19th century transcripts copied from the originals in the House of Lords Record Office.
In 1641-2 Parliament ordered all males in England and Wales over the age of 18 to take an oath to "live and die for the true Protestant religion, the liberties and rights of subjects, and the privilege of Parliaments". Churchwardens and constables made lists of all who signed and of those who refused to sign. Bailey's transcripts were copied from the originals in the House of Lords Record Office. Bailey described the Manchester list as "perhaps the earliest and completest list of the inhabitants of Manchester that could be found...They form an excellent basis for the calculation of population, and for the study of Lancashire nomenclature; while they are invaluable for historic and genealogical purposes. All the then well-known names of Lancashire men are found in the lists" (J. E. Bailey, Palatine Note-Book, volume I (1880-84), p 80).
Returns have been preserved for the hundreds of Amounderness, Blackburn, Leyland, Salford and West Derby.