Why the Comprehensive Lists are Important to Researchers

Lancashire is one of the most complex and challenging counties of all of England in which to conduct ancestral research. This is one of England's most populated counties, and by the mid-18th century it was hit perhaps the hardest during England's Industrial Revolution. It drove hordes from all over England's countryside, from well outside of its county boundaries, to come settle within its larger industrial and manufacturing townships and cities. From a basically agricultural county, Lancashire grew exponentially into England's major manufacturing centre.

As a result of this major population explosion, authorities within the Church of England were constantly assessing, devising and drawing up boundary lines for new ecclesiastical chapelries and building their chapel, within its parish boundary. For nearly a century and a half, Lancashire's civil parishes were continually being subdivided into new ecclesiastical units called Chapelries. Lancashire's former tapestry of just its 75 ancient parishes, instead had now become dotted with four to five time's it's number, in Chapelries. Some of Lancashire's largest township parishes had as many as 30 plus Chapelries within their boundaries, such as Rochdale St Chad's parish with nearly 15 Chapelries, and Liverpool with about 48 Chapelries within its parish boundary.

Here's the issue to researching in Lancashire: If for example you research an ancestor who you think was born in Rochdale but you searched the ancient parish of St. Chad's Rochdale, and his baptism was not found there. You then decide you're going to select the next parish to search to find him. Therein lies a fallacy and challenge in approaching research in this county: In especially Lancashire research what usually gets lost or ignored are all of the i.e. 14 or 15 Chapelries--each one with church registers of baptisms and burials--that also lay within the ancient parish boundary of Rochdale St Chad. No single reference aid, tool, books of maps, etc., provides a clear and accurate picture of precisely which chapelries lay within any of Lancashire's 75 ancient parishes. ALL Chapelries associated and lying within each of Lancashire's ancient parishes must be searched in order to conduct thorough genealogical research in this county--whether it's 1 or 2, or 48 or 49 chapelries! It is impossible to conduct thorough genealogical research in Lancashire if or when you miss (identifying and) searching even ONE chapelry within a parish boundary. It short-shrifts your research and will compromise proper standards in research procedure. Thus, it is critical to view the "Comprehensive List" of chapelries within each Lancashire parish found here in the FamilySearch Wiki, because in these Comprehensive Lists--we have laid out for the first time for researchers, a accurate breakdown of all of Lancashire's parishes and their attached (over 400) chapelries, each to their respective parishes to which they belong. These Comprehensive Lists--are a "must"-see in order to properly and thoroughly research in this county.