Place:Middleton (by Ilkley), West Riding of Yorkshire, England

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NameMiddleton (by Ilkley)
Alt namesMiddleton (Harrogate)source: Wikipedia
Middleton (near Otley)source: another description
Middleton (near Ilkley)source: another description
TypeTownship, Civil parish
Coordinates53.939°N 1.815°W
Located inWest Riding of Yorkshire, England     ( - 1974)
Also located inNorth Yorkshire, England     (1974 - )
Yorkshire, England    
See alsoIlkley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England|ancient parish in which it was a township
Claro Wapentake, West Riding of Yorkshire, Englandearly county division in which it was located
Wharfedale Rural, West Riding of Yorkshire, Englandrural district 1894-1974
Harrogate District, North Yorkshire, Englanddistrict municipality covering the area since 1974
Are you sure you selected the right Middleton? Do read Middleton parishes in Yorkshire Research Guide


The following description of Middleton (by Ilkley) (#19) from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72 is provided by the website A Vision of Britain Through Time (University of Portmouth Department of Geography).

"MIDDLETON, a township in Ilkley parish, [West Riding of] Yorkshire; on the river Wharfe, 5½ miles NW by W of Otley. Acres: 2,763. Real property: £1,836. Population: 167. Houses: 41. Middleton Lodge is the ancient seat of the Middleton family, and has attached to it a Roman Catholic chapel. Middleton moor forms a large portion of the township, and extends beyond it."

Middleton was originally a township immediately to the north of the ancient parish of Ilkley in the Claro Wapentake. Between 1894 and 1974 it was part of the Wharfedale Rural District. Since 1974 Middleton is in the Harrogate District or Borough] of North Yorkshire, while Ilkley (and the most southern part of Middleton) are now part of Bradford Metropolitian Borough in West Yorkshire.

Wikipedia has a very short article on Middleton titled Middleton, Harrogate.

Middleton appears at the top border of the Yorkshire West Riding Ordnance Survey map of 1944 north of Ilkley Urban District between the other rural parishes of Nesfield with Langbar (#20) and Denton (#9). The northern part of the parish is at the bottom of Yorkshire West Riding North Ordnance Survey map of 1944, but it is not labelled. The parish's northern border, the River Wharfedale, was also the border of Wharfedale Rural District with Nidderdale Rural District. In the nationwide reorganization of local government in 1974 this became the separation between West Yorkshire on the south and North Yorkshire on the north.

Image:Wharfedale 1917 with local UDs small.png

Research tips

  • British History Online (Victoria County Histories) do not cover the West Riding of Yorkshire
  • GENUKI has a page on all three ridings of Yorkshire and pages for each of the ecclesiastical parishes in the county. Under each parish there is a list of the settlements within it and brief description of each. The list is based on a gazetteer dated 1835 and there may have been a number of alterations to the parish setup since then. However, it is worthwhile information for the pre civil registration era. GENUKI provides references to other organizations who hold genealogical information for the local area. There is no guarantee that the website has been kept up to date and the submitter is very firm about his copyright. This should not stop anyone from reading the material.
  • The FamilyTree Wiki has a series of pages similar to those provided by GENUKI which may have been prepared at a later date from more recent data. The wiki has a link to English Jurisdictions 1851 which gives the registration district and wapentake for each parish, together with statistics from the 1851 census for the area.
  • A Vision of Britain through Time, Yorkshire West Riding, section "Units and Statistics" leads to analyses of population and organization of the county from about 1800 through 1974. There are pages available for all civil parishes, municipal boroughs and other administrative divisions. Descriptions provided are usually based on a gazetteer of 1870-72.
  • The above three maps indicate the boundaries between parishes, etc., but for a more detailed view of a specific area try a map from this selection. The oldest series are very clear at the third magnification offered. Comparing the map details with the GENUKI details for the same area is well worthwhile.
  • Yorkshire has a large number of family history and genealogical societies. A list of the societies will be found on the Yorkshire, England page.
  • In March 2018 Ancestry announced that its file entitled "Yorkshire, England: Church of England Parish Records, 1538-1873" has been expanded to include another 94 parishes (across the three ridings) and expected it to be expanded further during the year. The entries are taken from previously printed parish registers.