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Downham

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DOWNHAM, a township and a chapelry in Whalley parish, Lancashire. The township lies on the river Ribble, at the boundary with Yorkshire, 2 miles NE of Chatburn r. station, and 3 NE of Clitheroe; and has a post office under Blackburn. Acres, 1,870. Real property, £2,211. Pop., 292. Houses, 70. The chapelry is larger than the township. Pop., 433. The property is divided among a few. The manor, with Downham Hall, belongs to the Asshetons. Some of the inhabitants are cotton-spinners. Limestone, of curiously fossiliferous character, is quarried. The living is a p. curacy in the diocese of Manchester. Value, £129.* Patrons, Hulme's Trustees. The church is good; and there is a Wesleyan chapel. A school has £26 from endowment; and other charities £10.

John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72)

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Archives & Libraries

Local studies information is held at Clitheroe library.

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Census

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Civil Registration

The Register Office covering the Downham area is Ribble Valley.

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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Downham which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

"DOWNHAM, a township in the parish of Whalley, upper division of the hundred of Blackburn, in the county palatine of Lancaster, 2 miles S.E. of Chatburn station on the Lancashire and West Yorkshire railway, and 3 N.E. of Clitheroe. The inhabitants are employed in cotton spinning and in agriculture. Limestone and grit-stone are quarried. In the former are many curious fossils. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Manchester, value £129, in the patronage of Hulme's Trustees. The church, dedicated to St. Peter, is a stone structure in the early English style of architecture. The Wesleyans have a chapel, and there is a National school with an endowment of £25 per annum, the bequest of Ralph Assheton. The charities produce about £11 per annum. William Assheton, Esq., is lord of the manor."

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Historical Geography

In 1835 Downham was a township in the Parish of Whalley.

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Maps

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View maps of Downham and places within its boundaries.

View a map of the boundaries of this town/parish.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SD797433 (Lat/Lon: 53.885725, -2.310246), Downham which are provided by:

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Probate Records

For probate purposes prior to 1858, Downham was in the Archdeaconry of Chester, in the Diocese of Chester. The original Lancashire wills for the Archdeaconry of Chester are held at the Lancashire Record Office.

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Societies

You can also see Family History Societies covering the nearby area, plotted on a map. This facility is being developed, and is awaiting societies to enter information about the places they cover.