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Books

There is a large range of books and booklets about Bollington or those produced for specific events in the town. The following list contains all that I know about but is certainly not complete. If you know of others please send me a message and tell me about them! Thanks. Some are available for sale through the  Discovery Centre  and, in some cases, at newsagents and booksellers. Others are more difficult to find but eBay, Amazon, and Google Books are useful online sources.


Recent publications

The Blue Code

Keith Nixon, 2023

A DI Jonah Pennance crime thriller,  book 3 of 3. By a Bollington author.

Available from Amazon, Kindle and Paperback

Books available through the  Discovery Centre 

People of Bollington Chronicles of a Community

People of Bollington, Chronicles of a Community
Lauren Stout, 2021

Pictures and stories of people – a record of the community by a Bollington author.

 
The Gaskells of Ingersley Hall


The Gaskells of Ingersley Hall

Bridget J Franklin, 2016.
ISBN 978-1-5262-0439-4.

(The family of the subject are no relation to the writer, Elizabeth Gaskell.)

 
Bollington 1914 -1918 ...


Bollington 1914 -1918 … and more, the story of local folk in time of war
Roy Arnold & Dave Williams.

Stories from WWI at home and abroad together with listings of all those who gave their lives including a short obituary where information is available.

Few copies available, try the  Discovery Centre . £7.99 (proceeds to charity).

 
Looking Back at Bollington


Looking Back at Bollington

George Longden & Molly Spink,
Willow, 1986.

This most popular picture book has been re-printed and is available through the  Discovery Centre .
ISBN 0-946361-16-9

 
Bollington And Kerridge


Bollington And Kerridge
1830 – 1980

William S. Broster, 1980.

A collection of Historical Articles and Personal Memories. Thought to have been out of print, a number were found among the late Dr John Coope’s effects. We are most grateful to his family for allowing us to make them exclusively available through the  Discovery Centre .

 
Bollington through the Centuries


Bollington through the Centuries

Revd. R. Norton Betts, 1934.

This delightful book on the history of Bollington through the eyes of the then Vicar has been re-published in 2005. It is available at the  Discovery Centre 
ISBN 0-9550033-0-X

   

Guides and social history

Cotton Town ...


Cotton Town … Bollington & the Swindells family in the 19th Century

Wilmslow Historical Society Industrial Archaeology Group, 1973.
Reprinted 1986.

Out of print. Copies have been seen on eBay. ISBN 0-9501384-6-0 

 
Bollington 1911


Bollington 1911
Roy Arnold & Dave Williams

What the Census revealed, and what local life was like over 100 years ago. Illustrated. Hard to find.

 
Portrait of a Village: The Happy Valley


Portrait of a Village: The Happy Valley

Margaret Ingram,
Festival Committee, 1968.
Illustrated by W. Stirling Martin.

Out of print. Sometimes available on eBay.

 
St. Oswald's Church, Bollington, the first 100 Years


St. Oswald’s Church, Bollington, the first 100 Years

Christopher Ward, 2008

A short history of the church at Bollington Cross together with a guide to the key points. Lavishly illustrated including many delightful drawings by local artist Ann Stringer.
Available from the church.

 
200 Years of Bollington Methodism


200 Years of Bollington Methodism
Jean M. Wright, 2007

Specially written to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the first Methodist church in Bollington in May 1808.

May be available through the Methodist church in Macclesfield.

 
Voices from the Past


Voices from the Past

Jean M. Wright, 2005

This most informative book is based on letters written by Martha Ann Wright, who lived to the age of 100 and worked as a maid at The Mount, then the home of Samuel Greg.
Out of print.
ISBN 0-9549979-0-5

 
When Nancy was Young ...



When Nancy was Young …
Stan Braddock, Ed
Festival Committee, Revised 1980.

This book is out of print. Sometimes available on eBay.

 
Bollington in old picture postcards


Bollington in old picture postcards
George Longden & the Bollington Civic Society History Group, 1995.

This book is out of print. Sometimes available on eBay.

 
The Shrigley Abduction


The Shrigley Abduction

Abby Ashby & Audrey Jones,
Sutton Publishing, 2003.

Bollington’s near neighbour, Pott Shrigley, and a superb tale of “anguish, deceit and violation of the domestic hearth” – a real life story about the daughter of the Turner family of Shrigley Hall.

This book is now out of print, but may occasionally come up on eBay.
ISBN 0-7509-3280-5

 
A Guide to Bollington, "The Happy Valley"


A Guide to Bollington, “The Happy Valley”
Bollington Town Council.

New editions are no longer published. The information is now available online on this web site under Organisations, or on Bollington Town Council’s web site.

  • Walks Around Bollington (3 sheets), Festival Committee, 1980.
  • Reflections on Bollington, Edited by Pam Barfield & Ann Mayer for the Bridgend Centre, Spheresprint, 1993. Memories of local people supplemented by old photographs and other memorabilia. This book is out of print. Sometimes available on eBay.
  • Reflections on Bollington vol. II, Edited by Pam Barfield & Ann Mayer for the Bridgend Centre, Spheresprint, 1995. This book is out of print. Sometimes available on eBay.
  • Reflections on Bollington vol. III, Edited by Pam Barfield & Ann Mayer for the Bridgend Centre, Sphere UK Print & Design, 1997. This book is out of print. Sometimes available on eBay.
  • From Adversity to Victory, The hardship and heroism of Bollington people during the Second World War, A unique collection of personal memories …, Compiled by Bollington Bridgend Centre, 2005. This book is out of print. Sometimes available on eBay.

Bollington assortment

None of the documents listed below are thought to be in print or available for purchase. Odd copies may appear on eBay from time to time. Most are kept in public archives where they may be inspected by following the usual procedures.

  • Happy Valley Drink In(n)s, Festival Committee, 1974. All the up to date information on Bollington pubs is available elsewhere in this web site.
  • Bollington Festival, Souvenir Brochure 1964, Festival Committee, 1964. Programme and guide to the festival.
  • Bollington Festival, May 23 – June 4 1980, Festival Committee, 1980. Programme and guide to the festival.
  • Bollington Festival, May 24 – June 4 1986, Festival Committee, 1986. Programme and guide to the festival.
  • Bollington Festival, 13 – 30 May 2005, Festival Committee, 2005. What’s On, programme and guide to the festival.
  • Festival Programme, 10 – 27 May 2019, Festival Committee, 2019. Programme of events, including the Halo events taking place from April to the end of June, and the MB&M 150 Railways Programme.
  • The Industrial Revolution in East Cheshire, George Longden, Groundwork Trust, 1988. Though not entirely about Bollington, this history based on six themed walks provides very interesting text and old photographs of the area as well as being an excellent guide to walking the town.
  • A Factory Community, Samuel Greg in Bollington, Cheshire Museums & Archives education project.
  • Bollington Parish Church 1834 – 1984, Nigel Watson, 1984. History of St. John’s Church, important now that the church is closed.
  • Bollington Town Conservation Area, Macclesfield Borough Council, 1977. Much of this material is available on this web site.
  • Bollington: Drift or Design, Harry Ward, undated but believed to have been written for the 1986 Bollington Festival. This short essay in pamphlet form was published by the Festival Committee. It was on sale at the Festival but probably nowhere else. As a result it is very rare.
  • The Normansell Family of Ovenhouse Farm Bollington, 2005, Graham C. Normansell. Private publication.

Many of the booklets were published for Bollington festivals. Consequently, they are not always available for very long afterwards. Some may still exist on the bottom shelves of local newsagents, shops, the Bridgend Centre or on eBay. Others have been published through the book trade and may be available from bookshops and newsagents. Some may be available for reference at Bollington Library.

An ongoing chronicle of Bollington life can be found in Bollington Live! which is published three times each year and has been so since 1994. It is delivered free to every household throughout Bollington, Kerridge, Pott Shrigley and Whiteley Green. Reference copies are available at the Library or you can read them online.

Then there are publications that are really about subjects other than Bollington but which contain significant references to the town or the immediate area.


Bollington and the railway

These five books are essentially about railways but each contains something about Bollington. All are researched and written by our noted local expert on Cheshire railways, Basil Jeuda …

  • The Macclesfield, Bollington & Marple Railway, Basil Jeuda, Cheshire County Council, 1983, ISBN 0-904532-0-46.
    Frequently on eBay.
  • Railways of the Macclesfield District, Basil Jeuda, Wyvern Publications, 1984, ISBN 0-907941-07-9. Occasionally on eBay.
  • North Staffordshire Railway, Basil Jeuda, Cheshire Libraries, 1986, ISBN 0-904532-21-6.
  • The Railways of Macclesfield and the line to Bollington, Poynton & Marple (Rose Hill), Basil Jeuda, 1995, Foxline Publishing, from the Scenes From The Past series, No.27, ISBN 1-870119-44-4.
  • Macclesfield, Bollington & Marple Railway Remembered, 150th Anniversary, Basil Jeuda, 2019. Includes a section on the early history of Omnibus services in the area. Available from the  Discovery Centre , Belfields Village Bakery, Bollington, and Macclesfield Information Centre. Price £5.

Books & articles containing significant reference to Bollington

  • Guide to the Macclesfield & Upper Peak Forest Canals, Tim Boddington and The Macclesfield Canal Society. 3rd edition published May 2002 but now out of print and hard to find.
  • Peak District Pubs, A pint-sized social history, Andrew McCloy, 2020, Gritstone Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9955609-9-4. Contains references and stories about several Bollington pubs.
  • Seventeenth Century Rainow, Jane Laughton, 1990.
  • The Letters of Mrs. Gaskell, editors Arthur Pollard, [Prof] J.A.V. Chapple. Please note – The Mrs Elizabeth Gaskell of letters fame is not one of the Mrs Gaskells that lived at Ingersley Hall in Bollington! However, Elizabeth Gaskell did regularly visit her friends the Samuel Gregs in Bollington (see the book below) and two of her books, Mary Barton and North & South, were modelled on her observations of industrial power between Samuel and other Gregs and the workers at Lowerhouse Mill, Bollington.
  • Mrs. Gaskell’s Personal Pantheon. Illuminating Mrs. Gaskell’s Inner Circle, Robert C.G. Gamble, 2020, Edward Everett Root Publishers, ISBN 978-1-913087-46-3. The Samuel Greg family of Bollington were members of the circle of Unitarian family and friends of writer Mrs. Elizabeth Gaskell and regularly feature in the book.
  • The FRIEDLANDS Business and Family, Anna Doggart, John Doggart and Susan Friedland, 2018. The story of a manufacturer that was critical to the war effort (WWII 1939-45) and, when at risk from the London blitz, moved to Lowerhouse mill in Bollington. Available in book shops.
  • People of Bollington, Chronicles of a Community, Lauren Stout, 2021. Pictures and stories of people – a record of the community by a Bollington author.

There are a few books that related directly to Pott Shrigley, a hamlet about one mile from Bollington.

  • The Shrigley Abduction, Abby Ashby & Audrey Jones, 2003. A true story about the daughter of the Turner family who lived at Shrigley Hall in the early 19thC. An excellent local social history recording an extraordinary and infamous incident. 
  • Abduction: Story of Ellen Turner, Kate M Atkinson, 2002, ISBN 9-543896-0-3. The subject matter is the same as the book above.
  • Pott Shrigley, The Story of a village school, Tom Askey, 1968.
  • Pott Shrigley, The Village and its Parish Council 1894-1970, Tom Askey, Governors of Pott Shrigley C of E Primary School, 1970.
  • Pott Shrigley, A Village School, the story of 500 years of education, Emily White, 1992.
  • At The Meeting of Valleys, The story of Pott Shrigley and its church, Emily White, 1994
  • Pott Shrigley Cricket Club, 75th Anniversary Commemorative Brochure for 1994 Season, Graham Hackney, 1994.
  • Gone to Pott, Derrick Brooke, The Book Guild Ltd., 2001. ISBN 1-85776-561-3. “As well as being a fascinating account of the trials and tribulations faced by Pott Shrigley Cricket Club since its formation in 1919, Gone to Pott also offers a unique portrait of rural village life.”
  • Pott Shrigley Conservation Area Appraisal, Peak District Park Authority, 2015.

The following well illustrated book collects together pictures and history of many places in east Cheshire, containing just two pages on Bollington:

  • Looking Back at East Cheshire, George Longden & Molly Spink, Willow Publishing, 1989, 40 pages. No longer easily available but copies appear on eBay now and again.

These histories contain some reference to the town or its immediate area. Several of these are taken from the references in Bollington Through the Centuries:

  • A Description of the Country From Thirty to Forty Miles Round Manchester, Dr. Aikin, 1968, David & Charles.
  • Articles on Local History, Mr. Walter Smith, 1920s, Macclesfield Courier.
  • Contributions to the History of the Ancient Parish of Prestbury, Dr. Reynaud, Modern reprint 2018, Franklin Classics.
  • History, Gazetteer and Directory of the County Palatine of Chester, Samuel Bagshaw, 1850.
  • History of Cheshire, Dr. George Ormerod, 1820s.
  • East Cheshire: past and present, or, A history of the hundred of Macclesfield, in the county palatine of Chester from original records, Dr. John Parsons Earwaker, 1877. (Usually referred to as History of East Cheshire.)
  • Roman remains in the eastern part of Cheshire, Dr. John Parsons Earwaker, 1877. (Not confirmed but likely to include the Bollington area.)
  • Old Cheshire Families, Angus-Butterworth, 1932, reprint 1971.

Local newspapers contain many references – Cheshire Sheaf, Macclesfield Courier, Macclesfield Times, and in modern times the Macclesfield Express, Community News and Cheshire Independent.

There are also regular items about the town in Cheshire Life including:

  • “Goodbye to the Flicks”, Roy Arnold, September 1980, page 70 which refers to the Bollington Empire in Palmerston Street (Hailwood House now stands on the site of this).

The following publication is both very old and no longer in publication. The item is taken from the ‘Books consulted’ list in Portrait of a Village: The Happy Valley.

  • Distaff; Jubilee Distaff, Fine Spinners & Doublers Limited. An incomplete set of these has been generously donated to the Civic Society collection. Each copy, there are 32 in the set, contains up to two pages of Bollington stories.

There is one item that has, so far as is known, never been published in book form.

  • Thomas Oliver & Sons (Bollington) Ltd. Notes on the History of the Firm during 150 years, Revd. A. C. Oliver, February 1940. Olivers occupied Waterhouse mill. Only one copy of this hand-written history is known to exist and that is now in the Civic Society collection. It is very hard to read but has been deciphered and typed up by willing volunteers. It is published on this web site with the history of Waterhouse mill.

George Longden’s research list

Finally, there are the historical references, items that will interest the serious historian. These may not always contain reference to Bollington but may give information about the area in which the town is situated, or perhaps something about a particular time in this part of the country, giving background as to why the town has developed the way it has. I am indebted to George Longden for this masterful list. A few items have subsequently been added to his list as they have been discovered or come to hand. The list is in alphabetical order.

  • 1,000 TONS OF COAL WEEKLY AT KERRIDGE WAS THE TARGET, Clifford Rathbone, article in Macclesfield Express, 12 June 1969 (Clifford Rathbone was for many years the Editor of the Macclesfield Express)
  • A CENTENARY HISTORY OF THE WESLEYAN METHODIST CHURCH OF BOLLINGTON IN THE MACCLESFIELD CIRCUIT, W. H. Oliver Lake (Minister), Hazell, Watson and Viney Ltd., 1908 (Methodists)
  • A DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY FROM 30 TO 40 MILES AROUND MANCHESTER, J. Aikin, 1795
  • A HISTORY OF CHESHIRE, Alan Crosby, 1996
  • A HISTORY OF MACCLESFIELD, C. Stella Davies, 1961
  • A HISTORY OF THE CHESHIRE COUNTY UNION OF CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES, Thomas Griffiths & Co, Manchester, 1907. Congregationalism in Bollington is covered on pages 173-177
  • A SHINING LIGHT, THE STORY OF HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, KERRIDGE, 1897-1997, Emily White, 1997
  • A SHORT HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF THE BOLLINGTON WATERWORKS, S. Knight, 1923
  • A SKETCH OF THE PARISH OF PRESTBURY, G. Y. Osborne, 1840
  • A WIZARD WALK, George Longden, Living Edge Magazine, Vol 1, no.2, 1998
  • ACT OF PARLIAMENT, AMENDMENT TO WILL OF PHILIP ANTROBUS DECEASED, 1832
  • AGREEMENT BETWEEN GEORGE ANTROBUS & JOSEPH WAGSTAFF, fragments, n.d., Bollington Civic Society archive, Antrobus collection, no. 9
  • ALFRED GATLEY, KERRIDGE BOY WHO BECAME A SCULPTER (sic), Bollington Festival Brochure, 1964 (Alfred Gatley)
  • ALFRED GATLEY’S DIARY AND LETTERBOOKS, from a transcript formerly in the possession of Mrs. Rathbone, Bollington Cross
  • AN OXFORD UNIVERSITY STUDENT 19TH CENTURY STYLE, Margaret Hughes, Macclesfield Advertiser, April 1979
  • ANTIQUITIES OF LYME, Marriott, 1810 (a little about the beacon that preceded White Nancy)
  • ANTROBUS PEDIGREES, Sir Reginald L. Antrobus, 1929 (Antrobus family)
  • BAGSHAW’S CHESHIRE DIRECTORY, 1850
  • BEHIND THE DISTAFF, Fine Spinners and Doublers Limited, 1946
  • BOLLINGTON LAND TAX RETURNS, Cheshire Record Office
  • BOLLINGTON RATE BOOK, 1854 (copy in Bollington Town Hall archive)
  • BOLLINGTON TITHE MAP AND APPORTIONMENT, 1848, Cheshire Record Office (photocopies Macclesfield Public Library)
  • BRYANT’S CHESHIRE MAP, 1831, Cheshire Record Office
  • BUILDINGS OF ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORICAL INTEREST, Dept of Environment, HMSO 1983
  • BURDETT’S CHESHIRE MAP, P. P. Burdett, 1777, Cheshire Record Office
  • CHAMBER’S EDINBURGH JOURNAL, article “PLEASANT PROCEEDINGS AT A FACTORY”, contemporary report on Samuel Greg and Lowerhouse mill in Bollington, edition Number 541, Saturday June 11, 1842, pages 163-165
  • CHESHIRE COUNTRY HOUSES, P. de Figueiredo & J. Treuherz, 1988
  • CHESHIRE HISTORIC TOWNS SURVEY, BOLLINGTON. Cheshire County Council and English Heritage, 2003
  • CHESHIRE: A GENEALOGICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY, Stuart Raymond
  • CONCISE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF PLACE NAMES, 4th Ed, E. Ekwall, 1960
  • DEPOSITION BY WILLIAM RICHARDSON OF RAINOW, MILLWRIGHT, 8 Aug 1806, Adlington Hall archive (copy of transcript in hands of writer, George Longden)
  • DICTIONARY OF BRITISH SCULPTORS 1660-1851, Rupert Gunnis, revised ed (nd)
  • DICTIONARY OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY, 1993 ed., vol 7
  • DRAFT SURRENDER, MANOR AND FOREST OF MACCLESFIELD, 1792, Cheshire Record Office D 5075/12 no.10
  • DRAFT SURRENDERS, MANOR AND FOREST OF MACCLESFIELD, 1792, Cheshire Record Office D 5075/113, nos. 24, 45
  • EAST CHESHIRE TEXTILE MILL SURVEY FILES, 1980s, Macclesfield Museums
  • EAST CHESHIRE TEXTILE MILLS, Anthony Calladine & Jean Fricker, 1993
  • ENGLISH PLACE NAMES, Kenneth Cameron, 1961
  • GENERAL VIEW OF THE AGRICULTURE OF CHESHIRE, Henry Holland, 1808
  • GEOLOGY OF THE COUNTRY AROUND MACCLESFIELD, CONGLETON, CREWE, AND MIDDLEWICH, T. I. Pocock, Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, 1906
  • GEOLOGY OF THE COUNTRY AROUND MACCLESFIELD, CONGLETON, CREWE AND MIDDLEWICH, W. B. Evans. A. A. Wilson, B. J. Taylor, & D. Price, Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, 1968
  • GEOLOGY OF THE COUNTRY AROUND STOCKPORT, MACCLESFIELD, CONGLETON AND LEEK, E. Hull & A. H. Green, Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, 1866
  • GEOLOGY OF THE COUNTRY AROUND STOCKPORT AND KNUTSFORD, B. J. Taylor, R. H. Price, & F. M. Trotter, Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, 1963
  • GREENWOOD’S CHESHIRE MAP, 1819, Cheshire Record Office
  • HISTORY OF OLD MACCLESFIELD, John Earles, one of series of articles in Macclesfield Courier, 31 March 1917
  • KELLY’S CHESHIRE DIRECTORY, 1878
  • KELLY’S CHESHIRE DIRECTORY, 1892
  • KELLY’S CHESHIRE DIRECTORY, 1896
  • KELLY’S CHESHIRE DIRECTORY, 1902
  • LANDSCAPE HISTORY DISCOVERIES IN THE NORTHWEST, Edited by Sharon M Varey & Graeme J White, University of Chester Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1-908258-00-7. Contains a chapter on An East Cheshire Township in Transition [Bollington] by Tom Swailes
  • LIFE AND LABOUR IN VICTORIAN MACCLESFIELD, George Longden, 1986
  • LIVES OF THE ENGINEERS, Samuel Smiles, 1904 edition
  • MACCLESFIELD CHRONICLE
  • MACCLESFIELD COURIER (microfilm in Macclesfield Public Library)
  • MACCLESFIELD EXPRESS
  • MACCLESFIELD IN THE LATER FOURTEENTH CENTURY, A. M. Tonkinson, 1999
  • MACCLESFIELD TIMES
  • MANCHESTER MERCURY, Manchester Central Library, microfilm
  • MANOR OF GAWSWORTH, Raymond Richards, 1974 edition
  • MAP, 1611, Public Record Office MR 354
  • MELLOR’S GARDENS, 2nd ed., R.C. Turner, 1989
  • MELLOR’S GARDENS, R.C. Turner, Garden History, vol 15, no.2, autumn 1987
  • MEMOIR OF THE LATE JAMES MELLOR, 1891
  • METHODISM IN MACCLESFIELD, Benjamin Smith, 1875
  • MORRIS CHESHIRE DIRECTORY, 1874
  • NOTES ON THE WORKS OF ALFRED GATLEY, handwritten ms by Dr John Coope, with Bollington Civic Society
  • NOTES ON WHITE NANCY, Walter Smith, Macclesfield Courier, 25 Mar & 1 April 1948
  • OLD CHESHIRE CHURCHES, Raymond Richards, 1947
  • OLD ORDNANCE SURVEY MAPS, The Godfrey Edition sheet 98, STOCKPORT, ALTRINCHAM & NE CHESHIRE 1912
  • ORDNANCE SURVEY 1 INCH TO THE MILE OLD SERIES MAP, Sheet 81 (Buxton) 1840-1842, reprinted as sheet 27 of the David and Charles edition, 1970
  • ORDNANCE SURVEY 25 INCH MAP, 1ST ED, sheets XXIX.13 and XXXVII.1, surveyed 1871, published 1875, Cheshire Record Office (photocopies in Macclesfield Public Library)
  • ORDNANCE SURVEY 25 INCH MAP, 2ND ED (1ST REVISION), sheets XXIX.13 and XXXVII.1, revised 1896, published 1898, Cheshire Record Office
  • ORDNANCE SURVEY 25 INCH MAP, 3RD ED (2ND REVISION), sheets XXIX.13 and XXXVII.1, revised 1907, published 1909, Cheshire Record Office (photocopies in Macclesfield Public Library)
  • ORDNANCE SURVEY DRAWINGS, 2 INCHES TO THE MILE, map 351, surveyed 1837, British Library, copies in Cheshire Record Office
  • ORDNANCE SURVEY DRAWINGS, 2 INCHES TO THE MILE, sheet 81, surveyed 1839, British Library, copies in Cheshire Record Office
  • PALATINATE STUDIES, W. H. Chaloner, 1992
  • PATCHWORK, Volume 1, Rainow History Group (Jane Laughton and others), 2014
  • PATCHWORK, Volume 2, Rainow History Group (Jane Laughton and others), 2014
  • PEAKLAND ROADS AND TRACKWAYS, A. E. Dodd & E. M. Dodd, 3rd ed, 2000
  • PICTURESQUE CHESHIRE, T. A. Coward, Esq.
  • PIGOT & SLATER CHESHIRE DIRECTORY, 1841
  • PIGOTS CHESHIRE DIRECTORY, 1834
  • PLAN OF MACCLESFIELD CANAL, 40 INCHES TO THE MILE, 1890s, copy with the Macclesfield Canal Society
  • POYNTON, A COALMINING VILLAGE; SOCIAL HISTORY, TRANSPORT AND INDUSTRY 1700-1939, W. H. Shercliff, D. A. Kitching & J. M. Ryan, 1983
  • PRESTBURY PARISH REGISTERS (microfilm, Macclesfield Public Library)
  • PROPOSED NEW ROAD FROM BOLLINGTON TO RAINOW, copy of part of a plan, nd, in the hands of the writer, George Longden
  • PROVINCIAL POETRY 1789-1839, C.R. Johnson, 1992
  • PUBLIC ENQUIRY INTO REFUSAL OF PERMISSION TO ERECT A FACTORY, JACKSON LANE, KERRIDGE, 10 February 1954, transcript of proceedings, and submissions, in the archive of Bollington Town Council
  • RAINOW IN THE OLDEN TIME, no. 4, Cheshire Sheaf, vol XVIII, quoted in Walter Smith, Macclesfield Courier, 15 April 1932
  • RAINOW IN THE OLDEN TIME, Walter Smith, 61 articles in the Macclesfield Courier, from March 1932
  • RAINOW LAND TAX RETURNS, Cheshire Record Office
  • RAINOW TITHE MAP & APPORTIONMENT, 1848/50
  • RAINOW TITHE MAP, 1850, AND APPORTIONMENT, 1848, Cheshire Record Office (photocopies in Macclesfield Public Library)
  • REGISTER OF THE BLACK PRINCE, Public Record Office.
  • ROCKS OF AGES, article in Bollington Live!, March 1997 p.13
  • SALE OF TITHES (Bollington and other townships), Prospectus, Macclesfield Arms Hotel, 9-10 Jan 1844
  • SALTWAYS FROM THE CHESHIRE WICHES, W. B. Crump, Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society, vol 54, 1940
  • SCRAPBOOK, Slater, Harrison & Co.
  • SEVENTEENTH CENTURY RAINOW, Jane Laughton, 1990
  • SITES AND MONUMENTS RECORD, Cheshire County Council
  • SLATERS CHESHIRE DIRECTORY, 1848
  • SLATERS CHESHIRE DIRECTORY, 1883
  • SLATERS CHESHIRE DIRECTORY, 1888
  • SLATERS CHESHIRE DIRECTORY, 1890
  • SLATERS LIVERPOOL DIRECTORY, 1844
  • SOME EVIDENCE OF EARLY ROMAN MILITARY ACTIVITY ON THE SOUTH-WEST PENNINE FLANK, Alan Richardson, Journal of the British Archaeological Association, vol CXL, 1987
  • SURVEY OF SOME OF THE LANDS IN BOLINGTON BELONGING TO EDWARD DOUNES, 1686, Downes Papers, Cheshire Record Office
  • SWIRE & HUTCHINGS’ CHESHIRE MAP, 1829
  • THE AGRICULTURAL HISTORY OF CHESHIRE 1750 – 1850, C. Stella Davies, 1961
  • THE ANCIENT PARISH OF PRESTBURY, F. Renaud, 1876
  • THE BOLLINGTON HOUSING SCHEME 1920-1922, commemorative booklet, 1922
  • THE BUILDINGS OF ENGLAND: CHESHIRE, Pevsner, Nikolaus & Hubbard, Edward, Penguin Books, 1971
  • THE COMMERCIAL DIRECTORY, 1814-15
  • THE COMMERCIAL DIRECTORY, 1816-17
  • THE DARK SATANIC MILLS. CHILD APPRENTICES IN DERBYSHIRE SPINNING FACTORIES, Edmund & Ruth Frow, 1980
  • THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TURNPIKE SYSTEM IN LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE, William Harrison, Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society, vol 4, 1886
  • THE LAND WE LIVE IN: …, vol I, The Midland Counties …, un-named authors, published by William S. Orr & Co., London, no publication date given but probably c.1860 (pages 239-249 relate to Macclesfield and district.)
  • THE MACCLESFIELD EYRE ROLLS, translated by Mr. R. Stewart-Browne, Chetham’s Society.
  • THE GREGS OF QUARRY BANK MILL, Mary B. Rose, 1986
  • THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY PALATINE AND CITY OF CHESTER, George Ormerod, 1819, reprinted with additions by Thomas Helsby, 1882
  • THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY PALATINE AND DUCHY OF LANCASTER, Edward Baines, new edition revised by James Croston, 1888-1893, vol 3
  • THE LOST MILLS OF ROWARTH, Eileen Miller, 1984
  • THE LOST ROUTES OF BOLLINGTON, George Longden, Bollington Live! nos. 13, 15, 17
  • THE MILLS OF NEW MILLS, 2nd ed, John V. Symonds, 1991
  • THE MINISTRY OF YOUTH. THE WORK OF SAVIO HOUSE, Bollington Live! March 2001
  • THE ORIGINS OF CHESHIRE, N.J. Higham, 1993
  • THE ORIGINS OF THE BOLLINGTON COTTON INDUSTRY, George Longden, Bollington Magazine 2, August 1990
  • THE PEAK DISTRICT, R. Millward & A. Robinson, 1975
  • THE PEOPLE OF KERRIDGE, 1851, article in Macclesfield Express, 16 March 1972
  • THE PLACE NAMES OF CHESHIRE, Part 1, J McN. Dodgson, 1970
  • THE PLACE NAMES OF RAINOW, Jane Laughton, articles in Contact, the Parish Magazine of Rainow with Saltersford and Forest, Jan 2000 – May 2001
  • THE QUARRIES OF THE MACCLESFIELD AREA, D. A. Kitching, 1977, unpublished article, Macclesfield Public Library
  • THE REGISTER BOOK OF CHRISTENINGS, WEDDINGS, AND BURIALS WITHIN THE PARISH OF PRESTBURY … 1560-1636, James Croston (ed.), Record Society, 1881
  • THE STORY OF RAINOW, Rainow Women’s Institute, 1974
  • THE STORY OF THE CHURCH IN RAINOW, Mary Meacham, 1996
  • THE TOWNSHIP OF RAINOW IN THE 17TH CENTURY, Jane Laughton, unpublished thesis, Cert in Local History, Manchester University, 1986
  • THE WATERLOO JOURNAL, Vol.41 No.3 Autumn 2019, Ian Walker, article about James Robertshaw (1793-1859) a Bollington resident who fought at Waterloo
  • THE TURNPIKE ROADS OF THE PEAK DISTRICT, J. Radley & S. R. Penny, Derbyshire Archaeological Journal, Vol XCII, 1972
  • TOWNSHIP PACK NO. 20 BOLLINGTON, prepared an published by Cheshire Libraries, Arts & Archives, undated but after 1986
  • VAREY’S HISTORY AND DIRECTORY OF MACCLESFIELD AND VICINITY, 1825
  • WHITES CHESHIRE DIRECTORY, 1860
  • WORRALLS STOCKPORT DIRECTORY, 1872

Books by Bollington authors

There are, no doubt, a number of books by Bollington authors (other than those about Bollington noted above). Most of these have been out of print for many years. However, copies do become available through online sellers on sites such as eBay, Amazon and Google Books. Google also provide modern prints (one offs) of many old out of print, out of copyright, books. I am aware of the following:

  • Two letters to Leonard Horner, Esq., on the capabilities of the factory system, Samuel Greg, 1840.
  • Letters on Religious Belief, Samuel Greg, 1856.
  • Scenes From the Life of Jesus, Samuel Greg, 1869, available on Google Books. A delightful and very readable interpretation of Bible stories.
  • A Layman’s Legacy, tribute to Samuel Greg, 1883, written by his wife Mary Pricilla and their daughter Amy. A modern reprint is available from Google books – see next item.
  • Short Sermons from A Layman’s Legacy, Philip Green, 1895. See Google Books. Available from Amazon
  • History of Good Dog Fanny and Tuft, the Canary. With other Stories, all True, published with a coloured frontispiece in London, Edinburgh and New York by T. Nelson and Sons in 1881, by Mrs Margaret E. Gaskell, aged 67. This is NOT the Mrs Gaskell of letters fame (that was Elizabeth C. Gaskell), but the lady of Ingersley Hall, now Savio House. I am grateful to [Prof] John A.V. Chapple, Editor of noted books about Mrs Elizabeth Gaskell’s letters, for bringing this book and confusion to my notice. 
  • Doctor Chekhov, A Study in Literature and Medicine, Dr. John Coope MBE, 1997, ISBN 1-873295-21-9. Dr. Coope was Bollington’s leading GP for very many years during the second half of the 20thC. I believe he saw many parallels, such as medical research and practice, literature, and music, between himself and Chekhov which led to him studying and writing about Chekhov.
  • The Menopause: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Coping with the Change, Dr. Jean Coope, Paperback, 1995. Wife of Dr John Coope, also a Bollington GP, they were both very notable in their fields.
  • Alive in Bollington 2005, A Unique Treasury of Poems from Bollington Schools. Published for the 2005 Bollington Festival. Softback, ISBN 1-84602-094-8. 
  • Travels with a Primate, Terry Waite, published 21 February 2018. The Primate in the title was Dr Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury. Terry Waite was born in Bollington and lived here for just a few weeks before his father, a policeman, was posted to Styal.
  • The Girl in the White Dress, Paul Barrell, published February 2020. A mystery thriller.
  • Postcards from Pimlico, Paul Barrell. A mystery thriller.
  • One Dog and his Cop, Jenny Martin, Silverwood Self-Publishing, 2020. A heart warming true story of how Villain, a cuddly German Shepherd puppy, grew into an award-winning police dog.
  • Sedimentary Flow, Barbara Nicholls, Black Dog Publishing, ISBN 978-1-91116-421-0. Barbara Nicholls is a local artist internationally known for her monumental watercolour works. Web page.
  • Counsel to Council: The Inside Story, Colin Morris (aka Maurice Cole), 2021. A memoir of the author’s career from Macclesfield Town Hall to becoming chief executive of Castle Morpeth Council. “It is funny yet serious. … revealing candidly what he witnessed.”
  • An Eye for Birds, Bruce Kendrick, 2021, Whittles Publishing. Bruce must be Bollington’s most dedicated and experienced twitcher! This delightful book provides his reflections on nature and conservation. Bruce is also a very competent photographer and the book is illustrated with c40 of his beautiful pictures. 
  • Eight – A Memoir of Mum, Helen Birchill, 2021 Amazon, a Bollington writer who honed her writing skills at the Bollington Library Writing Group! Part biography, part novel, Helen, in this tribute, records the life and death of her mother, Freda, who died of cancer in 2015. Eight? Because the number eight so frequently came into Freda’s life. ISBN 979-8-48739-743-0.
  • The Animals’ Environmental Protest, Chesney Orme, 2022. A children’s story by local Scout leader and passionate plastics recycler, Chesney Orme. Hardback: ISBN 978-1-80369-119-0. Paperback: ISBN 978-1-80369-118-3.
  • The Blue Code, Keith Nixon, 2023. Book 3 of 3 in the DI Jonah Pennance crime thriller series. Kindle or Paperback from Amazon.
  • Art & Nature in the Outer Hebrides, Bruce Kendrick, 2023, a travel guide borne of 50 years of visits featuring the amazing bird life of the western Scottish islands together with stories of the people and life of the islands. Paperback: Whittles Publishing ISBN 978-1-84995-566-9. Bruce is an expert birder and a brilliant photographer with plenty of examples in this book.

If you know of any other relevant books, particularly those written by Bollington authors, please email the webmaster, link below, so that we can list them on this page.