Aigburth, Lancashire Genealogy

England Lancashire  Lancashire Parishes



Chapelry History
Aigburth was created a chapelry in the county of Lancashire, created in 1844 from Childwall ancient parish. Aigburth is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by Toxteth, Dingle, and Garston. Aigburth means "hill where oak trees grow" and is a hybrid place-name: the first part of the name is from Old Norse eikr "oak tree" (which is found in Eikton in Cumbria and Eakring in Nottinghamshire) and Old English beorg meaning " hill, tumulus" but here in the sense "rising ground". This element usually occurs as "-borough" (as in Barlborough in Derbyshire) or more rarely as "-barrow" (e.g. Backbarrow in Cumbria). The meaning is probably derived from the presence of a sacred oak grove in the area. The name was also recorded as Eikberei in an undated record.

The spelling Aigburgh (or, more rarely, Aighburgh) is sometimes found in old publications and historical documents (for example, S. Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848)), as well as in modern references to former residents and is occasionally seen as an alternative (if incorrect) spelling today.

The church was built in 1836–37 to a design by Cunningham &amp; Holme. It was founded by a group of local merchants, John Moss, Charles Stewart Parker, John Tinne and Josias Booker and consecrated in 1837. In 1853–54 broad transepts were added and the chancel was extended. The north and south galleries were removed in 1893–94 and in 1913–14 the chancel was further extended.

"AIGBURTH, or Aigburgh, a district chapelry, in the township of Garston, parish of Childwall, union and hundred of West Derby, S. division of Lancashire, 4 miles (S. E.) from Liverpool; containing 1031 inhabitants. In the reigns of Elizabeth and James the family of Brettargh possessed this place; in that of Charles I. it was held by the Tarletons. It afterwards passed to various hands, among others to the Tarletons again, and more recently, by purchase, to the family of Alderman Porter, of Liverpool. Aigburth is a wealthy and fashionable district extending along the banks of the Mersey, and studded with the noble mansions and splendid villas of the Liverpool bankers and merchants, the salubrity of the air and the delightful scenery inviting their residence here. The land is beautifully undulated, and there are fine views of the river, the Welsh mountains, the county of Chester, and the ocean. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of certain Trustees; net income, £200. The chapel, dedicated to St. Anne, was erected in 1837, at a cost of £4000, and is a good edifice in the Norman style, with a highly decorated interior; the east window is of stained glass, representing Christ healing the Leper: the tower is 65 feet high, with a richly ornamented battlement. A Roman Catholic chapel, dedicated to St. Augustine, was built in 1837, at an expense of £1800; it is in the early English style, with a neat interior, and adjoining are a school, and a house for the priest, the Rev. Samuel Day. A school for boys and girls in connexion with the Established Church, is supported by subscription. There is a curious mausoleum erected by the well-known Dr. Solomon, who had a residence in the chapelry."

From: Lewis, Samuel A., A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 15-17. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50745 Date accessed: 25 June 2010.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Online index of Lancashire Births, Marriages and Deaths Lancashire BMD

Lancashire Online Parish Clerks
An extremely useful resource for research in Lancashire Parishes http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/

Church records
Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

Census records
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http://www.1881pubs.com/ for details of public houses in the 1881 census

Poor Law Unions
West Derby, Lancashire Poor Law Union

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Lancashire Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
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http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?pid=1&amp;id=213625 English heritage web reference