Airedale & Wharfedale Family History Society
Finding New Routes to Trace Your Old Roots
The following information was compiled in 2011 for the Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies (AIGS) and is reproduced here with permission.
It is a living document which is based on writings from the 1700 and 1800s that were available, as such it is not presented as being complete. If you are able to add to the timeline please advise the Web Manager who will include the information here and update the author.
Read MoreWhilst we would like to lay claim to the content on this page, it has been put together using snippets of many other similar web pages which can be found on the Internet. Although many, we would like to particularly acknowledge the Federation of Family History Societies web site for the basis of this text.
On reading inventories which often accompany Wills, it can be very difficult to decipher many of the words, especially as some would be in local dialect and with odd spellings. Here are some of the words you may come across.
Read MoreCommon Gravestone Icons and Symbols
These are some of the most common and defined icons you may encounter in a cemetery or graveyard (source unknown).
Read MoreThe system of Civil Registration, introduced on 1st July 1837 is a fantastic research tool for family historians. Its introduction was controversial at the time. Previously all births, marriages and deaths were entered in church or chapel registers as baptisms, marriages and burials. The new regime reduced the power of the religious bodies and allowed couples to marry not just in the parish church but also in nonconformist chapels and register offices. Whereas birth registration was not compulsory until 1874, since 1st July 1837 the Registrar General has been responsible for ensuring all marriages were recorded. The registration district usually covered several parishes and a huge number of non-conformist chapels and register offices. The name of registration districts can be misleading. For example West Derby registration district was not in Derbyshire but was one of the districts within Liverpool. Parts of York to the east were part of Howden district. A full list of registration districts is available on the GRO website.
Read MoreBy: Stanley Merridew
Addingham, along with most Wharfedale villages was visited by travelling Methodist preachers from the middle of the eighteenth century.
Grimshaw, Colbeck, Maskew and John Wesley
all preached in the village. One of
those converted at the time was Thomas Lee. Born in Silsden, he served an apprenticeship
in Addingham and became one of Wesley’s travelling band of preachers.
Arncliffe Overseers of the poor records 1848-1849.
Charity records including Fawcett’s Charities 1632-1896, Topsfield’s Charity 1866-1909, Litton Dale Poor Money 1815-1860, Canon Shuffrey’s Charity 1928, general charity records 1830, Charity for Ecclesiastical Purposes 1984.
Read MoreBy Stanley Merridew
Readers of both the Wharfedale and Keighley journals may recall my previous articles regarding the Primitive Methodist movement in both Addingham and Eastburn. In both I referred to “Silsden Primitve Methodists” by WJ Robson published in 1910. This gives a detailed history of the churches and chapels within the former Silsden Primitive Methodist Circuit.
Read MoreBy Stanley Merridew
Before the introduction of the Poor Law in 1601 those falling on hard times relied on largely on charity. Local charities were setup by benefactors and continued in some cases to the present day. It is always worth checking if any records survive, although in my experience many give very little details of those receiving assistance. The new act provided for the appointment of overseers in each township.
Read MoreBy Stanley Merridew
In tracing your ancestry obviously a grasp of history, historical dates and facts can be useful but it is worth taking into consideration that geography, economic geography in particular, plays just as an important part in our research. Some researchers are fortunate in finding a family stayed in one parish for generations but they are in the minority. For the majority our forebears flitted from place to place leaving no apparent trail.
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