Townships: Chorlton-upon-Medlock

A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1911.

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'Townships: Chorlton-upon-Medlock', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4, ed. William Farrer, J Brownbill( London, 1911), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol4/pp251-254 [accessed 8 November 2024].

'Townships: Chorlton-upon-Medlock', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4. Edited by William Farrer, J Brownbill( London, 1911), British History Online, accessed November 8, 2024, https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol4/pp251-254.

"Townships: Chorlton-upon-Medlock". A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4. Ed. William Farrer, J Brownbill(London, 1911), , British History Online. Web. 8 November 2024. https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol4/pp251-254.

In this section

CHORLTON-UPON-MEDLOCK

Cherleton, 1196; Chorleton, Chorelton, 1212; Chorlton, 1278. Cholerton, perhaps by mistake, xv cent.

This township, formerly known as Chorlton Row, (fn. 1) lies on the south side of the Medlock, and has an area of 646½ acres. (fn. 2) It has long been urban in character, the plan of 1793 showing that a large number of streets were then being laid out. It was crossed near the centre by Cornbrook, and had Rusholme Brook, a tributary of the former, for its southern boundary. The district called Greenheys lies in the south-west, in the angle between the two brooks. In 1901 there was a population of 57,894.

The principal streets are Oxford Street and Upper Brook Street, going south-east from the centre of Manchester; the latter has an offshoot called Plymouth Grove, in a more easterly direction, reaching the Stockport Road, which runs along the eastern boundary, near Longsight. There are many public buildings in the township, in addition to churches and schools. On the west of Oxford Street is Grosvenor Square, on one side of which stands the town hall, built in 1831, with police station, dispensary, and school of art adjacent; the union offices are situated on another side of the square. Further to the south, in the same street, lie the extensive buildings of Owens College, founded in Quay Street in 1851, and transferred to this site in 1873; it is now the seat of the Victoria University of Manchester. On the border of the township is Whitworth Park, in which is an art gallery. The Royal Manchester College of Music is in Ducie Street. On the east side of Oxford Street is an Eye Hospital, while another hospital lies between Oxford Street and Upper Brook Street. To the east of the latter thoroughfare there is a Free Library, opened in 1866; (fn. 3) also the Rusholme Road Cemetery, formed in 1823 for the use of Protestant Dissenters. In Plymouth Grove is a large Home for the Aged. There are fire stations on the Stockport Road, and a drill shed at Greenheys.

The new Infirmary is within this township.

In 1666 the principal residence in Chorlton Row was that of Ellis Hey, with five hearths liable to the tax; in the whole township there were forty-nine. (fn. 4) Chorlton obtained a Police Act in 1822 (fn. 5) and a Lighting Act in 1832. (fn. 6) It was included in Manchester borough on incorporation in 1838, and was then divided into two wards, All Saints' and St. Luke's, on the west and east respectively. The township, as such, has now ceased to exist, and forms part of the new township of South Manchester, created in 1896.

Neolithic implements have been found. (fn. 7)

Thomas De Quincey, born in Manchester, lived in his youth at Greenheys, which was built by his father about 1791, and has recorded his memories of the place. (fn. 8) John Ashton Nicholls, philanthropist, was born in Grosvenor Street in 1823; he died in 1859. (fn. 9) Mrs. Gaskell resided in the township, and in Mary Barton described the district as it was in 1848. Sir Charles Hallé lived in Greenheys for about forty years.

MANOR

The manor of CHORLTON, which once included Beswick, or part of it, was at the beginning of the 13th century held of the king in thegnage by a local family; it was assessed as two plough-lands, and a rent of 20s. was the annual service. (fn. 10) Gospatrick de Chorlton was tenant in 1202, when his son Richard's widow claimed dower, (fn. 11) and in 1212, when the great survey was made. (fn. 12) He died in or before 1223, when his son Brun received seisin of one plough-land in Chorlton, having paid the king 2 marks as relief. (fn. 13) It probably escheated to the Crown soon afterwards, as it became part of the possessions of the Grelleys and La Warres, lords of Manchester, being held as one ploughland by the old service of 20s. (fn. 14)

Gospatrick had lost four oxgangs of land to Matthew son of William [de Hathersage] by wager of battle. (fn. 15) He had granted a further two oxgangs to his brother Adam, in view of Adam's fighting for him against William son of Wulfric de Withington. (fn. 16) Four oxgangs of land also he gave to Henry de Trafford, who held a fifth in 1212. (fn. 17)

The Grelleys, on acquiring the lordship, appear to have granted it, without exacting any service, to a junior branch of the family, as one Robert Grelley was in possession in 1278 (fn. 18) and was succeeded by a son John, who in 1334 alienated his lands in Chorlton to Henry de Trafford. (fn. 19) The Traffords thus acquired practically the whole manor, but part was afterwards held by the Traffords of Garrett. (fn. 20) The hall and its demesne lands were in 1590 sold by Sir Edmund Trafford to Ralph Sorocold of Golborne, (fn. 21) who sold it to Ellis Hey of Eccles, and in 1644 it was sold by the younger Ellis Hey (fn. 22) to Thomas Minshull, apothecary of Manchester. (fn. 23) The Minshulls also acquired the adjacent Garrett estate, and Hough Hall in Moston. The whole came by marriage into the possession of Roger Aytoun of Inchdarney in Fife, described as captain in the 72nd Regiment of Foot or Manchester Volunteers. (fn. 24) He squandered the estates, which were sold in 1775. Chorlton was purchased by John Dickenson of Manchester, and settled upon his nephew William Churchill Dickenson, who in 1793 obtained an Act of Parliament authorizing him to let the land on building leases. (fn. 25)

The two oxgangs of land held by the Chorlton family (fn. 26) afterwards came into the hands of the Entwisles of Entwisle. (fn. 27) This part was sold in the year 1551 (fn. 28) and probably dispersed soon afterwards (fn. 29)

The Minshulls were thus the first resident owners of importance, and there are but few references to Chorlton before the 17th century. (fn. 30) The land tax returns of 1784 show that the ownership was much divided; Roger Aytoun still had the largest share, paying about a fifth of the tax; then came John Taylor, the Gore-Booths, Mrs. Piggott, Mr. Melland, Mrs. Hyde, and John Dickenson. (fn. 31)

Minshull of Chorlton. Azure a crescent therefrom issuant an estoile argent.

Chorlton was recognized as a separate township before 1618, when its constables are mentioned. (fn. 32)

At one time GREENLOW HEATH appears to have been considered a separate township. (fn. 33) About 1320 it was demised to Sir John Byron and his wife for life at a rent of 100s. a year. (fn. 34) A century later it was in the possession of Thomas la Warre, with remainder to Sir John Byron, Robert de Langley, Robert son of John del Booth, and William del Booth; it was held of the king as of his duchy, and was worth 40s. clear per annum. (fn. 35)

The township having during the last century become a residential suburb of Manchester, a large number of places of worship have been built. For the Established Church St. Luke's was built in 1804; it was consecrated in 1858 and rebuilt in 1865; (fn. 36) All Saints', which has a mission church called St. Matthias', dates from 1820; (fn. 37) St. Saviour's, 1836; (fn. 38) St. Stephen's, 1853; (fn. 39) St. Paul's, 1862; (fn. 40) St. Clement's, Greenheys, 1881; (fn. 41) and St. Ambrose, 1884. The Bishop of Manchester collates to the last of these; the dean and canons present to All Saints'; the Rev. W. F. Birch, now rector, to St. Saviour's, and bodies of trustees to the others. The incumbents are styled rectors. In connexion with St. Ambrose's is St. David's Welsh church.

The Wesleyan Methodists have three churches and the United Free Church one, which superseded an older one, called the Tabernacle, in 1870. There is a Welsh Wesleyan chapel at Greenheys.

The Baptists have Union Church in Oxford Road and two others, one of them belonging to the Particular Baptists.

The Congregationalists have the Octagon in Stockport Road and five other churches; (fn. 42) and the Welsh Congregationalists have one. (fn. 43)

The Presbyterian Church of England has two places of worship; (fn. 44) and there was till lately St. Andrew's, Oxford Road. (fn. 45)

The Salvation Army has a meeting place, as also have the Church of United Friends, the Christadelphians, and the Unitarians.

There are places of worship also for the Armenians (Holy Trinity, Upper Brook Street) and for the German Protestants (in Greenheys).

The Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Name, opened in 1871, is served by the Jesuits; (fn. 46) those of the Holy Family, 1876, and St. Joseph, 1888, by secular clergy. There are houses of the Little Sisters of the Poor and others.

The Jews have a synagogue.

Footnotes

  • 1. This name is found in 1594; Ducatus Lanc. (Rec. Com.), iii, 299. It was usual down to the first part of last century. The name may be connected with the Roocroft mentioned in a deed cited below. Row is popularly supposed to have reference to a former avenue of trees from London Road up to Chorlton Hall, but the name is much older than any such row of trees. The epithet was due to a desire to distinguish the township from the other Chorlton, now called Chorlton with Hardy.
  • 2. 647 acres; Census Rep. 1901.
  • 3. The Female Penitentiary, founded in 1836, was formerly on this site.
  • 4. Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9.
  • 5. a 3 Geo. IV, cap. 14.
  • 6. 2 & 3 Will. IV, cap. 90.
  • 7. Lancs. and Ches. Antiq. Soc. v, 328.
  • 8. In Autobiographic Sketches and Confessions of an Opium Eater.
  • 9. Dict. Nat. Biog.
  • 10. Lancs. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), i, 69. This place occurs earlier in the Pipe Rolls, for in 1177–8 account was rendered of the ½ mark of aid due from it; Farrer, Lancs. Pipe R. 36. There is much danger of confusion between Chorlton in Manchester and Chorlton (Chollerton) in Withington, as is shown by Booker's Chorlton Chapel, &c.
  • 11. Final Conc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), i, 14; Ellen, the widow, received for life one oxgang of land out of two which Austin de Chorlton held; also four selions—two by Jordan's ditch and two by Jordan's selion—in return for the moiety of the capital messuage belonging to her oxgang. Gospatrick de Chorlton occurs about the same time in the Pipe Rolls; Lancs. Pipe R. 152, 205.
  • 12. Lancs. Inq. and Extents, i, 69, 128.
  • 13. Fine R. Excerpts (Rec. Com.), i, 103.
  • 14. In 1324 John la Warre held it; Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. 38b.
  • 15. Lancs. Inq. and Extents, i, 69. These oxgangs were by Matthew granted to the father of Richard and Jordan le Norreys of Heaton Norris, and became Jordan's by agreement in 1196; Final Conc. i, 5. Jordan's ditch and selion have been mentioned in a foregoing note.
  • 16. Lancs. Inq. and Extents, i, 70; a service of 3s. 4d. was due. Gospatrick's charter is in Harl. MS. 2112, fol. 165; and Stretford (Chet. Soc.), iii, 232. It referred to 'an eighth part of Chorlton.'
  • 17. Lancs. Inq. and Extents, i, 69; a rent of 6s. 3d., the due proportion for five oxgangs of land, was to be rendered. As to four of the oxgangs Gospatrick's grant to Henry son of Robert son of Ralph de Trafford is extant; it comprised the whole fourth part of Chorlton, viz., four oxgangs, two formerly held by Randle, one by Steinulf, and one by Robert son of Edwin—at a rent of 5s. yearly; De Trafford D. no. 122. The seal shows a conventional ornament with part of the legend:—SIGIL . . . PATI . . E CHARLTVN. In the division of the Trafford estates in 1278 Chorlton was given to Henry de Trafford; Final Conc. i, 154.
  • 18. The grantee was perhaps the John Grelley who in 1275 appeared with Henry de Chetham against Jordan de Trafford and Thomas Ball, alleging an assault at Chorlton; Coram Rege R. 18, m. 8. Three years later Robert Grelley was in possession, Peter Grelley demanding against him three plough-lands in Chorlton and Cuerdley; De Banco R. 24, m. 3; 31, m. 55. In 1306 Thomas Grelley demanded a messuage and six oxgangs of land in Chorlton by Manchester against Robert son of John Grelley, and a messuage and three oxgangs against Joan widow of John Grelley; De Banco R. 161, m. 481; see also R. 179, m. 181d.; 183, m. 398. This statement shows that the junior Grelleys held nine oxgangs—the remainder of the two plough-lands, after allowing for the holdings of the Trafford (5) and Chorlton (2) families. Somewhat earlier (in 1302 and 1303) Henry de Trafford, Thomas son of Jordan de Chorlton, and Amabel de Chorlton claimed 5 acres in Chorlton against John Grelley, but did not prosecute; Assize R. 418, m. 15d.; 419, m. 7. This John Grelley was probably the successor of the Robert of 1278 and father of the Robert of 1306. The suit then shows the three possessors of the manor contending among themselves. A later one shows them uniting against the superior lord; for in 1319 Henry de Trafford, Robert de Stanistreet, Robert son of John Grelley, and Thomas son of Jordan de Chorlton, appeared against John La Warre, Joan his wife, John de Strickland, Alice his wife, John de Hulton, and Jordan son of Henry de Oldham, respecting a tenement in Chorlton; Assize R. 424, m. 9. This or a similar suit was in 1324 continued by Robert son of John Grelley, Henry de Trafford, Robert the son and Agnes the widow of Thomas de Chorlton; Assize R. 426, m. 9. The only tenants of the La Warres named in 1320 were Henry de Trafford, five oxgangs, 6s. 3d. (part of 7s.); and Thomas de Chorlton, two oxgangs, 3s. 4d.; both were bound to grind at the Manchester mills; Mamecestre, ii, 278, 279. John La Warre in 1325 claimed 145½ acres of land in Manchester and Chorlton, in right of his wife Joan, against John de Strickland and Alice his wife; De Banco R. 258, m. 310d. The Grelleys of Chorlton held the manor of Allerton in Childwall parish.
  • 19. De Trafford D. no. 124, bearing John Grelley's seal. The bounds of his lands in the vill of Chorlton began in the centre of Shootersbrook (aqua de Schiter), followed the highway from Manchester to Stockport as far as the Medlock, thence by the said highway to Whitacre Ford and between Greenlow (Grindlow) Marsh and Chorlton Heath to Greenlow Cross, and as far as Greenlow Lache; along the lache between Chorlton Heath and Withington to Gooselache and by this lache down to Withinshaw, and so to 'Le Heghcres'; thence by the ditch between Hulme and Chorlton to the Medlock, and up stream to the starting point. It will be noticed that the whole of the later township is included, together with the Garrett estate in Ancoats. John Grelley retained an interest in the lands for his life, and in 1363 complained of waste of houses, &c., in Chorlton by Robert son of Sir Henry de Trafford; De Banco R. 416, m. 257. Henry de Trafford in 1389 granted to Sir Ralph de Radcliffe and Margery his wife (widow of Henry's father), for her life, 'two parts of his manor of Chorlton, which lately remained to the said Henry as his right after the death of John Grelley,' at a rent of 4 marks; De Trafford D. no. 125. The tenure of this portion of Chorlton seems to be defined in an inquisition of 1410, where Thomas de Trafford's six messuages, 100 acres of land, 20 acres of meadow, and water-mill are stated to be held of the lord of Manchester by rendering a clove gillyflower; Lancs. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 96. For other Trafford inquisitions, in which the statements vary, see ibid. i, 128; ii, 16. Ellen widow of Thomas de Trafford, in 1448, claimed dower against Henry de Trafford (a minor) in Chorlton and Manchester; Pal. of Lanc. Plea R. 11, m. 14b. According to the Manchester Rental of 1473 Henry Trafford held Chorlton by a rent of 6s.; Mamecestre, iii, 483. Sir Edmund Trafford, being seised of the manor of Chorlton, with meadow, pasture, and arable land appurtenant, leased the same in 1507 for thirty years to Richard Beswick and Margaret his wife. When left a widow, Margaret was expelled by Edmund Trafford and others in 1523; Duchy of Lanc. Plead. Hen. VIII, xvii, B. 5. Edmund Trafford died in 1563 holding lands in Chorlton of the lord of Manchester by a rent of 12d. only, so that some, probably, had been sold; Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. xi, 11.
  • 20. See the account of Garrett in Manchester.
  • 21. The statement of the descent of the manor is taken from Canon Raines in Notitia Cestr. ii, 83, 84, except where further references are given. It will be seen that it requires some correction. Sir Edmund Trafford was in 1578 seised of the vill of Chorlton, parcel of the manor of Manchester; Duchy of Lanc. Plead. cviii, W. 1. He died in 1590, and his son Edmund, who appears to have sold various parts of his inheritance, in Sept. 1590, demised or mortgaged Chorlton Hall and its lands to Ralph Sorocold, and followed this with further leases, including one of the tithes of Stretford (on lease from the warden and fellows of Manchester). He took possession again in 1598 after Ralph's death, alleging payment of his debt; for the widow Katherine, who had married Thomas Goodyear, made complaint; Duchy of Lanc. Plead. Eliz. clxxxvi, T. 14. Four years later Edmund Trafford, then high sheriff, complained that Adam Holland of Newton, after agreeing to purchase Chorlton Hall, paying £550 and a ground rent of 20s., had refused to pay, 'to the great inconvenience of the plaintiff, who was in need of the money'; ibid. ccvii, T. 4.
  • 22. Some part at least of the Hey lands in Withington and Chorlton was sold to the Mosleys before 1614; it was held of the king by the hundredth part of a knight's fee; Lancs. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), ii, 4, 66, 69. Ellis Hey is described as 'of Chorlton Hall' in 1665, when he recorded a pedigree; Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 133.
  • 23. Ibid. 199. The family were near akin to Elizabeth Minshull, Milton's third wife; Earwaker, East. Ches. i, 391. Thomas Minshull is frequently named in the Mancb. Ct. Leet Rec. but is not styled 'of Chorlton.' He was the son of Richard Minshull of Wistaston; he married Anne daughter of James Lightbowne, by whom he had several children, and died in 1698. Thomas, the eldest son, aged twenty-five in 1664, succeeded to Chorlton and died in 1702, the heir being his brother Richard, who died in or about 1722. His son Thomas died in 1749, leaving a son Thomas Samuel Minshull, who died without issue in 1755; his daughters and his brother George's daughter also died without issue, and by bequest the estates passed to Barbara Nabb, the widow of Thomas, who married Roger Aytoun in 1769, and died in 1783. This statement is from Piccope's MS. Pedigrees (Chet. Lib.), ii, 296. The bequest mentioned is recited in a lengthy abstract of the title of William Cooper, Samuel Marsland, Peter Marsland, and George Duckworth to a capital messuage called Chorlton Hall, with the lands, &c., belonging thereto, in Chorlton Row. By his will Richard Minshull of the Inner Temple (1722) devised all his lands to his wife for life, and then to his sons Thomas and George in tail male, and to his right heirs. Thomas the son in 1742–3 suffered a recovery to bar the entail, and by his will of 1744 left his estates to his son Thomas (Samuel), subject to the dower of his wife Barbara, and £1,500, the portion of his daughter Elizabeth, who afterwards married James Rivington, bookseller, of London. The son by his will of 1754 left Chorlton Hall to his mother for life, charged with an annuity to his grandmother Dorothy Nabb, then to trustees for his sister, his uncle George and daughter, and their issue, with final remainder to his mother (Barbara). In 1769, by the failure of all the heirs named, Barbara became possessed of the Minshull estates, and in 1770 there was a fine concerning Chorlton Hall, Garrett Hall, and other lands, Roger Aytoun and Barbara his wife being deforciants (Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 384, m. 8), quickly followed by various mortgages. Chorlton Hall was advertised for sale 25 Oct. 1774, and again in 1775 (Adams, Courant, 3 Jan.), being described as 'delightfully situated' and commanding an extensive prospect in the counties of York, Derby, and Chester, being about a mile from Manchester, and at 'an agreeable distance' from the great road from Manchester to London. A considerable part of the land lay up to the end of the town of Manchester, and was 'very proper for building upon.' The hall contained five rooms on a floor, including the entrance or hall part, which was large and elegant; there was a very large kitchen with brewhouse, laundry, servants' hall, pantries, etc., all with good chambers over; the outbuildings included stabling for sixteen horses, &c. Hough Hall and Garrett Hall were advertised at the same time. In the same year Joshua Marriott secured from Roger Aytoun and Barbara his wife Chorlton Hall, Garrett Hall, and various lands; Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 394, m. 16. The abstract quoted shows that Roger Aytoun's interest in the hall and various parcels of the land did not cease with this sale, as he went on mortgaging them. In 1779 he was residing in Scotland, and made a further release to Joshua Marriott and others. His wife died in 1783. William Nabb, probably a relative, died between 1787 and 1789; and Roger Aytoun's interest in the estate seems to have finally ceased in 1792, the sum then paid being £42,914 for the portion to which the abstract refers. His debts in 1787 amounted to £16,900, the principal creditor being Radcliffe Sidebottom, £11,000. It does not appear for whom William Cooper and the others were acting.
  • 24. The regiment was raised chiefly by the efforts and money of Roger Aytoun; it took part in the defence of Gibraltar in 1781–2.
  • 25. 33 Geo. III, cap. 50: 'An Act to impower William Churchill Dickinson, esquire, to grant building leases, renewable leases, and make conveyances in fee, of and upon all or any part of the estates at Chorlton Row, devised by the will of John Dickinson esquire deceased, situate near the town of Manchester in the County Palatine of Lancaster.'
  • 26. A few particulars of this family will be found in preceding notes.
  • 27. The eighth part of the manor of Chorlton was in 1420 settled upon John Entwisle and his wife Margaret, with remainder to the latter's heirs; Final Conc. iii, 76. Ellis Entwisle in 1473 held a messuage and lands in Chorlton of the lord of Manchester by the (ancient) rent of 3s. 4d.; Mamecestre, iii, 482. A similar statement is made in the inquisition after the death of Edmund Entwisle in 1544; Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. vii, 30.
  • 28. Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 14, m. 247. See also the account of Entwisle.
  • 29. Edward Tyldesley of Morleys bequeathed ten messuages in Chorlton, Rusholme, and Manchester to William his third son for life, with remainder to Edward son and heir of testator's son Thomas; they were held of John Lacy as of his manor of Manchester in socage by a rent of 18d.; Duchy of Lancs. Inq. p.m. xiv, 10. The reduction in the free rent indicates that much had been sold.
  • 30. Humphrey Booth of Salford in 1635 held lands in Chorlton of the lord of Manchester; Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. xxvii, 44. The lands were probably part of the Garrett estate purchased rom Thomas Leigh of High Legh (East Hall) in 1619; Manch. Ct. Leet Rec. iii, 17. Edmund Prestwich of Hulme held lands in Chorlton at his death in 1629, and devised them for life to his younger sons; the tenure is not stated; Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. xxvii, 74; Manch. Ct. Leet Rec. iii, 152. Adam Jepson, of Chorlton Row and Moston, left his estates to his daughter Jane, who married the James Lightbowne whose sister Anne married Thomas Minshull; Booker, Blackley, 191, 172; Manch. Ct. Leet Rec. iv, 168. George Worsley of Blakestake in Chorlton is mentioned in 1677; ibid. vi, 36. The estate of Thomas Stockton was in dispute in 1701; Exch. Dep. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), 99, 101.
  • 31. Land tax returns at Preston.
  • 32. Manch. Constables' Accts. i, 42; also i, 20, 28, 29; see also Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), i, 151; the contributor to the subsidy in 1622 was Ralph Hudson, 'in goods.' He died in 1630, leaving lands in Chorlton to his son Ralph; Manch. Ct. Leet Rec. iii, 169.
  • 33. See a deed quoted under Gorton. The name is often corrupted to Grindlow. In 1326 the king confirmed a grant of lands in Greenlow Heath made by John La Warre to Robert (son of John) Grelley and Ellen his wife; Cal. Pat. 1324–7, p. 304.
  • 34. Mamecestre (Chet. Soc.), ii, 364. The land measured 139 acres and was valued at 8d. an acre rent. It is perhaps the same as the 'Grenlaw more' of the inquisition of 1282; Lancs. Inq. and Extents, i, 244.
  • 35. Chan. Inq. p.m. 5 Hen. VI, no. 54. The description reads: 'Three messuages, 140 acres of land, 10 acres of meadow, and 20 acres of pasture in Greenlow heath, beginning at the Roocroft, and so following between the Roocroft and the hedge of Whitaker up to the mete of Chorlton Edge, thence between Chorlton Edge and Greenlow heath up to Balshagh field, and so following between the mete of Rusholme and Greenlow heath up to the mete of Holt, and so following between the mete of Holt and Greenlow heath up to the highway leading from Stockport to Manchester, and so following the highway up to Roocroft.'
  • 36. The district was formed in 1859; Lond. Gaz. 2 Dec. The church adjoins the old Chorlton Hall, the remaining part of which is the rectory house. The inscriptions are in the Owen MSS.
  • 37. It has had a district chapelry from 1839, reconstituted in 1859; Lond. Gaz. 29 Mar. 1839; 2 Dec. 1859.
  • 38. For the district, first formed in 1837, see ibid. 1 July 1856.
  • 39. The district was formed in 1856; ibid. 1 July.
  • 40. The district was assigned in 1862; ibid. 22 July.
  • 41. This church succeeded St. Clement's in Manchester, now demolished.
  • 42. From Nightingale, Lancs. Nonconf. (vi, 166–74), it appears that Rusholme Road Chapel was opened in 1826. Another in Tipping Street, begun about 1835, was given up in 1881, the congregation joining Stockport Road Church, which had been formed in 1868; the first building of the latter was opened in 1871, the present Octagon Church succeeding it in 1893. Greenheys Church is an offshoot from that in Chorlton Road, and was formed in 1870–71; ibid. vi, 178. Cavendish Street represents a removal from Mosley Street, Manchester, a chapel dating from 1788. The removal took place in 1848, during the pastorate of Dr. Halley, who in 1858 was succeeded by the late Dr. Joseph Parker of the City Temple, London; ibid. vi, 142–7.
  • 43. Ibid. vi, 206. The work began in 1842 in Hulme, and removed to Chorlton in 1859; the present church was opened in 1863.
  • 44. That in Brunswick Street, built in 1857, represents the church founded in 1798 in Lloyd Street, Manchester; that in Grosvenor Square, built in 1850, was founded in 1830.
  • 45. St. Andrew's was closed in 1902, and is now a furniture shop.
  • 46. Services began a year or two earlier in Portsmouth Street.