"AYSGARTH is a parish, township, village and the head of a union, pleasantly situated on the south of the river Ure, or Yore, in Wensleydale, with a station 1 mile north-east on the Northallerton and Hawes Branch of the North Eastern railway, 8¼ miles west-south-west from Leyburn, 9 east from Hawes and 4 south-east from Askrigg; it is in the Richmond division of the Riding, wapentake and petty sessional division of Hang West, county court district of Leyburn, rural deanery of West Catterick, archdeaconry of Richmond and diocese of Ripon. Electric lighting is supplied by a private company, from power derived from the old water mill. The church of St. Andrew is an ancient building of stone in the Early English style, and later styles, consisting of chancel with aisles, nave, aisles, south porch, and an embattled western tower with pinnacles containing a clock, presented by J.C. Winn esq. in 1904. and 6 bells cast in 1829: the upper stage and pinnacles were added to the tower at the restoration of the church: the elaborately carved and decorated rood screen, now affixed to the south wall of the chancel, was brought from Jervaulx Abbey, and the finely carved ends of the reading desk are also the work of the monks of that house: the reredos of Caen stone, which adorned with a representation of "The last Supper," after Leonardo da Vinci, was given in the year 1887 by the daughters of  the late H.T. Robinson, of Edgley and the Cliff, Leyburn: there is a brass eagle lectern and elegant brass coronæ, and several of the windows are stained, including one to the Rev. Fenwick William Stow, M.A. , vicar 1873-1905: there is also a tablet to the Rev. Clement Hales M.A. founder in 1877 of the Aysgarth Preparatory School, near Jervaulx (d.1900): the church was restored, and to a considerable extent rebuilt in 1866 a cost of about £6,000, and affords 620 sittings. The registers date from the year 1707. The living is a discharged vicarage, net yearly value £180, including 38 acres of glebe ad residence, in the gift of Trinity College Cambridge, and held since 1913 by the Rev. William Kitley Wyley M.A. of that college. The monks of Jervaulx Abbey became impropriators of the tithes of Aysgarth in 1423; they were never restored to the parish, but in Queen Mary's reign were made over to Trinity College, Cambridge, which thus became patron of the benefice. The Wesleyan Methodist chapel here was erected in 1901. A fair for sheep and cattle is held here on October 30th. A new foot bridge was erected in 1906 at Harper-Wath by the Rural District Council, in place of the old stepping stones. In the same year a water supply was provided at a cost of £600, the spring being presented by Mr. John Chapman, of Thornton Rust. The Literary Institute , containing reading and billiards rooms, with a large room above for public meetings, was opened in September, 1907; it was erected on the site of the old reading room at a cost of £600. ...William Robinson Burrill-Robinson esq. who is lord of the manor, ... The soil is very good; subsoil, limestone. The land is chiefly in pasture. The parish of Aysgarth is very extensive, containing the twelve townships of Aysgarth, High and Low Abbotside, Askrigg, Bainbridge, Bishopdale, Burton-cum-Walden, Carperby-cum-Thoresby, Newbiggin, Thoralby, Thornton Rust and Hawes; it covers an area of 79,561 acres, a great part of which consists of high moorland. ... ecclesiastical parish in 1911, 1,229. ... (p.29)

 

AYSGARTH RURAL DISTRICT COUNCIL.

The townships in the District are the same as in the Union.

 

 Council meets at the Board Room, Bainbridge fortnightly, on monday.

 

Chairman, John Wharton, Honeycot, Hawes

 

Clerk, Alexander Thwaites Storey, Market place, Askrigg.

 

Treasurer, Edward Paul Gibson, Hawes

 

Medical Officer of Health, Edward M. Hime M.B., Ch. B. Aysgarth 

 

Sanitary Inspector, Ralph Blades, Aysgarth

 

Surveyor, James Whaley, Askrigg 

 

AYSGARTH UNION.

Aysgarth poor law union comprises the following twelve townships, viz: - High Abbotside, Low Abbotside, Askrigg, Aysgarth, Bainbridge, Bishopdale, Burton-cum-Walden, Carperby-cum-Thoresby, Hawes, Newbiggin, Thoralby and Thornton Rust. The area of the union is 81,033 acres, rateable value, Michaelmas, 1912, £50,005; the population in 1911 was 4,262.

 

Board day monday, fortnightly, at the Board room, Bainbridge, at 1.45 p.m.

 

Chairman of the Board of Guardians, John Wharton, Honeycot, Hawes 

 

Clerk to the Guardians & Assessment Committee, Alexander Thwaite Storey, Market place, Askrigg

 

Treasurer, Edward Paul Gibson, Hawes 

 

Collector to the Guardians, Relieving & Vaccination Officer for the Union, John Wm. Blakey, Bainbridge.

 

Medical Officers & Public Vaccinators, Askrigg district, Edward M. Hime M.B., Ch. B. Aysgarth;

Hawes district, Edward Wm. Anderton M.B. Ch. B. Hawes.

 

The Workhouse, at Bainbridge, is a building of stone, erected in 1810, & will hold 60 inmates; Rev. Frederick Morris Symonnds Squibb M.A. vicar of Askrigg, hon. chaplain;  Frank Hiscock, master; Edward M. Hime M.B., Ch. B. medical officer; Mrs Elizabeth Hiscock matron.

 

AYSGARTH REIGISTRATION DISTRICT.

 

Superintendent Registrar, Alexander Thwaite Storey, Market place, Askrigg; deputy, James Skidmore, Askrigg.

 

Registrar of Marriages, John Wm. Blakely, Bainbridge.

 

Registrars of Births & Deaths, Askrigg sub-district, John Wm. Blakely, Bainbridge; deputy, John T. Leyland, Bainbridge ;

Hawes sub-district, Francis P. Bowe, Hawes.

 

Public Elementary School, erected for 127 children; average attendance, 32, Miss Mary Dawson, mistress.

 

Railway Station, Thomas Henry Walls, station master.

 

 

 

 

BISHOPDALE extends in a southerly direction from 3 to 6 miles from Aysgarth, and consists only of a few scattered farm-houses. Lead is found in small quantities in this township. William Robinson Burrill-Robinson esq. is lord of the manor. The principal landowners are Col. John William Lodge J.P. William Purchas esq. and the Misses Purchas, of West Burton, and Geoffrey B.T. Metcalfe esq. of Lechlade, Glos. The soil is rich loam; subsoil, limestone and gravel; the chief crop is hay. The population in 1911 was 60, and the area is 4,428 acres of land and 5 of water; rateable value, £2,131.

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Letters arrive from Aysgarth at 8 a.m. 

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Wall Letter Box cleared at 4 p.m. weekly days only.

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Public Elementary School (mixed & infants), built in 1880, for 50 children; average attendance, 11, Miss Parry, mistress. (p.30)

    

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BURTON-cum-WALDEN consists of the pleasant and well built village of West Burton and the straggling hamlet of Walden, and is 1½ miles south from Aysgarth station. Here is a Wesleyan Methodist chapel. Fairs are held for cattle &c. on the 10th of March and 6th of May. Here is a very pretty waterfall. The Grange, West Burton, is the residence of James Clarkson Winn esq. J.P. William Robinson Burrill-Robinson esq. is lord of the manor; the trustees of the late James Moody esq. and J.C. Winn esq. J.P. are the principal landowners. The soil is loam; sub-soil, limestone and gravel; the land is mostly pasture. The population of the township in 1911 was 314; the area is 7,622 acres of land and 30 of water; rateable value, £4,367.

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[Although not mentioned in the directory, electric lighting is supplied by a private company, from power derived from the old water mill.]

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WALDEN which consists of a few scattered farm-house, extends in a southerly direction from West Burton about 2 to 6 miles. Walden Public Elementary School (mixed), for 40 children; average attendance 13; Miss Ellen Lambert, mistress.

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WEST BURTON

Robinson Memorial Endowed School, erected in 1869, at the sole cost of the late H.T. Robinson esq. for 90 children; average attendance, 35; it was endowed by the late Mrs. Hudson, & is managed by a body of trustees, acting under the direction of the Education Committee of the County Council; Fred Ramsden, master.

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Post, M.O. & T. Office, West Burton. - William Lawson, sub-postmaster. Letters through Aysgarth arrive at 6.45 a.m. & are dispatched at 5.30 p.m.; sundays, 8.10 a.m.; dispatched 4 p.m.

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Newbiggin is situated in Bishopdale, 2 miles south from Aysgarth station and 10 south east from Hawes. William Robinson Burrill-Robinson esq. is lord of the manor. The principal landowners are Henry Robinson Chapman esq. and the Misses Purchas and William Purchas esq. The area is 1,696 acres of land and 5 of water; rateable value £315; the population in 1911 was 86.

 

Letters through Aysgarth.

 

Wall Letter Box.

 

Council Non-Provided School, for 120 children; Mrs. Hoare, mistress.

 

Carrier. - John William Heseltine, to Hawes, tues.; to Leyburn, fri. (p.32)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THORALBY is pleasantly situated in Bishopdale 2 miles south from Aysgarth station and 10 miles south-east-by-east from Hawes. There are Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels and a reading-room and library erected in 1887. Here also is a fine waterfall, called the "Silver Chain Force". William Robinson Burrill-Robinson esq. is lord of the manor. The principal landowners are Mrs Lyddon Lodge of Bishopdale, Robert Sadler esq. of Birkdale, Southport and W.R. Burill-Robinson esq. The acreage is 2,857 acres of land and 6 of water; rateable value, £1,394; the population in 1911 was 173.

 

Post Office.- Michael Webster, postmaster.

 

Letters arrive from Aysgarth which is the nearest money order & telegraph office 1¼ miles distant.

 

The Children attend the school at Newbiggin (Cross las). (p32)