Archives
Manchester Cathedral is one of the earliest and most significant buildings in Manchester. Alongside the original College Buildings that now house Chetham's Library and part of Chetham's School of Music, it forms Manchester's medieval quarter. An understanding of the history of the Cathedral is the key to developing an understanding of the early development and growth of Manchester itself.
Family History Research
The Parish Registers can be viewed on microfilm at Manchester Central Library in Archives and Local Studies on the first floor, more information on their services, first steps in family history and which transcripts of Cathedral Registers are available can be found at www.manchester.gov.uk/libraries/arls
Copy certificates are only available from the original parish registers at the Cathedral.
You will need:
- To provide a date and at least one name for the entry you are interested in
- To send a stamped self addressed envelope
- To send a cheque for £7 per certificate made payable to Manchester Cathedral
Overseas enquirers should contact the Archives Assistant for guidance as to how to pay, there will be an extra charge for overseas postage.
Archives Assistant, Manchester Cathedral, Victoria Street, Manchester M3 1SX
Archives Enquiries
Family history and parish register enquiries ONLY to:
Archives
Manchester Cathedral
Victoria Street, Manchester M3 1SX
Telephone 0161 833 2220
ALL OTHER ENQUIRIES should be directed to the Cathedral's Honorary Archivist who is Michael Powell at Chetham's Library, Long Millgate, Manchester M3 1SB Telephone 0161 834 7961
Manchester Cathedral's Archives Catalogue can be viewed and searched online.
Parish records at the Cathedral
The material in the Cathedral Archives naturally falls into two classes: records relating to the administration of the Parish of Manchester – Parochial Records; and records relating to the Dean and Canons, and their predecessors, the Warden and Fellows of the Collegiate Church – The Capitular Records.
Unfortunately, much of the paperwork documenting the functioning of the early Parish has gone astray. One Churchwardens’ account book of 1664-1711 survives in the John Ryland’s Library; the rest are missing up until the 19th century, which is well covered.
The bulk of the material on the Parish side is made up of what is thought to be the largest complete series of parish registers (of baptisms, marriages and burials), for a single parish, in the country. There are over 450 leather and vellum bound volumes, covering the period from 1573 to the present day. The reason for this proliferation of registers is explained partly by the size of the ancient Parish of Manchester: sixty square miles including thirty townships. This is not uncommon in the north west of England, however; the Parish of Whalley included forty-five townships. The main difference was that Manchester changed from being a rural parish when it became the centre of the Industrial Revolution, and the population grew extremely rapidly in a very short space of time, from the middle of the eighteenth century onwards.
Access Arrangements
Appointments to view material from the Cathedral Archives are arranged through Chetham’s Library where the material is produced for viewing.
Opening hours are: Monday to Friday, 9am-12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
Notice of at least one week is required in order for the material to be transferred from the Cathedral to the Library.
Sexton's Registers
In November 2003, a series of Sextons’ Registers from 1732-1848 were returned to the Cathedral from the John Rylands Library, where they had been on loan since 1962.
The Sextons’ Registers (previously wrongly described as Mortality Report Books and separated from the two other registers in the series, which were incorrectly labelled ‘Rough copies of burial registers’) have proved to be of great interest.
The Sextons’ Registers give more information than the Burial Registers. They give the Sexton’s fee, usually broken into the three costs of tolling the bell, grave digging and the cost of the bier. From 1753 to 1848 the age of the deceased is usually given and frequently cause of death as well. From 1772-92, the age is entered into a type of chart, which illustrates at a glance the spread of ages at death.
