Parish records of West Heslerton

Includes register of christenings, 1561-1809, 1813-1867; register of marriages, 1584-2007; register of burials, 1561-1931 (note this register uses the Dade registration scheme for the years 1799-1812, ages only); register of banns, 1823-1879; register of services, 1908-2007; register of confirmations, 1962-1985; records concerning benefice income, including glebe maps, n.d., 1890; churchwardens’ records, including accounts, 1804-1862, and plan and elevation of church, 1916; records of incumbents, including parsonage house papers, 1958-1965, details of church restoration, 1886, details of pew owners in the early 19th century, n.d., and photocopy of church book containing antiquarian notes and cuttings, details of baptisms and confirmations, and census summary, 1811; Vestry/Parochial Church Council records, including minutes of meetings, 1856-1863, 1920-1929, 1959-1991, and census enumerator's return naming heads of households and numbers in each house, 1821; parish memorandum book for East and West Heslerton, 1809-1993; photograph of church, c.1909; photograph of rector, c.1861-1898.

There was a church at West Heslerton from at least the twelfth century. It was granted by Walter de Ingram (or Ingelram) to the Priory of Guiborough c.1150-1172, together with its chapel at East Heslerton. Although a royal license was granted to appropriate the church to the Priory in 1359, it was never implemented and the church remained a rectory. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the sixteenth century, the advowson passed to the Crown.
The present parish church, which is dedicated to All Saints, dates to the thirteenth century. It was largely rebuilt in 1859, although the original chancel survives, and then restored in 1886-1888 by architect Charles Hodgson Fowler.
In 1879 the chapelry of East Heslerton separated to form an independent parish. St Andrew’s Church, East Heslerton, was declared redundant in 2002 and today West and East Heslerton form a combined parish with Yedingham, within the benefice of Buckrose Carrs.

Records are open to the public, subject to the overriding provisions of relevant legislation, including data protection laws. 24 hours' notice is required to access photographic material.

The archive was deposited at the Borthwick Institute in 1969. The first item (PR/HESL/W/1) was purchased by the Institute in June and was followed in August by a deposit by the rector of West Heslerton. Further additions were made to the archive in 1971, 1982, 1986, 1992, 2009 and 2015.

There was a church at West Heslerton from at least the twelfth century. It was granted by Walter de Ingram (or Ingelram) to the Priory of Guiborough c.1150-1172, together with its chapel at East Heslerton. Although a royal license was granted to appropriate the church to the Priory in 1359, it was never implemented and the church remained a rectory. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the sixteenth century, the advowson passed to the Crown.
The present parish church, which is dedicated to All Saints, dates to the thirteenth century. It was largely rebuilt in 1859, although the original chancel survives, and then restored in 1886-1888 by architect Charles Hodgson Fowler.
In 1879 the chapelry of East Heslerton separated to form an independent parish. St Andrew’s Church, East Heslerton, was declared redundant in 2002 and today West and East Heslerton form a combined parish with Yedingham, within the benefice of Buckrose Carrs.

A typescript finding aid, to file level, is available for consultation in the searchroom of the Borthwick Institute. This includes all material received up to and including 2015.

Selected records, including registers of christenings, 1561-1867, marriages, 1584-1837, burials, 1561-1900, and banns, 1823-1879, churchwardens' accounts, 1804-1862, population book, 1821, and note book, 1809-1812, are also available on microfilm at the Borthwick Institute (References: MF 703, 1753, 1770).
Our collection of parish baptism, marriage and burial registers has been digitised by both Ancestry and Find My Past. Copies of digitised records can be viewed online on Ancestry or Find My Past, as part of larger UK-wide parish registers datasets. You can find out more about these record sets, and how to find our registers, here: https://borthcat.york.ac.uk/index.php/are-you-looking-for-parish-registers.

Created by S. A. Shearn, 23.02.16.
Revised by S. Kent, September 2016.

A reprographics service is available to researchers subject to the access restrictions outlined above. Copying will not be undertaken if there is any risk of damage to the document. Copies are supplied in accordance with the Borthwick Institute for Archives' terms and conditions for the supply of copies, and under provisions of any relevant copyright legislation. Permission to reproduce images of documents in the custody of the Borthwick Institute must be sought.

Further accruals are expected.

The records of East Heslerton are also deposited at the Borthwick Institute.

Published

GB 193