GENUKI: Low Bentham

The Ancient Parish of LOW BENTHAM

[Transcribed information mainly from the early 1820s]
"LOW BENTHAM, a parish-town, in the wapentake of Ewcross; 4 miles SW. of Ingleton, 9 from Kirby Lonsdale, (Westm.) 12 from Settle, 15 from Lancaster, 71 from York. Pop. 2,102. The Church is a rectory, dedicated to St. John Baptist, in the deanry of Kirby Lonsdale, and diocese of Chester, value, £35. 7s. 8½d. Patron, T.L. Parker, Esq. The township of Bentham is divided into four quarters, viz. Low Bentham, High Bentham, Mewith, and Grasingle.

At this place was born, of poor parents, Thomas Wray, D.D. Fellow of Christ College, Cambridge, and successively chaplain to Archbishops Hutton and Secker. He was a pious, abstemious, mortified man, never married, of weak constitution, of most amiable deportment, yet a zealous reprover of vice in public and in private. He had learned too, from his master, Secker, not to despise the meanest, nor to shrink from the most disgusting offices of his functions. He died at Rochdale, February, 1778, aged 55, where a plain stone within the altar rails is erected to his memory. The Editor of Butler's Remains thus notices him:-
       "While Modest Wray with silent grace,
        Just steals a meaning smile."
                                         Nichols' Lit. Anecdotes.
Information on the following places in this Parish is contained on a supplementary page.

Barnfield Smithy
Braniers
Chapel Le Dale
Colcotes
Douk Cave
Fowgill

Gearstones
Gingle Pot
Graystonegill
High Bentham
Ingleborough
Ingleton

Mewith
Ribblehead
Skereth
Slatenberg
Twisleton
Yarlsber

Census

The Ingleborough Archaeology website has images of the Census Enumerators books for Bentham and Ingleton from 1841 to 1901.

Churches

Here are photographs of Churches etc. in the parish:
- St. John the Baptist's Church, Low Bentham.
  - Internal view looking down the nave
- St. John the Baptist's Church, Low Bentham.
- The Methodist Church, Low Bentham.
- St. Mary's Church, Ingleton.
- St. Mary's Church, Ingleton.
  - Internal view looking down the nave
- Ingleton Methodist Chapel, Ingleton.
- St. Margaret's Church, High Bentham.
  - Internal view looking down the nave
- The Methodist Church, High Bentham. The Chapel in its present position was built in 1905, the graveyard is over Wenning bridge bear right and the graveyard is on your right hand side.
- The Roman Catholic Church, High Bentham.
- St. Leonard's Church, Chapel Le Dale.
  - Internal view looking down the nave

Church History

Transcript of the entry for Low Bentham in the "Collections relative to Churches and Chapels".
Transcript of the entry for Ingleton in the "Collections relative to Churches and Chapels".
Transcript of the entry for Chapel le Dale in the "Collections relative to Churches and Chapels".

Church Records

For Ingleton and Chapel le Dale, The Lancashire Family History & Heraldry Society have published:
- Baptisms 1607-1812
- Marriages 1607-1812
- Burials 1607-1812
and for Low Bentham, The Lancashire Family History & Heraldry Society have published:
- Baptisms 1576-1812
- Marriages 1576-1812
- Burials 1576-1812
The Ingleborough Archaeology website has transcriptions of the Parish Registers for:
- Ingleton Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1607 to 1812.
The whereabouts and dates of the Registers etc. for the Parish of Low Bentham.
The whereabouts and dates of the Registers etc. for the Chapelry of Chapel le Dale.
The whereabouts and dates of the Registers etc. for the Chapelry of Ingleton.
The 1944 to 2000 Burials transcribed from photographs of the book in the church at High Bentham.
The List of Chapel Wardens in 1743 in St. Mary's Church, Ingleton.
The List of Incumbents of St. John's Church, Langcliffe.

Description and Travel

Maggie Cassidy has written an article about Ribblehead and the Salt Lake Cottages.

Directories

Transcript of the entry of "professions and trades" in the Baines's Directory and Gazetteer, Vol I, West Riding.

Gazetteers

There is further information about this parish from the National Gazetteer 1868, Yorkshire extracts.
There is further information about this parish from the Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England, Yorkshire extracts.

Maps

For a detailed map of this parish see this parish boundaries map.
For a more detailed map of the parishes in the riding please see the Yorkshire parish maps page.
For a more detailed map of the county please see the Yorkshire map page.
Here is a map showing the wapentakes for the county.

Memorial Inscriptions

The World War I and II Memorial Plaques in St. John's Church, Low Bentham.
The World War I and II Memorial Plaque for High and Low Bentham at St. John's Church, Low Bentham.
The Memorial Plaque to Gerald Kirk.
The War Memorial Plaque in St. Mary's Church, Ingleton.
The War Memorial at Ingleton.
The the memorial plaque to the Railway workers inside the church at Chapel le Dale.
The Memorial Plaque for the 1914-18 War in St. Margaret's Church, High Bentham.

Names, Geographical

The following places are within the boundaries of this (ancient) parish, but I have no further information on them other than the Ordnance Survey Landranger Grid reference shown:
- (SD716712) Cold Cotes

Societies

This parish is covered by the following Society:
- Airedale & Wharfedale FHS

Taxation

A list of those paying the 1379 Subsidy Rolls (Poll Tax) for this parish.

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