| Administrative history | The North Riding Register of Deeds began in 1736 and closed in 1970. No deeds made later than 31 August 1970 are registered and no deeds have been accepted for registration since 31 August 1972. Although it was never compulsory to register deeds, the vast majority are registered since this gave a more secure title to the property. Deeds could be registered either as a complete copy or as a "memorial" - a shortened form of the deed giving the basic information as to the parties and property but eliminating other information such as covenants. Prior to 1885 the Registry is indexed by place and by vendor. The index is a first letter index, not strictly alphabetical. After 1885 all parties to the deed are indexed alphabetically. The place index is discontinued from about the mid 1960s |