Manchester Graveyards

One of the greatest problems in any large city is to locate the burial place of one's ancestors. At any given time there might have been a single burial place in the parish churchyard, later burial grounds surrounding chapels of ease and then, as nonconformity became more accepted, burial grounds associated with denominational chapels. In the late 18th/early 19th century there was the beginning of the private cemetery business and following the Burial Acts of the 1850s, city burial grounds were closed and municipal cemeteries established on the city outskirts. Finally, in 1892, Manchester Crematorium opened and cremation became increasingly popular throughout the 20th century.

The first two tables which appears below are taken from an article published in Manchester Genealogist 31/4 in 1995. They were compiled by Steve Little of Manchester College of Arts and Technology. The final table listing cemeteries in the Borough of Trafford (and in which many Mancunians will be found) was compiled by George Cogswell. We will welcome any information which you may be able to provide to fill in the gaps and confirm the uncertain entries.

There are burial registers and memorial inscription transcripts for many of these graveyards. Many of the registers and some MIs are available in the Local Studies Unit of Manchester Central Library (refer to the List of Registers in Manchester Archives and Local Studies - "The Pink Book") and some are held in the Society's Library (consult the catalogue at Clayton House). In due course we will add some details to this page to assist in locating records.

Old City Graveyards

Name Location Opened Closed Moved
Manchester’s 1st Ground St Anne’s Square not known 10th C 1712?
Cathedral Cathedral Yard cl2th C 1819 Still there
The Apple-market Fennel Street 1767 1788 Still there
New Burial Ground Angel Meadow 1787 1815 Still there
Walkers Croft Victoria Station 1815 c1832 Partial 1844
St. Anne St Anne’s Square 1712 1854 Partial 1842
St. Mary Exchange Street 10th C c12th C 1742?
Cross Street Chapel Cross Street c1700 1854? 1995?
Baptist Chapel Rochdale Road c1789 1854? Still there
St. John St John’s Street c1770 1820? Still there
St. Mary Parsonage Gardens c1760 1854? Still there
St. James Charlotte Street c1788 1854? Partial 1964
St. Michael Angel Meadow c1789 1854? Still there
St. George Thompson Street c1798 c1854 1989
St. Mary Mulberry Street c1815 ? Still there
Unitarian Chapel Mosley Street c1790 c1830 c1850
Methodist Chapel Great Bridgewater St. c1801 1854? c1890
Friends Meeting House Jackson’s Row 1675 1847 1877
Friends Meeting House Mount Street c1795 1854? Still there
New Jerusalem Peter Street 1793 ? c1880
St. Andrew Travis Square c1831 1854 Still there
Independent Chapel Cannon Street c1760 c1840 c1929
Cold House Chapel Thomily Brow c1671 c1800 1874
St. Peter St Peter’s Square c1794 ? Still there
St. Augustine Granby Row c1820 1854? c1908
St. Luke Rutland Street c1800 1854? 1990
Round House Every Street c1824 1855 Still there
St. Thomas Redbank 1844 ? ?
St Paul Turner Street c1820 1854? ?
St. Chad Cheetham Hill ? ? Still there
St. Patrick Liversey Street ? ? Still there
New Cross Oldham Street Not known c1808 c1846

Other Burial Grounds Within Sight of the Township Boundaries

Name Location Opened Closed Moved
All Saints Oxford Road      
Bible Christian Chapel Barrack Street      
Methodist Chapel New Islington      
St. George Hulme      
St. Luke Cheetham Hill      
St. Saviour Upper Brook Street      
St. Thomas Ardwick      
Swedenborgian Irwell Street      
Trinity Church Chapel Street      
Unitarian Chapel Upper Brook Street      

Private (P) and Municipal (M) Graveyards and Crematoria

Name Location Opened Closed Moved
Agecroft (M) Langley Road 1903    
Ardwick Green (P) Lord Street, Hyde Road 1838 c1955 (Memorials cleared)  
Blackley Cemetery  (M) Victoria Avenue, Blackley 1953    
Blackley  Crematorium (M) Victoria Avenue, Blackley 1959    
Chorlton Row (P) Rusholme Road 1820    
Gorton (M) Thornwood Avenue, Gorton 1900    
Philips Park (M) Riverpark Road, Miles Platting 1866    
Manchester Crematorium (P) Barlow Moor Road 1892 Still open  
Manchester General Cemetery (Queens Park Cemetery) (P/M*) Harpurhey 1837 Open to existing grave-owners only  
Southern Cemetery (M) Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, M21 7GL 1879 Still Open  
St. Joseph's Cemetery (RC) Moston Lane, Manchester, M40 9QL 1877    
St. Mary's Cemetery (RC) Manchester Road, Wardley, Worsley, M28 4UJ 1935    
Weaste (M)   1857 Still open  Records at Agecroft

* Although now a municipal cemetery, it is believed that Harpurhey cemetery was originally a private undertaking which was taken over by the municipal authority in 1868.

Municipal Cemeteries in the Borough of Trafford

Altrincham Lawn Cemetery Whitehouse Lane, Dunham Massey Jul 1963 Still Open  
Altrincham Crematorium Whitehouse Lane, Dunham Massey Apr 1959 Still Open  
Altrincham (Hale) Cemetery Hale Road, Hale 13 Dec 1862   Records at Altrincham Lawn
Sale (Brooklands) Cemetery Marsland Road, Sale 15 Sep 1862 Still Open Records at Altrincham Lawn
Stretford Cemetery Lime Road (off Edge Lane) 4 Feb 1885 Still open Records at Altrincham Lawn
Urmston Cemetery Queens Road 14 Nov 1892 Still Open Records at Altrincham Lawn

Municipal Cemeteries in the Borough of Stockport

Stockport Borough Cemetery Buxton Road Heaviley Stockport SK2 6LS 12 Apr 1838 Still Open  
Stockport Borough Crematorium Buxton Road Heaviley Stockport SK2 6LS 1934 Still Open  
Willow Grove, Reddish       Records at Stockport
Highfield, Bredbury       Records at Stockport
Mill Lane, Cheadle       Records at Stockport
Park Lane, Cheadle       Records at Stockport

[Amended 14 June 2006 - John Marsden]