Blackpool & Lytham St. Anne's Jewish Community

Lancashire

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Town of Blackpool

Blackpool, the famous seaside town in North West England, with a population of about 150,000, is situated on the Fylde peninsula on eastern coast of the Irish Sea. It was a county borough until 1974, when it became a district of the county of Lancashire, until 1986, when it became a unitary authority, still within the ceremonial county of Lancashire.

Town of Lytham St. Annes

Just to the south of Blackpool, and closely associated with it, is the seaside town Lytham St. Annes (originally the twin towns of Lytham and St. Annes), which is part of the district (and borough) of Fylde in the county of Lancashire. The district was formed in 1974 upon the merger of several authorities, including the borough of Lytham St. Annes.

Thornton-Cleveleys and Fleetwood

Immediately to the north of Blackpool are the Lancashire twin towns of Thornton and Cleveleys and just to the north of them is the town of Fleetwood, which are also on the Fylde peninsula but located in the borough of Wyre. This was formed in 1974 upon the merger of a number of authorities in Lancashire, including the minicipal borough of Fleetwood and urban district of Thornton-Cleveleys.

Town of Kirkham

Just to the east of Blackpool, and lying halfway between Blackpool and Preston, is the town of Kirkham, also known as Kirkham-in-Amounderness. It is within the district (and borough) of Fylde in the county of Lancashire. The district was formed in 1974 upon the merger of several authorities in Lancashire, including the urban district of Kirkham. Kirkham was home to an important RAF Station.

The Jewish Community

The earliest recorded Jew in Blackpool was in 1897 and by 1898 a congregation had been established in the town. The earliest congregation in Lytham St Annes was a short-lived Sephardi congregation in 1912, followed by the present congregation, also initially Sephardi, in about 1920. World War II evacuee communities were set up in both Thornton-Cleveleys and Fleetwood, but did not survive long after end of the War. The Reform congregation (initially Liberal)in Blackpool dates from 1947. In addition, following World War II, there was a dedicated synagogue at RAF Kirkham.

Jewish Congregations

The following are the Jewish congregations that exist or existed in Blackpool and the Fylde peninsula:

Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation*
Blackpool United Hebrew Congregation
(formed from Blackpool Hebrew Congregation
and Blackpool New Orthodox Hebrew Congregation)
Fleetwood Hebrew Congregation

* An active congregation.

Search the All-UK Database

The records in the database associated with Blackpool and Lytham St Annes include:

UK Jewish Communal Leaders Database:
- JCR-UK Listings (as of the March 2024 update):
  - Blackpool - records of 110 individuals
  - Lytham St Annes - records of 43 individuals

On-line Article and Other Material relating to strict Jewish Community

on JCR-UK

Press Reports relating to the Blackpool Community 1865 - 1927.

Reference to Blackpool in Prof. Aubrey Newman's papers on Provincial Jewry in Victorian Britain.

Jewish Listed Heritage Sites in Lancashire.

Bibliography:

Blackpool - Part 7 in the "Lost Communities around Britain" series by Rabbi David Katanka, initially published by the United Synagogue's Daf Hashavua, and subsequently included in the selection of Rabbi Katanka's writing, entitled Kol Dodi (2015), p. 115;
other Blackpool Bibliography

Registration Districts (BMD)

For Blackpool:

Blackpool (since 1 April 1998).
- Previous Registration Districts:
     Flyde - from 1 July 1837 to 1 October 1936;
     Blackpool - from 1 October 1937 to 1 April 1974; and
     Blackpool & Fylde - 1 April 1974 to 1 April 1998.
- Link to Register Office website.

For Lytham St. Annes:

Lancashire (since 1 June 2005).
- Previous Registration Districts:
     Flyde - from 1 July 1837 to 1 April 1974;
     Blackpool & Fylde - 1 April 1974 to 1 April 1998; and
     Fleetwood & Fylde - 1 April 1998 to 1 June 2005.
- Link to Register Office website

For Thornton-Cleveleys and Fleetwood:

Lancashire (since 1 June 2005).
- Previous Registration Districts:
     Flyde - from 1 July 1837 to 1 April 1974;
     Fleetwood - 1 April 1974 to 1 April 1982;
     Blackpool & Fylde - 1 April 1982 to 1 April 1998; and
     Fleetwood & Fylde - 1 April 1998 to 1 June 2005.
- Link to Register Office website

For Kirkham:

Lancashire (since 1 June 2005).
- Previous Registration Districts:
  Garstang - from 1 July 1837 to 1 April 1998; and
  Lancaster - 1 April 1998 to 1 June 2005.
- Link to Register Office website

Any registers would now be held by current register office.

Blackpool & Fylde Jewish Cemetery Information

The Jewish cemeteries in (or just outside) Blackpool and in Lytham St. Annes are:

Layton Cemetery, Jewish Section, Westcliff Drive, Blackpool FY3. Established in 1898. Now closed except for reserve plots.
Carleton Cemetery, Jewish Section, Stocks Lane, Poulton-Le-Fylde FY6 (just to the north of Blackpool). Established in 1981, it serves both the Orthodox and the Reform communities of Blackpool.
Lytham Park Cemetery, Hebrew Section, Regent Avenue, Lytham FY8. The cemetery serves the St. Annes Hebrew Congregation

(For additional information, see also Blackpool and Lytham St. Annes on IAJGS Cemetery Project website.)

Jewish Population Data
	Blackpool	Lytham St Annes
1907	about 50 families		(The Jewish Year Book 1907/8)
1946	273	350	(The Jewish Year Book 1947)
1949	2,000		(The Jewish Year Book 1950)
1965	2,000	520	(The Jewish Year Book 1966)
1990	600	350	(The Jewish Year Book 1991)
2004	302		(The Jewish Year Book 2005)

Jewish Congregations in Lancashire

Jewish Communities of England home page

Page created: 21 August 2005
Page most recently amended: 15 August 2024

Research and formatting by David Shulman

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