Libraries Grave or cemetery burial records

Municipal and private cemeteries

As populations increased, graveyards became full and new burial sites called cemeteries were used. Unlike graveyards, a cemetery is often located a little further away from the town or city and is not joined with a church. 

We hold records for:

  • Manchester General Cemetery (opened 1837)
  • Philips Park Cemetery (opened 1866)
  • Southern Cemetery (opened 1879)
  • Gorton Cemetery (opened 1900), and
  • Blackley Cemetery (opened 1953)

Free access to full burial details is available at our Central Library (ask a member of staff to log you on), or purchase credits online.

Findmypast holds:

  • burial registers and monumental inscriptions for Ardwick Cemetery (1838 to 1950)
  • burial registers for Cheetham Hill Cemetery (1815 to 1968) 
  • monumental inscriptions for Rusholme Road Cemetery.

Access is free from any of our libraries.

On microfilm

We have some registers on microfilm. To view these, come to the Central Library and talk to a member of staff, no appointment is needed. Make a note of the reference starting with f9 or MFPR. Registers with an MFPR reference can be found on the ground floor in cabinets 1 to 7.

Copies of burial registers we have include:

  • Ardwick 1838 to 1950 (MFPR 1947-1948)
  • Cheetham Hill Wesleyan 1815 to 1968 (MFPR 1949-1951)
  • Gorton 1900 to 1988 (MFPR 1101-1106)
  • Manchester General, Harpurhey 1837 to 1905 (MFPR 1947)
  • Philips Park, Bradford 1866 to 1987 (MFPR 687-709, 834-837 and 1099-1100)
  • Rusholme Road, Chorlton-on-Medlock (Dissenters burial ground) 1821 to 1933 (MFPR 1945-1946)
  • Southern Cemetery 1879 to 2002 (MFPR 2135-2150, 2200-2202)

We do not have microfilm copies of the registers for Blackley Cemetery or post 1905 registers for Manchester General Cemetery. However we do hold an index to burials at Manchester General Cemetery 1916 to 1997 (not complete, ref f929.5 MAN (699)).

Burial receipts for Philips Park Cemetery are available on microfilm:

  • Church of England - 1867 to 1901 (MFPR 767-784), 1901 to 1913 (MFPR 882-889B), 1913 to 1930 (MFPR 890-898), 1930 to 1986 (MFPR 917-934), 1981 to 1982 (MFPR 803)
  • Non-conformist - 1867 to 1930 (MFPR 758-766), 1930 to 1986 (MFPR 911-916), 1981 to 1982 (MFPR 803)
  • Jewish - 1875 to 1943 (MFPR 834-837)
  • Roman Catholic - 1866 to 1930 (MFPR 785-802), 1930 to 1986 (MFPR 906-910)

Other records 

For St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Cemetery in Moston (opened 1877), write to: St Joseph's Roman Catholic Cemetery, Moston Lane, Moston Manchester, M40 9QL or call 0161 681 1582.

For Withington Workhouse, we hold death registers (including place of burial), 1857 to 1949 and interment registers March 1898 to May 1922 . These are available on findmypast.

For records of Jewish cemeteries we hold, see our Jewish records.

For details about Methodist burial grounds please see our Methodist records.

 

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