Ashton-upon-Mersey, St Martin, Cheshire Genealogy

England CheshireEngland  Cheshire Parishes



Parish History
ASHTON-upon-Mersey (St. Martin), a parish, in the union of Altrincham, hundred of Bucklow, N. division of the county of Chester, 1¾ mile (N.) from Altrincham; comprising the township of Sale, and part of the township of Ashton, the former containing 1309 inhabitants, and the latter, together with the remaining part of the township, in the parish of Bowdon. There are places of worship for Calvinists, Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists, and Unitarians.

St Martin's Church, Ashton upon Mersey is an Ancient Parish in Cheshire. The first church, probably timber framed, was built in 1304 on the site of an old Saxon burial place. In 1704 it was destroyed by a storm. A new church was built in 1714 for Joshua Allen. In 1874 a baptistry by W. H. Brakspear was added. In 1886, the turret and clock were removed and the following year a new tower was built, it was designed by George Truefitt for Sir Williams Cunliffe Brooks. In the same year a ring of 13 bells was installed and a new lych gate was built.

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


 * Altrincham (1837–98)
 * Bucklow (1898–1937)
 * Manchester post 1974

Church Records
Ashton upon Mersey, St. Martin, is the ancient parish church.

Ashton-upon-Mersey parish registers of christenings, marriages and burials have been indexed by the following groups:

The parish registers for christenings 1636-1880, marriages 1636-1888, banns 1914-1940, and burials 1636-1890, are deposited at the Cheshire Record Office. CRO reference: P92/1/1-4, P92/2/1-2, P92/5200/1-6, 8-9. P92/3/1-3, P92/4, P92/5/1-2, P92/9/1-5.

An index for Cheshire parish registers is available online in Historical Records (formerly Record Search) at FamilySearch.org. 

Bishop's transcripts for Ashton-on-Mersey, 1605-1876, are also deposited at the Cheshire Record Office. CRO reference: EDB 10

Here is a list of church records on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

Bowdon, St. Mary was the ancient parish church for those parts of the township which were not covered by St Martin (above).

Ashton-upon-Mersey, St. Mary Magdalene, Moss Lane, was built in 1872 and became a separate parish in 1894. Registers of Baptisms from 1894 and Marriages from 1875 are still at the church which has no burial ground.

Non-Conformist Churches

 * Ashton upon Mersey, Baptist Union Chapel, Ashton Lane. Built in 1875.
 * Ashton upon Mersey, Friends' Meeting House (Quakers), Park Road. Built in 1856. Some records are at the Cheshire Record Office.
 * Ashton upon Mersey, Independent Chapel, School Lane. Built in 1802. Registers 1799–1837 are at the Cheshire Record Office. Ashton-upon-Mersey- School Lane Independent Baptisms-1799-1836- MFPR 292 The Manchester Room and Greater Manchester County Record Office Email: archiveslocalstudies@manchester.gov.uk The Manchester Room@City Library (Local Studies)
 * Ashton upon Mersey, Methodist Chapel (Primitive), Chapel Lane. Built in 1867.
 * Ashton upon Mersey, Methodist Chapel (Wesleyan), Barkers Lane. Built in 1853. Registers of marriages 1913–1963 are at Ashton-upon-Mersey- Barker's Lane Wesleyan Marriages-1913-1963- Archives M275 The Manchester Room and Greater Manchester County Record Office Email: archiveslocalstudies@manchester.gov.uk The Manchester Room@City Library (Local Studies)
 * Ashton upon Mersey, Unitarian Chapel, Atkinson Road.
 * Ashton upon Mersey, United Reformed Church (Independent/Congregational), Cross Street. Built in 1878.
 * Cross Street Chapel (Ashton-on-Mersey: Independent [possibly the same as the School Lane church above]). Records are on microfilm at the National Archives, London: Baptisms and births, 1799-1836. RG-4 series no. 304. Also on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City: Church records FHL Film 020045 Item 16.

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.

Poor Law Unions

 * Altrincham (1836–95)
 * Bucklow (1895–1930)
 * The Altrincham Union was renamed Bucklow Altrincham (renamed Bucklow) Poor Law Union, Cheshire

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