Arkengarthdale, Yorkshire Genealogy

England Yorkshire  North Riding  Arkengarthdale



Parish History
Arkengarthdale St Mary the Virgin is an Ancient parish.

Arkengarthdale is a tributary valley of Swaledale. The Dale is about 7 or 8 miles in length, commencing at Dale head, running in a SE. direction, and terminating in the town of Reeth.

Known as Arkillesgarth (early xiii cent.); Alkergarth (xiii cent.); Arkelgarth (late xiii–xv cent.); Arkelgarthdale (xiv–xvi cent.); Archgarthdale, Arkingarthdale (xvii–xviii cent); Arkilgarthdale, Arkindale, Arkingarth (xviii–xix cent.).

Arkengarthdale was once the centre of a thriving local lead mining industry, and had a population of about 1,500. The mines were usually worked on a part-time basis along with a small farm, although the mining rights were held by the lords of the manors. When the industry declined in the late-1800s, some parishes lost over 70% of their population. As well as the mine entrances and shafts, the remains of tramways, smelting chimneys and dressing areas can still be seen on the hillsides.

Before the Reformation, the first small Church in Arkengarthdale, owned by Egglestone Abbey - a convent in Teesdale, was built in Arkle Town beside the old road up the Dale, ¼ mile SSE. of Langthwaite, 3 miles NW. of Reeth. In 1812 it was reported as too small and in need of repair. As a result, a new Church St Mary in the Parish of Arkengarthdale was built in 1818 on the present site further up the Dale. The old Church was pulled down owing to the foundations becoming undermined by the Arkle Beck, and no trace of it remains apart from a few gravestones in a field above the Arkle beck. There were also several non-conformist chapels in the dale.

Here is an 1848 historical perspectiveby the famous topographer, Samuel A. Lewis,

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records
To find the names of the neighbouring parishes, use England Jurisdictions 1851. In this site, search for the name of the parish, click on the location "pin", click Options and click List contiguous parishes.

This ancient parish (AP) was created before 1813. Church of England records began in 1560.

Contributor: Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts, nonconformist and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

See GENUKI for location of Parish records from 1727.

Census records
Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Poor Law Unions
Richmond Poor Law Union, Yorkshire

Reeth Poor Law Union, Yorkshire

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Yorkshire Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
Contributor: Add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.