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| Westmorland | WES Parishes | Genuki contents | Nearby places |
 |  | The parish is bounded on the East by the parish of Kirkby Stephen; on the South, by the parishes of Kirkby Stephen and Sedbergh; on the West, by the parish of Orton; and on the North, by the parishes of Crosby Garret and Kirkby Stephen. Newbiggin-on-Lune later became its own parish. |
"This parish hath its appellation from a brook of the name of the Raven running through it; in like manner as the village of Renwick (Ravenwick) in Cumberland. It was commonly of old time written Ravenstandale: So there was Stanmore in the parish of Brough.
The parish is bounded on the East by the parish of Kirkby Stephen; on the South, by the parishes of Kirkby Stephen and Sedbergh; on the West, by the parish of Orton; and on the North, by the parishes of Crosby Garret and Kirkby Stephen: And contains about 225 families; whereof 59 are dissenters [in 1777].
The church is said to be dedicated to St. Oswald. It is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of Sir James Lowther baronet. ... The church was rebuilt in the year 1744, in an elegant manner. It hath a square tower steeple, with three bells. In the old church there were two rows of seats below the communion table, where (it is said) the steward and jury of the manopr sate formerly, in their court of judicature. And the malefactors were imprisoned in a hollow arched vault, the ruins whereof are still to be seen, on the north side of the church. ... There is also an handsome dissenting meeting house at Ravenstonedale."
Nicolson and Burn: The history and antiquities of the counties of Westmorland and Cumberland. 1777. Transcribed by Anne Nichols.
Newbiggin-on-Lune has since become a parish in its own right.
Cemeteries (and Monumental Inscriptions)
Monumental inscriptions were transcribed in Monumental Inscriptions of Westmorland by E. Bellasis 1888-89 and are available on Westmorland Papers.
Census
No returns survive for the 'census' of 1787.
Census returns are available from
the
usual sources for 1841-1901.
Transcript for heads of households in 1841 and 1891 has been made available by Janis Garcia.
Transcript and index for 1851 has been published by the Cumbria Family History Society and also in 'North Westmorland - An Index to the 1851 Census' compiled by David Lowis and Barbara Slack.
A transcript for 1881 is available on EdenLinks.
Church History
St Oswald. C18th church with W tower, nave and single bay chancel. Though with older NW and SW porches, the latter with reset doorway of c1200. Georgian furnishings inside including 3-decker pulpit and W gallery.
Ruins of Gilbertine priory to the
North.
Church Records
The parish records and BTs are held at the Kendal Record Office of Cumbria Archives Service.
| Ravenstonedale | Newbiggin -on-Lune | |
| WPR6 | WPR102 | |
| Baptism registers | 1571-1852 | 1892-1979 |
| Marriage registers | 1577-1973 | 1893-1966 |
| Banns registers | 1814-1913 | 1893-1973 |
| Burial registers | 1571-1980 | |
| Bishops transcripts | 1667-1895 |
For searching on www.familysearch.org see Jake Prescott's list of IGI batch numbers.
Non-conformist registers:
- Presbyterian Church 1708-1837 (baptisms) - Kendal Record Office
- Independent Chapel 1775-1837 (births, baptisms and burials) - Public Record Office, PRO
Much useful information is given on the Ravenstonedale website
The details for the parish from the Parson & White's Directory for 1829 are transcribed on Edenlinks site.
History
British History Online provides historical notes for Ravenstonedale from The Later Records relating to North Westmorland by John F. Curwen (1932)
Population
| 1641/2 | 1017(est) |
| 1671 | 937(est) |
| 1801 | 1138 |
Hearth Tax records for 1674 Ravenstonedale transcribed on Edenlinks.
Hearth Tax records for 1674 Ravenstonedale (2) transcribed on Edenlinks.
Hearth Tax records for 1674 Ravenstonedale (3) transcribed on Edenlinks.
Hearth Tax records for 1674 Ravenstonedale Weasdale transcribed on Edenlinks.
Window Tax records for 1777 Ravenstonedale transcribed on Edenlinks.