Bolton upon Dearn, Yorkshire Genealogy

England Yorkshire Yorkshire Parishes   West Riding  Bolton upon Dearn

Parish History
BOLTON-upon-Dearne (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of Doncaster, N. division of the wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill, W. riding of York, 7¼ miles (N. by E.) from Rotherham, and upon the road from Doncaster to Barnsley; containing 671 inhabitants. At the time of the Conquest here was a church, with its attendant priest; also a mill; and the country appears to have been in a higher state of cultivation than the lands around. The place became the residence of several families of some consideration, and seems to have been from early times a rich and flourishing spot. It lies on the line of road traced by those who consider that a Roman road existed from Templeborough to Castleford; and it is certain there was a bridge over the Dearne here at a remote period, the pontage of which was early a subject of dispute, as is recorded in the Hundred rolls. The parish comprises by measurement 2400 acres, of which about one-third is grass, and the remainder arable: the soil is various, in some parts a strong clay, in others a light sand; and the substratum abounds with excellent sandstone, which is extensively quarried. The village is beautifully situated on the northern acclivities of the vale of Dearne, having a good bridge over the river, said to occupy the site of a Roman ford; and about a mile northward is the pleasant hamlet of Goldthorpe. A statute-fair for hiring servants is held on the second Thursday in November. The living is a perpetual curacy, valued in the king's books at £6. 15. 5.; net income, £88; patrons, the Executors of the late W. H. Marsden, Esq., in whom are vested the impropriate tithes, which have been commuted for £580. The church is an ancient edifice, chiefly in the Norman style, with a tower at the west end. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

From: Lewis, Samuel A., A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 295-302. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50811 Date accessed: 07 September 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 1561.

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.