Salford Diocesan Archives

Basic Facts regarding the Archives

Origin

The Salford Diocesan Archive consists of a miscellaneous collection of papers, manuscripts, correspondence, printed material, books and ledgers, photographs and memorabilia preserved by design and by chance from the working documents of the Diocese. Few items predate 1850, and little remains from the nineteenth century, but the working documents of the Bishops (the Acta) are available in good quantity thereafter, although few personal papers survive.

Location

The main archives are kept in storage at different locations within the diocese and are brought in when required for research. Certain items are kept at Burnley, where the archivist is based, to enable ready access to be had to them.

Access

The archives are temporarily housed at St Mary's Presbytery, Burnley A room can be set aside for work, and photocopying facilities are available. It must be stressed that the archives are private, and no right to access exists, though whenever possible the archivist will facilitate bona fide researchers.

Please note however that parish registers are not held centrally. Many early registers of baptism and marriages have been deposited at the Lancashire Record Office, Preston, both to ensure their safe preservation, and to aid genealogical research. For fuller details, see the current edition of "Finding Folk" published by the LRO. Registers otherwise are normally held in the parish they belong to, or one nearby. See Michael Gandy's booklet (new edition) "Catholic Missions and Register 1700-1880 Vol. 5 North West England (1998). The archivist is happy to advise but regrets that he cannot undertake genealogical research because of parish commitments.

Work in Hand

Much work still needs to be completed before the full richness of the archive can be opened to researchers. Clergy biographical notices are being compiled. The detailed indexing of the main contents of the storage boxes is ongoing, and Miss M. Kay has prepared a card index to the Harvest magazine published by the Diocesan Children's Rescue Society, which reflected the affairs of the diocese 1887-1970.

Information last revised

4 February 2008

This month's

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Salford Diocese Priests of the

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The 'I's and J's'