Masham, Yorkshire Genealogy

England Yorkshire  North Riding  Masham



Parish History
Masham St Mary is an Ancient Parish in the county of Yorkshire.Other places in the parish include: Burton upon Ure, Swinton with Warthermask and Roomer, Ellenstring, Ellingstons, Ellingstring, Fearby, Healey and Sutton, Healey with Sutton, Healey with Suttons, High Ellington, Ilton, Ilton cum Pott, Ilton with Pott, Low Ellington, Masham Moor, Nether Ellington, Nutwith and Roomer Common, Over Ellington, Pott, Roomer, Swinton, Swinton with Warthermarske, Swinton with Warthermask, Swinton with Warthermaske, and Burton upon Yore.

MASHAM (St. Mary), a market-town and parish,in the union of Bedale, wapentake of Hang-East, N.riding of York; containing, with the townships of Burton-upon-Ure, Ellingstring, Nether and Over Ellington, Fearby, Healey with Sutton, Ilton with Pott, Masham, and Swinton with Warthermask, 2974 inhabitants, of whom 1318 are in the town, 34 miles (N. W. by W.) from York, and 223 (N. N. W.) from London. This place was anciently the residence of the baronial family of Scroop, of whom Henry, Lord le Scroop, lord treasurer, and Archbishop Scroop, were both beheaded for high treason in the reign of Henry IV. The town is very pleasantly situated upon a gentle eminence, in a fertile district, on the western bank of the river Ure;the houses are well built, and the air is remarkably pure. The trade consists principally in the spinning of yarn, for which an extensive factory has been established,affording employment to about 100 persons. There is a small market on Wednesday; a fair is held on Sept.17th and 18th, for live-stock, and during the spring a fair for cattle and sheep takes place on alternate Mondays. A court leet is held annually, at which a constable is chosen, its jurisdiction also extending to the recovery of debts under 40s. The living is a vicarage,united to that of Kirkby-Malzeard, and valued in the king's books at £30: the impropriate tithes have been commuted for £941, and the vicarial for £236. Masham prebend, the richest in the cathedral of York, being rated in the king's books at £136, was dissolved, and made a lay-fee, by Archbishop Holgate in 1546. The church is a small but handsome edifice, with a tower surmounted by a lofty and elegant spire. There are places of worship for Baptists, the Society of Friends,and Wesleyans. The grammar school, founded by William Danby, Esq., in 1760, is maintained from property producing about £80 per annum, of which about £25are paid to the master of a charity school, otherwise supported by subscription.

From: A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 271-277. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51139 Date accessed: 08 May 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.

Census records
Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Poor Law Unions
Bedale 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.