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Wallasey

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"WALLAZEY, a parish in the lower division of the hundred of WIRRALL, county palatine of CHESTER, comprising the townships of Liscard, Poulton with Sea- comb, and Wallazey, and containing 1169 inhabitants, of which number, 444 are in the township of Wallazey, ll¾ miles (N. by E.) from Great Neston. The living is a discharged rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Chester, rated in the king's books at £11.0.2½., and in the patronage of the Bishop of Chester. The church, dedicated to St. Hilary, was rebuilt about seventy years ago, excepting the tower, which bears the date 1560: it stands in the centre of the parish,... There was another church, prior to the dissolution, appropriated to Birkenhead abbey, but there are no traces of it: the way leading to its site is called Kirkway. Wallazey forms the north-west corner of the county: it is a peninsula of a triangular form, bounded on the west by the Irish sea, on the north-east by the Mersey, and on the south-east by a branch of the Mersey, called Wallazey Pool: ... .... The principal house in the village is an ancient mansion by the sea side, denominated Mockbeggar Hall, or, more properly, Leasowe Castle, formerly a seat of the Egertons, which has been converted by its proprietor, Col. Edward Cust, into a commodious hotel ... A handsome pillar near it, with an inscription, has been erected to the memory of the colonel's mother-in-law, Mrs. Barde, who was thrown out of her carriage and killed on the spot. On the Black rock, at the north-west point of the parish, a very strong fort, mounting fifteen guns of the largest calibre, has been lately built; and, further in the sea, a small lighthouse, on the plan of the Eddystone lighthouse, is in progress of erection. ...  ... The grammar school was founded, in 1666, by Major Henry Moels, and completed by his brother, who, with Mr. Henry Young, endowed it with a house and garden at Poulton cum Seacomb, and about thirty-seven acres of land, now let for £35 a year, which, with the interest of £100, and some other benefactions, constitutes the salary of the master. The old school-house, ..., was pulled down and rebuilt on another site, in 1799. It affords a free English education to all boys of the parish. Steamboats cross the ferry every hour from Seacomb to Liverpool, which is directly opposite to it. At Liscard, on the banks of the river, is a magazine, where all ships entering the port of Liverpool deposit their gunpowder, prior to admission into the docks." [From Samuel Lewis A Topographical Dictionary of England  (1831) ©Mel Lockie]

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  • Wallasey, also a township in Wallasey ancient parish, Wirral hundred (SJ 2992), became a civil parish in 1866.
  • Since 1974 it has been an unparished area in the county of Merseyside.
  • It includes the hamlet of Leasowe.
  • The population was 274 in 1801, 1195 in 1851, 4169 in 1901, 101369 in 1951, and 84388 in 2001.
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Cemeteries

  • Wallasey Cemetery, Rake Lane. Opened 1883.
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Civil Registration

  • Wirral (1837-61)
  • Birkenhead (1861-1936)
  • Wallasey (1936-98)
  • Wirral (1998+)
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Court Records

  • Wirral (1828-1910)
  • Wallasey (Borough) (1910-1974)
  • Wirral (1974+)
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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Wallasey which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

"WALLASEY, a parish in the lower division of Wirrall hundred, county Chester, 4 miles N. of Birkenhead, its post town, and 11 from Great Neston. Steamboats ply continuously from Egremont and Seacombe ferries to Liverpool. This parish, situated in the N.W. corner of the county, is a peninsula of a triangular form, bounded on the W. by the Irish Sea, on the N.E. by the Mersey, and on the S.E. by a branch of the Mersey called Wallasey Pool. The village, which is much frequented for sea-bathing, occupies a site at the mouth of the river Mersey, opposite Liverpool, near Black Rock fort. The parish contains the hamlets of Lisceard, Poulton-cum-Seacombe, Egremont, and New Brighton. Many houses have recently been erected along the banks of the Mersey. The soil is chiefly sandy, with a subsoil of rock. During the excavation of Wallasey Pool, horns of the Cervus Elephas were discovered. In the vicinity is a lighthouse, which has been removed inland twice, in consequence of the encroachments of the sea; and on the Black Rock, at the N.W. point of the parish, is a fort, mounting 15 guns. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Chester, value £540, in the patronage of the bishop. The church, dedicated to St. Hilary, was recently erected in place of the old one, which was burnt in 1857. In addition to the parish church are the district churches of New Brighton, St. John's, Lisceard, and Seacombe, the livings of which are perpetual curacies The parochial charities produce about £119 per annum, of which £94 go to the free grammar school. The principal residence is Leasowe Castle, formerly the seat of the Egertons; and near it is an enclosure, formerly a common, where races were run till 1760. It was here that the Duke of Monmouth ran his horse, in the reign of Charles II., won the plate, and presented it to the daughter of the Mayor of Chester."

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Historical Geography

Places associated with Wallasey ancient parish with separate pages

 

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SJ294923 (Lat/Lon: 53.42247, -3.06407), Wallasey which are provided by:

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Politics & Government

  • Wallasey Urban Sanitary District (1875-94)
  • Wallasey Urban District (1894-1910)
  • Wallasey Municipal Borough (1910-13)
  • Wallasey County Borough (1913-74)
  • Wirral Metropolitan Borough [Merseyside] (1974+)
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Wirral (1836-61)
  • Birkenhead (1861-1930)
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Voting Registers

  • South Cheshire (1832-67)
  • West Cheshire (1868-85)
  • Wirral (1885-1915)
  • Wallasey (1918-74) *

* The areas added to Wallasey in 1928 and 1933 remained in the Wirral division until 1948.