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| Bircle | |
|---|---|
 Bircle Church in Winter | |
  Bircle Location within Greater Manchester | |
| OS grid reference | SD829122 |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BURY |
| Postcode district | BL9 |
| Dialling code | 0161 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
The historic parish of Bircle, near Bury, England, was created on 1 July 1846, although the village of Bircle (now known as Birtle) has existed for many centuries. It is believed that 'Bircle' is a shortening of the phrase 'Birch Hill', as it was suggested that there were birch trees in the parish. Names such as "Cleggs Wood", "Simpson Clough" and "Dobb Wood" appear on early Ordnance Survey maps. "Hill' appeared in the fourteenth century in the name of 'Birkhill' but it never found a permanent place. Over time its name has also appeared as Brithull, 1243; Birlcil, 1246; Birkhill, 1334, 1573; but Bircle appears in the Diocese of Manchester[1] directory in England.