Chetham Society Publications

Thirteen volumes, published by the Chetham Society, 1845 to 1875. Raines's own copies with his manuscript additions, as follows:

• 1: F.R. Raines (ed.), Notitia Cestriensis or historic notices of the Diocese of Chester by Right Rev. Francis Gastrell D.D., Bishop of Chester, volume 1 (1845);
• 2: F.R. Raines (ed.), Notitia Cestriensis or historic notices of the Diocese of Chester by Right Rev. Francis Gastrell D.D., Bishop of Chester, volume II, part I (1849);
• 3: F.R. Raines (ed.), Notitia Cestriensis or historic notices of the Diocese of Chester by Right Rev. Francis Gastrell D.D., Bishop of Chester, volume II, part II (1850);
• 4: Richard Parkinson (ed.), The private journal and literary remains of John Byrom, volume I, part I (1854);
• 5: Richard Parkinson (ed.), The private journal and literary remains of John Byrom, volume II, part II (1857);
• 6: Richard Parkinson (ed.), The private journal and literary remains of John Byrom, volume I, part II (1855);
• 7: F.R. Raines (ed.), Notitia Cestriensis or historic notices of the Diocese of Chester by Right Rev. Francis Gastrell D.D., Bishop of Chester, volume II, part II (1850);
• 8: F.R. Raines (ed.), Miscellanies: being a selection from the poems and correspondence of the Rev. Thomas Wilson (1857);
• 9: F.R. Raines (ed.), A history of the chantries within the county palatine of Lancaster, being the reports of the royal commissioners of Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Queen Mary (1862);
• 10: Jeremiah Finch Smith (ed.), The admission register of the Manchester School, with some notices of the more distinguished scholars, 1730-1775 (1866);
• 11: Jeremiah Finch Smith (ed.), The admission register of the Manchester School, with some notices of the more distinguished scholars, 1776-1807 (1868);
• 12: F.R. Raines (ed.), The visitation of the county palatine of Lancaster, made in the year 1613 / by Richard St George, esq., Norroy king of arms (1871);
• 13: F.R. Raines (ed.), Chethams miscellany - Vol. 5 (1875), comprising: 'Description of the State, Civil and Ecclesiastical of county of Lancaster', 1590; 'Visitation of the Diocese of Chester by John Archbishop of York', 1590; 'Letters on the claim of College of Arms in Lancashire in time of James I'; and 'Easter Rolls of Whalley', 1552-1553.

The Chetham Society was one of the earliest historical societies to be established in Britain. It was founded in Manchester in 1843 by a group of gentlemen of a literary and historical turn, who wanted to promote interest in, and access to, the rich historical source material of the region. The formal object of the Society was to publish Remains Historical and Literary connected with the Palatine Counties of Lancashire and Chester. The Society held its first meeting in the historic Chetham's Library, established in 1653 by the will of Humphrey Chetham. Since the 1870s the Society's work has concentrated on the history of the ancient counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.

There have been three series of Chetham Society publications. The first (Old) series ran from 1843 until 1882, although its last volume was not in fact published until 1888. It comprised 114 volumes, plus two volumes of indexes. The first volume of the second (New) series was issued in 1883, and the last, volume 110, in 1947. The Third Series began in 1949 and has continued to the present, volume 45 being published in 2003.