The Raines of Romaldkirk

Romaldkirk, the small stone village in the heart of the Northern Pennines, is home to the parish church of many centuries of Raine families.

Buried in the churchyard of St Romald’s are many Raines, including the ancestors of Elizabeth. She was delighted to find the gravestone and grave of four ancestors, her 6 times great grandparents Christopher and Elenor Raine, and their son Laurence and his wife Dinah.

The stone was erected in 1739, and is very well preserved and quite readable. Of course all this ancestral exploration is tiring and thirsty work, necessitating having lunch at the Rose and Crown, an 18th century inn that is now a wonderful brasserie, pub and B&B.

Below: Elizabeth with Val, the genealogist from South Shields who gave invaluable help in researching the Raine line back from Elizabeth's greatgreatgreat-grandfather, James Raine (b.1842), all the way back to Giles Raine in the 1580s. Thanks Val !!

We also explored the wonderful scenery of the High Pennines, which in autumn reflects the colours of the season by appearing in reds, yellows and browns.

It is also the season for the grouse, which can be heard barking amidst the heather. Here you can see Elizabeth peering at a grouse some distance away.

We were going to tell you where it was in this next photograph, but think it more interesting to make you all guess. Any one out there like to take a chance and spot the grouse ?? The prize will be seeing your name "in lights" on this very blog.

Above: spot the grouse

Of course we also kept an eye out for old Raine farms. These were somewhat more plentiful than the grouse, though not as numerous as the many Swaledale sheep which graze all over the high moors.

The feeding habits of the sheep keep the heather in best condition for the grouse, who feed on its tips. Thus they have become a necessary part of the ecological equation over the centuries, and the moorland would lose much of its character without the sheep in residence.

Now, back to the Raines of the High Pennines ...

The most distant Raine ancestor of Elizabeth whom we have 'found' is Giles Raine, who married Margaret Wilson in 1590. Giles lived at the East Briscoe farm, which is still standing today.

The farm was built in a wonderful part of the Pennines, with scenic views of the green dales.

It is worth relating the story of Giles' daughter, Sithe or Sytha Raine. Originally from Gaelic, this name is pronounced ‘Shee’ or ‘Sheena’ and means ‘fairy’ or ‘spirit woman’. Sithe married a George Ullocke in 1624. Sithe kept her own name, and her children were also known as by the name Raine. George himself is also described as ‘George Raine’ in various records. This unusual situation for the 1600s indicates that Sithe probably owned land, and that the Raines were of some importance in the area.

In Romaldkirk graveyard, we discovered tombstones where other men had done the same thing, this time with the Dent family. So feminism appears to have been alive and well in Romaldkirk some centuries ago.