Knottingley, Yorkshire Genealogy

England Yorkshire  Yorkshire Parishes K-R  West Riding  Knottingley

Parish History
KNOTTINGLY, a township, in the parish of Pontefract, Upper division of the wapentake of Osgoldcross, W. riding of York, 1¼ mile (E. S. E.) from FerryBridge; containing 4304 inhabitants. This township, which is situated on the navigable river Aire, comprises by measurement 1536 acres; the soil is fertile, and the surrounding scenery in many points romantic. The substratum is chiefly limestone, of excellent quality both for building and for burning into lime, and large quantities are quarried and sent off for the supply of distant parts, both in blocks and when converted into lime. On the banks of the Aire are the King's Mills, erected soon after the Conquest, and which, though under other circumstances, are still in use. The village is well built, on the south bank of the Aire, near its junction with the Knottingly and Goole canal; and consists of several streets, and ranges of houses in detached situations. There are a few houses in the Elizabethan style of architecture, and evidently of that date; and a fine old Hall has recently been pulled down, to get at the limestone beneath. Here are some malting-houses and a very large brewery; a pottery in which earthenware of every description is manufactured, affording employment to more than 200 persons; another, on a smaller scale, in which about 60 persons are engaged; a tobacco-pipe manufactory on a large scale, a considerable tannery, several roperies, and various other establishments. The trade is much facilitated by the river and canal: the canal was formed by the Aire and Calder Navigation Company, by whom, also, the river was rendered more serviceable. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £129; patron, the Vicar of Pontefract. The chapel, dedicated to St. Botolph, is an ancient edifice of brick, with a campanile turret, and is now appropriated to the western part of the township. The eastern part was made an ecclesiastical district, called East Knottingly, in 1846, under the provisions of the act 6th and 7th Victoria, cap. 37; and a church, dedicated to Christ, is in course of erection, of which the estimated cost is £2000: it is a cruciform structure in the early English style, and will accommodate 800 persons. The living is in the gift of the Crown and the Archbishop of York, alternately. There are places of worship for Independents, Primitive Methodists, and Wesleyans. Near the Swan inn is an ancient house, formerly a convent

From: Lewis, Samuel A., A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 708-710. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51086 Date accessed: 19 August 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.

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.