Upton, Holy Ascension , near Chester, Cheshire Genealogy

History
Upton,Holy Ascension is an Ecclesiastical Parish in the county of Cheshire, created in 1743 from Upton by Chester chapelry in Chester St Mary on the Hill Ancient Parish. The parish includes Little Mollington, Moston, and Mollington Banastre. Upton is a large suburb of Chester.

Church Records
Chester, St. Mary on the Hill (C of E). The ancient parish church for Upton. Upton, Holy Ascension (C of E). Built in 1854 as a chapel to St Mary on the Hill. From 1882 the parish church for part of Blacon cum Crabwall and, Little Mollington, Moston (near Chester) and Upton by Chester. Registers of Baptisms 1854–1991, Marriages 1875–1997 and Burials 1853–1976 have been deposited at the Cheshire Record Office

Parish registers for Upton, 1854-1983 Upton is a township-chapelry in St. Mary-in-the-Hill parish in Chester. The church is known as Holy Ascension. Cheshire Record Office call number: P 76/1/1-2, P 76/2/1-2, P 76/3/1-2, P176/4790/1-3, P 176/2/3, P 176/4069/6-7.

Baptisms, 1854-1943. Marriages, 1875-1940. Burials, 1853-1958. FS Library BRITISH Film 2105378 Items 5 - 10 Marriage banns, 1875-1908, 1930-1951. Marriages, 1940-1950. Burials, 1958-1976. Register of graves, 1877-1983. VAULT BRITISH Film 2262944 Items 6 - 11

Non-Conformist Churches
Upton, United Reformed Church (Independent/Congregational), Heath Road. Built in 1860, rebuilt in 1900. The Cheshire Record catalogue contains details:

Church records include membership rolls; minutes; accounts; correspondence; and deeds. Blacon (CR167) This church originated in 1946 as Blacon United Free Church, which joined the Cheshire Congregational Union in 1948. In 1954, the church united with the Congregational church in Sealand Road, but the union was dissolved in 1965. The present building was erected in 1963 and in 1972, the church became Blacon United Reformed Church.. 25 vols., 16 docs., 51 bundles 1944-75 Great Boughton (CR158) This church opened in 1866 as a daughter church of Queen Street Congregational Church. It became independent of the mother church in 1867 and a new church building was opened in 1873. The church became a United Reformed church in 1972, but closed in 1976. Its records include a baptism register, 1872-1902 and a marriage register, 1874-78. 29 vols., 23 docs., 103 bundles, 2 plans, 14 other items. 1863-1970 Hoole (CR151/116; CR225) A preaching station was established in Hoole in 1887. This was replaced in 1894 by a non sectarian mission, which built a mission house in Walker Street. In 1908, this became a branch chapel of Queen Street Congregational Church. The present church in Hoole Road was built in 1958 and became Hoole United Reformed Church in 1972. 10 vols., 5 docs., 5 bundles, 10 other items 1894-1968 Northgate (CR416) This church opened in Upper Northgate Street in 1875 and closed in 1967. 3 vols. 1953-67 Queen Street (CR151/1-104) This was the first Congregational church in Chester and opened in 1777. It closed in 1964 following fire damage. Its records include baptism registers, 1848-55, 1861-88, 1909-10; marriage registers, 1848-55, 1880-88; and burial registers, 1848-54, 1880. 48 vols., 27 docs., 22 bundles, 1 plan, 6 other items 1772-1964 Upton (CR151/117-119; CR417) A daughter chapel of Queen Street Congregational Church was opened in Upton in 1860. It was replaced by the present church in 1900, but the minister at Queen Street had pastoral oversight at Upton until 1947. It became a United Reformed church in 1972. 3 vols., 1 doc., 1 bundle, 1 other item 1902-75 Vicar's Cross (CR151/105-115) This church opened in 1964 following the closure of Queen Street Congregational Church. It became a United Reformed church in 1972. 2 vols., 1 doc., 3 bundles, 1 plan, 4 other items 1964-68 AdminHistory Congregationalism in Chester originated in the secession of a small group of worshippers from the Matthew Henry Chapel in 1765. The group held meetings in a room on the south side of Commonhall Lane and in 1770 acquired a larger room which became known as Commonhall Lane Chapel. In 1772, a church covenant was signed and a resident minister appointed. The growth of the congregation led to the erection of a chapel in Queen Street in 1776-77. In the 1840s and 1850s, open air preaching began in Boughton, Handbridge and Upton and chapels were subsequently built in these suburbs and later in Upper Northgate Street and Hoole. In 1972, the Congregational Church in England and Wales and the Presbyterian Church of England combined to form the United Reformed Church. As a result of this union, all the existing English Congregational churches in Chester chose to become United Reformed churches.

Poor Law Unions

 * Great Boughton (1837–71)
 * Chester (1871–1930)

Registration Districts

 * Great Boughton (1837–69)
 * Chester (1870–1937)
 * West Cheshire (1937–74)
 * Chester and Ellesmere Port (1974–98)
 * Cheshire West (1998+) Registration events may be searched online at Cheshire BMD

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