York, Yorkshire Genealogy

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Guide to York history, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.


York Minster.jpg

History[edit | edit source]

Flag of York
York coat of arms
Location of York in England

The picture above right shows the world famous York Minster, the second most important Cathedral after Canterbury, in Britain.

York is a historic walled city at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The municipality is the traditional county town of Yorkshire to which it gives its name. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events in England throughout much of its two millennia of existence. The city offers a wealth of historic attractions, of which York Minster is the most prominent, and a variety of cultural and sporting activities making it a popular tourist destination for millions.

The city was founded by the Romans as Eboracum in 71 AD. It later became the capital of the Roman province of Britannia Inferior, and eventually of the kingdoms of Northumbria and Jórvík. During the era of Viking aggression, it became a pivotal city in the fight to keep Saxon England free, under the reign of King Alfred. The conflict was ongoing almost to about 950 AD when there was some cessation to the hostilities, and York could become again a British city.

In the Middle Ages, York grew as a major wool trading center and became the capital of the northern ecclesiastical province of the Church of England, a role it has retained.

In the 19th century, York became a hub of the railway network and a confectionery manufacturing center. It was a center for the manufacture of railway sub-assemblies and railway coaches and freight cars. In the mid-twentieth century, the UK Government decided to make YORK the location for the British Railway Museum, and this is now one of the premier museums for railway lore in the world.

In recent decades, the economy of York has moved from being dominated by its confectionery and railway-related industries to one that provides services. The University of York and health services have become major employers, whilst tourism has become an important element of the local economy.

From 1996, the term City of York describes a unitary authority area which includes rural areas beyond the old city boundaries. In 2011 the urban area had a population of 153,717,[3] while in 2010 the entire unitary authority had an estimated population of 202,400.[1]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Parishes[edit | edit source]

Much of the following information has come from a mountain of books, and has been edited to try to make sense. Even the parishes are not straightforward, some having detached parts outside (without) the city, but within the Ainsty. Others have detached parts outside the city and in one of the Ridings just to cause more confusion. In this latter case, there is an appropriate parish entry in that Riding. So far as can be ascertained, York Minster (dedicated to St. Peter) had no parish associated with it.

The Parish churches are as follows:

  • All-Saints , in Pavement
  • All-Saints, North-Street
  • St. Crux, in the Shambles
  • St. Cuthbert, in Peasholme-Green
  • St. Dennis, in Walmgate
  • St. Olave, in Marygate
  • St. Helen, in the Square
  • St. John, in Micklegate
  • St. Lawrence, without Walmgate
  • St. Margaret, in Walmgate
  • St. Martin-le-Grand, in Coneystreet
  • St. Martin, in Micklegate
  • St. Mary, in Bishophill-the-Elder (or Senior)
  • St. Mary, in Bishophill-the-Younger (or Junior)
  • St. Mary, in Castlegate
  • St. Maurice, in Monkgate
  • St. Michael-le-Belfrey, in Petergate and Minster-yard
  • St. Michael, in Spurriergate
  • St. Sampson, Patrick's-Pool
  • St. Saviour, in St. Saviourgate
  • Holy Trinity, otherwise Christ-Church, in King's Square
  • Holy Trinity, in Micklegate
  • Holy Trinity, in Goodramgate

Non Conformists[edit | edit source]

York lists a number of Non-Anglican churches, as well as other religions. These include:

  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
  • Lutheran
  • Methodist
  • Roman Catholic
  • Presbyterians
  • Seventh Day Adventists
  • Unitarians
  • United Brethren
  • Buddhist associations
  • Muslim Mosques and Associations

Civil Registration[edit | edit source]

Civil registration is the recording of births, marriages and deaths in England and began in 1837. Civil registration records were recorded at the local registration office and the National registration offices. If you cannot find the civil registration in one index, search the other index as they are different indexes.

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

The York Book by Michael C Bennett, et al.

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Occupations[edit | edit source]

Today, York's economy is based on the service industry. This is much different from its heyday whe Railways, Chocolate manufacturing, and biscuits were the main products.

The service industries are mainly in the following areas; public sector employment, health, education, finance, information technology (IT) and tourism. Tourism alone accounts for about 12% of the total employment in the area. Other than the City Council of York, employers with more than 2,000 staff include Aviva (formerly Norwich Union Life), Network Rail, Northern, York Hospitals NHS Trust, and the University of York. York is still the UK Headquarters for the Nestle Corporation.

It should be noted that York is geographically situated on the vast agricultural plain of West Yorkshire, and agriculture has always played a large part in the economy of the area.

Societies[edit | edit source]

The York Family History Society was organized in 1975, and is a very active group, promoting research into local families. Dame Judi Dench is the President of the Society.

Another group active through the region is the East Yorkshire Family History Society.

GENUKI has links to a number of other societies in the region:

Archives[edit | edit source]

The official archives repository for the City of York are held in the County Offices.

York City and County Archives
Malpas Road
Northallerton, DL7 8TB
Telephone: +44 (0) 01609 777 585
Fax: +44 (0) 01609 777 078
Email: archives@northyorks.gov.uk}

Websites[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

1. Wikipedia contributors, "York, Yorkshire," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York, accessed 21 to 25 September 2016. 2. York City Council, http://yorkcity.org/city-council, accessed 21 to 23 September 2016. 3. "A history of the English Speaking Peoples" Volume 1. Author: Winston Churchill. Accessed August and September 2016.



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