Ravenstonedale Data
the article and data that initiated the Ravenstonedale project
our project page on the Family Tree DNA website
Above is an image of the Lay Subsidy Roll from 1379 - which lists the tenants of Ravenstonedale long before any other records are available - see page for Manorial & Diocesan Documents (link above right)
Academic papers about Ravenstonedale available online
The following papers are all published in the Transactions of the Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaeological Society, which recently made all of its Transactions available online on its website Cumbria Past, back to 1874. If you have an interest in the many archaeological discoveries in and around Ravenstonedale, visit their website, as there are many more publications that will interest you!
The following articles are more likely to be of interest to those with ancestors who lived in the parish before the 18th century:
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Thomas first Lord Wharton's parks at Ravenstonedale and Wharton, R W Hoyle, TCWAAS, vol 95 (1995), pp 111-118
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The Decline of the Cumbrian Yeoman Ravenstonedale: a case study, Arthur H Duxbury, TCWAAS, vol 94 (1994), pp201-214
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Wealth and the Standard of Living in Ravenstonedale, 1691-1840, Arthur Duxbury, TCWAAS, vol 85 (1985), pp 219-228
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A Book of Old Quaker Wills: W G Collingwood, FSA, TCWAAS, vol 29 (1929) pp1-38 you can download a complete copy of the article (but be warned, it is 38 pages long) and I have also extracted the names of testators and benefactors to a spreadsheet, which can be downloaded here - this is 23 pages long; but I have sorted the entries into alphabetical order of testator which may help! Though if you want to discover if any of YOUR Ravenstonedale ancestors are listed as beneficiaries in the wills transcribed, you can right click the page and use 'control C' to open a search window which works pretty well) However, the Wills listed only cover Quakers whose wills were proved during the period between 1698 and 1728
Coming soon:
more parish register transcripts (additional years and possibly some other collections)
lists of tenants in 1541, 1560 and 1568 tenancy rolls - and later years when Kendal Records Office reopens and I can get up to Cumbria to transcribe them!
lists of Voters
transcriptions of parish Customs - which greatly affected the way our ancestors lived
Ravenstonedale DNA project
Ravenstonedale DNA project
All data on the linked pages is presented in pdf format - I strongly advise against printing any of the larger spreadsheets, as I am continually adding further details and corrections - check back often to see what new data has been added! As we reconstruct more family trees, I will also be marking up all the spreadsheets to show in which family trees individuals appear and identifying the individuals concerned with names of parents/spouses, etc.
You can SEARCH the spreadsheets using the search tool on your Adobe browser, however, remember that the transcriptions record the spelling that was used on the original document - which sometimes varies considerably from entry to entry and from the way the surname may be spelt nowadays!
Early dates
It is also important to take account of the fact that before September 1752, the Julian Calendar was in use in England. Under this system, the new year began on Lady Day (25th March) rather than on 1st January as it does with the Gregorian Calendar. Some records indicate this by identifying dates between 1st jan and 25 mar thus "22 February 1641/2". You can read more about the switch HERE
As every family history researcher knows, BMD and Census information forms the basis of our research - particularly when building your family tree. However, it is important to be aware of the high level of nonconformism in Ravenstonedale, as you may need to search records from several sources. You can read more about religion in Ravenstonedale on this page of my Adamthwaite Archive.
The VITAL RECORDS page contains links to pdf spreadsheets containing the following transcriptions:
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Ravenstonedale Parish Church (St Oswalds) - so far I have only transcribed the first 100 years of marriages, but gradually I hope to add baptisms and burials. There is also a link to an index of gravestones.
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Society of Friends - Ravenstonedale Meeting - currently, this section includes births (1650-1836) and marriages (1657-1834). I hope to add Burials shortly.
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Ravenstonedale High Chapel - baptisms, burials and a list of High Chapel members
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Ravenstonedale Census information - full transcription of the 1841 and 1911 census, with some new information about migration away from Ravenstonedale in later censuses
The Great End Book of Ravenstonedale page
Cumbria Archives holds three copies of the original End Book: I have only started to enter a few transcriptions so far, but do take a look to see what is there so far.
This is the collection I am most excited about, as the more I transcribe, the more I realise just how unique our parish was! I hold digital copies of all three volumes, and I am adding transcriptions from the various copies on this page as I complete them - check back regularly to see what is here!
The MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS page contains links to a range of records that can add colour and detail to our research. This page includes:
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Ravenstonedale Wills and Probate records - a list of over 800 Wills and Administrations for people who lived in the parish from around 1700-1890
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Apprenticeship Registers - for young men and women from Ravenstonedale apprenticed between 1543 and 1837; the spreadsheet also includes Masters from Ravenstonedale
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Taxation Records - including the Lay Subsidy Roll from 1379 and later rolls for 1610, 1624 and 1625; Land Tax records from 1798; Hearth Tax (1669 and 1674) and Window Tax (1777)
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Names in the Kendal Rent Book of 1842
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People of Influence in the Manor - currently this section provides a list of the Clergy at St Oswalds and a list of teachers at the Grammar School
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Pupils at Sedbergh School with Ravenstonedale connections
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Quakers in Ravenstonedale - You will find some information about Quakers on the ALDERSON family page, and you may be interested to visit this page of the Adamthwaite Archive which also includes some background information about Quakers and Dissenters, as well as a link to a resource to help you locate any of your own Quaker ancestors whose Wills were included in a wonderful article in the C&WA&AS Transactions
The MANORIAL & DIOCESAN DOCUMENTS page contains information extracted from a range of records held at the Cumbria Archives, so far you will find transcriptions of:
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The Grant of the Manor of Ravenstonedale to the Priory of Watton by Torphin (before 1200)
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Privileges granted to the Manor of Ravenstonedale by King Henry III (1225)
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Information about the Lay Subsidy Roll of 1379 (see image on left of original parchment)
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Articles of Agreement between the Lord of the Manor and the tenants of Ravenstondale concerning the use of Woods and Underwoods (1592)
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Two Glebe Terriers for the parish of Ravenstonedale (for ~1704 and 1749) reproduced by kind permission of the Bishop of Carlisle!