SALFORD HUNDRED 



Samuel Birch of Lower Ardwick promoted the build- 

 ing of Ardwick Chapel, giving the site in 1 74.0 ; he 

 was high sheriff in 1747." He died in 1757, leaving 

 three sons — Thomas, who died without issue in 1781 ; 

 Samuel, who served in the American War and died in 

 1 8 1 1 ; and George, of Ardwick, who died in 1 794, 

 leaving issue Thomas and Maria." The manors of 

 Upper and Lower Ardwick were left by the will of 

 Thomas Birch, dated 1780, to his brother, Major- 

 General Samuel Birch, who sold them in 1795 to 

 William Horridge." They changed hands several 

 times, and in 1869 were purchased by Alderman 

 John Marsland Bennett of Ardwick." 



A considerable portion of Ardwick was sold by 

 Thomas Charnock to the Mosleys." 



Other families formerly had estates in the township 

 — Byrom," Booth," Entwisle," and Strangeways.'" 

 The land tax return of 1787 shows that the prin- 

 cipal contributors were named Birch, Hyde, Ackers, 

 and Tipping." 



Ardwick was recognized as a township in 1622, 

 when Richard Hudson contributed to the subsidy 

 for goods." 



For the Established Church St. Thomas's, Ardwick 

 Green,^ was built in 174.1, as above-mentioned, and 

 has been enlarged ; St. Silas's, a century later, in 

 1842 ;" St. Matthew's, 1868 ;" and St. Benedict's, 

 1880.^ The patronage of the first of these churches 

 is vested in the Dean and Canons of Manchester, of 

 the others in different bodies of trustees. The in- 

 cumbents are styled rectors. There are mission rooms 

 in connexion with St. Thomas's and St. Matthew's. 



The Wesleyan Methodists, the Primitive Method- 

 ists, and United Free Methodists, also the Welsh 

 Calvinistic Methodists, have places of worship. The 

 Presbyterians have a preaching station, opened in 

 1904. The Congregationalists formerly had a chapel 

 in Tipping Street." 



MANCHESTER 



The Roman Catholic church of St. Aloysius was 

 opened in 1885 ; the mission was begun in 1852. 



BESWICK 



Bexwic, xiii cent. ; Bexwick, usual. 



This small extra-parochial township lies to the 

 south-east of the Medlock. It has an area of 96 J 

 acres. The principal road is that called Ashton New 

 Road, leading from Ancoats eastward. The Lanca- 

 shire and Yorkshire Company's Ardwick and Miles 

 Platting branch line crosses the township, and the 

 Manchester and Stockport Canal passes through the 

 northern corner. 



Among the industries are a fustian mill and a 

 cotton works. 



Beswick was included in Manchester on the incor- 

 poration in 1848, being joined with Ardwick to form 

 a ward. In 1896 it was absorbed in the new town- 

 ship of North Manchester. 



Originally a detached part of the de- 

 MANOR mesne of Chorlton, BESIVICK was early 

 in the 1 3 th century granted by Gospatrick 

 de Chorlton to Cockersand Abbey in pure alms.' Of 

 the abbey it was in 1 461 held by John Trafford at a 

 rent of 4/.' In the 17th century it was held by the 

 Mosleys of Ancoats.' Beswick does not seem to have 

 been regarded as a manor. Its extra-parochial 

 character may be due to its having belonged to 

 Cockersand. 



Thomas Booth of Barton had land here in 1 46 1 .* 



In connexion with the Established Church St. 

 Mary's was built in 1878 as a memorial to Bishop 

 Lee.' The Bishop of Manchester collates to the 

 rectory. 



The Wesleyan Methodists and Methodist New 

 Connexion have churches in Beswick. 



*" P.R.O. List. 74. 



" Booker, op. cit. izo. 



•* The estates had become very much 

 eacumbered. 'On 9 March, 1795, pur- 

 suant to a decree in chancery in a cause 

 Watson V. Birch, several freehold estates 

 in the township of Ardwick and a moiety 

 of a limestone quarry, late the property of 

 Thomas Birch, esq., deceased, were offered 

 for sale ; a purchaser was found, but dis- 

 putes having arisen as to the validity of 

 the sale, the estates were directed to be 

 resold, and they finally passed into other 

 hands on I February, 1796 ;' ibid. 120. 



s» The information as to the descent of 

 the manors is derived from Mr. J. Armit- 

 age Bennett (1876), who stated : ' William 

 Horridge sold them on 20 August 1803 

 to Jacob Wood, who by will dated 2 June 

 1826 left the aforesaid manors to his 

 daughter Elizabeth Wood ; she sold them 

 by indenture of 9 May 1835 to Henry 

 Weech Burgess of Burgess Hill, London,' 

 who sold to Alderman Bennett. 



* Mosley Mm. (Chet. Soc. new ser.), 

 51; the estate comprised 248 acres, and 

 •mall chief rents were due from Ralph Ken- 

 f on, Adam Byrom, and Thomas Smith. 



V Adam Byrom of Salford (see the 

 account of Kersal) in 1558 held a mes- 

 suage, &c., in Ardwick of John Booth in 

 socage i Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, 65. 

 The property is named in later inquisi- 

 tions of the family, but no further par- 

 ticulars are given. 



»8 Humphrey Booth of Salford in 1637 



held messuages and lands in Ardwick and 

 Chorlton of Edward Mosley as of his 

 manor of Manchester ; the annual value 

 was 401. ; ibid, xxvii, 44. 



'9 Edmund Entwisle in 1544 held some 

 land in Ardwick, together with his Chorl- 

 ton estate ; ibid, vii, 30. 



^ Philip Strangeways had lands in 

 Manchester and Lower Ardwick, which 

 appear to have been sold to Thomas Beck 

 in 1544 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 12, 

 m. 265. John Jopson in 1551 purchased 

 a messuage and lands from William the 

 son and heir apparent of Philip Strange- 

 ways ; George Strangeways was tenant 

 for life ; ibid. bdle. 14, m. 250. Thomas 

 Strangeways made a settlement of a mes- 

 suage and lands in Ardwick and Withing- 

 ton in 1580; ibid. bdle. 42, m. 130; 

 Manch. Collectanea (Chet. Soc), ii, 141 ; 

 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 132. 



'1 Returns at Preston. 



^ Misc. (Rec, Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 

 i, 150. 



°' The township was formed into a 

 district chapelry in 1839, and reformed 

 in i8;6; Land, Gaz. 29 Mar, 1839, i 

 July 1856. The monumental inscrip- 

 tions in the church are copied in the 

 Owen MSS. 



"A district was assigned in 1856; 

 ibid. I July. 



*' For the district see ibid. 14 May 1 869. 



w For the district see ibid, 9 July 1880. 



'7 This originated with John Smith, a 



281 



Manchester merchant, superintendent of 

 the Sunday school of Rusholme Road 

 Church. In 1835 he began preaching in 

 Lower Temple Street, Chorlton, and soon 

 afterwards built and opened Tipping 

 Street Chapel, preaching there till 1851. 

 Thirty years later the congregation was 

 amalgamated with that of the Octagon in 

 Chorlton, and the building was sold to the 

 City Mission in 1889; Nightingale, 

 Lanes. Nonconf. vi, 170, 171, 



' Cockersand Chart, (Chet. Soc. new 

 sen), ii, 707. ' Ibid, iii, 1238. 



° In 163 1 Oswald Mosley of Ancoats 

 was found to have held two messuages, k 

 cottage, two gardens, 30 acres of land, 10 

 acres of meadow, and 20 acres of pasture 

 in Beswick, of the king as of his manor 

 of East Greenwich ; the clear value was 301. 

 a year ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxv, 27. 



In Axon's Mosley Memoranda (Chet.Soc.) 

 are numerous references to this estate ; 

 see pp. 33, 38, etc. The field names in- 

 clude How riding, Tongue sharps, Blake 

 butts. Eyes, Hulme, Peddie croft. Goat's 

 foot, Fitch field, and Bridge croft. 



Sir John Parker Mosley was the only 

 landowner in 1786 ; land tax return at 

 Preston, 



* He gave a rood of land there to Hugh 

 Scholes, chaplain, apparently as a further 

 endowment for St. Nicholas's chantry in 

 Manchester Church ; Raines D, (Chet. 

 Lib.). 



^ A district was assigned to it in 1879 > 

 Lond. Gaz. 7 Feb, 



36 



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