“All documents which regard the diocese or parishes must be protected with the greatest care.  In every curia there is to be erected in a safe place a diocesan archive, or record storage area, in which instruments and written documents which pertain to the spiritual and temporal affairs of the diocese are to be safeguarded after being properly filed and diligently secured.” (Canon 486)

There is a dedicated website for Salford Diocesan Archives.

Diocesan archive address:

Fr David Lannon PhD,
St Augustine’s,
Grosvenor Square,
All Saints
Manchester M15 6BW

Tel: 0161 236 6762
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Diocesan Archive consists of a miscellaneous collection of papers, manuscripts, correspondence, printed material, books and ledgers, photographs and memorabilia preserved by design and by chance from the working documents of the Diocese. Few items predate 1850, and little remains from the nineteenth century, but the working documents of the Bishops (the Acta) are available in good quantity thereafter, although few personal papers survive.

The archives are private, and no right to access exists, though whenever possible the archivist will facilitate bona fide researchers.

Access
Please note however that parish registers are not held centrally. Many early registers of baptism and marriages have been deposited at the Lancashire Record Office, Preston, both to ensure their safe preservation, and to aid genealogical research. For fuller details, see the current edition of Finding Folk, published by the LRO. Registers otherwise are normally held in the parish they belong to, or one nearby. See Michael Gandy’s booklet (new edition) Catholic Missions and Register 1700-1880 Vol. 5 North-West England (1998). The archivist is happy to advise but regrets that he cannot undertake genealogical research because of parish commitments.

Work in hand
Much work still needs to be completed before the full richness of the archive can be opened to researchers. Clergy biographical notices are being compiled. The detailed indexing of the main contents of the storage boxes is ongoing, and Miss M. Kay has prepared a card index to the Harvest magazine published by the Diocesan Children’s Rescue Society, which reflected the affairs of the diocese 1887-1970.

Bishops
One major content is the working papers of the Bishops. Bound volumes of their letters to the clergy, pastoral letters and similar documents are held. Some memorabilia are also kept. An annotated list of some of Turner’s Acta (1851-1872) has been prepared, as has one for Bilsborrow (1892-1903). Reports for or by Vaughan (1872-1892) on San Lucar, and Sir John Sutton’s seminary in Bruges are held. The diaries and copy letters (many of which have been summarised) of Bishop Casartelli (1903-1925) form an invaluable resource.

Diocesan Administration
Some records of early Diocesan Administration have been preserved, including financial ledgers, minute books, and property deed indexes. Boundaries Board material, Building Office papers, and School Emergency Fund documents are complemented with a host of unsorted correspondence to the Vicar General in the early 1900s, and a complete set of parish visitation reports for 1900.

Parishes
There is an extensive collection of individual parish histories, booklets and brochures, together with material connected with property and site transactions. Parish registers however are not held centrally. They are kept in the individual parishes, although certain parishes have placed their earlier registers into the care of the Lancashire Record Office at Preston.

Catholic Societies
Information on many Catholic societies is held, usually in connection with their correspondence with the bishop. Some material, notably from the Catholic Women’s League, and the Diocesan Scout Guild, has been deposited with the archives directly.

Religious Congregations
Material on religious congregations, past and present, usually in their relationship with the diocese, constitute a substantial holding. The Society of the Divine Pastor and the Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Spirit were two diocesan foundations which did not survive, while the Cross and Passion Sisters and the Franciscan Missionaries of St Joseph were two which thrived most successfully. It must be remembered that most congregations have their own archives and archivists.

Catholic Education
An extensive holding concerns education. It reflects the history of the various Education Acts since 1870, and local and national activity before and after the different Acts and Bills. As the Diocesan commitment to Catholic schools and education at every level has been intense and substantial, these holdings offer rich rewards to diligent researchers. Material is also kept on individual schools and institutions. In passing, reference must be made to the ED files at the Public Record Office, Kew.

Other Material
There is also an extensive amount of miscellaneous material, mainly covering congresses and meetings held in the Diocese on different occasions. Finally there is a substantially complete set of National Directories from 1840 onwards, and of the diocesan Almanac and the Harvest magazine. A selection of maps and town plans are also held. Access can be arranged to the archivist’s own library with several hundred books, mainly devoted to the reformation period, the nineteenth century and to local Catholic history.

Photographs
Some 400 photographs have been indexed, and a substantial amount of un-indexed ones awaits attention. These include a series of photographs of the Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimages of recent years, a set of historically-important photographs of the cathedral before recent re-ordering, and a collection of photographs of some of the diocesan clergy.

Library
Researchers have access to an extensive library dealing with church history at local, national and international levels. The pamphlet library has almost a thousand publications. Both books and pamphlets are computer indexed. Substantial runs of several magazines are also held.

Orthodox Journal
The Rambler
The Harvest (Salford Diocesan Magazine)
The Clergy Review
The Tablet (1950s onwards)
Catholic Gazette
Liturgy
Briefing
The Lamp (1850s-60s)
Catholic Social Guild publications
The Venerabile (1950s onwards)