Find your ancestors in Manchester Birth Register

What can these records tell me?

There are over 5,000 transcripts and images in this record set from the years 1857 to 1911. While the amount of information available varies, most transcripts include the following:

• First name(s)
• Last name
• Birth date
• Baptism year
• Father’s name
• Mother’s name
• Workhouse
• Parish
• Place
• County
• Locality of record
• Film and page number

The actual image of the birth register may have additional information such as gender and whether the child was legitimate or illegitimate. Many of the children on record were illegitimate, which accounts for the fact that often the father’s name is absent from these registers and could explain why some of these mothers are giving birth in the workhouse.

Discover more about these records

The Withington Workhouse was opened in 1855 after the first Chorlton Union workhouse exceeded capacity in efforts to meet the demands of the growing population of Chorlton.

From 1834 to 1930, under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the impoverished population became the responsibility of the Poor Law Unions. Three such unions were created in Manchester as a result: Manchester Union, Prestwich Union, and Chorlton Union.

These records were sourced from Manchester Archives.