Riccall, Yorkshire Genealogy

England Yorkshire Yorkshire Parishes K-R  East Riding  Riccall

Parish History
This ancient parish (AP) was created before 1813. Church of England records began in 1638.

RICCALL (St. Mary), a parish, in the union ofSelby, wapentake of Ouse and Derwent, E. riding of York, 3½ miles (N.) from Escrick; containing 718 inhabitants. This place is distinguished as the site of a formidable encampment of Danish invaders, who, under Harold Harfager, King of Norway, arrived here in 300 ships, in 1066, on the invitation of Tosti, Earl of Northumberland, and brother of Harold II., King of England, and fortified themselves on some rising ground on Riccall common, since called Danes hill, where they were joined by the forces of the earl. The invaders leaving their vessels and their camp in the care of Olave, son of Harfager, proceeded towards York, and having defeated the Saxon Earls Edwin and Morcar in battle at the village of Fulford, made themselves masters of that city, which they plundered, committing dreadful devastation, and taking numerous hostages from the vanquished. But Harold, King of England, advancing against them with his army; encountered the Danes at Stamford Bridge, when they were routed with great slaughter, and both Harfager and Tosti were killed. A treaty was soon afterwards concluded, in which those who had survived the conflict were permitted, on delivering up the spoils they had taken, to return in twenty of their ships to their native shore, for which they embarked at this place.

The parish comprises 3060a. 19p., of which 1269 acres are arable, 736 meadow and pasture, 38 in orchards and gardens, 16 in homesteads and roads, and 1000 common and waste. The soil is rich sand and warp, and with the exception of the common, the lands are in good cultivation; the surface is generally flat, occasionally rising into mounds of considerable elevation. There are two manors, one of them belonging to the Bishop of Ripon. Wheel Hall, for some time the residence of the family of Masterman, and until lately the property of the see of Durham, has been converted into a farm house; the original foundations, and the moat by which it was encompassed on three sides, may still be traced. Riccall Hall, the seat of Mrs. Richardson, is a neat mansion of red brick, with the family arms sculptured over the entrance; it is fitted up with considerable taste, and contains a valuable collection of paintings. The village is pleasantly situated on the river Ouse, and is spacious and well built. The living is a discharged vicarage,valued in the king's books at £6, and in the patronage of the Archbishop of York. The great tithes have been commuted for £508. 10., and the vicarial for £140; the glebe comprises about an acre and a half attached to the glebe-house, including the churchyard, and there are 22 acres in the township of Hemingbrough. The church is an ancient edifice in the early Norman style, with portions of the early and later English, and a low massive tower; the chancel contains a piscina, and some monuments to the Wormley and Richardson families.

From: Lewis, Samuel A.,  A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 659-665. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51236 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.

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
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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
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 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
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