Life in Ravenstonedale

It is hard for us to imagine the lives our ancestors led, particularly for those of us who grew up in the 20th century, living in towns and cities.  I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit Ravenstonedale several times and have spent a week staying in a very old cottage in Fell End, with only sheep for neighbours (yes, I know this is a very short time, but I began to understand how very different rural life is from city life!)  So on this page I will try to gather together articles, stories and pictures to illustrate life in an isolated community like Ravenstonedale a couple of centuries ago.  I would welcome all contributions to add to this page.

 

Ravenstonedale Data

On this page I have started to add information about the people who lived in Ravenstonedale from the earliest records up to the latest census in 1911 - including information from parish registers (from St Oswalds, plus nonconformist churches and chapels), census data, wills, apprenticeship records, manorial records, directories, etc., to help you research your Ravenstonedale ancestors.

 

Maps of Westmorland and Ravenstonedale

covering various periods - coming soon!

 

Researching your family tree

Some general notes and guidance about researching in the British Isles, and examples showing which websites I find helpful and how I go about building a family tree.