Place:Farnley (near Otley), West Riding of Yorkshire, England

the following text is based on an article in Wikipedia Farnley (near Otley) (#11 on the map) is now a civil parish and a village in the Harrogate District of North Yorkshire, England, near Otley, West Yorkshire. The name "Farnley" indicates that the village was first established in an area heavy with ferns. It is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book as "Fernelai" and "Fernelie". In the UK census of 2011 it had a population of 238. Farnley (near Otley) was originally a township/chapelry in the ancient parish of Otley in the Claro Wapentake. Between 1894 and 1974 it was a civil parish in the Wharfedale Rural District. In 1974 the rural district was transferred from the West Riding of Yorkshire, England to the newly formed county of North Yorkshire. To the south of the village lies Farnley Hall, a stately home built by John Carr (1723–1807). The house has a rich history, being associated with names such as Edward Fairfax (c. 1580 – 1635), Oliver Cromwell (1599 – 1658), and the artist, J M W Turner (1775-1851). A selection of Turner's works from the Farnley Hall collection were sold in 1890 for £25,000. When found as a surname the most popular is Fearnley; other surnames related to the area are Farnely, Farnley and Fernleigh.

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).

"FARNLEY, a township-chapelry in Otley parish, [West Riding of] Yorkshire; near the river Wharfe, 2 miles NNE of Otley, and 3¾ NW of Arthington [railway] station. Post town: Otley. Acres: 1,822. Real property: £2,850. Population: 186. Houses: 30. Farnley Hall is the seat of F. H. Fawkes, Esq.; is a fine Tudor edifice, with modern additions; and has, among other paintings, Guido's "Magdalene" and Vandyke's "Duchess of Arenberg. " The living is a [perpetual] curacy in the diocese of Ripon. Value, £40. Patron, F. H. Fawkes, Esq. The church is recent."

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.

• Map of the West Riding divisions in 1888 produced by UK Ordnance Survey and provided online by A Vision of Britain through Time
• Map of West Riding divisions in 1917 produced by UK Ordnance Survey and provided online by A Vision of Britain through Time. In other counties, the map for 1900 has been used, but it is not coming up in Vision of Britain's list.
• Map of West Riding divisions in 1944 produced by UK Ordnance Survey and provided online by A Vision of Britain through Time

• 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.