Introduction
NEW! Most Anglican parish registers of the Diocese of Manchester (including Manchester Cathedral) are now available online at Ancestry.co.uk. This includes digitised original registers and a name index of baptisms (1500s-1915), marriages (1500s-1930) and burials (1500s-1985).
Free access to Ancestry.co.uk is available from any Manchester City Council library.
This is a list of the registers of over 1500 churches and chapels available for viewing at the Manchester Room@City Library and the Greater Manchester County Record Office. As well as churches in the City of Manchester, many registers are available for the surrounding counties of Lancashire, Cheshire and the more recent Greater Manchester and Merseyside, plus some bordering Derbyshire and Yorkshire areas.
Registers not listed here may still be at the church, or at another record office.
Churches are listed alphabetically by place, and then by church name. Please use the links at the bottom of this page to search the alphabetical place list. Churches are Church of England unless otherwise recorded as part of the name; note that 'Wesley' or 'Wesleyan' refers to a Wesleyan Methodist church. Variations in place and/or church name are cross-referenced; where Methodist churches have changed names, the main entry is under the later name.
Many entries relate to baptism, marriage and burial registers. Some other registers, for banns, confirmations, funerals and graves are also listed, but not every record of these types is included. Some twentieth century burial register entries may really refer to funeral registers - especially if there are no earlier burial registers - but are described as burials if that is what the register says. The dates given are general covering dates; the index has sought to identify major gaps, certainly of 10 years or more, but it should not be assumed that all years can be found.
The list distinguishes between original registers and transcribed registers, whether published or unpublished. Microfilm copies of original registers - identified by the reference prefix MFPR or MF - are accessible at the Manchester Room@City Library (booking advisable), while original registers not microfilmed - indicated by the prefix 'Archives' - must be consulted at the Greater Manchester County Record Office (appointment essential). Only those original registers not available via Ancestry.co.uk will be produced.