The Manchester Genealogist

Unfilmed 1851 census of Manchester, Salford And Districts
Report No. 3

Third progress report on the transcription work at the Public Record Office to retrieve entries from previously unfilmed 1851 census returns for Manchester and District.

Since the second report was published in volume 31 no 3 1995, the small team of volunteers at the PRO have continued to work their way through the unfilmed returns and the results of their earlier labours are now beginning to show fruit in the publication of the transcribed returns for Salford Greengate (HO 107/2223) and Hulme (HO 107/2121). The publication of Ashton under Lyne (HO 107/2233) and Oldham below Town (HO 107/2240) returns are due shortly and members awaiting these will be interested to know that the recapture rate for each batch is 88% (16,300) for Ashton and 77% (4,400) for Oldham.

Salford Regent Road (HO 107/2224)

We have completed all the transcription work on these returns and have passed them to Manchester for computer inputting and microfiche production. The two unfilmed books contain the returns for 13 enumeration districts (EDs) and the barracks. The latter was passed to Manchester for publication in 1995 but an updated version has now been compiled and forwarded. The details of each book are as follows: -

Table 1: 1851 Census for Salford, Regent Road, showing the recovery rate of entries of books 4B and 4E.

Enumeration districts I to 6 and 14 to 26 have been microfilmed and were indexed and published in volume 11. Principal streets in each book are as follows: -
4B: Chapel St, Irwell St, Ordsall Lane, Rodney St, Islington Sq, White Cross Bank, Oldfield Rd, Hampson St, George St, Sidney St, Rowell St, Barrow St.
4E: The Crescent, Oldfield Rd, Hope St, Gaythorn St, Front Windsor, Tontine St, Brunswick St, Cross Lane, Ellor St, James St, Booth St.

Manchester St George's (HO 107/2230)

By the time this report is published the transcribed returns for 2 books for the St George's sub-district will have been sent to Manchester for computer inputting. These cover 12 EDs in the area bounded by Swan Street in the south, Rochdale Road in the northwest, Chapman Street in the north and Oldham Rd in the southeast. The population on census night was approximately 11,700 (see table below).

Table 2: 1851 Census for St George's Sub-district (HO 10712230) showing the recovery rate of entries of books 5A and 5B.

Book 5B was in very good condition, relatively speaking! The remaining 31 enumeration districts that complete the St George's sub-district (lM to IQQ) have been microfilmed and surname indexed and published as volume 4.

Future work

As many members will know, the Chancery Lane operation of the PRO will close down in December 1996 and all work will be transferred to Kew. Our transcription work will then resume from a new location and we shall only have two more batches of unfilmed returns to transcribe. These are the ones for HO 107/2222 - three books covering Salford - Pendleton and Salford Pendlebury, and two books (HO 107/2232) for Great and Little Heaton, Prestwich and Harpurhey. The latter has the entries for Prestwich lunatic Asylum, shown as initials of patients. Thanks the research carried out by Larry Snowdon and his three volunteers on the entry registers of the Asylum, it will be possible to match the two sources and establish a complete census entry for most of the patients. The remaining transcription work will take at least 18 months because of the severe damage to the returns and the prospect of scanning or enhancement techniques is, at the present time, fairly remote due to financial restrictions at the PRO.

Finally, make I make an appeal to those members who live in west London and adjacent counties to join the transcription team at the PRO. We are seeking volunteers who can spare one day a week with a minimum of three visits a month. They will need to have good short sight and be prepared to use a magnifying glass for fairly long periods. Appropriate training will be given. The Society will pay modest (off-peak) travelling expenses to those members who live reasonably close to Kew. The more volunteers that are able to work at Kew, then the sooner the work will be completed. Any members that are interested in helping in this vital work please contact me.

* Ray Hulley, Project Co-ordinator.

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