Yorkshire, England Genealogy

Yorkshire is a maritime county in northern 'England'.

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Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in Great Britain. Because of its great size, over time functions have increasingly been undertaken by its subdivisions, which have been subject to periodic reform. Throughout these changes Yorkshire has continued to function as a recognized territory and cultural region.

Yorkshire has been ruled by Celtics, Romans, Danes, Normans, and Britons, and has its own distinct culture which is celebrated by its citizens. Yorkshire is divided into “Ridings,” or smaller governmental divisions: North Riding of Yorkshire, West Riding of Yorkshire, and East Riding of Yorkshire. Genealogical and family records may refer to Yorkshire as a whole, or to one particular Riding.

The spoken language in Yorkshire is a dialect of English known as Tyke, and dialects differ between ridings and even from village to village, though in modern times the differences between localities has become less pronounced. This does not generally affect civil or parish records, though it may affect family histories and other informal documents.

The geography of Yorkshire has also influenced its people. Yorkshire is a very green county, with coastal areas, hills, valleys, and forests. The North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales figure prominently into the landscape, and provide large areas of wilderness through the north and west portions of the county.

Jurisdictions
There are 1,402 parishes in Yorkshire. The Genealogy Society of Utah has filmed 705 of the original parish registers, or 50%, before 1900. This number does not include Bishop’s Transcripts, Archdeacon Transcripts, parish chest material or other transcripts.


 * East Riding of Yorkshire Parishes
 * North Riding of Yorkshire Parishes
 * West Riding of Yorkshire Parishes
 * York &amp; Ainsty Parishes

Research tools

 * Yorkshire Genuki Site
 * Yorkshire Births Marriages &amp; Deaths 1837 to 1950

Did You Know
The term "Ridings," which refers to the three subdivisions of the county, is originally derived from “thrydings”, the Norse word for thirds. These three divisions were meant to allow more local control in the nation’s largest county, and have been used on-and-off for municipal government. So, in essence, the "Ridings of Yorkshire" are really the "Thirds of Yorkshire".