In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles
described Manchester like this: Manchester, parl. and mun. bor.,
city, par., and township, SE. Lancashire, on rivers Irk, Irwell,
and Medlock, 31 miles E. of Liverpool and 186 miles NW. of
London by rail - par. (including the greater part of the sister
town of Salford, separated from Manchester by the Irwell, which
is spanned by a series of bridges), 35,248 ac., pop. 720,481;
township, 1646 ac., pop. 118,794; parl. bar., pop. (estimated)
421,224; mun. bor., 4293 ac., pop. 341,414; 12 newspapers.
Market-days, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. ... This
busy and opulent city, whose mfrs. have gained celebrity in
every part of the world, possesses a history that is more
ancient, and of more general interest, than that of the majority
of our great industrial centres which have come prominently
before the public only in comparatively recent times. Although
the particulars regarding its early existence are scanty, and by
no means indubitable, there ar