Bury St Mary, Lancashire Genealogy

England Lancashire  Lancashire Parishes



Here is a Comprehensive List of Bury Chapelries and Parish

Parish History
Bury [St Mary] is an Ancient Parish and a market town in the county of Lancashire. Heywood, Lancashire is a chapelry of Bury [St Mary].

Other places in the parish include: Bamford, Newhallhey, Coupe and Lenches, New Hall Hey and Hall Carr, Cowpe, Cowpe Lench, Cowpe Lenches, Hall Carr, Heap, Hooley Bridge, Lench, Middle Division, Musden Head, New Hall Hey and Hall Carr, Newhall Hey and Hall Carr, and Bramford.

Bury Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin is located at the highest point in the town centre. Although the present building is Victorian there has been a church on the site for over 1,000 years: in medieval times the west door would have looked out across the market place to the castle. The steeple pre-dates the church, having been built in 1842. The church was designed a few years later by J S Crowther on a much grander scale and, with the nave now higher than the base of the spire, the two were cleverly joined by the addition of a narthex.

The highly decorative mosaic floor is by Minton.

The present church was consecrated on 2nd February 1876, having taken 5 years to build.

The church was the garrison church for the Lancashire Fusiliers and colours of the Regiment hang proudly from their pikes around the walls of the nave. The nave stands 76ft 6ins high, 84ft 6ins long and 30ft wide. The windows on the north wall depict Old Testament figures whilst the south windows are of New Testament figures.

The detailed stonework includes over 150 heads, many said to represent members of the congregation and community. On the west wall are heads depicting the churchwardens, architect and clerk of works, whilst the Earl and Countess of Derby are to be found on the chancel arch. Sharp eyed observers will find a “green man” in the decorative stone on the north wall.

The west wall is inspired by Westminster Abbey, rising in four stages to the great rose window.

The pulpit was given in memory of Revd Roger Kay, who re-founded Bury Grammar School in 1726 (and who is believed to be buried beneath the pulpit).

The font is in memory of Revd Geoffrey Hornby. It was given in 1854 and was brought from the previous church to the baptistery here before being relocated in 2008.

The lectern was given by the staff of the Central School in 1875.

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

Church records
Part of the Family History Library's microfilm for this parish is digitized online under England, Lancashire – Cheshire – Yorkshire Parish Registers, 1603-1992 where is can be viewed for free.

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

Bury- St Mary the Virgin Banns-1754-1762- MFPR 1978 Baptisms-1590-1699- MFPR 2075 Baptisms-1699-1766- MFPR 1032 or MFPR 1978 or MFPR 2075 Baptisms-1766-1771- MFPR 1032 or MFPR 1978 or MFPR 2076 Baptisms-1771-1775- MFPR 1037 or MFPR 1978 or MFPR 2076 Baptisms-1775-1782- MFPR 1978 or MFPR 2076 Baptisms-1782-1812- MFPR 1032 or MFPR 1980 or MFPR 2076 Baptisms-1813-1817- MFPR 1032 or MFPR 1981 Baptisms-1817-1819- MFPR 1032 or MFPR 1981 or MFPR 2076 Baptisms-1819-1821- MFPR 1032 or MFPR 1982 or MFPR 2077 Baptisms-1821-1826- MFPR 1032 or MFPR 1983 or MFPR 2077 Baptisms-1826-1834- MFPR 1032 or MFPR 1983 or MFPR 1984 or MFPR 2077 Baptisms-1834-1837- MFPR 1032 or MFPR 1983 or MFPR 1984 or MFPR 1985 or MFPR 2077 Baptisms-1837-1943- MFPR 1983 or MFPR 1984 or MFPR 1985 or MFPR 2077 Baptisms-1844-1854- MFPR 1983 or MFPR 1986 or MFPR 2078 Baptisms-1854-1859- MFPR 1983 or MFPR 1897 or MFPR 2078 Baptisms-1859-1882- MFPR 1987 or MFPR 2078 Baptisms-1882-1943- MFPR 1987 or MFPR 2079 Baptisms-1943-1948- MFPR 1987 Baptisms Transcript- 1590-1699- 929.3272 B12 Burials-1590-1699- MFPR 1978 or MFPR 2075 Burials-1699-1753- MFPR 1035 or MFPR 1978 or MFPR 2075 Burials-1753-1782- MFPR 1035 or MFPR 1978 or MFPR 2075 or MFPR 2076 Burials-1782-1812- MFPR 1035 or MFPR 1980 or MFPR 2076 Burials-1813-1819- MFPR 1035 or MFPR 1981 or MFPR 2087 Burials-1819-1820- MFPR 1035 or MFPR 1982 or MFPR 2087 Burials-1820-1826- MFPR 1035 or MFPR 1982 or MFPR 2088 Burials-1826-1831- MFPR 1035 or MFPR 1983 or MFPR 2088 Burials-1831-1837- MFPR 1035 or MFPR 1984 or MFPR 2088 Burials-1837-1847- MFPR 1985 or MFPR 2088 Burials-1847-1855- MFPR 1986 or MFPR 2088 Burials-1861-1862- MFPR 1986 or MFPR 2088 (3 entries) Burials-1902-1902- MFPR 1986 or MFPR 2088 (1 entry) Burials Transcript-1591-1699- 929.3272 B12 Marriage Index- 1820-1829- Rossendale Fiche B34 Marriage Index- 1830-1837- Rossendale Fiche B33 Marriages-1590-1647- MFPR 2075 Marriages-1647-1754- MFPR 1033 or MFPR 1978 or MFPR 2075 Marriages-1754-1770- MFPR 1033 or MFPR 1978 or MFPR 2075 or MFPR 2079 Marriages-1770-1782- MFPR 1033 or MFPR 1979 or MFPR 2075 or MFPR 2079 Marriages-1782-1790- MFPR 1033 or MFPR 1979 or MFPR 2079 Marriages-1790-1802- MFPR 1033 or MFPR 1979 or MFPR 2080 Marriages-1802-1809- MFPR 1033 or MFPR 1980 or MFPR 2080 Marriages-1809-1812- MFPR 1034 or MFPR 1980 or MFPR 2080 Marriages-1812-1818- MFPR 1034 or MFPR 1981 or MFPR 2080 Marriages-1818-1820- MFPR 1034 or MFPR 1982 or MFPR 2080 Marriages-1820-1825- MFPR 1034 or MFPR 1982 or MFPR 2081 Marriages-1825-1832- MFPR 1034 or MFPR 2081 Marriages-1832-1837- MFPR 1034 or MFPR 1985 or MFPR 2081 Marriages-1837-1838- MFPR 1988 or MFPR 2081 Marriages-1838-1844- MFPR 1988 or MFPR 2082 Marriages-1844-1845- MFPR 1989 or MFPR 2082 Marriages-1845-1848- MFPR 1989 or MFPR 2083 Marriages-1848-1849- MFPR 1990 or MFPR 2083 Marriages-1849-1852- MFPR 1990 or MFPR 2084 Marriages-1852-1853- MFPR 1991 or MFPR 2084 Marriages-1853-1858- MFPR 1991 or MFPR 2085 Marriages-1858-1860- MFPR 1992 or MFPR 2085 Marriages-1860-1874- MFPR 1992 or MFPR 2086 Marriages-1874-1879- MFPR 1993 or MFPR 2086 Marriages-1879-1947- MFPR 1993 or MFPR 2087 Marriages Transcript- 1591-1699- 929.3272 B12 Miscellaneous- MFPR 1036

The Manchester Room and Greater Manchester County Record Office Email: archiveslocalstudies@manchester.gov.uk

The Manchester Room@City Library (Local Studies)

Bury bishop's transcripts, 1603-1894 Microreproduction of original manuscripts housed at the Lancashire Record Office, Preston. Includes records from the churches of St. John (Bury), 1769-1873, St. Pa ul (Bury), 1845-1867, St. Anne (Chapelry of Tottington), 1799-1862, Christchurch (Chapelry of Walmersley), 1842-1864, All Saints Chapelry of Elton), 1843-1867, St. Stephen (Chapelry of Elton), 1882- 1894, St. Thomas (Bury), 1867-1873, and St. Luke (Chapelry of Heywood), 1807-1828. Lancashire Record Office: DRM/2/41-60

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

Poor Law Unions
Bury Poor Law Union, Lancashire Haslingden, 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
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53011 British History Online Bury

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53012