CANTLEY, ST WILFRED PARISH RECORDS

Comprising registration: Registers of Baptism 1539-1986, Registers of Marriages 1540-1990, Registers of Burials 1538-1951, Incumbent: 1906-1991; Churchwardens' records, vestry and Parochial Church Council 1900-2011; Township: Township book containing summary accounts of parish officers 1797-1837 and minutes of parish meetings 1797-1853, plan of the parish 1859 (no book of reference); Enclosure award (no map) for Cantley, Branton, Bessacarr and High Ellers 1779;

A church has stood on the present site Cantley, St Wilfred since Saxon time and is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. It is believed that the church was founded on a site used for earlier worship or the site of a Romano-British pagan temple or burial ground. The church is dedicated to St Wilfred which also suggests a Roman connection. Records of the church going back to 1218 are to be found in the archives of York Minster.

Prior to the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII, the church had belonged to Wallingwells Priory at Carlton in Lindrick but later passed into the hands of the Childers family. The church suffered from neglect from the 17th to the early 19th century but a restoration was carried out in 1884. This work was subsequently reordered and extended in 1894 by John Ninian Cooper.

Part of the present church are 11th and 12th century with the west tower being 14th century. In order to cater for the expanding population of the parish, an extension was added to the north side of the church in 1989. It was designed by Donald Buttress, Surveyor of the Fabric to Westminster Abbey and a recognised authority on the work of Sir Ninian Cooper.

The collection is divided into nine series as follows:

P12/1: Registration, Church Services, and Worship

P12/2: Incumbent

P12/3: Churchwardens

P12/4: Vestry and Parochial Church Council

P12/6: Township

P12/8: Schools

P12/9: Statutory Deposits

P12/10: Printed Works

P12/11: Closure of Doncaster Christ Church

Open

Access will be granted to any accredited member of Doncaster Libraries

Also available: Index : Bapt 1539-1851 Marr 1538-1837 Bur 1538-1812; Bishop's transcripts 1600-1844 (on microfilm)