Arms of Cradock of Hartforth Hall, Yorkshire: Argent, on a chevron azure three garbs or (Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884, p.238). Text from "CRADOCK OF GAINFORD AND HARTFORTH A Handlist of documents catalogued by Durham County Record Office July 1975 County Record Office County Hall Durham" [1]

The pedigree of the Cradock family in Surtees' History of Durham ... shows the connection with Gainford to have begun in the late sixteenth century, with the appointment of Rev. John Cradock (d. 1627) as incumbent in 1594. Dr. Cradock, the youngest son of John Cradock of Baldersdale, was appointed archdeacon of Northumberland in 1619, but resigned this post in August of that year, on being selected as spiritual chancellor to Bishop Neile. During his incumbency of Gainford, he purchased an extensive property in the parish, and in 1600 began the erection of Gainford Hall on the supposed site of a previous manor house, but appears to have left it unfinished. Three of his sons had legal careers, Richard (1592-1624) being a counsellor-at-law in Durham, Toby (d. 1671) a barrister in Gray's Inn, and Joseph (1605-1686) commissary of the archdeaconry of Richmond; and this family profession was continued by Sir Joseph' s eldest son, Thomas Cradock (1633-1689), who was also elected M.P. for Richmond in 1678 and 1685. The estates, entailed by Dr. Cradock in 1619, passed to William Cradock (d. 1736), grandson of Toby Cradock, and it was he who enlarged the family properties by the purchase of Hartforth in 1720, which appears to have replaced Gainford Hall as the family residence, and also, by his marriage to Mary Sheldon in 1715, initiated the use of the Christian name, Sheldon. The most notable holder of this name was born at Hartforth in 1777, was colonel in the North Yorkshire militia, and was elected M.P. for Camelford in 1830.