North West

The North West

Cheshire, Cumbria, Isle of Man, Lancashire & Merseyside

Ports were the first points of settlement and a community in Liverpool sprang up. The Liverpool traders sent travellers to Manchester. A handful of Liverpool pioneers decided to try to make a life in Manchester.

Prior to 1788 no Jewish name appears in any local directories for Manchester. In 1788 there was a flower dealer Hamilton LEVI but it is not known if he was Jewish. In 1794 a piece of land in Pendleton (Salford) was purchased for burials. This cemetery was in operation until the 1830s. This cemetery served a handful of Jews who came from Liverpool in about 1792. These Jews met in Garden Street for prayers and this venue was Manchester's first synagogue. By 1813 a former warehouse in Ainsworth Court (off Long Millgate) had a regular reader and was being used as a synagogue. Manchester's first purpose-built synagogue was opened in Halliwell Street in 1824.

Two views of Manchester Streets

Liverpool's Jewish community began in 1742 and it was the largest provincial community, until the mid-1800s. Liverpool Jewry is well documented on the site run by the Liverpool Jewish Genealogical Society. This site has a searchable database of records. It also has an excellent history of Liverpool Jewry written by J Wolfman. Mr Wolfman is a leading authority on Liverpool Jewry. If you are interested in Liverpool, visit the site and/or contact Mr Wolfman. www.lgjs.org or directly to www.ljgs.org/Documents/Liverpool_Jews.html

Old postcard of Liverpool Docks; Princes Road Synagogue 2002

Regarding the "Internment of "Enemy Aliens" in UK during World War Two" many were held in the Isle of Man and this is of interest to researchers into British Jewry . The records, when they survive are at the PRO in class HO. See http://catalogue.pro.gov.uk/ HO396 includes: Internees At Liberty In UK 1939-1942, German Internees Released In UK 1939-1942, Italian Internees Released In UK.

Research Favourites

Records for Cheshire are housed at the Chester Record Office RECORDOFFICE@cheshire.gov.uk Births, marriages and deaths registrations are coming on line for Cheshire see http://cheshirebmd.org.uk for details and to search their databases. Lancashire BMD project is open. Marriage searches (limited coverage) are now live! www.lancashirebmd.org.uk

Liverpool Libraries also run excellent services in their local history and local studies sections. www.liverpool.gov.uk/htm/services

Manchester has several repositories, especially if you are looking in Greater Manchester. Try the Greater Manchester Record Office www.gmcro.co.uk or Manchester Central Library archives@libraries.manchester.gov.uk For a list of Jewish records held at Manchester Central Library click here.

Market Street, Manchester

Manchester Jewish Museum, 190 Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester M8 8LW telephone 0161 834 9879 fax 0161 832 7353

Centre for Jewish Studies University of Manchester www.art.man.ac.uk/reltheol/jewish/CJS.htm

Greater Manchester Police Museum, Newton Street, Manchester M11ES
Tel: 0161 856 3287 All correspondence must be addressed to the Chief Constable at PO BOX 22 (S West PDO), Chester House, Boyer St., Manchester M16 ORE is useful for alien registration documents (Submitted by Susan McPhedran)

Salford has a small local studies library Salford.Museum@salford.gov.uk

Staffordshire Record Office www.staffordshire.gov.uk/archives/

Tameside are incredibly helpful. They are at www.tamesidemb.gov.uk

Please note that, with effect from Tuesday 22 April, all telephone and fax numbers for Lancashire Record Office will change. This is due to a major development of switchboard capacity within the County Council. The main contact number for the office will now be 01772 533039 (formerly 01772 263039) and the fax number will be 01772 533050 (formerly 01772 263050). Anyone who presently makes direct contact using other 6 figure numbers beginning 26, should amend these 2 digits to 53.

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