England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Conistone St Mary

The Parish

The chapelry of Conistone lies in western Yorkshire about 12 miles north of the market town of Skipton, Conistone is a chapelry within the large parish of Burnsall and forms its northern portion. Conistone sits within the heart of the Yorkshire Dales in Wharfedale and is a small crossroads settlement which sits a half mile east of the B6160 road which follows Wharfedale from Bolton Abbey northwards before crossing moorland to Aycliffe. Conistone is very much an upland area, hereabouts the River Wharfe is squeezed into a narrow channel by the towering cliffs of Kilnsey Crags whilst to both east and wet upland moorland spreads away from the valley, the eastern side is favoured by the Dales Way national trail. The area had some mineral extractive industries as well as being dependent upon upland farming of mainly sheep. Today the area is heavily dependent upon tourism with hiking and fishing being notable contributors. The Wharfe drains southeastwards before wending its way to the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Conistone is sited at around 200 metres above the sea but land rises either side of the valley setting to reach local heights of well over 500 metres on both Kilnsey & Grassington Moors. As is typical of upland areas Conistone chapelry covered an extensive area, almost 5,400 acres, but within that area barely 150 parishioners. In Domesday times Conistone is mentioned as being held by a Saxon survivor, Ketil, but it is described simply as "waste".

The Church

St Mary's church sits just a few metres north of Conistone's main set of junction on the western side of the lane which parallels the Wharfe and to its east. The church does have ancient origins but has been much modified, indeed almost rebuilt, over the centuries. The oldest surviving portions are the two westernmost bays of the arcade which show plain un-moulded arches in the Norman Romanesque style with a date of around the early 12th century. The church received a significant makeover during the 14th century as the Perpendicular style is found in the eastern most bays. All else was rebuilt in 1846 but using a style based upon the Romanesque to maintain a style "a la Normande" for the church. AS the lane fronting the churchyard is narrow and parking difficult it is advised to find parking in the main village area and to walk the short distance to the church. A gateway through the rough local stone walls sits at the southern end of the site and the churchyard is almost devoid of significant obstacles to photography.