Woodhead, Cheshire Genealogy

England Cheshire  Cheshire Parishes  Woodhead

Parish History
Woodhead St James was a chapelry created in the Parish of Mottram in Longdendale. It became a parish in 1724.

Standing almost eight hundred feet up at the head of the Longdendale Valley, with fewer than forty people living within a four mile radius this must be one of the most desolate chapels in the country. It may already be well over 500 years old, since 1487 is usually given as its foundation date. Sir Edmund Shaa, Lord Mayor of London, left money in that year to pay for a priest "in a chapel that I have made in Longdendale" who would sing his Mass and say divine service for ever more.

Local rumour suggests that the fifteenth century building - probably wooden - was at Robin-i-Meers, about three quarters of a mile further up the valley by the River Etherow; the dedication seems to have changed from the Blessed Virgin to St. James some time later, which might imply a new building. There are no graves before mid-eighteenth century in the present graveyard.

The churchyard is notable for the burial of navvies involved in the construction of the Woodhead Railway Tunnel (1845) to connect Manchester and Sheffield by railway.

To find the names of the neighboring parishes, use England Jurisdictions 1851. In this site, search for the name of the parish, click on the location "pin", click Options and click List contiguous parishes.

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.

Registration Districts

 * Ashton under Lyne (1837–1937)
 * Hyde (1937–74)
 * High Peak (1974+)

Church records
Mottram-in-Longdendale, St. Michael (Church of England). The ancient parish church for Tintwistle. Woodhead, St. James (Church of England).

A chapel to Mottram founded in 1724, becoming a parish church in 1856. Registers of Baptisms 1780–1981, Marriages 1856–1960 and Burials 1782–1992 have been deposited at the Cheshire Record Office Tintwistle, Christ Church (Church of England). Founded 1836 as the parish church for Hollingworth and Tintwistle. Registers of Baptisms 1837–1882, Marriages 1839–1949 and Burials 1837–1893 have been deposited at the Cheshire Record Office Micklehurst, All Saints (Church of England). Church Lane, Mossley. Founded 1895 as a chapel to Millbrook, becoming a parish church in 1962. Registers of Marriages 1900–1939 have been deposited at the Cheshire Record Office. Registers of Baptisms from 1895 are held at the church (no burials).

Parish registers of Woodhead, Cheshire, 1780-1992 Woodhead is a chapelry in Mottram-in-Longendale parish. Cheshire Record Office call numbers.: P76/1, P76/4875/1, P76/4875/2, P25/2826/40, P76/4875/3, P76/3276/1.

Earlier Bishop's Transcripts for Mottram in Longdendale may also contain events.

Bishop's transcripts for Woodhead, 1816-1867 Microfilm of originals in the Cheshire Record Office, Chester. Formerly a chapelry in Mottram-in-Longendale parish. Cheshire Record Office Call number: EDB 228

Poor Law Unions

 * Ashton under Lyne

Census records
Contributor: 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.

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Cheshire 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
Contributor: Add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.