Family history website Ancestry has added parish records from North Yorkshire.
The sets are ‘North Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1558–1812’ (2,678,402 records); ‘North Yorkshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813–1921’ (1,432,220 records); ‘North Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754–1937’ (791,373 records); and ‘North Yorkshire, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813–1995’ (411,099 records).
Parish records can establish your ancestors’ dates and places of birth, marriage and death, as well as additional details such as the names of their parents and any spouses.
The records were added in partnership with North Yorkshire County Record Office. They include digitised images and transcriptions that can be searched.
They include the details of many famous historic figures who lived in North Yorkshire. For example, there is the baptism of William Bateson, son of William Henry Bateson and his wife Anna, on 11 September 1861 in the Church of St Mary, Whitby. William Henry Bateson’s address is given as St John’s College, Cambridge, and his profession as doctor of divinity. As well as being recorded as the father, he is recorded as the clergyman who carried out the baptism. William Bateson was a biologist who was the first to use the term ‘genetics’ to describe the study of heredity.
Another scientific pioneer found in the records is Sir George Cayley, whose baptism in Brompton-by-Sawdon is recorded as, “December 27th 1773 George, son of Thomas Cayley Esq, born, privately baptiz’d December 30th 1773, and publicly baptiz’d March 8th 1774.” Sir George Cayley was an engineer and aviator who was the first person to understand the underlying principles and forces of flight. In 1799 he developed the concept of the modern aeroplane, and flew a model glider successfully in 1804.
Rosemary Collins is the features editor of Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine
