Macclesfield

The town is recorded in the Domesday Book as "Maclesfeld" and in 1183 it was referred to as "Makeslesfeld".Scholes (2000). page 104. The English Place-Name Society gives its name as being derived from the Old English name, Maccel, and field, yielding the meaning "Maccel's open country".{{Cite web |title=Macclesfield |url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Cheshire/Macclesfield |access-date=12 May 2012 |website=Key to English Place Names |publisher=Institute for Name Studies, University of Nottingham |archive-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514034802/http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Cheshire/Macclesfield |url-status=live }}

Although "Silk Town" seems to be its preferred nickname, the traditional nickname of Macclesfield is "Treacle Town".

This refers to an historical incident when a horse-drawn wagon overturned and spilt its load of treacle onto the street, after which the poor scooped the treacle off the road.{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitnorthwest.com/macclesfield/|title=Macclesfield Cheshire|website=Visitnorthwest.com|access-date=11 June 2022|archive-date=19 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519152329/https://www.visitnorthwest.com/macclesfield/|url-status=live}}

Before the Norman Conquest, Macclesfield was held by Edwin, Earl of Mercia, who also held much of the east of the county.Bu'Lock, pp. 71–72 Three crosses survive from this period, originally located in Sutton and now in West Park,{{NHLE |num= 1012884|desc= Three early medieval cross shafts in West Park|access-date= 19 January 2020|mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}} and J. D. Bu'Lock speculates that there might have been a Pre-Conquest church.Bu'Lock, pp. 80, 84, Plate 18 The area was devastated by the Normans in 1070, and had not recovered by 1086; the Domesday Book records the manor as having fallen in value from £8 to 20 shillings.Husain, pp. 11–12, 34 Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester held the manor himself after the Conquest; there was a mill, meadow for oxen, and woodland 6 leagues by 4 leagues.Husain, pp. 17, 23, 25, 28 A Norman castle was built at Macclesfield.Husain, pp. 99, 101

At the time of the Domesday Book, Macclesfield was in the hundred of Hamestan.{{Cite web |last=Finney |first=Isaac |title=Macklesfelde in ye olden time |url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~finney/isaac/macklesfelde-in-ye-olden-time.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208185338/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~finney/isaac/macklesfelde-in-ye-olden-time.htm |archive-date=8 February 2007 |access-date=12 January 2007}} By the 13th century, the Hundreds of Cheshire had been reorganised, and the town gave its name to the Macclesfield Hundred, which covered a similar area to the old Hamestan Hundred in the east of the county.{{cite web |title=Macclesfield Hundred |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10031102 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=21 February 2025}}

File:St Michael's Church over Church Street, Macclesfield.jpg

Macclesfield was granted a borough charter in 1261 by Edward, Earl of Chester, eldest son of Henry III; Edward later became king as Edward I. Although the 1261 charter purported to create the borough, there was reputedly an earlier charter, possibly granted by Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, in the early 13th century.{{cite book |title=Parliamentary Papers |date=1838 |pages=53–54 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Parliamentary_Papers/TgZEAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=RA2-PA53&printsec=frontcover |access-date=21 February 2025}} The 1261 charter gave the right to hold a market, fair and judicial courts.Hewitt, pp. 69–70Hartwell et al.., pp. 449–51 The medieval town stood on the hilltop, centred on All Saints' Church (later renamed St Michael's), which was built in 1278, an extension of a chapel built in approximately 1220.{{Cite web |title=A History of the Church |url=http://www.stmichaels-macclesfield.com/history.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060721015935/http://www.stmichaels-macclesfield.com/history.htm |archive-date=21 July 2006 |access-date=28 November 2006 |website=St. Michael's Macclesfield}} In 1357, a hall was built in the town for the mayor's court and the borough court (portmote). The town lacked industries at this date and was described as poor, remaining a small market town until the end of the 15th century, with a population numbered in the hundreds.Driver, pp. 43–45, 109

The Cheshire archers were a body of elite soldiers noted for their skills with the longbow that fought in many engagements in Britain and France in the Middle Ages. Battles at which there were sizeable numbers of Cheshire archers include Agincourt and Crecy. In 1277 Edward I employed 100 of these archers from the Macclesfield area as his personal bodyguard, his successor Richard II also employed a bodyguard of these yeoman archers who came from the Macclesfield Hundred and the forest districts of Cheshire.

The borough had a weekly market and two annual fairs: the Barnaby fair on St Barnabas day (11 June), the other on the feast of All Souls (2 November).Driver, p. 109Beck, p. 72 In recent years the Barnaby fair has been reinvented as the Barnaby Festival, a cultural festival in mid-June. The weekly market no longer happens but on the last Sunday of each month the Treacle Market is held, a large market selling locally produced food and handmade items such as clothing, handmade goods and pottery.

Macclesfield was the administrative centre of the Hundred of Macclesfield, which occupied most of east Cheshire.Clayton, D. J. (1990). pages 32, 33. The Earl of Chester's manor of Macclesfield was very large, and its boundary extended to Disley. The manor house was on the edge of the deer park, on the west of the town.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} In the 14th century, it had a king's chamber and a queen's hall, as well as a large stable, and the manor served as a stud farm for Edward the Black Prince.Hewitt, pp. 31, 35 The Earls of Chester established the Forest of Macclesfield, which was much larger than its present-day namesake. It was used for hunting deer and pasturing sheep and cattle. By the end of the 13th century, large areas of the forest had been ploughed because of the pressure of population growth. In 1356, two trees from the forest were given to archer William Jauderell to repair his home.

File:View of Macclesfield from Macclesfield train station 2014.jpg

Macclesfield Castle was a fortified town house built by John de Macclesfield in the later Middle Ages. Construction began in 1398,{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} and that year an application was made for a licence to crenellate, or fortify, the building. Two chantries were founded in the town: one in 1422 by the Legh family, and one in 1504 by Thomas Savage.Driver, p. 136 In 1502, Macclesfield Grammar School was founded by Sir John Percyvale.

No proof exists that Macclesfield was ever a walled town. When the settlement was first established and for some centuries afterwards there would have certainly been some sort of ditch and palisade round the western side of the town which was not naturally defended. This was necessary in order to keep out undesirable people and stray animals. No physical trace of a ditch remains though measurements and the shape of certain streets suggest where such a ditch could have been and most of the medieval building were within this area. It is unlikely that the ditch and palisade were succeeded by a wall for no record has been found of a murage tax, which would certainly have been levied to keep the wall in repair. The suffix "Gate" in the names of several Macclesfield streets has been taken to indicate the former presence of a gate in the sense of a guarded opening in a wall, however, this is very unlikely as the term 'gate' is derived from 'gata', Scandinavian for road, which became gate in Middle English.A history of Macclesfield. Macclesfield Borough Council, edited by Clarice Stella Davies, University of Manchester Press, 1961. Therefore, Chester Gate, the Jordan Gate and the Church Wall Gate (some sources give the name Well Gate for this gate), are simply referring to the road to/from Chester or the road leading from the church to the well. These names are preserved in the names of three streets in the town, Chestergate, Jordangate and Back Wallgate,Streets and houses of old Macclesfield. John Earles, 1915. Republished MTD Rigg Publications, Leeds, 1990. which have several older and listed buildings.

A charter of 1595 established a town governing body consisting of the mayor, two aldermen and 24 "capital burgesses", and the powers of this body were increased by a charter of 1684.Hodson, p. 100 By the Tudor era, Macclesfield was prospering, with industries including the manufacture of harnesses, gloves and especially buttons, and later ribbons, tapes and fancy ware.Beck, pp. 52–53Hodson, p. 149 Coal was mined from the 16th century.Hodson, p. 142 In 1664, the population was around 2,600, making Macclesfield the third-largest town in the county, after Chester and Nantwich, although the town had expanded little from its medieval extent and had fewer large houses than Nantwich and Stockport.Hodson, pp. 93, 95 By around 1720, the number of households had increased to 925, and this rapid population growth continued throughout the 18th century, reaching 8,743 in 1801.Hodson, p. 109

In the 1580s, Macclesfield was one of the earliest towns in the county to have Puritan preaching "Exercises", and it was also an early centre for the Quakers. By 1718 an estimated 10% of the population was Nonconformist.Hodson, pp. 29, 31, 36–37 Towards the end of that century, the town had a large Methodist congregation, and Christ Church was the only Anglican church in the county to invite John Wesley to preach.Hodson, pp. 41–43

File:Armoury Towers 1.JPG

During the Civil War, in 1642 the town was occupied for the King by Sir Thomas Aston, a Royalist. In the Jacobite Rising of 1745, Charles Stuart and his army marched through Macclesfield as they attempted to reach London. The mayor was forced to welcome the prince, and the event is commemorated in one of the town's silk tapestries.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060223113912/http://www.victoriansilk.com/others/brocklehurst/obk40.html Silk Tapestries of Macclesfield.]}} Retrieval Date: 15 October 2007. Cumberland House on Jordangate is so named after the Duke of Cumberland who stayed there in 1745 when pursuing the fleeing Prince.{{cite web |title=Mabe - Maidstone Pages 208-216 A Topographical Dictionary of England. |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp208-216#h3-0006 |website=British History Online |publisher=S Lewis, London 1848 |access-date=9 April 2023}}

The population was 24,137 by 1841.{{cite book |title=The Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol.VIII |date=1849 |publisher=Charles Knight |location=London |page=216}}

Armoury Towers was completed in 1858{{Cite news |date=9 January 1858 |title=Cheshire Quarter Sessions |page=4 |work=Cheshire Observer}} and the Bridge Street drill hall was completed in 1871.{{Cite web |title=Macclesfield |url=http://www.thornber.net/cheshire/htmlfiles/macclesfield1.html |access-date=19 August 2017 |archive-date=20 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820034421/http://www.thornber.net/cheshire/htmlfiles/macclesfield1.html |url-status=live }}

{{main|The Silk Industry of Cheshire#Macclesfield}}

File:Macclesfield Paradise Mill 1578.JPG

Macclesfield was once the world's biggest producer of finished silk.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} A domestic button industry had been established in the town by the mid-16th century, although the first mention of silk buttons is not until 1649. In the mid-18th century, when metal buttons became fashionable, the silk-button industry transitioned to silk manufacture in mills. Macclesfield's first silk mill was founded by Charles Roe in 1743 or 1744.Hodson, pp. 109, 149–50 The mills were initially powered by water, and later by steam. There were 71 silk mills operating in 1832,{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} employing 10,000 people, but a crash occurred in 1851 and many mill-workers emigrated to the American silk town of Paterson, New Jersey. The silk industry remained active in the town in the 1980s, but no longer dominated.Tigwell, pp. 15, 17, 68–69 Paradise Mill reopened in 1984 as a working mill museum, demonstrating the art of silk throwing and Jacquard weaving.[http://www.peaksandplains.co.uk/whattodo/attractions-detail.asp?IdNo=56 Paradise Mill website.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311124315/http://www.peaksandplains.co.uk/whattodo/attractions-detail.asp?IdNo=56 |date=11 March 2007 }} Retrieval Date: 15 October 2007.Tigwell, p. 140 The four Macclesfield Museums display a range of information and products from that period.

A short-lived copper-smelting operation was established by Roe in 1750, processing ore from mines at Alderley Edge and Ecton (Staffordshire), and later from Anglesey. The business switched to copper processing and the manufacture of brass in 1767, before closing after Roe's death in 1781. The industry is reflected in some of the town's street names.Hodson, pp. 144–45

Between 1826 and 1831 the Macclesfield Canal was constructed,{{Cite web |last=Tim Boddington |title=The Macclesfield Canal |url=http://www.macclesfieldcanal.org.uk/ |access-date=28 November 2006 |archive-date=27 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061127091945/http://www.macclesfieldcanal.org.uk/ |url-status=live }} linking Macclesfield to Marple to the north and Kidsgrove to the south. The canal was surveyed for its Act of Parliament by the canal and roads engineer Thomas Telford, and built by William Crosley (junior), the Macclesfield Canal Company's engineer. It was the last narrow canal to be completed and had only limited success because within ten years much of the coal and other potential cargo was increasingly being transported by rail.

File:Hovismill.jpg in the town.]]

Macclesfield is the original home of Hovis breadmakers, produced in Publicity Works Mill (commonly referred to as "the Hovis Mill") on the canal close to Buxton Road. It was founded by a Macclesfield businessman and a baker from Stoke-on-Trent. Hovis is said to derive from the Latin "homo-vitalis" (strength for man) as a way of providing a cheap and nutritious food for poor mill workers and was a very dry and dense wholemeal loaf completely different from the modern version.

Waters Green was once home to a nationally known horse market which features in the legend of the Wizard of Alderley Edge.{{Cite book |last=Axon |first=William Edward Armytage |title=Cheshire Gleanings |publisher=Tubbs, Brook & Chrystal |year=1884 |location=Manchester |pages=57 |language=en}}

Waters Green and an area opposite Arighi Bianchi, now hidden under the Silk Road, also held a sheep and cattle market until the 1980s.

Macclesfield is said to be the only mill town to have escaped bombing in World War II.{{Cite web |date=31 August 2004 |title=Missing movie classic unearthed by Macc Lad |url=http://www.macclesfield-express.co.uk/news/s/405/405729_missing_movie_classic_unearthed_by_macc_lad.html |website=Macclesfield Express |access-date=5 September 2009 |archive-date=16 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116180621/http://www.macclesfield-express.co.uk/news/s/405/405729_missing_movie_classic_unearthed_by_macc_lad.html |url-status=live }} After the war, two pharmaceutical companies opened facilities in Macclesfield, Geigy (now part of Novartis) and the pharmaceutical division of ICI (now AstraZeneca).Tigwell, pp. 15, 55

File:Macclesfield Town Hall 2014.jpg]]

There are two tiers of local government covering Macclesfield, at civil parish (town) and unitary authority level: Macclesfield Town Council and Cheshire East Council. The town council is based at the Town Hall on Market Place,{{cite web |title=Macclesfield Town Council |url=https://www.macclesfield-tc.gov.uk/ |access-date=22 February 2025}} and Cheshire East Council also uses the building as an area office.{{cite web |title=Cheshire East Council Offices |url=https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/your_council/cheshire_east_offices/cheshire_east_offices.aspx |website=Cheshire East Council |access-date=22 February 2025}}

For national elections, the town forms part of the Macclesfield constituency, which has been represented by Tim Roca of Labour since the 2024 general election.{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=22 February 2025}}

Macclesfield was historically a township in the ancient parish of Prestbury.{{cite web |title=Macclesfield Township / Civil Parish |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10064442 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=22 February 2025}}{{cite book |title=Book of Reference to the Plan of the Parish of Prestbury (Part I) |date=1873 |publisher=Ordnance Survey |location=London |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Book_of_Reference_to_the_Plan_of_the_Par/49MHAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=RA1-PP11&printsec=frontcover |access-date=22 February 2025}} From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the Poor Laws, in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Prestbury, the civil functions were exercised by each township separately rather than the parish as a whole. In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws, and so Macclesfield became a civil parish.{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume II, Northern England |date=1991 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0861931270 |page=xv}}

Macclesfield was also a chapelry from at least the 13th century, when St Michael's Church (originally dedicated to All Saints) was built as a chapel of ease to St Peter's Church, Prestbury. St Michael's formally became a parish church in 1835, when Macclesfield was made a separate ecclesiastical parish from Prestbury.{{London Gazette|issue=19312|page=1823|date=2 October 1835}}{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume II, Northern England |date=1991 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0861931270 |page=24}}

The Macclesfield township was administered as a borough from at least the time of its 1261 charter. The borough was administered from a guildhall in the Market Place from at least the 13th century. Macclesfield Town Hall was completed in 1824 on the site of the guildhall.{{cite book |last1=Shaw |first1=Mike |last2=Clark |first2=Jo |title=Cheshire Historic Towns Survey: Macclesfield |date=2002 |publisher=Cheshire County Council and English Heritage |page=12 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Book_of_Reference_to_the_Plan_of_the_Par/49MHAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=RA1-PP11&printsec=frontcover |access-date=22 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123180138/http://www.cheshirearchaeology.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/HTS_Arch_Assess_Macclesfield.pdf |archive-date=23 November 2020}}{{NHLE|desc=Town Hall|num=1206935|grade=II*}}

A Macclesfield constituency was created in 1832, covering the borough plus adjoining parts of the townships of Hurdsfield and Sutton, where the urban area had grown beyond the borough boundaries.{{cite book |title=Parliamentary Boundaries Act |date=1832 |page=335 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Statutes_of_the_United_Kingdom_of_Gr/Uq0uAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA335&printsec=frontcover |access-date=22 February 2025}} The borough was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. As part of the 1836 reforms, the borough was enlarged to match the constituency.{{cite book |title=Municipal Corporations Act |date=1835 |page=457 |url=https://archive.org/details/statutesunitedk35britgoog/page/456/mode/2up |access-date=22 February 2025}}{{cite web |title=Macclesfield Municipal Borough |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10137135 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=22 February 2025}}

The result of the 1880 general election for the Macclesfield constituency was declared void due to corruption, and no by-election was allowed to be held.{{cite book |last1=Paterson |first1=William |title=Practical Statutes |date=1881 |publisher=Law Times |location=London |page=168 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Practical_Statutes_of_the_Session/I4NCAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA168&printsec=frontcover |access-date=22 February 2025}} In 1885, the constituency was replaced by a much larger county constituency, also called Macclesfield, which took in surrounding towns and villages as well as the borough of Macclesfield.

The municipal borough of Macclesfield was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. A much larger non-metropolitan borough of Macclesfield was created instead, which also covered an extensive surrounding area, including the towns of Bollington, Knutsford, and Wilmslow.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|accessdate=3 March 2023}}{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973|year=1973|number=551|accessdate=3 March 2023}}

In 2009, Cheshire East Council was created, taking over the functions of the borough council and Cheshire County Council, which were both abolished.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Cheshire (Structural Changes) Order 2008|year=2008|number=634|access-date=8 May 2024}} The area of the pre-1974 municipal borough of Macclesfield had been unparished since the 1974 reforms; a new civil parish of Macclesfield was created covering the area in 2015, with its parish council adopting the name Macclesfield Town Council.{{cite web |title=The Cheshire East Borough Council (Reorganisation of Community Governance) (Macclesfield) Order 2015 |url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20221202003005mp_/https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/26581/Macclesfield-RoCG-Order-2015.pdf |website=Local Government Boundary Commission for England |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=22 February 2025}}{{Cite news |last=Greer |first=Stuart |date=17 October 2014 |title=It's 'full steam ahead' for a new Macclesfield town council |work=Macclesfield Express |url=http://www.macclesfield-express.co.uk/news/its-full-steam-ahead-new-7950303 |access-date=15 June 2016 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052820/http://www.macclesfield-express.co.uk/news/its-full-steam-ahead-new-7950303 |url-status=live }}

File:Macclesfield Forest+Trentabank.jpg

Macclesfield is in the east of Cheshire and on the River Bollin, a tributary of the River Mersey. It is close to the county borders of Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east and Staffordshire to the south. It is near the towns of Stockport to the north, Buxton to the east and Congleton to the south. It is 38 miles (60 km) to the east of Chester, the county town of Cheshire.

To the west of the town lies the Cheshire Plain; Macclesfield Forest is to the east, containing Ridgegate and Trentabank Reservoirs which supply the town's drinking water,{{Cite web |title=Macclesfield Forest |url=https://www.unitedutilities.com/about-us/recreation-sites/Macclesfield-Forest/ |access-date=31 December 2019 |website=Unitedutilities.com |archive-date=31 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231005747/https://www.unitedutilities.com/about-us/recreation-sites/Macclesfield-Forest/ |url-status=live }} as well as Tegg's Nose and the Peak District.

According to the 2011 Census, the gender makeup of the population was 31,266 male and 32,688 female. The ethnic makeup of the whole urban area was under 96.2% white and 2.2% Asian; other ethnic minorities were 1.6%. The religious make up of the whole area includes: 66.3% Christian, 0.5% Muslim, 24.8% irreligious and 6.8% not stated.{{Cite web|title=Custom report – Nomis – Official Labour Market Statistics|url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E34004660|website=Nomisweb.co.uk|access-date=25 December 2020 |archive-date=4 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804170857/https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E34004660|url-status=live}}

{{Geographic location

| title = Neighbouring districts and places.

| Northwest = Prestbury

| North = Poynton

| Northeast = Peak District – Whaley Bridge

| West = Chelford

| Centre = Macclesfield

| East = Peak District – Buxton

| Southwest = Congleton

| South = Leek

| Southeast = Peak District

}}

Like most of the United Kingdom, Macclesfield has a temperate maritime climate (Köppen: Cfb). Records of the climate extend back to at least 1850. Between 1881 and 2005, the highest temperature has been {{Convert|33.1|C|F}} on 3 August 1990 and the lowest, from at least 1850–2005, {{Convert|-16.7|C|F}} on 25 December 1860.{{Cite web|title=Climatological returns for Macclesfield, West Park, Cheshire (DCnn: 7384).|url=https://library.metoffice.gov.uk/Portal/Default/en-GB/RecordView/Index/4779|website=Library.metoffice.co.uk|access-date=29 May 2021|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214351/https://library.metoffice.gov.uk/Portal/Default/en-GB/RecordView/Index/4779|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|title=MIDAS Open: UK daily temperature data, v202007|url=https://data.ceda.ac.uk/badc/ukmo-midas-open/data/uk-daily-temperature-obs/dataset-version-202007/cheshire/01136_macclesfield/qc-version-1|website=Data.ceda.ac.uk|access-date=29 May 2021|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602212642/https://data.ceda.ac.uk/badc/ukmo-midas-open/data/uk-daily-temperature-obs/dataset-version-202007/cheshire/01136_macclesfield/qc-version-1|url-status=live}}

File:Street name, Macclesfield - geograph.org.uk - 1151117.jpg

The town is famous for its once thriving silk industry, commemorated in the Silk Museum.{{Cite web |title=Macclesfield Silk Museums Trust |url=http://www.silkmacclesfield.org.uk/ |website=silkmacclesfield.org.uk |access-date=2 September 2014 |archive-date=5 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141005003709/http://www.silkmacclesfield.org.uk/ |url-status=live }}

The Georgian Town Hall was designed by Francis Goodwin in 1823.

Macclesfield is home to an Augustus Pugin church, St Alban's on Chester Road.

The former Cheshire County Asylum on Pavilion Way was designed by Robert Griffiths in Italianate style. It is now converted into apartments.

File:Arighi Bianchi Store - geograph.org.uk - 337378.jpg.]]

Macclesfield is the manufacturing home to AstraZeneca, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. The furniture store Arighi Bianchi was founded in 1829. Other industries include textiles, light engineering, paper and plastics.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}

Macclesfield station is on the Stafford to Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line. It has 4 trains an hour served by three train operating companies:

• Avanti West Coast operates one inter-city service an hour between {{rws|Manchester Piccadilly}} (20 minutes away), {{rws|Stockport}} (10 minutes), {{rws|Stoke-on-Trent}} (15 minutes) and {{rws|London Euston}} (1 hour 47 minutes){{Cite web |title=Our latest timetables and ticket info |work=Avanti West Coast |date=2 June 2024 |access-date=20 July 2024 |url=https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/travel-information/plan-your-journey/timetables}}
• CrossCountry operates two inter-city services an hour: one between Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, {{rws|Birmingham New Street}}, {{rws|Reading}}, {{rws|Southampton Central}} and {{rws|Bournemouth}}; the other between Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport and Birmingham New Street, with most services continuing to {{rws|Bristol Temple Meads}} and two per day on to {{rws|Paignton}}{{Cite web |title=Train Timetables |work=CrossCountry |date=2 June 2024 |access-date=20 July 2024 |url=https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/travel-updates-information/train-timetables}}
• Northern Trains provides hourly stopping services between Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, {{rws|Congleton}} and Stoke-on-Trent.{{Cite web |title=Timetables and engineering information for travel with Northern |work=Northern Railway |date=2 June 2024 |access-date=20 July 2024 |url=https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/travel/timetables}}

A railway station was first opened at Beech Lane by the London and North Western Railway on 19 June 1849, which was replaced a month later by Hibel Road station. The current station dates from the modernisation of the West Coast Main Line in the mid-1960s, when the old station buildings were replaced.{{cite web |url=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/m/macclesfield_hibel_road/index.shtml |last=Wright |first=Paul |title=Station name: Macclesfield Hibel Road |website=Disused Stations |date=27 November 2024 |access-date=1 May 2025}}

Macclesfield has a bus station located within the town centre. The original building opened on Sunderland Street, just outside the railway station; it was replaced in 2004, when a new bus station opened on Queen Victoria Street.

The principal operators around Macclesfield are two subsidiaries of Centrebus Group: D&G Bus and High Peak Buses. Fifteen bus routes run within the town and to other locations including Altrincham,

Buxton, Congleton, Crewe, Knutsford, Stockport, Wilmslow and Wythenshawe. Only two services run on Sundays: route 58 to Chatsworth House and route 130 to Handforth Dean.{{Cite web |title=Macclesfield Bus Services |work=Bus Times |date=2023 |access-date=31 October 2023 |url= https://bustimes.org/localities/macclesfield |quote=}}

Macclesfield is served by good road links from the north, south and west, but has fewer roads going east due to the terrain of the Peak District. From the south, access from Congleton and the Potteries is from the A536, and via the A523 from Leek. From the north, the main access to the town is the A523 from Manchester, Hazel Grove and Poynton. The main west–east road is the A537 Knutsford to Buxton road. At various points around the town centre, some of these roads combine, such as the A537 / A523 on the Silk Road section, giving rise to traffic congestion, especially at peak times. The A538 provides access to Prestbury, Wilmslow and Manchester Airport, with the B5470 being the only other eastbound route from the town, heading to Whaley Bridge and Chapel-en-le-Frith.

File:Macclesfield silk museum.JPG

File:MADS Theatre Macclesfield.jpg

Macclesfield has been accused of having few cultural amenities. In 2004, research was published in The Times naming Macclesfield and its borough the most uncultured town in Britain, based on its lack of theatres, cinemas and other cultural facilities.[https://web.archive.org/web/20230522234036/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article504355.ece]

The Northern Chamber Orchestra is the oldest professional chamber ensemble in the North West; its home is the Macclesfield Heritage Centre and presents a series of eight concerts a year, attracting international guest soloists.{{Cite web |title=Northern Chamber Orchestra |url=https://www.ncorch.co.uk/ |access-date=25 September 2019 |website=Northern Chamber Orchestra |archive-date=30 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330122531/https://www.ncorch.co.uk/ |url-status=live }} The Silk Opera Company was created to perform 'The Monkey Run' at Barnaby.{{Cite news |last=Turner|first=Ben|date=8 June 2010 |title=Debut for 'Monkey Run' opera |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/macclesfieldexpress/news/s/1242408_debut_for_monkey_run_opera |newspaper=Macclesfield Express|access-date=23 December 2010 |archive-date=12 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112164704/http://menmedia.co.uk/macclesfieldexpress/news/s/1242408_debut_for_monkey_run_opera |url-status=dead }}

After recent rationalisation, the town now has one museum: the Silk Museum, on Park Lane, which includes paid access to Paradise Mill, a former silk mill.{{Cite web |title=The Silk Museum |url=https://macclesfieldmuseums.co.uk/venues/the-silk-museum |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=Macclesfieldmuseums.co.uk |language=en-GB |archive-date=3 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303142510/https://macclesfieldmuseums.co.uk/venues/the-silk-museum |url-status=live }} The Silk Museum houses the Ancient Egyptian artefacts brought back by Victorian antiquarian Marianne Brocklehurst and her partner Mary Booth: these were formerly held in West Park Museum, as well as a number of art galleries.

Macclesfield Chess Club is one of the oldest chess clubs in the country, having been founded in 1886.Furness (1988); p. 126.

The 'Macclesfield Literary and Philosophical Society'{{Cite web |title=Macclesfield Literary and Philosophical Society |url=https://www.litandphilmacc.org.uk/ |access-date=8 October 2019 |website=Macclesfield Literary and Philosophical Society |archive-date=8 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008141449/https://www.litandphilmacc.org.uk/ |url-status=live }} was formed in 2006, partly in response to The Times' 2004 article.

Local newspapers include the Macclesfield Express[http://www.macclesfield-express.co.uk/ Macclesfield Express.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050806005128/http://www.macclesfield-express.co.uk/ |date=6 August 2005 }} Retrieval date: 16 February 2008 and the Community News.[http://www.communitynewsgroup.co.uk/ Community News Group.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205085548/http://www.communitynewsgroup.co.uk/ |date=5 February 2008 }} Retrieval date: 16 February 2008 Macclesfield residents have access to Macclesfield Forum, an online Internet forum, for informal discussion of local news and issues.[http://www.macclesfieldforum.co.uk/ Macclesfield Forum.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929175937/http://www.macclesfieldforum.co.uk/ |date=29 September 2011 }} Retrieval date: 16 February 2008 The town is also served by two locally based radio stations: Canalside Community Radio based at the Clarence Mill in Bollington,[http://www.ccr-fm.co.uk/ Canalside Community Radio.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524123553/http://www.ccr-fm.co.uk/ |date=24 May 2011 }} Retrieval Date: 16 February 2008 just north of Macclesfield, and Cheshire's Silk Radio, an independent commercial radio station with studios in the town.[http://www.silkfm.com/ Silk FM.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411114215/http://www.silkfm.com/ |date=11 April 2008 }} Retrieval date: 16 February 2008 Local information websites include Visit Macclesfield[http://www.visitmacclesfield.co.uk/ Visit Macclesfield] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930175922/http://www.visitmacclesfield.co.uk/ |date=30 September 2015 }} Retrieval date: 29 September 2015 and the local what's on guide, Canalside's The Thread.[http://www.thethread.org.uk The Thread.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001013043/http://www.thethread.org.uk/ |date=1 October 2015 }} Retrieval date: 29 November 2012

The last remaining commercial cinema in Macclesfield closed in 1997. Discussions have taken place regarding the possibility of building a multiplex cinema,{{Cite news |title=Cinema may replace Tesco and Hughes stores as new star in town |url=http://www.macclesfield-express.co.uk/news/w/105/105613_cinema_may_replace_tesco_and_hughes_stores_as_new_star_in_town.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060929224302/http://www.macclesfield-express.co.uk/news/w/105/105613_cinema_may_replace_tesco_and_hughes_stores_as_new_star_in_town.html |archive-date=29 September 2006 |access-date=29 November 2006 |newspaper=Macclesfield Express}} but attempts to build a cinema have thus far been unsuccessful. In 2005, a small-scale cinema, Cinemac, was set up in the Heritage Centre, which[http://www.cinemac.org.uk/ Cinemac.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061207045644/http://www.cinemac.org.uk/ |date=7 December 2006 }} Retrieval Date: 16 February 2008. has since become well established; also based in the Heritage Centre is the Silk Screen arts cinema,[http://www.silkscreen.org.uk/ Silk Screen Cinema.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208110904/http://www.silkscreen.org.uk/ |date=8 December 2006 }} Retrieval date: 16 February 2008. which gives fortnightly screenings of art-house films.

Amateur dramatics is well represented in the town; the Macclesfield Amateur Dramatic Society has existed since 1947 and performs in its own theatre on Lord Street. The Macclesfield Majestic Theatre Group{{Cite web |title=Holding Page |url=http://www.mmtg.co.uk/ |website=mmtg.co.uk |access-date=31 August 2011 |archive-date=27 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927174827/http://www.mmtg.co.uk/ |url-status=live }} has been producing musicals since its inception in 1971, initially at the Majestic Theatre (hence the title), but latterly at various other locations after the theatre was converted into a public house by the new tenants. Most recently, shows have been produced at the Heritage Centre, the Evans Theatre in Wilmslow and MADS Theatre on Lord Street. Several members of this society have progressed to the professional stage, most notably Marshall Lancaster and Jonathan Morris.

Gawsworth Old Hall hosts an annual Shakespeare festival as well as many arts and music events throughout the year.

Macclesfield has appeared in film; it was used as the location for Edward Dmytryk' film So Well Remembered in 1947, starring John Mills.{{CN|date=July 2024}} Some of the locations are still recognisable, such as Hibel Road. A fictionalised version of Macclesfield's railway station appeared in the 2005 football hooliganism film Green Street.{{CN|date=July 2024}} It was also the location of Control (2007), a film about Ian Curtis, the lead vocalist of the rock band Joy Division.

The British blues singer John Mayall was born in the town in 1933.{{cn|date=September 2022}} Macclesfield was also the home town of Ian Curtis and Stephen Morris of Joy Division, and Gillian Gilbert who, along with Morris, was a member of New Order. A memorial to Curtis is located at Macclesfield Crematorium.{{Cite news |title=Getting to know Dad |url=http://www.macclesfield-express.co.uk/news/s/105/105952_getting_to_know_dad.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201212834/http://www.macclesfield-express.co.uk/news/s/105/105952_getting_to_know_dad.html |archive-date=1 December 2008 |access-date=29 November 2006 |newspaper=Macclesfield Express}} Other Macclesfield acts to have gained recognition include the Macc Lads and Marion.{{cn|date=September 2022}}

Silk Brass Band, the Macclesfield-based brass band, won the National Championship of Great Britain Third Section Final in 2002. Having been promoted from the third section in 2002, they have since consistently competed in the Second, First and Championship sections of the UK's brass band grading system.{{Cite web|url=https://brassbandresults.co.uk/bands/silk-brass-macclesfield/|title=Silk Brass - Brass Band Results|website=Brassbandresults.co.uk|access-date=11 June 2022|archive-date=23 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523085200/https://brassbandresults.co.uk/bands/silk-brass-macclesfield/|url-status=live}} Local band the Virginmarys has achieved national and international success.{{cn|date=September 2022}}

In literature, Macclesfield is the second principal location of the fantasy novels The Weirdstone of Brisingamen (1960) and The Moon of Gomrath (1963) by Alan Garner.

In 2008, the borough was named as the fifth happiest of 273 districts in Britain by researchers from the universities of Sheffield and Manchester, who used information on self-reported personal well-being from the British Household Panel Survey.{{Cite news |date=28 August 2008 |title=Britain's happiest places mapped |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7584321.stm |access-date=2 September 2008 |archive-date=2 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080902031938/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7584321.stm |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=A step-by-step ESDS Longitudinal guide: Guide to British Household Panel Survey |url=http://www.esds.ac.uk/longitudinal/access/bhps/L33196.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080923045134/http://www.esds.ac.uk/longitudinal/access/bhps/L33196.asp |archive-date=23 September 2008 |access-date=2 September 2008 |website=Esds.ac.uk}}

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter and the local relay transmitter situated south east of the town.{{cite web |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Macclesfield|title=Freeview Light on the Macclesfield (Cheshire East, England) transmitter |publisher=UK Free TV |access-date= 25 May 2024}}

The town is served by both BBC Radio Manchester and BBC Radio Stoke. Other radio stations are Heart North West, Smooth North West, Capital Manchester and Lancashire and Greatest Hits Radio Manchester & The North West.{{cn|date=September 2024}} Community based stations that broadcast from the town are Silk Radio and Canalside Radio.{{Cite web |url=https://www.canalsideradio.net/ |title=Canalside Radio|access-date=25 May 2024}}

Macclesfield Express is the town's local newspaper which publishes on Wednesdays.{{cite web|url= https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-nw/macclesfield-express/|title=Macclesfield Express|date=5 May 2014|website=British Papers|accessdate=25 May 2024}}

Macclesfield is served by four state-funded academies (previously state high schools); Tytherington School, The Macclesfield Academy, Fallibroome Academy and All Hallows Catholic College.

There is also an independent school, Beech Hall School.

Macclesfield Academy is made up of pupils from the former school Henbury High School, and also took in the pupils left over when Ryles Park secondary school closed in 2004. Ryles Park had been in turn an amalgamation of Ryles Park girls school and the oldest state school in the town, Macclesfield Central boys school, which closed in 1975. It is on the site of Macclesfield College and Park Lane Special School as part of the Macclesfield 'Learning Zone', which was opened in 2007. Macclesfield High School was the name originally given to the girls grammar school on Fence Avenue which formed part of the King's School.

File:Macc StMichaels.jpg

The hilltop church of St Michael and All Angels has views of nearby Kerridge Hill.{{efn|The apparently 15th-century St Michael's Church sandstone tower has carved panels with coats of arms:

: 1. Two chevrons and a canton (possibly FittonPapworth's Ordinary);

: 2. A cross engrailed;

: 3. A cross engrailed charged with a mullet; :

: 4. A pale fusilly (possibly Nigel or Norton Augustinian Abbey, Cheshire, founded by Fitz-Nigel);

: 5. A cross ermine;

: 6. Quarterly, 1st and 4th a stag lodged, 2nd and 3rd a human leg couped at the thigh.noted at the church 2001}} The church is approached from Waters Green by a flight of 108 steps, which themselves are a local landmark.

File:Macclesfield Heritage Centre, former Sunday School.JPG

Macclesfield Sunday School started in 1796 as a non-denominational Sunday School in Pickford Street, which catered for 40 children. It was founded by John Whitaker whose objective was "to lessen the sum of human wretchedness by diffusing religious knowledge and useful learning among the lower classes of society".{{Cite book |last=Collins |first=Louanne |title=Macclesfield Sunday School 1796- 1996 |publisher=Macclesfield Museums Trust |year=1996 |isbn=1-870926-09-9 |location=Macclesfield, Cheshire |page=7}} Though chapels set up their denominational schools, the Sunday School committee in 1812 elected to erect a purpose-built school on Roe Street. The Big Sunday School had 1,127 boys and 1,324 girls on its books when it opened.

St Alban's Church in Chester Road is an active Roman Catholic parish church. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It was designed by A. W. N. Pugin.{{NHLE |num= 1206898|desc= Church of St Alban, Macclesfield|access-date= 5 August 2012|mode=cs2}}

Christ Church is a brick-built redundant Anglican church, located on Great King Street. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building,{{NHLE |num= 1206916|desc= Christ Church, Macclesfield|access-date= 5 August 2012|mode=cs2}} and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The church was in use until 1981. It remains consecrated and is used occasionally for services.{{Citation |last=Thornber |first=Craig |title=A Scrapbook of Cheshire Antiquities: Christ Church, Macclesfield |date=December 2001 |url=http://www.thornber.net/cheshire/htmlfiles/macclesfieldcc.html |access-date=27 November 2007 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927005943/http://www.thornber.net/cheshire/htmlfiles/macclesfieldcc.html |url-status=live }}

An Ebenezer Chapel was established on Rainow Road in 1864. It is now a private residence.

There is a Mormon church located on Victoria Road.{{Cite web |title=Macclesfield Latter-day Saints – News and Events |url=https://www.maccldsnews.com/ |access-date=2019-12-31 |website=Macc LDS News |language=en |archive-date=31 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231005750/https://www.maccldsnews.com/ |url-status=dead }}

Other churches of architectural merit include:

• King Edward Street Chapel, Macclesfield
• St George's Church, Macclesfield
• St Paul's Church, Macclesfield
• St Peter's Church, Macclesfield
• Holy Trinity Church, Hurdsfield
• Macclesfield United Reformed Church

{{main|Macclesfield F.C.}}

Macclesfield's professional football club, Macclesfield Town, first gained league status in 1997 as Football Conference Champions; they had won that title two years earlier but were denied promotion as their Moss Rose stadium in the south of the town failed to meet Football League stadium capacity requirements. At the end of the 2019–20 season, the Silkmen were relegated from EFL League Two. In September 2020, Macclesfield Town Football Club was wound up in the High Court over debts totalling more than £500,000.{{Cite news |title=Macclesfield Town FC wound up in High Court over debts exceeding £500,000 |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54177582 |access-date=18 September 2020 |archive-date=16 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916102212/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54177582 |url-status=live }}

On 13 October 2020, the official receiver confirmed that the assets of Macclesfield Town had been sold to Macc Football Club Limited.{{cite web |title=Macclesfield Town FC: Official Receiver's update |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/macclesfield-town-fc-official-receivers-update |website=Gov.UK |publisher=Official Receiver |access-date=7 January 2021 |archive-date=10 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110183621/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/macclesfield-town-fc-official-receivers-update |url-status=live }} Local businessman Robert Smethurst had purchased the assets, and rebranded the club as Macclesfield F.C., they currently play in the Northern Premier League (Premier Division).

Youth football teams include Macclesfield Juniors FC, Macclesfield Saints JFC,{{Cite web |title=Macclesfield Saints Football Club |url=http://www.maccsaintsfc.co.uk/ |access-date=15 June 2016 |archive-date=14 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814042348/http://www.maccsaintsfc.co.uk/ |url-status=live }} Moss Rose Juniors FC and Tytherington Juniors.

Macclesfield RUFC, the town's rugby union club, plays in National League 1, following promotion from National League 2 North in the 2013–14 season.

Macclesfield Wheelers is a local cycling club for activities from pleasure riding to racing.[http://www.macclesfieldwheelers.org.uk/ Macclesfield Wheelers Cycling Club.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103135647/http://www.macclesfieldwheelers.org.uk/ |date=3 January 2012 }} Official website Retrieval date: 16 December 2007 World-famous cyclist Reg Harris produced his eponymous bikes in Macclesfield for three years during the 1960s. The local cycling campaign group is known as MaccBUG (Macclesfield Borough Bicycle Users Group).[http://www.maccbug.org.uk/ Macclesfield Borough Bicycle Users Group (MaccBUG).] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907001221/http://www.maccbug.org.uk/ |date=7 September 2011 }} Official website. Retrieval date: 1 October 2007. Formed in 1999, it campaigns for better cycling provision for leisure and utility cyclists.

Macclesfield Harriers & Athletic Club is an active club with over 500 members. The club caters for all abilities and ages. There are sections for road running, track & field, fell running and cross country.{{Cite web |title=Macclesfield Harriers & Athletic Club |url=http://www.macclesfield-harriers.co.uk/ |website=Macclesfield-harriers.co.uk |access-date=15 June 2016 |archive-date=12 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612231635/http://www.macclesfield-harriers.co.uk/ |url-status=live }}

Macclesfield Hockey Club is a community club with 8 senior teams and a thriving junior section. They cater for players of all abilities from the age of 5 upwards. At the first team level, the ladies play in the Regional North Leagues and the men in the North West Hockey Premier League.{{Cite web|url=http://macchockey.co.uk/|title=Macclesfield Hockey Club | Home|website=Macchockey.co.uk|access-date=11 June 2022|archive-date=24 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524085418/http://macchockey.co.uk/|url-status=live}}

In December 2006, Sport England published a survey which revealed that residents of Macclesfield were the third-most active in England in sports and other fitness activities; 29.3% of the population participate at least three times a week for 30 minutes.[http://www.sportengland.org/index/get_resources/research/active_people/active_people_survey_headline_results.htm Active People Survey.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225091431/http://www.sportengland.org/index/get_resources/research/active_people/active_people_survey_headline_results.htm |date=25 February 2010 }} Sport England website. Retrieval date: 16 February 2008

Macclesfield parkrun, a free weekly timed 5k run, takes place in South Park every Saturday morning at 9.00am.{{Cite web |title=Macclesfield parkrun {{!}} Macclesfield parkrun |url=https://www.parkrun.org.uk/macclesfield/ |access-date=31 December 2019 |website=Parkrun.org.uk |archive-date=31 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231005749/https://www.parkrun.org.uk/macclesfield/ |url-status=live }}

File:Sir Nicholas Winterton 0992.jpg, 2010]]

• John Brocklehurst, MP (1788–1870) Head of a family of silk producers, banker and MP for Macclesfield for 36 years, 1832 / 1868.
• William Coare Brocklehurst (1818–1900) Liberal Party politician.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090810231646/http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Mcommons1.htm Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 1)]}} retrieved December 2017 son of John and his successor as MP (1868–80). Unseated after a complaint of bribery during the 1880 election; his son was William (1851–1933)
• David Chadwick (1821–1895) English accountant and Liberal Party politician. One of two local MP's from 1868 to 1880 who were unseated and convicted of bribery and of making a false return of election expenses
• William Brocklehurst Brocklehurst (1851–1929) businessman and local Liberal Party MP 1906 / 1918
• Sir Walter Bromley-Davenport (1903–1989) Conservative MP[https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/22228/walter_bromley-davenport/knutsford TheyWorkForYou Website, Lieut-Colonel Sir Walter Bromley-Davenport, Former MP, Knutsford] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227180345/https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/22228/walter_bromley-davenport/knutsford |date=27 December 2017 }} 0retrieved December 2017 for Knutsford from 1945 until 1970
• Nicholas Winterton (born 1938), retired local MP, 1971 / 2010

File:William Buckley portrait.jpg, ]]

File:JCRylePhoto.jpg, 1888]]

File:Vera Brittain.jpg, 1918]]

• John Shert (c.1544–1582) Catholic priest and martyr,[http://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/about-us/saints-and-martyrs/blessed-john-shert Blessed John Shert, Diocese of Shrewsbury] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124091853/http://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/about-us/saints-and-martyrs/blessed-john-shert |date=24 January 2013 }} retrieved December 2017 executed in the reign of Elizabeth I, beatified 1889.
• Sir Edward Fitton (1548?–1606), MP who took part in the Elizabethan plantations of Ireland.{{cite DNB|wstitle= Fitton, Edward |volume= 19 |last= Dunlop |first= Robert |author-link= Robert Dunlop (historian) |pages= 81-82 |year= 1889 | short=1}}
• Rev David Simpson (1745–1799) Anglican priest[https://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0275%2FSimpson St John's Library, Papers of David Simpson] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226182249/https://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0275%2FSimpson |date=26 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017 who spent most of his career in Macclesfield
• Edward Hawkins (1780–1867), numismatist and antiquary; Keeper of Antiquities at the British Museum.{{cite DNB|wstitle= Hawkins, Edward (1780-1867) |volume= 25 |last= Wroth |first= Warwick William |author-link= Warwick William Wroth |pages= 207-208 |year= 1891 | short=1}}
• William Buckley, (1780–1856) escaped convict,[http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/buckley-william-1844 Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1, (MUP), 1966, Buckley, William (1780–1856)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319073118/http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/buckley-william-1844 |date=19 March 2012 }} retrieved December 2017 survived among Australian aborigines between 1803 and 1835, raised here.Morgan, J. (1852). The life and adventures of William Buckley. United States: Kessinger Legacy Reprints.
• John Charles Ryle (1816–1900) was the first{{cite DNBSupp |wstitle=Ryle,_John_Charles |short=x}} Anglican Bishop of Liverpool
• Thomas Mottershead (c.1825 – 1884) British trade unionist and socialist activist
• Herbert Philips (c.1835–1905) philanthropist[http://medlockvalley.org.uk/MedlockValley/Medlock_Valley_Places/Philips_Park/ Manchester City Council Internet/Intranet Team, Medlock Valley Places] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227121942/http://medlockvalley.org.uk/MedlockValley/Medlock_Valley_Places/Philips_Park/ |date=27 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017 and justice of the peace
• Sir Samuel Rowe (1835–1888) doctor and colonial administrator of Sierra Leone, the Gambia and Gold Coast
• Arthur Smith Woodward, (1864–1944) palaeontologist[http://www2.clarku.edu/~Piltdown/map_report_finds/earliest_english.html The Earliest Englishman, by Sir Arthur Smith Woodward] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218154646/http://www2.clarku.edu/~Piltdown/map_report_finds/earliest_english.html |date=18 February 2018 }} retrieved December 2017 specialised in fossil fish, born and educated here
• Richard Crosse (1888–1970) distinguished British Army officer
• Vera Brittain (1893–1970) nurse, feminist and pacifist, wrote Testament of Youth, {{Cite news |last=Bostridge |first=Mark |date=2003-08-30 |title=The making of a peacenik |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/aug/30/featuresreviews.guardianreview18 |access-date= |issn=0261-3077}} lived locally as a child
• Edward Brittain (1895 in Macclesfield – 1918) British Army officer, fought and died in WW1 and was immortalised by his sister Vera Brittain in Testament of Youth
• Alec Stokes, (1919–2003) scientist{{Cite news |last=Wright |first=Pearce |date=2003-02-15 |title=Alexander Stokes |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2003/feb/15/obituaries.genetics |access-date= |issn=0261-3077}} worked on X-ray crystallography and DNA was born here.
• Mrs Justice Arbuthnot (born 1959), has served as a High Court judge for England and Wales since 2021.
• Christine Mary Tacon (born 1959) the United Kingdom's Groceries Code Adjudicator[https://www.gov.uk/government/people/christine-tacon#biography Groceries Code Adjudicator, Christine Tacon CBE] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227235342/https://www.gov.uk/government/people/christine-tacon#biography |date=27 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017
• Tony Pollard (born 1965) archaeologist,[https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/humanities/research/archaeologyresearch/battlefieldarchaeology/staffprofiles/ The University of Glasgow, Centre for Battlefield Archaeology Staff Profiles] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227235336/https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/humanities/research/archaeologyresearch/battlefieldarchaeology/staffprofiles/ |date=27 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017 specialising in the archaeology of conflict

File:William Ryle (1834–1881).jpg,]]

• Charles Roe (1715–1781) industrialist,[https://archive.today/20071029115331/http://www.toxteth.net/places/liverpool/history/roes%20copper%20works.htm www.toxteth.net archive, Charles Roe and Company] retrieved December 2017 helped establish the silk industry in Macclesfield
• James Pigot (1769–1843) British publisher of directories, and a pioneering publisher of trade directories
• John Birchenough (1825–1895) silk manufacturer in the town and local politicianManchester Evening Mail, 8 May 1895
• Sir Thomas Wardle (1831–1909) businessman,{{cite DNB12|wstitle=Wardle,_Thomas |short=x}} known for his innovations in silk dyeing and printing on silk
• William Ryle II (1834–1881) silk manufacturer{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia= Nelson's Biographical Cyclopedia of New Jersey |title=Arthur Ryle |year=1913 |quote=William Ryle, son of William Ryle, was born in Macclesfield, England, March 8, 1834, and died in Paterson, New Jersey, November 5, 1881. He came to the United States at the age of eighteen, also with the purpose of embarking in the silk business, but, obtaining employment with a Wall street banking firm in New York City, he was for some time engaged in financial concerns. | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ttUwAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA697-IA15&ci=219%2C718%2C667%2C76 |pages=704–705 |access-date=2023-07-01 |via=Google Books}}
• Sir John Henry Birchenough, 1st Baronet,[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31830/page/3432 The London Gazette, Publication date:19 March 1920, Issue:31830, Page:3432] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123152156/https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31830/page/3432 |date=23 January 2018 }} retrieved December 2017 GCMG (1853–1937) English businessman and public servant.
• Harold W. Whiston (1873–1952), businessman, magistrate, activist for vegetarianism and local Liberal.
• Peter Gaddum (1902–1986) was the sole provider of raw silk to the UK during much of World War II{{Cite web |last=BOND |first=Barbara A |date=2014 |title=MI9's escape and evasion mapping programme 1939–1945 |url=https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10026.1/3553/2014bond10376351phd.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |access-date=4 March 2020 |website=University of Plymouth |archive-date=19 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119205515/https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10026.1/3553/2014bond10376351phd.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |url-status=live }}

File:Kika Markham.jpg, 2014]]

• Alfred Gatley (1816–1863) was an English sculptor{{cite DNB|wstitle=Gatley,_Alfred |volume= 21 |short=x}}
• John William Wadsworth (1879–1955), ceramics designer[http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/term_details.aspx?bioId=176097 The British Museum, John William Wadsworth (Biographical details)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216091107/http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/term_details.aspx?bioId=176097 |date=16 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017 for Mintons, born in Macclesfield
• Mabel Frances Layng (1881–1937) English landscape[https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/search/actor:layng-mabel-frances-18811937 12 Painting(s) by or after Mabel Frances Layng, Art UK website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227122212/https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/search/actor:layng-mabel-frances-18811937 |date=27 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017 and figure painter
• Charles Tunnicliffe (1901 in Langley – 1979) naturalistic painter[http://www.thecharlestunnicliffesociety.co.uk/Introduction.html Website, The Charles Tunnicliffe Society] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920221926/http://www.thecharlestunnicliffesociety.co.uk/Introduction.html |date=20 September 2018 }} retrieved December 2017 of British birds and other wildlife
• Kika Markham (born 1940) English actress, widow of Corin Redgrave
• Mr Methane (born 1966 in Macclesfield) as Paul Oldfield, the world's only currently performing flatulist[http://www.mrmethane.com/ Mr. Methane] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902202727/http://www.mrmethane.com/ |date=2 September 2020 }} Retrieval Date:2 March 2009.
• Dominic Brunt (born 1970) actor, played vet Paddy Kirk in ITV's Emmerdale
• Marshall Lancaster (born 1974) actor, played DC Chris Skelton in BBC dramas Life on Mars & Ashes to Ashes
• Sarah Burton (born 1974) fashion designer,[https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2111975_2111976_2112135,00.html Time Inc, Apr. 18, 2012, TIME 100:The List, Sarah Burton Fashion Designer] retrieved December 2017 creative director of fashion brand Alexander McQueen
• Helen Marten, (born 1985) sculptor{{Cite news |last=Searle |first=Adrian |date=2016-12-05 |title=Helen Marten: an artist who thinks differently from the rest of us |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/dec/05/helen-marten-an-artist-who-thinks-differently-from-the-rest-of-us |access-date= |issn=0261-3077}} who won the Turner Prize and the inaugural Hepworth Prize
• Robert Longden (born 1951) composer, librettist, director, film, stage and television actor

File:Nick Robinson TP crop.jpg, 2010]]

• Hester Rogers (1756–1794) British Methodist writer and role model for women Methodists
• Sui Sin Far (born Edith Maude Eaton; 1865–1914) author,[http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio.php?id_nbr=7353 EATON, EDITH MAUD, in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 14, University of Toronto] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227121803/http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio.php?id_nbr=7353 |date=27 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017 wrote about Chinese people in North America
• Joseph McCabe, (1867–1955) rationalist writer[http://www.geneticjoycestudies.org/GJS12/GJS12_Crowley.htm GENETIC JOYCE STUDIES – Issue 12 (Spring 2012)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811052426/http://www.geneticjoycestudies.org/GJS12/GJS12_Crowley.htm |date=11 August 2016 }} retrieved December 2017 and critic of religion, was born here
• Brian Redhead, (1929–1993) Manchester Guardian journalist{{Cite news |date=1994-01-24 |title=Obituary: Brian Redhead |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-brian-redhead-1402199.html |access-date= |newspaper=The Independent}} and BBC Radio 4 Today anchorman, lived in the town
• Sir Andreas Whittam Smith, (born 1937) financial journalist,[http://sounds.bl.uk/Oral-history/Press-and-media/021M-C0638X0008XX-0001V0 British Library, Whittam Smith, Andreas, Oral History of the British Press] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725030312/https://sounds.bl.uk/Oral-history/Press-and-media/021M-C0638X0008XX-0001V0 |date=25 July 2021 }} retrieved December 2017 founded and edited The Independent newspaper in 1986
• Michael Jackson (born 1958) television producer and executive, was Controller of both BBC One and BBC Two and Chief Executive of Channel 4, between 1997 and 2001
• Benedict Allen (born 1960) writer, explorer, traveller and filmmaker; immerses himself among indigenous peoples
• Peter Stanford (born 1961) writer, editor,[http://www.peterstanford.co.uk/biography.php Peter Stanford.co.uk website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227180328/http://www.peterstanford.co.uk/biography.php |date=27 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017 journalist, presenter, known for biographies and writings on religion and ethics
• Nick Robinson, (born 1963) was political editor for the BBC, now presenter of the Today programme[https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/2005/11/about_nick_robi.html About Nick Robinson.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725052011/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/2005/11/about_nick_robi.html |date=25 July 2010 }} Bbc.co.uk. Retrieval Date: 9 January 2009.
• Stuart Evers (born 1976) novelist,[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/stuart-evers-interview-i-write-about-the-people-who-get-by-10254441.html The Independent, 16 May 2015, Stuart Evers interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201034312/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/stuart-evers-interview-i-write-about-the-people-who-get-by-10254441.html |date=1 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017 short story writer and critic.

File:PhilCunningham NewOrder Miami 2012.png, New Order, 2012]]

File:HattyKeane.jpeg, 2011]]

• Fanny Ayton (1806–1891), an English operatic soprano.{{cite Grove1900|first=Alexis |last=Chitty |wstitle=Ayton, Fanny|short=1}}
• Forbes Robinson (1926–1987) bass, known for his performances in works by Mozart, Verdi, and Britten.
• John Mayall (1933–2024) blues musician and bandleader, influential in the British blues movement{{Cite web |url=http://www.information-britain.co.uk/famousbrits.php?id=1691 |title=John Mayall, famous people from Macclesfield |access-date=2 March 2009 |archive-date=2 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402183518/http://www.information-britain.co.uk/famousbrits.php?id=1691 |url-status=dead }}
• Noddy Holder (born 1946) lead singer of Slade, lives in the town.
• Ian Curtis (1956–1980) lead singer of Joy Division, lived, died and buried locally.
• Stephen Morris (born 1957) drummer in the bands Joy Division, New Order, The Other Two & Bad Lieutenant
• Gillian Gilbert (born 1961) musician, keyboardist, guitarist, member of New Order and The Other Two
• Andy Carthy (born 1972) known by his stage name Mr. Scruff, record producer and DJ
• Phil Cunningham (born 1974) guitarist, member of the bands Marion, New Order and Bad Lieutenant
• Geoff Lloyd (born 1973) radio DJ, known as Geoff in Pete And Geoff; Hometime show on Absolute Radio.
• Jim Moray (born 1981) folk musician and singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer.
• The Macc Lads (active 1981 – present) rock band, sing irreverent, foul-mouthed and politically incorrect lyrics
• The Other Two (active 1990–2011) dance act consisting of Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert of New Order
• Marion (formed in 1993) Brit-Pop band
• Hatty Keane (born 1994) R&B and pop singer
• The Virginmarys (formed in 2009) rock band.

File:Jonathan Agnew.jpg, 2006]]

File:Sir Charles Benedict Ainslie in 2014.jpg, 2014]]

File:Chelsea 3 Stoke 0 (13677350585) - Peter Crouch (cropped).jpg, 2014]]

• Joseph Hawcridge (1863 in Macclesfield – 1905) a rugby union[http://en.espn.co.uk/england/rugby/player/700.html espnscrum.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226234648/http://en.espn.co.uk/england/rugby/player/700.html |date=26 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017 footballer
• Linton Hope (1863–1920) sailor,[https://web.archive.org/web/20130323035210/http://databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=HOPELIN01 databaseOlympics.com Archives] retrieved December 2017 competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Meulan, France
• Charlie Twemlow (1901–1976), an English footballer who played 166 games for Macclesfield Town F.C.
• Reg Harris (1920–1992) track cyclist, [http://www.cyclingarchives.com/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=7342 Cycling Archives] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226234745/http://www.cyclingarchives.com/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=7342 |date=26 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017 active in the 1940s, 1950s and 1970s, died locally
• Guy Edwards (born 1942 in Macclesfield) Formula One driver, 1974-1977
• Bobbie van de Graaf (born 1944 in Macclesfield) retired Dutch rower,[http://www.worldrowing.com/athletes/athlete/28287/ WORLDROWING.COM] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226234615/http://www.worldrowing.com/athletes/athlete/28287/ |date=26 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017 bronze medalist in the 1964 Summer Olympics
• Alf Wood (1945 – 2020), an English footballer who played 488 games
• Chris Nicholl (born 1946) former N.Ireland footballer, played 706 games and 51 for NI, coach and manager[http://www.soccerbase.com/managers/manager.sd?manager_id=286 SoccerBase Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226234655/http://www.soccerbase.com/managers/manager.sd?manager_id=286 |date=26 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017
• Jonathan Agnew (born 1960) cricketer and cricket commentator, known as "Aggers"{{Cite news |last=Culf |first=Andrew |date=20 August 2005 |title=The incident which led to the greatest sporting commentary of all time (according to 5 Live listeners): 'He just couldn't get his leg over' |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/aug/20/sport.andrewculf |access-date= |issn=0261-3077}}
• Peter Moores (born 1962) former England Cricket Coach, born and schooled in Macclesfield.[http://content-www.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/17073.html Peter Moores.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070425202726/http://content-www.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/17073.html |date=25 April 2007 }} Cricket England website. Retrieval Date: 16 February 2008.
• Matthew Fleming (born 1964), former British Army officer and cricketer; President of the MCC from 2016 to 2017.
• Paul Thorp (born 1964), former rider with Great Britain national speedway team with 31 caps
• Stuart Brown (born 1972) thirteen-time British National Sidecarcross Champion.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20141106134403/http://www.smcagb.com/BCHome.htm British Sidecarcross championship results 1990–present]}} The Sidecar Motocross Association of Great Britain website, accessed: 6 November 2014
• Steven Mellor (born 1973) swimmer, competed in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona
• Jamie Donaldson (born 1975) golfer,[http://www.jamie-donaldson.com/about JD Official Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226182253/http://www.jamie-donaldson.com/about |date=26 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017 born in and plays for Wales, was raised and currently lives in the town
• Sir Ben Ainslie (born 1977) silver and gold medal-winning yachtsman at the 1996 & 2000 Summer Olympics,[https://members.sailing.org/biog?unique=1514283852.7097&id=GBRCA1&js=1 The Official Website of World Sailing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227000031/https://members.sailing.org/biog?unique=1514283852.7097&id=GBRCA1&js=1 |date=27 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/7537007.stm (Olympic) Brits to Watch: Ben Ainslie.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126183212/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/7537007.stm |date=26 January 2009 }} bbc.co.uk. Retrieval Date: 9 December 2008.
• Peter Crouch (born 1981) footabller, played 599 games including 225 for Stoke City F.C. and 42 for England[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=21235 SoccerBase Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016175700/http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=21235 |date=16 October 2017 }} retrieved December 2017[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/england/4750849.stm World Cup Scouting – Peter Crouch.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306020443/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/england/4750849.stm |date=6 March 2023 }} bbc.co.uk. Retrieval Date: 9 December 2008.
• Chris Holroyd (born 1986), footballer, played over 430 games, including 140 with Macclesfield Town F.C.
• Vicky Jepson (born 1987), association football manager[https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/features/235475-behind-the-badge-jurgen-wanted-to-know-about-my-coaching-history Liverpool FC website, 15 Sept 2016, 'Behind the Badge: 'Jürgen wanted to know about my coaching history'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518150607/https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/features/235475-behind-the-badge-jurgen-wanted-to-know-about-my-coaching-history |date=18 May 2019 }} retrieved May 2019
• Gareth Evans (born 1988), footballer who has played over 450 games, including 82 for Macclesfield Town F.C.
• Luke Murphy (born 1989), footballer who has played over 480 games, including 55 for Macclesfield Town F.C.
• Ben Amos (born 1990), football goalkeeper, played over 300 games
• Shaun Brisley (born 1990), footballer, played over 400 games, starting with 124 for Macclesfield Town F.C.
• Izzy Christiansen (born 1991) English women footballer, played over 130 games and 31 for England women[https://web.archive.org/web/20151120031601/http://www.fifa.com/fifa-tournaments/players-coaches/people=300641/index.html FIFA Tournaments] retrieved December 2017
• Matthew Nottingham (born 1992) badminton player[https://bwf.tournamentsoftware.com/profile/overview.aspx?id=E2E53638-C980-461D-804A-23AD010FECC5 BWF badminton.org Database 2017] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405162106/https://bwf.tournamentsoftware.com/player-profile/E2E53638-C980-461D-804A-23AD010FECC5 |date=5 April 2023 }} retrieved December 2017
• Karriss Artingstall (born 1994), female featherweight boxer, bronze medallist at the 2020 Summer Olympics
• Emily Whitlock (born 1994) a professional squash player,[http://www.squashinfo.com/players/2500-emily-whitlock Squash Info Database 2017] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226192627/http://www.squashinfo.com/players/2500-emily-whitlock |date=26 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017 world No. 12 in 2017.
• Joseph Loake (born 2005) racing driver

Macclesfield has no twin towns. Until 2010, Macclesfield had an informal bond with Eckernförde in Germany in the aftermath of World War II when the townsfolk sent aid to Eckernförde.{{Cite web|date=1 April 2009|title=Cheshire East Council – Twinning Arrangements Report|url=https://moderngov.cheshireeast.gov.uk/documents/s3504/Twinning%20Report%20-%20finalised.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210408100412/https://moderngov.cheshireeast.gov.uk/documents/s3504/Twinning%20Report%20-%20finalised.pdf|archive-date=8 April 2021|access-date=8 April 2021}}

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Macclesfield.

{{Expand list|date=May 2019}}

• Sir Geo Jeffreys: 1682.{{Cite news |last=Beswick|first=Charles|date=2 September 1932 |title=TOWN COUNCIL
  IN ANCIENT TIMES
  THE YOUNGEST MAYOR
  A NOTORIOUS FREEMAN|page=6 |newspaper=The Macclesfield Times and East Cheshire Observer|url= https://www.newspapers.com/image/890023052/ |access-date=29 December 2024|via=Newspapers.com}}
• John Askey: 9 August 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://www.macclesfield-live.co.uk/news/town-legend-john-askey-receives-15004982|title=Town legend John Askey receives freedom of Macclesfield|date=9 August 2018|work=Macclesfield Live |access-date=27 May 2019|archive-date=27 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527211608/https://www.macclesfield-live.co.uk/news/town-legend-john-askey-receives-15004982|url-status=live}}

• 4th Battalion The Cheshire Regiment: 1902.{{Cite news |date=7 October 1902 |title=North County|department=This Mornings News |page=6 |newspaper=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser|url= https://www.newspapers.com/image/800062264/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=29 December 2024|via=Newspapers.com}}

{{portal|Cheshire}}

• Listed buildings in Macclesfield
• Cat and Fiddle Road
• Macclesfield Castle
• List of textile mills in Cheshire
• Duke's Court (Macclesfield)
• Macclesfield group power stations

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• Beck, J. (1969). Tudor Cheshire. A History of Cheshire Vol. 7 (J. J. Bagley, ed.) (Cheshire Community Council)
• Bu'Lock, J. D. (1972). Pre-Conquest Cheshire: 383–1066. A History of Cheshire Vol. 3 (J. J. Bagley, ed.) (Cheshire Community Council)
• {{Cite book |last=Clayton |first=D. J. |url=https://archive.org/details/franklindrooseve0000benn |title=The administration of the county palatine of Chester, 1442—85 |publisher=The Chetham Society |year=1990 |isbn=0-7190-1343-7 |location=Manchester, United Kingdom |url-access=registration}}
• {{Cite book |last=Furness |first=R. A. |title=The Cheshire Hundred (1888–1988): The centenary history of the Cheshire & North Wales Chess Association |publisher=Cheshire and North Wales Chess Association |year=1988}}
• Driver, J. T. (1971). Cheshire in the Later Middle Ages. A History of Cheshire Vol. 6 (J. J. Bagley, ed.) (Cheshire Community Council)
• Hartwell, C., Hyde, M., Hubbard, E., Pevsner, N. (2011). The Buildings of England: Cheshire (2nd edn) (Yale University Press) ({{ISBN|978 0 300 17043 6}})
• Hewitt, H. J. (1967). Cheshire under the Three Edwards. A History of Cheshire Vol. 5 (J. J. Bagley, ed.) (Cheshire Community Council)
• Hodson, J. H. (1978). Cheshire, 1660–1780: Restoration to Industrial Revolution. A History of Cheshire Vol. 9 (J. J. Bagley, ed.) (Cheshire Community Council) ({{ISBN|0 903119 11 0}})
• Husain, B. M. C. (1973). Cheshire under the Norman Earls: 1066–1237. A History of Cheshire Vol. 4 (J. J. Bagley, ed.) (Cheshire Community Council)
• {{Cite book |last=Scholes |first=R. |title=Towns and villages of Britain: Cheshire |publisher=Sigma Press |year=2000 |isbn=1-85058-637-3 |location=Wilmslow, Cheshire}}
• Tigwell, R. E. (1985). Cheshire in the Twentieth Century. A History of Cheshire Vol. 12 (J. J. Bagley, ed.) (Cheshire Community Council) ({{ISBN|0 903119 15 3}})

{{commons category|Macclesfield}}

{{Wikivoyage}}

{{Cheshire, Cheshire East}}

{{Cheshire}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Market towns in Cheshire

Category:Towns and villages of the Peak District

Category:Towns in Cheshire