During the medieval ages, the city of Manchester belonged, from an administrative point of view to Salford Hundred, a subdivision of Lancashire that was formed once the Norman Conquest was over. Back in those days, this subdivision covered a land surface of only 350 square miles and had a population of just 3,000 inhabitants, and was under the management of Roger de Poitou. He decided to split the area into fiefdoms, so Manchester ended up in the ruling of the Gresle family. Thus, Albert de Gresle was the first baron the city of Manchester ever had. It is worth mentioning the fact that the Gresle family did not choose to reside in Manchester. However, the city managed to grow without their presence, the lords of the manor being represented by their stewards in the city.
Where you can find the Chetham’s School of Music in our days, there used to be a castle in Manchester, which looked over the rivers Irwell and Irk. Still, the castle had no political or military importance in those days, being more a ringwork rather than an official castle. But, the Gresle family, who continued to be the barons of Manchester for 200 years already, decided to replace this castle with a fortified and imposing manor. This became the administrative centre of the city. In spite of the fact that the land of Manchester belonged to the lords of those days, the barons also used to offer land in a form of lease to various tenants. Thus, they managed to obtain the rent generated by these leases. Besides houses, the plots that were rented this way could also hold gardens and workshops.
The manor had only one corn mill, owned by the family as well, which was used by the tenants when it was time to grind their harvested corn. Besides the manor house, the Church of St. Mary was another centerpiece of Manchester in the medieval times. Also, the first lord that actually decided to reside at the manor in Manchester was Robert Grelley, who lived between 1174 and 1230. The presence of this lord attracted a high number of skilled carpenters and masons in the city, as they came to finish the construction of the manor. Because Robert Grelley convinced King John to sign a document called Magna Carta, he was eventually excommunicated and the family lost the control of Manchester for a period at the beginning of the 13th century. But, upon the death of King John, in 1216, Robert Grelley got his land back with the help of the 1st Earl of Kent, Hubert de Burgh.
In 1223, Manchester obtained the right to organise its first fair. This fair took place at Acresfield, the location where St. Ann’s Square can be found today. In 1301, the city received its Charter, becoming a market town. On the 1st of November, 1315, a rebellion started in Manchester, against the 2nd Earl of Lancaster. The rebellion was led by Adam Banastre. In the 14th century, the city started welcoming more and more Flemish wavers, who decided to settle in Manchester and provided it with wool and linen. This particular aspect helped the city become an important centre for the production of cloth.
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