Grinton, Yorkshire Genealogy

England Yorkshire  North Riding  Grinton



Parish History
Grinton St Augustine is an extensive Ancient Parish in the county of Yorkshire.Other places in the parish include: Oxnop, Low Row, Reeth High Moor, Reeth with Fremington and Henalaugh, Satron, Summer Lodge, Thwaite, West Grinton, West Stones Dale, Whitaside, Whiteaside, Winterings, Angram, Birkdale, Cogden, Crackpot, East Stones Dale, Feetham, Fremington, Gunnerside with Lodge Green, Harkerside, Harkerside Moor, Ivelet and Calvert House, Keld and Thornes, and Reeth.

GRINTON (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of Richmond, partly in the wapentake of Hang-West,and partly in that of Gilling-West, N. riding ofYork, 9½ miles (W. by S.) from Richmond; containing 4811 inhabitants, of whom 594 are in the township of Grinton. The parish includes the townships of Melbecks, Muker, and Reeth, and comprises by measurement 53,000 acres, of which 36,350 are moor and mountain (the former affording scanty pasturage), 16,000meadow and grazing land, and 230 arable. A valley here forms the first twenty miles and upwards of thecourse of the river Swale, and hence is called Swaledale;the scenery in the neighbourhood of Keasdon Force, inthe upper part of the parish, is peculiarly striking and romantic. The population is chiefly employed in the lead-mines, of which here are some of the most valuable in Great Britain; coal-pits are also in operation, and there is a factory for carpets. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £12. 5. 7., and in the patronage of the Crown; impropriators, thelandowners: the tithes have been commuted for£201. 7.; and on the glebe lands, which are among the high grounds above the church, is a commodious parsonage-house. The church is a very ancient and spacious structure in the early English style, and in excellent repair; the chancel is divided from two side chapelsby a carved oak screen of very early date, and the windows present the remains of some choice specimens ofstained glass. At Muker and at Melbecks are chapels,to which districts have been assigned; the former consecrated in 1580, and the latter in 1841. There are places of worship for Independents, Methodists, andWesleyans; and endowed schools in the townships ofReeth and Muker. On an eminence near Healaugh, is a British encampment, approached from the east by an avenue about 120 yards long, formed of stones, at the commencement of which is a large barrow; and about300 yards south-westward from the camp is another barrow, six yards high. There are vestiges of other intrenchments, and several cairns, in the neighbourhood.

From: A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 344-347. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50992 Date accessed: 30 April 2011.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records
To find the names of the neighbouring parishes, use England Jurisdictions 1851. In this site, search for the name of the parish, click on the location "pin", click Options and click List contiguous parishes.

Contributor: Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts, nonconformist and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Poor Law Unions
Richmond Poor Law Union, Yorkshire

Reeth Poor Law Union, Yorkshire

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Yorkshire Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
Contributor: Add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.