Until 1840, Crakehall was part of the ecclesiastical parish of Bedale and each year a parishioner from Crakehall was appointed as one of the churchwardens, to represent the village. Occasionally, two men seem to have shared the duties. In 1840 the church was opened in Crakehall and separate parish registers for Crakehall began to be kept. However, Crakehall remained a “chapelry” of Bedale, and it was only in 1860 that it became a full parish in its own right, with a vicar able to carry out baptisms, marriages and burials without reference to Bedale. Therefore, Crakehall churchwardens to Bedale continued to be appointed until 1860.
The following complete list of the Crakehall churchwardens from 1584 to 1860 has been compiled from the Churchwardens Accounts for St Gregory’s, Bedale, which are among the Bedale Parish Records at the North Yorkshire Record Office (ref PR/BED). It provides a useful guide to the senior, respected members of the community in Great and Little Crakehall over 250 years.