The news that the bodies of over one hundred people in Cross Street have been found during the current work on the new Metrolink will come as little shock to those who know the history of the street and that of its famous Chapel.About Manchester takes a closer look.
This week Transport for Greater Manchester announced that they have found the remains of circa 115 people, interred 150 to 200 years ago and affiliated to the Unitarian Church, on Cross Street.
The find, though valuable for researchers, is unsurprising.Indeed if you walk around in the city centre, the chances are that somewhere along the way you will be treading on the remains of your dead ancestors.
Cross Street Chapel is the second oldest church in Manchester. It was established in 1694 by the followers of Henry Newcombe who had been expelled from Collegiate Church for refusing to accept the Restoration religious settlement.
Now in its third incarnation, it was first rebuilt in 1715 after being damaged during the riots that followed the Hanoverian accession to the throne.
it was described as the best brick building in the city, but sadly it did not survive the blitz of the Second World War.
A new chapel was built after the war in 1959 but it quickly became apparent that the new building did not fit into the modern development of Cross Street and the current chapel is integrated into a modern office block development.
Indeed, during that development, bodies were found and were reinterred at Manchester’s Southern Cemetery.
Probably it’s most famous part in Manchester’s History came in 1715.
George 1 had ascended the throne much to the disgust of many in the country who saw him as a usurper to the rightful throne of the Stuarts.
Public anger in Manchester was as high as anywhere with its strong Jacobean feeling and the country saw rioting in many areas.
An account written in the English Flying Post put Manchester at the heart of the problems:
“the country is so far from feeling the good influences of the government that we are in a far worst condition than during the last four destructive years.
The mob are grown very outrageous and the common cry is down with the rump and some towns are in perfect confusion but especially at Manchester where the mob has been up about three weeks.”
This was July 1715 and the author gave some examples of what the mob was up to:
“the pretender was proclaimed three times by a considerable number of disgusied persons……
“on the kings birthday they dispersed those celebrating it from a bomfire,putting it out,scattereing its remains and breaking windows.
Dressed with branches from their clothing to distingusih themselves from George’s supporters they continued to burn houses and on the 9th June around 300 of them laid siege to Cross Street Chapel, breaking down walls and dstroying furniture.
Returning the following night they pulled slate off the roof and vowed to continue until the whole building was leveled to the ground.
The chapel was wrecked and the congregation recieved a parliamentary grant to compensate them for the damage done.
