Parish records of Brafferton

Includes register of christenings, 1798-1944 (note this register uses the Dade registration scheme for the years 1798-1812); register of marriages, 1798-2011; register of burials, 1798-2007 (note this register uses the Dade registration scheme for the years 1798-1812); register of confirmations, 1892-2007; records concerning benefice income, including glebe survey and rental, 19th century, and deed, 1863; charity records, including map of estate in Brafferton of the Society for the Conversion of Negro Slaves in the West Indies, 1796, churchwardens’ records, including accounts, 1775-1894, fabric papers, 1827-1888, 1886, 1902-1949; records of incumbents, including photograph of incumbent and choir, late 19th century, and statistical returns, 1892-1901; records concerning parish rooms and societies, including rules of Helperby Humane Funeral Brief, 1837; school records, including managers' minutes of meetings, 1861-1871, cash books, 1877-1901, annual reports 1890-1920, deed 1858, papers concerning buildings 1882, 1909-1910, 1951, and official returns, 1890-1920; Vestry/Parochial Church Council records, including minutes of meetings, 1901-1949, maps of Helperby, 1811, 1867, 1875, map of Brafferton, early 19th century, and review of parish events, 1937.

The existence of a church at Brafferton was recorded in Domesday in the eleventh century. It was originally dedicated to St Augustine and its patronage was held by the de la River family until 1226 when it was given by them to Newburgh Priory. A vicarage was ordained there in 1311 and the church was appropriated to the Priory in 1316 and again in 1446.
At the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the patronage passed to the Crown and the rectory and advowson were subsequently granted to the Archbishop of York. In 1728 it was returned to the Crown in exchange for the vicarage of Bishopthorpe. The dedication of the church to St Peter dates from at least the 1760s.
The earliest parts of the present church building date to the fifteenth and sixteenth century. In 1831 the medieval nave was removed and rebuilt and the whole church was restored in 1886. The vicarage house was replaced in 1798 following a fire that destroyed existing church records.
The parish includes the townships of Helperby and Thornton Bridge. Between 1693 and the 1950s the manor of Brafferton, which included the village, was owned by the Christian Faith Society.

This arrangement was designed to reflect the principal activities of the parish and its associated organisations, and to aid researchers in identifying the records these activities generate. This arrangement was introduced in 2020. Records are arranged within the following alphabetical series but retain their original archival reference at file/item level:
A: Parish Registers
B: Church Ceremonial
C: Parish Clergy
D: Property - Religious
E: Property - Secular
F: Parish Administration and Officers
G: Parish Social and Evangelical Activities
H: Overseer of the Poor and Parish Charity
J: Schools
K: Promotional and Informational Material

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 1967 by the incumbent. Further additions were made to the archive in 1969, 1982 and 2016.

The existence of a church at Brafferton was recorded in Domesday in the eleventh century. It was originally dedicated to St Augustine and its patronage was held by the de la River family until 1226 when it was given by them to Newburgh Priory. A vicarage was ordained there in 1311 and the church was appropriated to the Priory in 1316 and again in 1446.
At the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the patronage passed to the Crown and the rectory and advowson were subsequently granted to the Archbishop of York. In 1728 it was returned to the Crown in exchange for the vicarage of Bishopthorpe. The dedication of the church to St Peter dates from at least the 1760s.
The earliest parts of the present church building date to the fifteenth and sixteenth century. In 1831 the medieval nave was removed and rebuilt and the whole church was restored in 1886. The vicarage house was replaced in 1798 following a fire that destroyed existing church records.
The parish includes the townships of Helperby and Thornton Bridge. Between 1693 and the 1950s the manor of Brafferton, which included the village, was owned by the Christian Faith Society.

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 2016.

Selected records, including registers of christenings, 1798-1944, marriages, 1798-1970, and burials, 1798-1928, churchwardens' accounts, 1775-1894, and a pew award, 1827-1828, are also available on microfilm at the Borthwick Institute (References: MF 646, 1772).
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, 21.12.15. Updated 29.07.16 to include 2016 accession.
Revised (Schema arrangement and retroconversion) 21.02.23 by E. Wilson

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.

For related material held by the Borthwick Institute, see the records of the Christian Faith Society which include deeds, accounts, plans and other papers concerning Brafferton, 1682-1954.

Published

GB 193