Kilnsea, Yorkshire Genealogy

England Yorkshire  Yorkshire Parishes K-R  East Riding  Kilnsea

Parish History
This ancient parish (AP) was created before 1813.

Church of England records began in 1711.

KILNSEA (St. Helen), a parish, in the union of Patrington, S. division of the wapentake of Holderness, E. riding of York, 8½ miles (S. E. by E.) from Patrington; containing 140 inhabitants. This parish, sometimes called Kilnsea with Spurn, comprehends the narrow neck of land at the south-eastern extremity of the county, terminating in the promontory of Spurn Head. It comprises about 1000 acres, inclosed a few years since, and, with the exception of the promontory, some warren, and marshes, consists of arable land; the soil is strong, and of productive quality, the surface level, the scenery wild, and destitute of wood. The immediate vicinity of the village of Kilnsea has been subject for a considerable time to the encroachments of the sea, and so great have these been of late years, that the part of the village which now remains is situated near the edge of the cliff, and some of the buildings within a few yards of it. On August 1st, 1826, the church, which stood upon the cliff, fell into the water, a fragment of the tower only being left; this for some years afterwards appeared in the form of a picturesque ruin, but it has also been swept away. Divine service has since been performed in a large room. Spurn Head, the Ocellum Promontorium of Ptolemy, had once a wellfrequented port called Ravenspurn and Ravensburgh, which, with its populous market-town of the same name, was washed away early in the fifteenth century; it enjoyed a considerable trade, and sent members to parliament in the reigns of Edward I., II., and III. On the point are two lighthouses, and a few cottages for the life-boat men stationed here by the Hull Trinity House, for the purpose of assisting distressed sailors. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £6. 8. 6½.; net income, £82; patron, G. L. Thompson, Esq., who is also impropriator

From: Lewis, Samuel A., A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 672-674. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51075 Date accessed: 19 August 2011.

Neighbouring Parishes

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.