Stokesley, North Riding of Yorkshire
Historical Description
Stokesley, a market and union town, a township, and a parish in N.R. Yorkshire. The town stands on the river Leven, near the North Yorkshire and Cleveland railway, amid pleasant environs, 9¼ miles SE by S of Stockton-upon-Tees. It consists chiefly of one spacious street, is a seat of petty sessions, and has a post, money order, and telegraph office (R.S.O.),and a railway station. There are two banks, a town-hall of 1853, a church, Congregational, Primitive Methodist, Wesleyan, and Roman Catholic chapels, a church institute, an endowed grammar school, a workhouse, and a cemetery. A very prosperous auction mart for all kinds of cattle is held every alternate Monday, and fairs on the Saturdays before Palm Sunday and Trinity Sunday, and hiring fairs on the two Saturdays before Martinmas and May-day. The township comprises 1818 acres; population, 1513; of the ecclesiastical parish, 1762. There is a parish council consisting of seven members. The parish contains also Great Busby, Little Busby, and part of Newby and Skutterskelf townships. There are two bridges over the Leven, which runs through the town. The manor belongs to the Wynne-Finch family, whose residence is the manor house. The living is a rectory in the diocese of York; net value, £620 with residence. Patron, the Archbishop of York. The church was rebuilt in 1771, and consists of chancel, nave, and embattled western tower, containing a clock with chimes erected in 1887, and six bells. The Wesleyan chapel is in the Perpendicular style, aud was erected in 1886 at a cost of over £5000.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
| Ancient County | Yorkshire | |
| Ecclesiastical parish | Stokesley St. Peter | |
| Liberty | Langbaurgh | |
| Riding | North |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
Findmypast, in conjunction with various Archives, Local Studies, and Family History Societies have the following parish records online for Stokesley:
| Baptisms | Banns | Marriages | Burials |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1654-1900 | 1654-1872 | 1792-1849 |
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Stokesley from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Stokesley (St. Peter))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for the North Riding of Yorkshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Stokesley are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following North Riding newspapers online: