SALFORD HUNDRED 



MANCHESTER 



vested in trustees, and the incumbents are styled 

 rectors. 



The Wesleyans and the Primitive Methodists each 

 have churches in the township. The latter body has 

 also a college for candidates for the ministry. A 

 training college for the Congregational ministry, 

 known as the Lancashire Independent College, Whal- 

 ley Range, was opened in the north-west corner of 

 the township in 1843." The same body has had a 

 church in the village since 1883." The Baptists 

 have a church, founded in 1 89 1. The Presbyterian 

 Church of England is also represented." 



The Roman Catholic church of St. Cuthbert was 

 opened in 188 1 and completed in 1902." At 

 Alexandra Park is the church of English Martyrs. 

 1876-96. In the same neighbourhood are St. Bede's 

 College, in a building which was formerly the Man- 

 chester Aquarium, and convents of the Ladies of the 

 Retreat and the Franciscan Tertiaries. 



The Hulme Trustees have opened a Grammar 

 School near Alexandra Park. 



DIDSBURY 



Dydesbyre, Dydesbiri, Didsbury, all c. 1280 ; 

 Dodesbury, 1292. 



Didsbury ' has the Mersey for its southern and 

 western border. Along the river the surface lies 

 open, but the interior is urban in character. The 

 area is 1,5 S^ J acres.' There was a population of 

 9,234 in 1901. 



The principal roads are that on the western side 

 from Manchester to Cheadle, with a modern branch 

 to Northenden and Altrincham, and that through the 

 centre and east from Stockport to Stretford.' The 

 Midland Company's railway from Manchester to 

 Stockport crosses the northern part of the township, 



and has two stations called Albert Park or Withington 

 and Didsbury ; the latter was opened in 1875. 



Cattle fairs were formerly held on 30 April and 

 22 October. The village rush- bearing used to take 

 place on 5 August.* 



The most stirring event in the history of the old 

 village was the passage of the Young Pretender in 

 1745 ; he crossed the Mersey there.' 



A Roman coin has been found.' 



Didsbury, formerly part of the Withington local 

 board district, was taken into the city of Manchester 

 in 1904. 



Among the old names may be mentioned Stenner 

 Lane, leading west from the church. Parr, and Dids- 

 bury Eea. 



Although the 'manor of DIDSBURY' 

 MANOR is named in some deeds of the Longford 

 family, it seems clear that there was no 

 separate manor, Didsbury being held as a portion or 

 hamlet of Withington.' It is named in a Mosley 

 settlement of 1653, but not later.' The land; 

 descended to the Blands, whose improvidence resulted 

 in the gradual dispersal of the whole. Among the 

 chief purchasers were the Broome family, who acted 

 as agents for the Blands and Barlows.' By an heiress 

 the Broome estates passed to the Feildens ; '° in 1 844 

 the principal landowner was the Reverend Robert 

 Mosley Feilden, holding over a third part." 



The local name occurs as a surname, but the family 

 do not seem to have been of long continuance." 

 The Byrons had lands in Didsbury," Withington, 

 and Heaton Norris, which were sold in 1 546 to John 

 Pycroft, mercer.'* Sir Edward Warren, who died in 

 1558, held lands in Didsbury of Nicholas Longford, 

 as of his manor of Hough, in socage, by a rent of 

 izd}^ A messuage known as Broad Oak, with land 

 in Didsbury Moor and Hough Moss in Withington 



^'Booker, op. cit 125. It originated 

 in 1 8 10 in Salford ; J. Thompson, The 

 (hvens College, 33. See also Lanes, and 

 Ches. Antiq. Soc. iii, 185. The library 

 has some early printed books. 



** Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. v, 71 ; 

 services began in 1881. 



*^ The church was built in 1869. 



*^ It was preceded by the temporary 

 church of the Holy Ghost and St. Cuth- 

 bert in 1877. 



1 Use has been made of Mr. Fletcher 

 Moss's Didsbury (1890), a book of 

 * sketches, reminiscences, and legends.' 

 A description of the village as it formerly 

 ■was is given by him in the opening 

 chapter. The natural history of the dis- 

 trict has a special section. 



2 1,546 acres, including 24 of inland 

 water; Census Rep. 1901. 



* Tile first bridge is supposed to have 

 been made by the Highlanders in 1745 ; 

 it was a rude wooden one. There were 

 also Gatley Ford, Northeu Ford and Ferry, 

 Barlow Ford, Jackson's Boat, and another 

 passage across the river ; Moss, Didsbury, 

 61, 62. 



* Ibid. 48, 49 ; a description of the old 

 wakes. See also A. Burton, Rushbearing, 

 160, where the date is given as 8 to 

 10 Aug. 



* The Duke's Hillock on the village green 

 is supposed to have been so named from 

 the Duke of Perth taking his stand there. 



* Lanes, and Ches. Antij. Soe. x, 250. 



^ In 1323 Margaret widow of Adam de 

 Pendlebuiy claimed dower in one plough- 

 land in Didsbury against Sir Nicholas 



de Longford ; De Banco R. 248, m. 

 I54d. 



8 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 151, 

 m. 152. 



9 Booker, Didsbury (Chet. Soc), 8. 

 The * daily bullying' of Lady Bland's 

 steward Broome is mentioned in 1720 ; 

 ibid. 40, 41. William Broome of Dids- 

 bury, in or before 1749, married Elizabeth 

 Dawson, and died in 1781 ; their son 

 William died without issue in 1810. 

 There are monuments in the church ; 

 ibid. 29. Richard and William Broome 

 occur in a recovery of land of Sir John 

 Bland's in Withington in 1753 5 Com. 

 Pleas Recov. R. East. z6 Geo. II, m. 14. 



^^ Booker, op. cit. 8. Henry (son of 

 Robert) Feilden by Mary Broome his wife 

 had a son Robert, who married Anne daugh- 

 ter of Sir John Parker Mosley of Ancoats, 

 and died in 1830 aged 69 ; their son, the 

 Rev. Robert Mosley Feilden, was rector of 

 Bebington from 1826 to 1862 ; Burke, 

 Commoners, ii, 445 ; Booker, Didsbury, 27. 



1' Ibid. 10. The next considerable 

 landowners were James Heald and H. LI. 

 Bamford Hesketh. 



12 William de Didsbury claimed com- 

 mon of pasture in Didsbury against John 

 de Byron and Simon de Gousul in 1276 

 and 1278 ; the jury, however, found that 

 he had suiBcient. John and Simon were 

 at that time sharers of the vill, which, so 

 they pleaded, was neither vill nor borough, 

 but a hamlet of Withington ; Assize R. 

 405, m. 2 ; 1238, m. 32. William was 

 plaintiff in some other actions about the 

 same time ; Assize R. 1235, m. 12 ; 



1238, m. 31 ; 1239, m. 39; 405, m. 4d. 

 He also appears as witness to charters ; 

 Booker, op. cit. 8. Some more recent 

 bearers of the name are meationed ; 

 ibid. 9. 



Adam de Didsbury in 1292 complained 

 that the descendants of one Adam de 

 Stretford had disseised him of a toft in 

 Withington, -which he had held by grant 

 of his father Thomas. It appeared that 

 Adam de Stretford had three children — 

 Henry, William, and Cecily — and that 

 Cecily had left two daughters, Margery 

 and Agnes, of whom the latter was occu- 

 pier of the disputed land. She said she 

 was heir of her father, William son of 

 William the Chaplain, who had owned 

 it and demised it to Thomas, father of 

 the plaintiff, for a term then expired. 

 The jury accepted this version ; Assize R, 

 408, m. 10. 



^^ Margaret widow of Roger the Crow- 

 ther of Cheadle in 1305 released to Sir 

 John de Byron all her right in half an 

 oxgang in Didsbury, which she held by 

 the gift of Sir Nigel de Longford ; Byron 

 Chartul. no. 29, fol. 18. 



1^ Earl Egerton of Tatton's D. In 

 the corresponding fine the purchaser is 

 called Ralph Pycroft ; Pal. of Lane. Feet 

 of F. bdle. 12, m. 274. Thomas Pycroft 

 sold land to the Mosleys ; see Lanes. Inq* 

 p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 66. 



^* Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, 66. 

 For his family see Ormerod, Ches. (ed. 

 Helsby), iii, 683. Sir Robert Lovell, 

 noticed in Heaton Norris, had lands in 

 Didsbury also. 



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