Place:Thornton Dale, North Riding of Yorkshire, England

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

the following text is based on an article in Wikipedia

Thornton Dale (also called Thornton-le-Dale) is now a civil parish and a village in the Ryedale District of North Yorkshire, England, about 3 miles (5 km) east of the centre of Pickering on the edge of the North York Moors National Park. A stream, the Thornton Beck, meanders along the streets and is crossed by several bridges. The village lies on the A170 road from Thirsk to Scarborough within the National Park. The population of the parish in the 2011 UK census was 1,759. In 1801, the population was 1,041. By 1831, it had increased to 1,368.

Prior to the nationwide municipal reorganization of 1974, Thornton Dale was located in Pickering Rural District. Historically, it was an ecclesiastical parish in the Pickering Lythe Wapentake. It was in the Pickering Registration District.

History

Prior to the Norman Conquest, the area was under the rule of Saxon lords. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the settlement, with a population of 30, appears in three entries; it was then known as "Torentune". Other nearby small settlements included Roxby, Farmanby, Ellerburn and Leidtorp; with the original hamlet of Thornton three of these eventually joined to become the village. In 1066, the Lord was Earl Morcar and by 1086, the Crown (King William) owned this area; it was later transferred to Count Odo (999-1079) and his wife. By 1281, a Manor was built here, owned by John De Easton. In 1661, it was owned by the Hill family; they built a new manor on the site of the old one. A 1921 report indicated the owner as Captain Richard Hill. It is known as The Hall, and is Grade II listed, but not open to the public. The building's origins are stated as 17th century, "probably with earlier origins".

There was a mill on Thornton Beck from at least 1200; the current mill was built in the 18th century and enlarged in 1919, when it was renamed Victory Mill. For nearly a century, an animal feed company has owned the mill, initially using it for manufacturing its products, and later as offices. A restoration project was complete by 2003. As early as 1277, there was also a mill at Ellerburn. Weaving was a common industry from the 14th to the 18th century. The beck was diverted in the 19th century when a large mill complex with sluice gates was built.

In the Middle Ages, Roxby, just west of the village, was a separate manor, which fell into the hands of the Cholmeley family in 1499. Sir Hugh Cholmeley, 1st Baronet (1600-1659), was born at Roxby Castle, then known as Thorton-on-the-Hill. The remains on Roxby Hill are a Scheduled Ancient Monument although none of the buildings remain.

All Saints' Church, Grade II listed, is centuries old and was altered several times: entirely rebuilt in the 14th century, though some earlier aspects still remain, and modified in 1681 and 1865. The existing copy of the church register includes listings as far back as 1538 (when the Church of England began throughout the country). Comber House, the former rectory on Church Hill, designed c. 1840 by J. P. Prichett, is also Grade II listed.

end of Wikipedia contribution

Ellerburn

The following description 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).

"ELLERBURN, a parish in Pickering district, [North Riding of] Yorkshire; 3¼ miles E of Pickering town and [railway] station. It contains the township of Farmanby and the chapelry of Wilton; and its post town is Pickering, under York. Acres: 4,590. Real property: £4,350. Population: 648. Houses: 138. The property is much subdivided. The living is a vicarage, united with the [perpetual] curacy of Wilton, in the diocese of York. Value: £131. Patron: the Archbishop of York. The church is curious, old, and good. There is a Primitive Methodist chapel."

St Hilda's Church, Grade II listed, is in Ellerburn. The original building dates to the early Norman period, and according to some sources, to the Saxon era, as early as 850 or 1050. It was restored and modified in 1904–1905 and in 1911. Today, there are a few other churches in or near Thornton-le-Dale. (Source: Wikipedia on Thornton Dale.)

Ellerburn is often spelled "Ellerburne". It should not be confused with Ebberston or Ebberstone, a parish about 5 miles to the east on the Scarborough road.

Farmanby

The following description 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).

"FARMANBY, a township in Ellerburn parish, [North Riding of] Yorkshire; 2 miles ESE of Pickering. Acres: 2,530. Real property: £2,397. Population: 467. Houses: 103."

Farmanby is not to be found on Ordnance Survey Maps since before 1900. It is now located in Thornton Dale parish close to the border with Pickering parish and includes the building known as Hagg House.

Research tips

• Original historical documents relating to the North Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire are held at the North Yorkshire County Record Office, Malpas Road, Northallerton, North Yorkshire DL7 8TB
• Family history societies covering the area include the Ryedale Family History Group, the Family History Section of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society (based in the City of York), and the Cleveland, North Yorkshire & South Durham Family History Society (for the Cleveland and Teesside area and the western part of North Yorkshire, commonly known as the "Yorkshire Downs"). A more complete list may be found under the Federation of Family History Societies.
• A History of the County of Yorkshire from British History Online (Victoria County Histories), published 1914 and 1923 (Volume 1: the western part of the North Riding including Richmond and Volume 2: the eastern part of the North Riding including Scarborough and Whitby). A History of the County of York: the City of York is also helpful for the many North Riding parishes that were absorbed into the city during the 19th and 20th centuries.

This is by far the most complete history of the parishes of the North Riding to be found online. The volumes are divided into sections by wapentake (early divisions of the county) and the parishes within each wapentake follow in alphabetical order. The links above open to the indexes covering all the wapentakes in the volume.

• GENUKI has a page on all three ridings of Yorkshire and pages for each of the ancient or ecclesiastical parishes in the county. Under each ancient parish there is a list of the settlements (townships and chapelries) within it and brief description of each. Many of these secondary settlements became civil parishes during the latter half of the 19th century.

These notes are 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, but 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. 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 North 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 which also include historical population and area statistics. Descriptions provided are usually based on a gazetteer of 1870-72.
• Map of the North Riding divisions in 1888 produced by UK Ordnance Survey and provided online by A Vision of Britain through Time
• Map of North Riding divisions in 1944 produced by UK Ordnance Survey and provided online by A Vision of Britain through Time
• Another provider of maps is the National Library of Scotland. In this index the Scottish provision precedes the English one, but the choice of maps for England is still quite vast.
• 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.