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Manchester

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"MANCHESTER, a city, a township, a district, a parish, and a diocese in Lancashire. The city stands at an intersection of Roman roads, on the rivers Irwell, Irk, and Medlock, at the termini of varions canals, and at a convergence of railways, 31 miles W by N of Liverpool, 85 NNW of Birmingham, and 188¼ NW of London. Railways go from it, in all directions, to all parts of the kingdom; canals give it water communication with the eastern and the western seas, and with most parts of England; and conveyances, of all suitable kinds, connect it with places not touched by railway or canal."
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John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72)

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Archives & Libraries

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Cemeteries

Manchester Cemeteries and Crematoria. Transcripts of Gravestones are often in the archives at Manchester Central Library.

  • St. Mary's Parsonage
  • St. Ann's Manchester
  • Christ Church, Hulme
  • Cross Street, (Unitarian)
  • Platt Chapel, Wilmslow Road, Rusholme (Unitarian)
  • Manchester Cathedral
  • Dob Lane Chapel, Failsworth (Unitarian)
  • St. Augustine's R.C. Granby Row
  • Grosvenor Street Chapel and Roby Sunday School (Congregationalist)
  • St. James's, Didsbury
  • St. John's, Deansgate
  • St. Peter's, Mosley Street
  • All Saint's, Oxford Road, Chorlton on Medlock
  • Every Street, Ancoats (Non-denominational)
  • Rusholme Road, Chorlton on Medlock (Non-conformist)
  • Manchester General, Harpurhey (Non-denominational)
  • Ardwick, Lord Street, Hyde Road (Non-denominational)
  • St. Luke's, Chorlton on Medlock
  • Old Moat Lane Burial Ground, Withington (Methodist)
  • St. Peter's Blackley
  • St. Michael's Angel Street and Style Street
  • All Saints, Newton Heath, Orford Road

The following have been transcribed but are waiting to be bound

  • Unitarian Burial Ground, Blackley
  • St. Barnabas, South Street, Openshaw
  • St. Clement's, Old Church Yard, Chorlton Green, Chorlton cum Hardy
  • Christ church, Harpurhey
  • St. Saviour's, Plymouth Grove
  • All Saint's, Newton Heath "Old Burial Ground"
  • Cheetham Hill Wesleyan Burial Ground
  • St. Jame's, Gorton
  • St. Mark's, Cheetham
  • Ardwick Cemetery (1838-1968)
  • Cheetham Hill Weslyan Cemetery (1815-1968)
  • Rusholme Road Cemetery (1823-1933)
  • Also Records of Withington Workhouse
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Census

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Churches

There are more than 30 churches identified in this place. Please click here for a complete list.
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Church History

Details about Manchester church history.

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Civil Registration

The Register Office covering the Manchester area is Manchester.

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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Manchester which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

Topographical Dictionary of England, Samuel Lewis - 1831

MANCHESTER, a parish in the hundred of SALFORD, county palatine of LANCASTER, comprising the manufacturing and market town of Manchester, the chapelries of Ardwick, Blackley, Cheetham, Chorlton cum Hardy, Denton, Didsbury, Gorton, Heaton-Norris, Newton, Salford, and Stretford, and the townships of Beswick, Bradford, Broughton, Burnage, Chorlton-row, Crumpsall, Droylsden, Failsworth, Harpurhey, Houghton, Hulme, Levenshulme, Moss-Side, Moston, Openshaw, Reddish, Rushulme, and Withington, and containing, according to the last census, 186,942 inhabitants, of which number, including Salford, 133,788 are in the town of Manchester, 36 miles (E. by N.) from Liverpool (but only 31 by the rail-road), 54 (S.E.by S.) from Lancaster, and 186 (N. W. by N.) from London. The origin of this town, which is remarkable for the extent of its trade and the importance of its manufactures) may be traced to a period of remote antiquity. In the time of the Druids, it was distinguished as one of the principal stations of their priests, and celebrated for the privilege of sanctuary attached to its altar, which, in the British language, was called Meyne, signifying a stone. Prior to the Christian era, it was one of the principal seats of the Brigantes, who had a castle, or strong hold, called Mancenion, or the place of tents, near the confluence of the rivers Medlock and Irwell, the site of which, still called the "Castle Field," was by the Romans, on their conquest of this part of the island under Agricola, about the year 79, selected as the station of the Cohors Prima Frisiorum, and, with reference to its original British name, called by them Mancunium; hence its Saxon name Manceastre, from which its modern appellation is obviously derived.

MANCHESTER, a parish in the hundred of SALFORD, county palatine of LANCASTER, comprising the manufacturing and market town of Manchester, the chapelries of Ardwick, Blackley, Cheetham, Chorlton cum Hardy, Denton, Didsbury, Gorton, Heaton-Norris, Newton, Salford, and Stretford, and the townships of Beswick, Bradford, Broughton, Burnage, Chorlton-row, Crumpsall, Droylsden, Failsworth, Harpurhey, Houghton, Hulme, Levenshulme, Moss-Side, Moston, Openshaw, Reddish, Rushulme, and Withington, and containing, according to the last census, 186,942 inhabitants, of which number, including Salford, 133,788 are in the town of Manchester, 36 miles (E. by N.) from Liverpool (but only 31 by the rail-road), 54 (S.E.by S.) from Lancaster, and 186 (N. W. by N.) from London. The origin of this town, which is remarkable for the extent of its trade and the importance of its manufactures) may be traced to a period of remote antiquity. In the time of the Druids, it was distinguished as one of the principal stations of their priests, and celebrated for the privilege of sanctuary attached to its altar, which, in the British language, was called Meyne, signifying a stone. Prior to the Christian era, it was one of the principal seats of the Brigantes, who had a castle, or strong hold, called Mancenion, or the place of tents, near the confluence of the rivers Medlock and Irwell, the site of which, still called the "Castle Field," was by the Romans, on their conquest of this part of the island under Agricola, about the year 79, selected as the station of the Cohors Prima Frisiorum, and, with reference to its original British name, called by them Mancunium; hence its Saxon name Manceastre, from which its modern appellation is obviously derived.

The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

"MANCHESTER, a parish, municipal and parliamentary borough, township, union, and episcopal see, in the hundred of Salford, county palatine of Lancaster, 162 miles from London, situate in a low tract of ground on each side of the Irwell, at the confluence of the Medlock and Irk. Its ancient name was variously Manaurium, Manutium, or Mancunium. It was created a parliamentary borough at the passing of the Reform Bill in 1832, and contains the following parishes: Ancoats, Ardwick, Berwick, Birch, Blackley, Bradford, Broughton, Burnage, Cheetham, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Chorlton-cum-Medlock, Crumpsall, Denton, Didsbury, Droylsden, Failsworth, Gorton, Harpurhey, Haughton, Heaton Norris, Hulme, Levenshulme, Longsight, Moss-side, Morton, Newton, Openshaw, Platt, Redbank, Reddish, Rusholme, Stretford, and Withington. Manchester is now the great seat of the cotton manufacture, and as it possesses advantageous railway communication with every important town in the kingdom, is alike prosperous and populous, and has risen to a position of the first magnitude. The chief public buildings are-the Royal Exchange, originally a semicircular structure, situated at the junction of Market- street, W. end, and St. Ann's square; was enlarged in 1838, and opened in 1840, and then further enlarged to present dimensions in 1847; principal room, 185 feet by 94; height, 60; total area, 1,668 square yards; is divided longitudinally by two light colonnades into three avenues, the columns being Ionic, copied from the Temple of Erectheus; the stone of the present edifice was laid on the 1st May, 1847; opened to subscribers 19th May, 1849.

"OLDFIELD ROAD, a station on the western section of the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway. It is the first station after leaving Manchester."

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Historical Geography

In 1835 the parish of Manchester contained the townships of Manchester, Blackley, Moston, Failsworth, Crumpsall, Broughton, Salford, Stretford, Cheetham, Harpurhey, Newton Heath, Beswick, Bradford, Droylsden, Openshaw, Hulme, Chorlton on Medlock, Ardwick, Gorton, Denton, Haughton, Moss Side, Rusholme, Kirkmanshulme, Levenshulme, Reddish, Chorlton cum Hardy, Withington, Burnage, Didsbury, Heaton Norris,

Manchester used to be in the county of Lancashire until 1974 when it became part of the new county of Greater Manchester which is divided into 10 metropolitan boroughs. These are Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, and Wigan. The total population is over 2.5 million.

Each Metropolitan Borough comprises a big town together with the surrounding smaller towns, villages and countryside. Most of the names are self explanatory. For example the metropolitan borough of Stockport includes the towns of Stockport, Cheadle, Gatley, Bramhall, Hazel Grove, Marple, Romiley, Bredbury, etc.

The names of two of the metropolitan boroughs are not obvious. A neutral name was chosen because, at the time they were created, there was no agreement on the town to be put forward as the centre. However, Tameside is based on Ashton-under-Lyne, and Trafford is centred on Stretford.

Information about boundaries and administrative areas is available from A Vision of Britain through time.

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History

A description of the city of Manchester in 1865 taken from Slater's Directory, gives an interesting view of what it was like in Victorian times.

A description of Manchester in times past.

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Maps

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View maps of Manchester and places within its boundaries.

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

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SJ841983 (Lat/Lon: 53.480869, -2.241077), Manchester which are provided by:

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Military History

A brief history of the Manchester Regiment.

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Names, Personal

Names from Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows Directory (1915/6), extracted by Ted Wildy.

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

The Workhouse site has an interesting description of Manchester workhouse.

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Probate Records

For probate purposes prior to 1858, Manchester 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.