Cheshire, England Genealogy

Cheshire, England

CHESHIRE, a maritime county; bounded, on the NW, by the Irish sea; on the N, by Lancashire; on the NE, by Yorkshire; on the E, by Derbyshire; on the SE, by Staffordshire; on the S, by Salop; on the SW, by North Wales...

The county contains 91 parishes, parts of 5 other parishes, and 4 extra-parochial places; is divided into the hundres of Broxton, Bucklow, Eddisbury, Macclesfield, Nantwich, Northwich, and Wirrall, with the boroughs of Chester, Congleton, Macclesfield, and the main part of Stockport; and forms for parliamentary representation two divisions, North and South, separated chiefly by the river Weaver. The registration county... includes a parish of Stafford, two townships of Lancashire, and a parish and part of another parish of Flint; measures 692,999 acres; and is divided into the districts of Altrincham, Great Boughton, Congleton, Macclesfield, Nantwich, Northwich, Runcorn, Stockport, and Wirrall. The market-towns are Chester, Altrincham, Congleton, Frodsham, Macclesfield, Malpas, Middlewich, Knutsford, Nantwich, Northwich, Sandback, Stockport, and Tarporley...

The county is governed by a lord lieutenant, a high sherif, 65 deputy lieutenants, and about 290 magistrates. The assizes are held at Chester; and quarter-sessions at Chester and Knutsford... The county, excepting part of the parish of Threapwood, is all in the diocese of Chester...  The places of worship, within the county proper, in 185 1 were 252 of the Church of England, 2 of United Presbyterians, 3 of English Presbyterians, 66 of Independents, 31 of Baptists, 10 of Quakers, 14 of Unitarians, 3 of Moravians, 188 of Wesleyan Methodists, 29 of New Connexion Methodists, 135 of Primitive Methodists, 50 of the Wesleyan Association, 4 of Calvinistic Methodists, 8 of Lady Huntingdon's Connexion, 5 of Brethren, 7 of isolated congregations, 9 of Latter Day Saints, and 17 of Roman Catholics... Pop. in 1801, 192,305; in 1821, 270,098; in 1841, 395,660; in 1861, 505,428...

The territory now forming Cheshire belonged anciently to the British Cornavii...

The above extract is taken from: John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72).