A HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT CHAPEL OF CHORLTON. HORLTON township lies four miles south-west of Manchester, and is bounded on the north by Stretford; on the south by the river Mersey, which there divides the counties of Lancaster and Chester; on the east by Withington and Didsbury; and on the west by Stretford and the river Mersey. The name was anciently written, as chance seemed to direct, Charlton, Charleton, Cherlton, Chereleton, Chorleton, Chourlton, Chourton, Chowerton, Chowreton, Chorllerton, Chollerton, Cholreton, Chowlerton, &c. Whitaker derives it from Cheorl, a Saxon appellative, and tun a town or township. There are two hamlets in Manchester parish bearing this designation, the one known as Chorlton-row or roe, i.e. the Chorlton adjoining the old Roman row or road to Buxton, called also Chorlton-upon-Medlock as being situated on the river of that name,1 and the other, the township of which it is now proposed to treat, 1 of the signification of the name Medlock, Whitaker thus writes: Med or Mat, and Lug or Loc, equally signify water: and, in composition, imply a quantity of it, either a river or a lake. The former constitutes half the name of the famous Med-way ..... and the latter forms the whole of it in the Loxa of Scotland and the Logia of Ireland, the Lug of Herefordshire, the Lucus of Liguria in ancient Italy, the Locke of Somersetshire, and the great variety of Lochs in Ireland and Scotland. — Whitaker's History of Manchester, vol. i. p. 290, second edition. I I |