Rothwell, Yorkshire Family History Guide
Rothwell is an Ancient Parish in the county of Yorkshire.
Other places in the parish include: Woodlesford, Thwaitegate, Thorpe on the Hill, Thorp, Royds Green, Rothwell Haigh, Rhodes Green, Oulton with Woodlesford, Oulton, Carlton with Lofthouse, Carlton, Thorpe near Rothwell, and Thorpe.
Alternative names:
Parish church: Holy Trinity
Parish registers begin:
Rothwell
- Parish registers: 1538
- Bishop’s Transcripts: 1599
Oulton
- Parish registers: 1830
- Bishop’s Transcripts: 1830
Nonconformists include: Primitive Methodist, Wesleyan Methodist, and Wesleyan Methodist Reform.
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
Parish History
A Topographical Dictionary of England 1848
ROTHWELL (Holy Trinity), a parish, in the Lower division of the wapentake of Agbrigg, W. riding of York; containing, with the townships of Lofthouse with Carlton, Middleton, Oulton with Woodlesford, and Thorpe, 7462 inhabitants, of whom 2988 are in Rothwell township, 4½ miles (S. E.) from Leeds.
This place was originally part of the parish of Morley, from which it was separated before the Conquest. Soon after that period it was granted as a dependency of the castle of Pontefract to the Lacys, who had a baronial residence here, of which evident vestiges may still be traced, and by whom its church was appropriated to the priory of Nostal.
The parish comprises by computation 8612 acres, of which 3186 are in the township of Rothwell with Rothwell-Haigh and Royd’s Green; the surface is varied, and the district abounds with coal of excellent quality, of which several mines are in operation, large supplies being sent to Leeds and other places. Some quarries of good stone are likewise worked here.
The manor of Rothwell-Haigh, including Thwaite, comprises about 1000 acres of land, the property of Lord Stourton. The Midland railway passes through the parish.
The village is pleasantly situated in a fertile vale watered by a small rivulet, and is very ancient, and irregularly built: the inhabitants are employed chiefly in the collieries and in agriculture; there are establishments for the manufacture of rope and twine, and a woollen-mill. The debtors’ prison, for the honour of Pontefract, is a spacious building.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king’s books at £19.12. 11.; net income, £843; patron, the Rev. R. H. Brandling, who, with others, is impropriator. The great tithes of the township of Rothwell and Rothwell-Haigh have been commuted for £436, and the small for £351: there is a vicarial glebe of 5 acres.
The church is a neat structure in the later English style, with a square embattled tower: it was repaired and enlarged in 1826, and has lately undergone extensive improvements; three modern galleries have been removed, and a beautiful oaken roof, of the 14th century, has been uncovered.
At Oulton, Lofthouse, and Middleton, are other incumbencies.
There are places of worship for Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists.
Source: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis 1848
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
ROTHWELL, a village, a township, and a sub-district, in Hunslet district, and a parish partly also in Wakefield district, W. R. Yorkshire. The village stands1¾ mile WSW of Woodlesford r. station, and 4 SE of Leeds; and has a post-office under Leeds. The township contains also the hamlets of Rothwell-Haign, Thwaitegate, and Rhodes-Green; and comprises 3, 186 acres. Real property, £17, 373; of which £6, 840 are in mines, and £50 in gas-works. Pop. in 1851, 3,052; in 1861, 3, 220. Houses, 665.
The manor of R. belonged formerly to the Lacys, and belongs now to J. Calverley, Esq. R.-Haigh and Rhodes-Green are separate manors. Remains exist of a castle of the Lacys. R.-Haigh, Haigh Park, and Stourton Villa are chief residences. The debtors’ jail for the liberty of Pontefract was here, and previously was a poor-house. There are a nursery-ground, a malt-house, a seed-mill, a corn mill, glue-works, rope and twine-works, and extensive collieries.
The sub-district contains also the township of Middleton, and comprises 4, 983 acres. Pop. in 1851, 4,029; in 1861, 4, 122. Houses, 872. The parish contains likewise the townships of Thorpe, Oulton-with-Woodlesford, and Lofthouse-with-Carlton; and comprises 8, 715 acres. Pop.in 1851, 7, 541; in 1861, 8,072. Houses, 1, 740. The, property is much subdivided. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Ripon. Value, £850. Patron,J. Brandling, Esq. The church is very ancient, and was recently restored.
The p. curacies of Middleton, Loft-house, and Oulton-with-Woodlesford are separate benefices. There are several Wesleyan chapels, two Primitive Methodist chapels, several public schools, and charities £14.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
Oulton
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
OULTON, a village, a township, a chapelry, and a sub-district, in Rothwell parish, Wakefield district, W. R. Yorkshire. The village stands near the river Aire and the Leeds and Normanton railway, 1 mile E S E of Woodlesford r. station, and 5½ E S E of Leeds; is a pleasant place; and has a post-office under Leeds.
The township contains also the village of Woodlesford, and bears the name of Oulton-with-Woodlesford. Acres, 1, 278. Real property, £7, 862; of which £30 are in the railway, £250 in mines, and £291 in quarries. Pop. in 1851, 1, 771; in 1861, 1,851. Houses, 435. The manor, with Oulton Hall, belongs to J. Calverley, Esq. The hall is a large and elegant edifice, in the Grecian style. Dr. Richard Bentley was a native.
The chapelry is conterminate with the township. The living is a p. curacy in the diocese of Ripon. Value, £305. Patron, J. Calverley, Esq. The church was built in 1828-30, at a cost of £12,000, bequeathed by J. Blayds, Esq.; is a fine structure, in the pointed style; and consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with tower and spire. There are Wesleyan chapels and a mixed school.
The sub-district contains also the township of Lofthouse-with-Carlton. Acres, 3, 198. Pop., 3, 879. Houses, 855.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
Parish Registers
Paver’s Marriage Licences
It would appear that a good many licences were never used. So genealogists should exercise a little care in their acceptance of the licenses.
1630 Gabriel Dawson, Leeds, and Margaret Moore, widow, Rothwell—there. (At Rothwell, 20 Jan., 1630-1.)
1630 John Rawson, Castleford, and Elizabeth Swift, Rothwell —either place.
1630 Henry Waterman and Ann Stocks, Rothwell—there. (At Rothwell, 21 Feb., 1630-1.)
1630 Martin Lupton and Ann Dobson, Rothwell—there. (At Rothwell, 6 Feb., 1630-1.)
Source: The Yorkshire Archaeological Society Record Series Vol XL for the Year 1908; Edited by John WM. Clay, F.S.A., Vice-President of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society; Printed for the Society 1909.
Parish Records
FamilySearch
Rothwell
Use for:
England, Yorkshire, Rowell
Oulton
Oulton-with-Woodlesford
Administration
- County: Yorkshire
- Civil Registration District: Wakefield
- Probate Court: Exchequer and Prerogative Courts of the Archbishop of York
- Diocese: Post-1835 – Ripon, Pre-1836 – York
- Rural Deanery: Pontefract
- Poor Law Union: Carlton Gilbert Union
- Hundred: Agbrigg
- Province: York