Ashworth, Lancashire Genealogy

England Lancashire  Lancashire Parishes



Chapelry History
ASHWORTH, a parochial chapelry [built by at least 1813], in the parish of Middleton, union of Bury, hundred of Salford, S. division of the county of Lancaster, 3½ miles (W.) from Rochdale; containing 325 inhabitants. A family named Ashworth was seated here as early as the 13th century, and appears to have been succeeded by the Holts: Richard Holt, an active supporter of the royal cause in the civil war, had his estate sequestrated in 1643; but it was afterwards restored. The manor came subsequently into the possession of the Wilbraham family. Ashworth comprises by measurement 1025 acres; the soil is fertile, the scenery romantic, and the lower part of the township is thickly studded with large oak-trees. The substratum abounds in coal, of which a mine is in operation; and stone of good quality for building is also obtained in great quantity: a fullingmill affords employment to some hands. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of Wilbraham Egerton, Esq.; net income, £119. The rectorial tithes have been commuted for £15, and the glebe consists of 62 acres. The chapel, a plain stone fabric, dedicated to St. James, stands on the summit of a hill to the north of Ashworth Hall; it was for the most part rebuilt in 1789, and in 1837 the chancel, which was part of a former edifice, was taken down, and the east end of the chapel considerably enlarged. The burial-ground commands an extensive view of the adjacent hills and vales. A daily school, founded by Mr. Egerton in 1828, is partly supported by that gentleman, by whom, also, premises for a Sunday school were built in 1838.

From: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis (1848), pp. 96-100. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50766 Date accessed: 25 June 2010.

Ashworth St James is an Ecclesiastical Parish in the county of Lancashire, created in 1735 from chapelry in Middleton, Lancashire Ancient Parish. It became a parish in 1866.

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.

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

Parish registers, St. James' Church, Ashworth (Lancashire), 1813-1958 Microfilm of original records in the Manchester Central Library, Manchester. Ashworth was a chapelry in the parish of Middleton until 1735, at which time it became a separate ecclesiastical parish. It became a separate civil parish in 1866. The chapel is dedicated to St. James.Manchester Central Library call nos.: L 101/1/1/3-8, L 101/1/3/2-4.

Bishop's transcripts for Ashworth, 1813-1869 Microreproduction of original manuscripts housed at the Lancashire Record Office, Preston. Bishop's transcripts of the chapelry of Ashworth in the parish of Middleton in Lancashire, England. Lancashire Record Office: DRM/2/231a-233

Census records
Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

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

Poor Law Unions
Bury Poor Law Union, Lancashire

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
Add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53024 British History Online Ashworth