Bidston cum Ford, Cheshire
Historical Description
Bidston-cum-Ford, a township and a parish in Cheshire. The township lies 1 mile SW of Birkenhead Docks station on the Wirral railway, and 3 miles NW of Birkenhead. It comprises 1713 acres; population, 254. The parish includes also part of the township of Claughton-cum-Grange, and used to include those of Moreton-cum-Lingham, Sattg-hall-Massey, and the Carre, now formed into a separate parish. Its post town is Birkenhead. Population, 2393. Bidstone Hill commands a fine view of the surrounding country, the Mersey, and the Irish Sea. A lighthouse 50 feet high stands on the hill, showing a fixed light elevated 300'feet above high-water, visible at the distance of 25 miles. The Liverpool Observatory, belonging to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, is also situated here. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Chester; net value, £190 with residence. Patron, the Bishop of Chester. The church, dedicated to St Oswald, was rebuilt, with the exception of the tower, in 1856, and enlarged in 1882. It has a fine mosaic reredos, and a good peal of bells. There is also a mission church, situated in Claughton village, and dedicated to St Bede. Claughton and Moreton are separate benefices.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
| Ancient County | Cheshire | |
| Hundred | Wirrall | |
| Poor Law union | Wirrall |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Bidston cum Ford from the following:
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Cheshire is available to browse.
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Cheshire papers online:
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitation of Cheshire, 1580 is available on the Heraldry page.