The Manchester Collection
About the Manchester Collection
The Manchester Collection is a rich series of records provided by Manchester City Council's Libraries, Information and Archives. They give details about how Manchester ancestors lived, particularly in the Victorian period, thereby providing colour to family history. Even if you do not live in Manchester now, you may have had ancestors there and these records will prove to be an essential resource.
The records comprise:
- Apprentices – 690 indentures, ranging from 1700-1849
- Cemetery and death records – around 175,000 names: 1750-1968
- Industrial school admission and discharge registers – almost 6,000 records c1866-1912
- Manchester Naturalisation Society – records for 542 individuals for the period 1896-1909
- Birth and baptism and marriage transcripts – almost 200,000 names dating back to the sixteenth century
- Prison registers – 247,765 records covering 1847-1881
- School admission registers – around 158,000 records c1870-1916
- Workhouse registers – 357,000 admission registers, 280,000 creed registers, 16,000 discharge registers
Find out more about each set of records by clicking on the left-hand menu.
For in-depth background information and comment regarding Manchester archival records and especially those relating to its industrial schools, prisons and workhouses, we recommend Gerard Lodge's Manchester Family History Research website