Eccleston
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ECCLESTON, a village and a township in Chorley district; and a parish in Chorley and Wigan districts, Lancashire. The village stands on the river Yarrow, 2 miles E of Croston r. station, and 4½ W of Chorley; was once a market-town; had also fairs on 14 April and 4 Nov.; and has a post office under Chorley. The town ship comprises 2,085 acres. Real property, £4,891. Pop. in 1851, 671; in 1861, 965. Houses, 184. The parish contains also the townships of Heskin, Parbold, and Wrightington. Acres, 8,361. Real property, £18,076; of which £830 are in mines, and £461 in quarries. Pop., 3,496. Houses, 655. The property is not much divided. The increase of pop. in Eccleston township between 1851 and 1861 arose from the erection of cotton factories. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Manchester. Valne, £965.* Patron, Will. Yates, Esq. The church is ancient. The vicarage of Douglas and the p. curacy of Wrightington are separate benefices. There are three dissenting chapels, a R. Catholic chapel, a free grammar school, and charities £50.

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

Archives and libraries

Local studies information is held at Chorley library.

Cemeteries

Census

Details about the census records, and indexes for Eccleston.

Church History

Church Records

You can also perform a more selective search for churches in the Eccleston 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.

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Civil Registration

The Register Office covering the Eccleston area is Chorley.

Description and Travel

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Gazetteers

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Historical Geography

In 1835 the parish of Eccleston contained the townships of Eccleston, Heskin, Wrightington and Parbold.

Maps

View maps of Eccleston and places within its boundaries.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SD520170 (Lat/Lon: 53.647287, -2.727625), Eccleston which are provided by:

Probate Records

For probate purposes prior to 1858, Eccleston 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.