Place:Rosedale, North Riding of Yorkshire, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

source: Family History Library Catalog

NOTE: Information on Rosedale East Side, Rosedale West Side, and Spaunton Moor have been combined into this single article.

Rosedale is the general name for a valley in the North Yorkshire Moors where iron mining went on during the 19th century. Habitation tended to cling to the two sides of the valley and in 1866 civil parishes were established on each side of the valley, with the names of Rosedale East Side and Rosedale West Side. Rosedale East Side was the larger settlement with a church built from the ruins of a priory founded in the time of Richard I. (Source:GENUKI) The background of the church led to the settlement and its post office being named Rosedale Abbey.

From 1894 until 1974 Rosedale and Rosedale East Side were part of Pickering Rural District. Historically, Rosedale Abbey was located in the ecclesiastical parish of Lastingham in the Rydale Wapentake. This data, taken from GENUKI may be incorrect. See below under Rosedale West Side.

For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Rosedale, North Yorkshire.

Rosedale West Side

source: Family History Library Catalog

Rosedale West Side was the civil parish which covered the west side of Rosedale from 1866. It was a smaller and more scattered community than Rosedale Abbey. In 1934 the parish was enlarged by the abolition of Spaunton Moor civil parish. (Source:A Vision of Britain through Time). The civil parish was also part of Pickering Rural District but, according to Rosedale People, an index, the ecclesiastical parish was part of Middleton (near Pickering) in Pickering Lythe Wapentake. Since Middleton and Pickering Lythe Wapentake are east of Lastingham and Rydale Wapentake, it is entirely possible that Rosedale West Side was in Lastingham and Rosedale East Side was in Middleton.

Spaunton Moor

Spaunton Moor is a large expanse of moorland stretching north and south from Spaunton--the part north of Lastingham is adjacent to the south of Rosedale and Farndale. Spaunton Moor was the civil parish, while Spaunton was the hamlet. The civil parish was transferred from Pickering Rural District to Kirkbymoorside Rural District in 1934, together with the adjacent civil parish of Lastingham.

Research Tips

• Rosedale People, an index based on work done for a research degree on the inhabitants of Rosedale vale.
• GENUKI on Rosedale (written 1890 and very extensive).
• A Vision of Britain through Time on Rosedale. The article contains the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain [map], New Popular Edition, Sheet 86 - Redcar and Whitby, which shows every house still in existence.
• Abandoned Communities, Rosedale
• FamilySearch Wiki on Rosedale includes dates of availability for parish registers and main place to inspect them.