Kirkby Wharfe, Yorkshire Genealogy

England Yorkshire  Yorkshire Parishes K-R  West Riding  Kirkby Wharfe

Parish History
KIRKBY-WHARFE (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the Upper division of the wapentake of Barkstone-Ash, W. riding of York, 2¼ miles (S. E. by S.) from Tadcaster; containing, with the townships of Grimston and Ulleskelf, 744 inhabitants, of whom 81 are in the township of Kirkby-Wharfe with North Milford. This parish, which is situated in the picturesque valley of Wharfdale, comprises by measurement 3192 acres, whereof 1660 are arable, 1427 meadow and pasture, and 105 woodland and plantations. Of the whole, about 1240 acres are in Kirkby-Wharfe with North Milford, the property of Lord Howden. The surface is undulated, and the scenery enriched with woods. The soil is extremely fertile, producing fine crops of wheat and other grain, and the meadows and pastures are luxuriant; the substratum is chiefly freestone of good quality for building, and whinstone affording excellent materials for the roads. The village is on the south bank of the Wharfe. The York and North-Midland railway passes through Ulleskelf, and is carried over the river by a bridge. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £3. 16. 8.; net income, £117; patron, the Archbishop of York. The church is an ancient structure, in the early Norman style, with a tower of later date; it has been repewed, and the number of sittings has been increased by the erection of a gallery, which has by no means improved the appearance of the interior: there are numerous ancient monuments of the date 1300, and some very beautiful specimens of carved oak. At Ulleskelf is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

From: Lewis, Samuel A., A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 640-643. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51068 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 neighboring 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 (AP) was created before 1813. Church of England records began in 1583.

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.]]