{{Short description|Area of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}} {{Use British English|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox UK place | country = England | static_image_name = St Martin's School, Ashton-upon-Mersey.jpg | static_image_width = | static_image_caption = Former village school and clock tower, Green Lane | coordinates = {{coord|53.4311|-2.3336|display=inline,title}} | official_name = Ashton upon Mersey | population = | population_ref = | population_density = | metropolitan_borough = Trafford | metropolitan_county = Greater Manchester | region = North West England | constituency_westminster = Altrincham and Sale West | post_town = SALE | postcode_district = M33 | postcode_area = M | dial_code = 0161 | os_grid_reference = SJ785925 | london_distance = {{convert|162|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} SE }}
'''Ashton upon Mersey''' is an area in Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the south bank of the River Mersey, {{convert|5|mi|km|1}} south of Manchester city centre and immediately adjoins Sale to the east. It gives its name to the Ashton upon Mersey ward, which covers the main part of the former village. Ashton upon Mersey lies within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, and became part of Greater Manchester in 1974.
==History== A 4th century hoard of 46 Roman coins was discovered and is one of four known hoards dating from that period discovered within the Mersey basin.<ref>Nevell (1992), pp. 59, 75.</ref><ref>Nevell (1997), p. 20.</ref> In the 18th century, it was thought that Ashton upon Mersey might have been the site of ''Fines Miaimae et Flaviae'', a Roman station next to the River Mersey. However, this was based on the ''De Situ Britanniae'', a manuscript forged by Charles Bertram, and there is no evidence to suggest any such station existed.<ref>Swain (1987), pp. 9–10.</ref> "Ashton" is Old English for "village or farm near the ash trees", suggesting that Ashton upon Mersey is of Anglo-Saxon origin.<ref>Swain (1987), pp. 12–13.</ref>
[[File:St martins ashton upon mersey.jpg|thumb|left|St Martin's Church]] The township is first mentioned in 1260.<ref>Nevell (1997), p. 32.</ref> The first building of St Martin's Church dated from 1304, but a chantry on the same site is believed to have existed since the 9th century.
Ashton-on-Mersey School is located in the area.
==Governance== There is one main tier of local government covering Ashton upon Mersey, at metropolitan borough level: Trafford Council. The council is a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which is led by the directly-elected Mayor of Greater Manchester.
===Administrative history=== Ashton upon Mersey appears to have historically been part of the ancient parish of Bowdon, but it had become a separate parish by 1350.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ashton on Mersey and Bowdon |url=https://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/Cheshire/53283654b47fc40856001ed0-Ashton+on+Mersey+%26+Bowdon |website=Survey of English Place Names |publisher=The English Place-Name Society |access-date=18 January 2025}}</ref> The new parish contained two townships, called Sale and Ashton upon Mersey, although the Ashton township contained numerous detached portions of the parish of Bowdon within it.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ashton on Mersey St Martin, 1636–1871 |url=https://cprdb.csc.liv.ac.uk//Notes/Parish/ASHM.html |website=Cheshire Parish Register Project |access-date=18 January 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cheshire Sheet IX, 1882 |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/102340978 |website=National Library of Scotland |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=18 January 2025}}</ref> Ashton formed part of the Bucklow Hundred of Cheshire.<ref name=VoB>{{cite web |title=Ashton upon Mersey Ancient Parish / Civil Parish |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10208956 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=18 January 2025}}</ref>
From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the poor laws, in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Ashton upon Mersey, the civil functions were exercised by the townships rather than the parish as a whole. In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws, and so the Sale and Ashton upon Mersey townships (the latter including the detached parts from Bowdon) became separate civil parishes.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume II, Northern England |date=1991 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0861931270 |page=xv}}</ref>
When elected parish and district councils were established under the Local Government Act 1894, Ashton was initially given a parish council and included in the Altrincham Rural District. These arrangements were short-lived; the parish was made a separate urban district a few months later in 1895.<ref name=VoB/><ref>{{cite book |title=Annual Report of the Local Government Board |date=1896 |page=366 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Annual_Report_of_the_Local_Government_Bo/5lQ9AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA366&printsec=frontcover |access-date=18 January 2025}}</ref>
On 1 October 1930, the Ashton upon Mersey Urban District was abolished and the area was absorbed into Sale Urban District.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10186821|title=Ashton upon Mersey UD|work=A vision of Britain through time}}</ref> Ashton upon Mersey therefore no longer had a separate council after 1930, although it continued to have a nominal existence as an urban parish within Sale Urban District (which became a municipal borough in 1935). The Ashton upon Mersey civil parish was eventually abolished in 1936 when the Sale parish was enlarged to cover the whole borough. In 1931 (the last census before the civil parish was abolished), Ashton upon Mersey had a population of 9,704.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10208956/cube/TOT_POP|title=Population statistics Ashton upon Mersey CP/AP through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=26 October 2024}}</ref>
Ashton upon Mersey was administered as part of Sale from 1930 until 1974, when the borough of Sale was abolished and the area became part of the new metropolitan borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government Act 1972|year=1972|chapter=70|schedule=1|access-date=15 January 2025}}</ref>
==Notable citizens== *Lascelles Abercrombie (1881–1938), poet and professor of English<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lascelles-Abercrombie |title=Lascelles Abercrombie |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=20 July 1998 |website=britannica.com |publisher=Britannica |access-date=5 January 2024}}</ref> *Sir Patrick Abercrombie (1879–1957), architect, noted for the redevelopment of post-war London<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Patrick-Abercrombie |title=Sir Patrick Abercrombie |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=20 July 1998 |website=britannica.com |publisher=Britannica |access-date=5 January 2024}}</ref> *J. George Adami (1862–1926), pathologist and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool *Stanley Houghton (1881–1913), playwright and author of ''Hindle Wakes''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.salford.ac.uk/library/archives-and-special-collections/salford-digital-archives/find-out-more-6 |title=Stanley Houghton Collection |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=salford.ac.uk |publisher=University of Salford |access-date=5 January 2024}}</ref> *Vincent James, animator/cartoonist/illustrator, best known for his design and storyboard work on Count Duckula and Philbert Frog<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=22 November 2011 |title=Ashton-on-Mersey animator Vincent James nominated for Children's BAFTA |url=https://www.messengernewspapers.co.uk/news/9377112.ashton-on-mersey-animator-vincent-james-nominated-for-childrens-bafta/ |work=Messenger |access-date=5 January 2024}}</ref> *Karl Pilkington (b. 1972), author and radio and TV personality<ref>{{cite news |last=Devlin |first=Wayne |date=31 May 2018 |title=Wayne's World: Karl Pilkington on growing up in Trafford |url=https://www.messengernewspapers.co.uk/news/16260756.waynes-world-karl-pilkington-growing-trafford/ |work=Messenger |access-date=5 January 2024}}</ref> *Andy Rourke (1964–2023), bassist of the Smiths<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/stories/andy-rourke-interviewed/ |title="The Smiths Were A Gang. A Band Of Brothers…" Andy Rourke Interviewed |last=Stokes |first=Paul |date=19 May 2023 |website=mojo4music.com |publisher=Mojo |access-date=5 January 2024}}</ref> *Chris Sievey (1955–2010), better known for his comic persona Frank Sidebottom<ref>{{cite news |last=Hughes |first=Rob |date=22 June 2010 |title=Chris Sievey obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/jun/22/frank-sidebottom-chris-sievey-obituary |work=The Guardian |access-date=5 January 2024}}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|Greater Manchester}} *Listed buildings in Sale, Greater Manchester
==References== ;Notes {{Reflist}}
;Bibliography {{Refbegin}} *{{cite book |first=Mike |last=Nevell |year=1992 |title=Tameside Before 1066 |publisher=Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council |isbn=1-871324-07-6}} *{{cite book |first=Mike |last=Nevell |year=1997 |title=The Archaeology of Trafford |publisher=Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council |isbn=1-870695-25-9}} *{{cite book |first=Norman |last=Swain |year=1987 |title=A History of Sale from earliest times to the present day |publisher=Sigma Press |location=Wilmslow |isbn=1-85058-086-3}} {{Refend}}
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Category:Areas of Greater Manchester Category:Former civil parishes in Greater Manchester Category:Geography of Trafford Category:Sale, Greater Manchester