Manchester
& the Northwest Region of England
Papillon
Graphics' Virtual Encyclopaedia of Greater Manchester
Including
Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside,
Trafford & Wigan
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Lancashire
Parishes
Distribution of Lancashire Parishes in the 17th Century
The
parishes of Lancashire in the late 17th century were a fragmented
mishmash without apparent rationale. They varied widely in physical
size and population. It is notable that the Parish of Manchester,
for example, was considerably smaller than the parishes associated
with lesser towns and districts of smaller size and population.
Eccles parish was, at that time, equal in area to the Manchester
parish, which appears on this period map as small and relatively
unimportant.
Several
parishes seem illogically distributed nowadays - for instance,
who would think of linking Prestwich with Oldham, when they are
not even in the same borough, nor ever were?
Several
parishes were also physically split into different areas - Prestwich
and Oldham is an example, as is Middleton and Walton on the Hill
- these cover areas which are physically separated from each other
with other parishes between.
Lancashire
parishes also included many that are in areas no longer in the
County of Lancashire - thanks largely to the redrawing of county
and regional boundaries in 1973. The Cartmel and other South Lakeland
parishes are now in Cumbria; Walton, Sefton and other nearby parishes
are now in Merseyside.
Touch Sensitive Map
of 17th Century Lancashire Parishes
Hold
mouse pointer over a Parish for an explanation, or refer to the
Key to Parishes below.
