Ravenfield, Yorkshire Genealogy

England Yorkshire Yorkshire Parishes K-R  West Riding  Ravenfield

Parish History
RAVENFIELD (St. James), a parish, in the union of Rotherham, S. division of the wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill, W. riding of York, 4 miles (N. E. by E.) from Rotherham; containing 241 inhabitants. This place is supposed to have derived its name, anciently Yr-Avon-Field, signifying "the field of water, "from its situation in the vale of the river Don. The parish comprises about 1200 acres of land, almost exclusively the property of Thomas B. Bosvile, Esq., lord of the manor; the surface is broken and uneven, and the higher grounds command extensive views. About 600 acres are arable, 100 woodland and plantations, and the remainder meadow and pasture; the soil is generally fertile, and there is a quarry of stone of good quality for Sheffield grindstones, but it is not much wrought. Ravenfield Park, the seat of Mr. Bosvile, formerly belonged to the Westby family, and was purchased in 1749 by Mrs. Elizabeth Parkin, a maiden lady, under whose willit passed to the Braithwell branch of the Bosviles, avery ancient family in the West riding, to whom she was related. The mansion has been greatly improved by the present proprietor, after a design by Mr. Carr, architect, of York; and is situated in a well-wooded deer-park abounding in beautiful scenery. The village is about a mile from the turnpike-road from Rotherham to Doncaster, and about two miles from the Midland railway. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £150; patron, Mr. Bosvile. The present church, an elegant structure, was erected in 1756, by Mrs. Parkin.

From: Lewis, Samuel A., A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 640-645. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51232 Date accessed: 07 October 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.

This ancient parish was created before 1813. Church of England records began in 1563.

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.