The West Riding records have already been thoroughly surveyed (in part by the late Dr. Barbara Palmer, who was the original REED editor for West Yorkshire), but the material has still to be checked and edited. Entries relate to eighteen parishes, but most of the records reflect dramatic activity in major households, boroughs and religious houses. Relevant collections include the British Library, Chatsworth House, Doncaster Record Office, the Folger Library, Hull History Centre, Nottinghamshire County Record Office, West Yorkshire Record Offices in Kirklees and Leeds, and Yorkshire Archaeological Society in Leeds.
The Ingram, Shrewsbury (Talbot) and Wentworth households have been checked. Similar work is ongoing for the Saviles of Rufford, the Slingsbys of Scriven, and the Cliffords. Families with smaller collections include the Beaumonts of Whitley (with evidence of a procession and masque), the Shann family (whose commonplace book records a performance of Cannimore and Lionley in 1614), the Whartons of Healaugh, the Beckwiths, Constables, Lowthers, Plumptons, Stringers, Ramsdens, the Kayes of Woodsome, the Yorkes of Gowthwaite, and the letters of James Ryther of Harewood referring to Hogmanay.
Evidence for the boroughs of Doncaster, Pontefract, Ripon, Rotherham and Wakefield has been identified; the latter has been the subject of extensive discussion on the Towneley plays. Doncaster shows plentiful new evidence of visiting players, waits and Corpus Christi pageants.
Bolton priory aside, Fountains and Selby abbeys are the major sites for monastic evidence. At Fountains this refers mainly to musical entertainment, while at Selby it is distributed between musicians, players and fools, with the occasional boy bishop of York, or Lord of Misrule played by the ‘king of the kitchen boys’. The West Riding collection is also rich in notices of touring entertainers at all periods from medieval to early Stuart.
Pre-publication records currently available
Map of locations relating to West Riding records
| Title | Category | Address | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Bolton Priory | Church, abbey, priory or similar | 53.980938,-1.893042 | Priory Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert (Augustinian; ruin). Bolton Abbey, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 6EX. 01756 718000. |
 | Bradford Cathedral | Cathedral | 53.795417,-1.747581 | Bradford Cathedral, 1 Stott Hill, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD1 4EH. 01274 777720 |
 | Chatsworth House | Library, archive or collection | 53.227772,-1.611432 | Chatsworth House, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1PP. 01246 565300 |
| Fountains Abbey | Church, abbey, priory or similar | 54.109559,-1.581885 | Fountains Abbey (Cistercian; ruin), Fountains, Ripon HG4 3DY. |
| Halifax Minster | Church, abbey, priory or similar | 53.723186,-1.85371 | Halifax Minster, Causeway, Halifax HX1 1QL. |
 | Pontefract Castle | Castle | 53.695093,-1.304501 | Pontefract Castle, Castle Lodge, Castle Garth, Pontefract, West Yorkshire WF8 1QH |
| Ripon Cathedral | Cathedral | 54.134999,-1.520859 | Ripon Cathedral, Liberty Court House, Minster Rd, Ripon HG4 1QS. |
| Selby Abbey | Church, abbey, priory or similar | 53.784071,-1.067051 | Selby Abbey, The Crescent, Selby YO8 4PU. 01757 703123 |
 | The Red House | Site of interest | 53.732593, -1.686345 | 'The Red House', near the (now abandoned) village of Scagglethorpe, near Gomersal, West Riding, owned by the Slingsby family since the sixteenth century, and their nearby manors of Moor Monkton and Wilstrop. |
| Wakefield Cathedral | Cathedral | 53.683047,-1.496869 | Wakefield Cathedral, Westmorland St, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF1 1PJ 01924 373923 |
| York Minster | Cathedral | 53.962347,-1.081921 | York Minster, Deangate, York YO1 7HH. 01904 557200 |