Parish records of York, St Martin, Coney Street

Includes register of christenings, 1557-1942 (note this register uses the Dade registration scheme for the years 1806-1812); register of marriages, 1557-1942; register of burials, 1557-1851 (note this register uses the Dade registration scheme for the years 1778-1811, ages only 1778-1806); register of banns, 1823-1884; register of services (later entries include St Helen Stonegate), 1845-1863, 1890-1964, 1968-1998; records concerning benefice income, including details of property, c.1890, and glebe papers, 1763-1913; charity records, including minutes of meetings, 1726-1777, feoffees’ records, 1271-1968, and papers concerning Doctor Beckwith's Charity, Ann Wright's Charity and Leonard Thompson's Charity, 18th century-1973; churchwardens’ records, including accounts, 1552-1637, 1725-1976, briefs, 1812-1820, rates assessments, 1570-1572, mason's wages for building church with debts incurred, 1447-1449, fabric papers, 18th century-1911, 1942, 1960, account of church goods, 1553, music at services, 1834-1835, papers, 1635-1858, plans of church, showing pews, 1859, churchyard papers, 1854, and antiquarian sketchbook, including stained glass, late 19th century; records of incumbents, including benefice papers, 1987, vicarage insurance papers, 1853-1918, incumbents' papers, 1664-1911, including day book of Reverend Canon Machell, 1890-1897, curate's papers, 1836, statistical returns, 1916-1919, lists of Easter offerings, 1839-1872, papers relating to offertories, 1879-1893, papers regarding parish employees, early 20th century, and service papers, 1890-1899; overseers’ records, including accounts, 1765-1801, rates, 1782-1801, and papers, 1723-1841; records concerning parish rooms and societies, including papers regarding Parishioners' Dinner, 1856-1863, organ and choir papers, 1857-1893, and bell ringers' papers, 19th century; Vestry/Parochial Church Council records, including minutes of meetings, 1726-1778, 1784-1817, 1863-1940, census, 1811, papers regarding Land Tax, 1806-1915, insurance papers, 1853-1918, and papers relating to commission to inquire into the property of recusants, 1635; papers relating to the redevelopment of St Martin’s churchyard, 1980s-1990s. Records of St Martin with St Helen, including minutes of Parochial Church Council, 1992-1997, annual financial reports, 1988-1992, account books, 1986-1993, and newsletters, 1991-1993.

The church of St Martin, Coney Street, was first mentioned in a document of c.1160-1180. The church was confirmed to the Dean and Chapter of York in 1194 and a vicarage was ordained there by the thirteenth century. Between 1331 and 1443, six other York churches belonging to the Dean and Chapter were annexed to St Martin; these were St Michael le Belfrey, St John’s Ousebridge, St Mary’s Layerthorpe, St Andrew’s, St John’s and one moiety of St Helen-on-the-Walls. St Martin’s Church was completely rebuilt in the 15th century, making it one of the grandest in York.
The parish was not affected by the consolidation of city parishes that took place in the 16th century and remained under the peculiar jurisdiction of the Dean and Chapter of York. The vicarage was augmented from Queen Anne’s Bounty in 1761, the money being used to purchase land at Nun Monkton, and in 1864 and 1884 it received further funds from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and the Common Fund respectively. The church underwent a significant restoration in the 1850s, carried out by architects J. B and W. Atkinson of York. From this period it was often known as St Martin le Grand.
In 1910 the benefice of St Helen Stonegate was united with that of St Martin’s. St Helen’s Church remained in use and in 1942, following the destruction of St Martin’s Church by an enemy bomb, it became the principal church for both parishes. The two parishes were formally united in 1954 to become St Helen with St Martin and in 1961-1968 St Martin’s Church was rebuilt by George Pace and re-opened in the latter year. The church has retained its original medieval stained glass window, which had fortunately been removed for safe keeping in 1940. Its east window is by Harry Stammers, c.1965.
Today St Helen with St Martin is part of a group of city parishes under a single priest-in-charge which includes All Saints Pavement, St Denys and St Olave.

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 1964 by the incumbent. Further additions were made to the archive in 1974, 1976, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2006.

The church of St Martin, Coney Street, was first mentioned in a document of c.1160-1180. The church was confirmed to the Dean and Chapter of York in 1194 and a vicarage was ordained there by the thirteenth century. Between 1331 and 1443, six other York churches belonging to the Dean and Chapter were annexed to St Martin; these were St Michael le Belfrey, St John’s Ousebridge, St Mary’s Layerthorpe, St Andrew’s, St John’s and one moiety of St Helen-on-the-Walls. St Martin’s Church was completely rebuilt in the 15th century, making it one of the grandest in York.
The parish was not affected by the consolidation of city parishes that took place in the 16th century and remained under the peculiar jurisdiction of the Dean and Chapter of York. The vicarage was augmented from Queen Anne’s Bounty in 1761, the money being used to purchase land at Nun Monkton, and in 1864 and 1884 it received further funds from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and the Common Fund respectively. The church underwent a significant restoration in the 1850s, carried out by architects J. B and W. Atkinson of York. From this period it was often known as St Martin le Grand.
In 1910 the benefice of St Helen Stonegate was united with that of St Martin’s. St Helen’s Church remained in use and in 1942, following the destruction of St Martin’s Church by an enemy bomb, it became the principal church for both parishes. The two parishes were formally united in 1954 to become St Helen with St Martin and in 1961-1968 St Martin’s Church was rebuilt by George Pace and re-opened in the latter year. The church has retained its original medieval stained glass window, which had fortunately been removed for safe keeping in 1940. Its east window is by Harry Stammers, c.1965.
Today St Helen with St Martin is part of a group of city parishes under a single priest-in-charge which includes All Saints Pavement, St Denys and St Olave.

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 2003.

Selected records, including registers of baptisms and marriages, 1557-1900, burials, 1557-1851, banns, 1823-1884, bastardy bonds, 1748-1805, settlement papers, 1724-1775, churchwardens' accounts, 1552-1637, 1725-1851, and feoffees, 1271-1694, are also available on microfilm at the Borthwick Institute (Reference: MF 849, 1759, 1771, MFB 2016, 2019).
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, 26.11.15

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 not expected.

For related material held by the Borthwick Institute, see the parish records of York, St Helen Stonegate which include press cuttings, 1897-1977, historical notes, n.d., and photographs concerning St Martin with St Helen.

Yorkshire Parish Register Society, 'The parish registers of St Martin, Coney Street, York. 1557-1812.' Transcribed and edited by Robert Beilby Cook (Leeds, 1909).

Yorkshire Family History Society, ‘The parish registers of St Martin, Coney Street, York, 1813-1837.’ Transcribed and edited by Margaret E. Smith (York, 1978).

Published

GB 193