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Early Families in the town of Irlam
(with particular reference to the Irlam family)

One of the families in the area adopted the local name. Dolfin de Irlam about 1190 granted his part of the land (in Irlam) between the crooked oak and the stub at the head of Wulpitcroft, and his part of the wood between Elmtree Pool and Elbrook, to the canons of Cockersand ...

Irlam was early divided among several tenants. About 1245 Henry, Abbot of Cockersand, granted land to Geoffery de Irlam and his heirs at a rent of 16d.

An Adam of Irland was defendant in land suits in 1278 and 1279, the plaintiffs being Richard and Ralph de Irlam.

A William de Irlam, son of Avice de Irlam and an uncle of Cecily de Irlam, appeared before the local Assize Court in 1292 over a dispute to his title to some land in the area. He lost the case to Adam of Irlam, son of William of Irlam.

Thomas, the son of Adam, in 1298 leased all his lands in Irlam for six years to William de Hulton, except for those belonging to his mother Agnes. In 1301 Agnes widow of Adam gave all rights to her husband's land to Richard de Hulton the elder. In 1317 William son of William son of John de Irlam granted all his lands in Irlam to Richard de Hulton.

So the land holdings in Irlam passed from the Irlam family to the Hulton family.

In 1322 Irlam, like Newham, Winton and Monton was a hamlet of Barton and in the possession of the lord of Manchester.

In 1334 William son of Ellen de Irlam was a tenant in Irlam and paid an arrow as rent.

In 1360 a Richard de Irlam and Alice his wife and Thomas (son of Richard) and Maud his wife were plaintiffs in an Assize hearing.

In the 1500s the Booths of Barton and Asshaws of Shaw acquired land in the Irlam area. In the late 1500s the Lathom family acquired considerable holdings in the area and remained the principal local family in the Irlam area for the next 200 years, holding perhaps as much as a third of the entire manor. They owned Irlam Hall. Thomas Latham spent most of his family fortune in assisting in bringing William of Orange to the throne in 1688.

The surname Irlam is found in the district down to the 18th century.

In 1584 Thomas Irlam and Isabel his wife sold land to Humphrey Barlow.

In 1631 Thomas Irlam of Barton paid £10 on declining knighthood.

In 1717 Frances Irlam of Pendleton registered an estate as a 'papist'.

The Victorian History of the Counties of England-Lancashire (1907), vol 4, page 371

Geography and Modern History of Irlam Area

Irlam was a hamlet in the township of Barton upon Irwell, the parish of Eccles, the hundred of Salford and 8 miles W.S.W. from Manchester.

Much of the land area of this part of Lancashire (as it was until 1974) was moss land.

It was not until 1805 that work began on reclamation of this swampy area and the immense problems encountered during the construction of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway are well known. Even today, parts of this area, despite heavy industrialisation, are still surprisingly remote and bleak especially in the locality of Woolden Hall. Much of the moss land is, however, extensively cultivated and produce is supplied to the markets of Manchester and Liverpool.

In 1894, the Irlam Urban District came into being and the Manchester Ship Canal was opened. The later history of the area became closely linked with the Manchester Ship Canal. The canal's construction caused a diversion to be made in the Liverpool to Manchester Railway and a new Irlam station had to be built - at the canal company's expense!

Much industrial development took place along the canal banks and the Irlam Steelworks, opened in 1910, were a major source of local employment and economic stability until their closure in 1979. A diversified Industrial Estate has now been developed on the site of the former steelworks. The population of Irlam was only just over 4,000 in 1901 but by the outbreak of the Second World War it had reached 14,600. When Irlam Urban District became a part of Salford in April 1974, the population of the area stood at over 20,500.

Irlam & Cadishead - Local History (Salford City Council)