The parish ASHTON grew into SALFORD which became a borough from the market and faire. MANCHESTER's religious changes were transferred to chester and much of the endowments of the parish church were confiscated by Tudors Edward VI and measured by Mary. The families of the parish were the Byrons of Clayton and Radcliffes of Ordsall and during the end of the medieval period, the Barlows of the gentry. The chapels existing in 1650 serve to indicate the chief centres of population—Blackley, Newton, Gorton, Denton, Birch, Didsbury, Chorlton, Stretford, and Salford.
Surrounding the PORTLAND basin in the valley, The river Tame begins above OLDHAM in the Pennines and passes through the pasture and woodland known as the Tame Valley.
The center of TAMESIDE at ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE, there is a prominant statue on the ground floor portraying a knight on horseback. This comemmorates Sir Ralph de Assheton, the Black Knight one of the favourites of King Richard III. The Black Lad effigy ritual, which consisted of burning a straw effigy probably originated from pagan beliefs in seeing in the spring by destroying a representative of winter. An attired story leads one to believe. In the Domesday Book, St. Michael and All Angels, the market town was one in nine to grow from agriculture and the twice weekly fair and the parish church has parish registers dating back to 1594
DENTON, CHORLTON-WITH-HARDY (Chollirton, 1250; Chollerton, 1292 and usually; Chourton, 1572. Barlowe, 1253.) The township is divided into two portions by a brook running across it westwardly where Chorlton proper contains Hardy and Barlow. The principal family, Trafford of the manor of Chorlton were held by Gregory Lovel in 1590. Passing later to the Mosleys, Egertons of Tatton. HARDY does not occur separately neither was the manor of Chorlton. The manor of Barlow by the family who adopted its surname was earliest a member, Thomas de Barlow in 1200-Thomas and Sibyl, daughter of Uctred and Margaret. Alexander de Sale, son of Albin gave to Thomas de Barlow, land right in the vill of barlow. In 1336, Roger de Barlow made a settlement of his manor of Barlow in Chorlton and a moiety of the manor in Chorlton. His son John settled his lands in Barlow, Chorlton, Hardy, and Withington and remainders to his son John and his wife Joan de Holland, daughter of Richard. His grandson Andrew was committed during the ancient religous changes around Manchester. He left his cause converted to his son in 1584, August 24 never returning from custody. His son was described in the Douay records as a constant confessor and was made a knight on the accession of James I. Sir Alexander died in 1620 holding the manor of Barlow and various lands of Edward Mosley and other lands in Denton and Haughton. Of three of Alexanders sons, two entered the Benedictine Order and Alexander Jr was over the age of thirty. Ven. Ambrose Barlow a Benedictine, laboured as a missionary in South Lancashire was executed after several imprisonments for his priesthood in 1641, September 10 at Lancaster.
 | At WARDLEY HALL, a peculiar interest has long been attached to the house on account of a human skull being kept there. The superstition is that if the skull is moved from its place great storms will follow, to the damage of the dwelling. The skull is in a niche in the wall on the staircase landing, carefully protected by glass and a wooden outer door. Concerning it there are several legends and traditions, but it is now supposed to be that of the Ven. |  |
Ambrose Barlow, who served the private chapel at Wardley along with other places in South Lancashire, but was arrested on Easter Sunday, 1641, and executed in the September following at Lancaster. After his execution it is thought that his head may have been secured by Mr. Francis Downes, and preserved by him at Wardley Hall. The story of the skull being that of the last Roger Downes (died 1676) has been disproved.
Alexander Jr, brother of Ambrose was unknown by many of Manchester's adherents. His son Alexander the great grandson of Andrew was followed by his brother Thomas in 1654. Thomas' Papist son Anthony Barlow in 1717 registered his estate. Anthony's sons Thomas and Anthony were in the connexion with the Jacobite rising in 1715 and escaped, succeding their father in 1723. Thomas and his wife quarelled until an attempt on her life and Thomas died in a Lancaster prision in 1729. Their eldest son Thomas held estate until 1773 and Barlow Hall has since been that of the Egertons of Tatton. A house existed near the hall's site during the reign of Henry VI and the oldest part of the building are no earlier than the sixteenth century standing to the south of Barlow Moore between Chorlton-With-Hardy and Withington on a mound on the north bank of the River Mersey. The great hall on the west wing was from the ancient arrangement of the house when preserved, was a quadrangular plan with a bay window in the north-west corner of the courtyard. On the north wall of the quadrangle, a sundial with the date 1574 was put by Alexander Barlow and his sister Margaret, second wife of the Earl of Derby, near the sundial and the bay window contained the arms of HOLLAND and the Earl of Derby encircled by a garter.