Downham
Select map to view larger area
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)

Archives and libraries

Local studies information is held at Clitheroe library.

Cemeteries

Census

Details about the census records, and indexes for Downham.

Church History

Church Records

You can also perform a more selective search for churches in the Downham area that are recorded in the GENUKI church database. This will also help identify churches in nearby townships and/or parishes. You also have the option to see the location of the churches marked on a map.

If you keep this page loaded for a very long time and the database is updated since loading it, the church links above may become stale and may display the wrong church. If this happens, reloading this page will correct them.

Civil Registration

The Register Office covering the Downham area is Ribble Valley.

Description and Travel

You can see pictures of Downham which are provided by:

Gazetteers

Ask for the gazetteer for a calculation of the distance from Downham to another place.

Historical Geography

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

Maps

View maps of Downham and places within its boundaries.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SD784442 (Lat/Lon: 53.893522, -2.330170), Downham which are provided by:

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.

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.