Listed below are the books about Stalybridge and surrounding areas and/or the Industrial Revolution that I have used for my research.
Two into One Will Go – Paul Denby ISBN 0 9515993 0 5
Two Into One Will Go by Paul Denby is a fantastic book containing the full history of both old and new St Georges Church Stalybridge. The book is great, it details the history of both churches from the building of the original St Georges Church on Cocker Hill back in 1775 to the amalgamation of both congregations in the 1980’s. It is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in the history of Cocker Hill or Stalybridge in general.
The book is out of print and difficult to obtain nationally, however, the Curate at New St Georges Church has confirmed that they have a number of copies for sale at £2.95 and he suggested obtaining them from the Church after the Sunday Service at 12.15pm. (The service starts at 10.45 if you want to attend.) Paul Denby has also allowed New St Georges to put a link to his book on their website. Two Into One Will Go – Paul Denby
Stalybridge Pubs 1750 – 1990 – Rob Magee ISBN 1 85216 061 6
This lists all the pubs in Stalybridge, gives a brief history of each pub, and provides a full list of their licensees.
Reminiscences of a Chief Constable – William Chadwick ISBN?
William Chadwick was Chief Constable of Stalybridge 1862 – 1899. I got most of the information for my post on body snatching from his book. I can’t find an ISBN for it; the reprint I own was produced by The Longdendale Amenity Society.
Bygone Stalybridge – Samuel Hill. ISBN?
I love this book. It is a fascinating read about Stalybridge from when records began until 1907 when it was written. It is probably this book that got me most interested in local history. Given that the book is now over 100 years old it is surprisingly easy to read. One of the things I find useful are the list of names the author provides; eg, names of the heads of Stalybridge families, various list of manufacturers, householders, special constables, members of institutions etc. It is great book to have a look at and see if you can find anyone listed you are researching. I can’t find an ISBN for this. The copy I own was published by the author himself; there have been later reprints.
I have just found a website with the full text of Bygone Stalybridge by Sam Hill.
Five Thousand Acres of old Ashton – Winifred Bowman – again no ISBN
No references to Cocker Hill at all which is surprising as it was inside the boundary covered by the book. Cocker Hill was then part of Ridgehill and the Lanes in the Hartshead district. The book goes back to Roman times and has great descriptions of Parish Councils, the development of the roads, schools and early industries. Great if you are researching Ashton Under Lyne or Tameside in General; less use if you are only looking at Stalybridge.
Cocker Hill, Stalybridge 