Withington history

Ladybarn lies to the east of Withington. Records from the early 19th century show Ladybarn as a small group of buildings, surrounded by fields, on the north side of what was Ladybarn Lane, and is now Mauldeth Road. See the Old Maps page for the growth and development of Ladybarn over the years.

Ladybarn is now an attractive place to live, with houses of various periods, a shopping area, a railway station and facilities including Ladybarn Park, with its magnificent Poplar Walk, Outdoor Gym, Bowling Club, sports facilities, children's playground, playing fields and woodlands.

The origins of the name 'Ladybarn/Lady Barn' are discussed below.

Here are some pictures of Ladybarn. Click on the images for enlarged views.

St Chad's Church, Ladybarn. The original building was dedicated in 1900. This building was designed by W. Cecil Hardisty and consecrated in 1907, superseding the original iron structure on a nearby site. [2010]	Another view of the church. The organ is a Harrison and Harrison Ltd.instrument and is rated Grade 2* under a national scheme. For more information about the remarkable history of the organ, see the history page. [2012]
Cottages on Ladybarn Lane. [2014]	A house on Ladybarn Lane. [2014]
Cottages on Ladybarn Lane. [2014]	Houses in Green Street. [2014]
Houses on Ladybarn Lane. Notice the sign for the Derby Arms public house. The former public house was behind this building, on Exbury Street. It was closed c2004 and converted into residential use. [2014]	Houses on Ladybarn Lane, with a tamarisk tree in flower. [2014]
Houses on Exbury Street. [2014]	Mount Pleasant Methodist Chapel on Ladybarn Lane. For its history see the Churches and Chapels page. [2014]
Kingswood Park. For more information see the Parks page. [2014]	Brewer's Arms, Ladybarn Lane. [2014]
Ladybarn Park - the magnificent Poplar Walk in summer (2011). Here is a photograph of the poplars in 1963.	Ladybarn Park - woodland area in winter. Alder (Alnus glutinosa), with male and female flowers, in the foreground. [2010]
Ladybarn Park - decorative gates.	Ladybarn Park - the magnificent Maple Avenue, a gift from Canada, consists of several species of maple. [2012]
Ladybarn Park - part of the outdoor gym [2011].	The official opening of the outdoor gym by Tony Parkinson, Chair of Southway Housing Trust (leftmost in the group) [July 2011].
Ladybarn Park - the bowling green. [2012]	Ladybarn Park - birch woodland in summer (Betula pendula). [2011]

St Chad's Community Wildlife Garden was developed from early 2012 in the grounds of St. Chad's Church, Ladybarn. Here are some pictures (again, click on the images for enlarged views).

St Chad's Community Wildlife Garden - entrance stone [2012].	The Community Wildlife Garden - the willow arch entrance [2012].
Some of the gardeners [2012].	Community Wildlife Garden - a "nectar bed" [2012].
The pond in the Community Wildlife Garden [2012].	Inventive birdbath in St. Chad's grounds [2012].

Origin of the place-name 'Ladybarn'

'Ladybarn/Lady Barn' as a place-name is rare in Britain.

Rev. John Booker (A history of the ancient chapels of Didsbury and Chorlton), writing in 1857, says of the name 'Ladybarn/Lady Barn':

"The name is of uncertain derivation, said to be from the erection of a barn or grange by Lady Anne Bland, but in reality so designated as early as 1638, in which year "John and Thomas Shalcross of Ladie Barn pledge themselves to the payment of £2 8s. due to the minister of Didsbury", and even earlier, in the will of Sir Nicholas Mosley dated 1612.

These early dates rule out a reference to Lady Anne Bland. However, the name may be a fairly-recent given name, for a house or farm building, or the name may be derived as a modification of an earlier name.

If the name is indeed an ancient name for the settlement, there are several possible sources. One is that it refers to a 'tithe barn'. Lady Day was the start of the accounting year (originally, March 25th, and named after St. Mary) for the payment of tithes (payments, usually 'in kind' i.e. agricultural produce). The other accounting days (quarter-days) were Midsummer Day, Michaelmas, and Christmas Day. Tithe barns were for the storage of these payments from the farm workers to the land-owners or the church. However, whilst such barns were common, there is little evidence of them generally being called 'lady barns'.

Another possibility relates to land ownership by a church or monastic institution dedicated to Our Lady (St. Mary).

The Abbey of St Mary-in-the-Marsh at Cockersand (Lancashire) is recorded to have held land in this area. According to the Chartulary of Cockersand Abbey (Reprinted by the Chetham Society, Vol. 43, 1900), translated from the Latin:

Grant in frankalmoign from Odo, son of Ingrith de Withington [to the canons of Cockersand], of a portion of his land in Withington, to wit, eight acres of land by the great ditch on the south side, as the crosses indicate; with common of pasture and all liberties and easements belonging to his fee of the said town. [8.0.1184 I2IOC]

Elsewhere in the chartulary, we have:

Grant in frankalmoign from Odo, son of Ing [-rith de Withington, to the canons of Cokersand] of a portion of his land within the bounds of Withington, to wit, in the northern part of that town between two ditches, as the crosses and landmarks of the said brethren indicate, together with the messuages ; and also four acres of land extending from the great ditch along the kirk-gate towards land of Walter de Withington ; with common right, easements, and liberties. Any future claim upon this land to be discharged by the residue of his fee. [S.D. 1184 1210 c]

These extracts appear to refer to Withington (in "Salfordsyre") with the "great ditch" being Nico Ditch. This possible source of the name 'Ladybarn/Lady Barn' is mentioned by several authors, but in the absence of more evidence, including older references to the name, this derivation remains unproven.

Ladybarn Social Club. A history of the Ladybarn Social Club, formerly the Ladybarn and District Royal British Legion Club, by Phil Cowtan and the committee of the club (2013).

Documents: Some documents relating to the protests against the redevelopment plans for Ladybarn in the 1970s. Many thanks to Ruth Shepherd who sent these. They include reference to the one-time Ladybarn Civic Society, and to the Rusholme: Poster 1 (1971) | Poster 2 | Civic Society letter (1973) | Manchester Evening News (1973)