names feature may be interested to see where they fit in."

Old Nathan Sefton includes 11 pedigrees and more than 100 illustrations made up of family letters, advertisements and photographs.

Anyone interested in seeing where their family fits in can contact Anne for a copy, £9.95 plus postage and packaging, on 01524 65504.