Despite the existence of records at the West Riding Deeds Registry, it is difficult to trace the ownership of properties back beyond the 20th century. The use of plans was not common in earlier days and title deeds often describe properties by reference to their then occupants and the owners or occupants of adjacent plots. People living in the vicinity at the time such property was described in a deed may well have understood what was being described but later generations do not often have the necessary local knowledge to interpret the deeds.
