- PENNY ELLIS -
THORALBY
THROUGH TIME
The Origins of Bishopdale
[This section is under construction].
Bishopdale, on the south side of Wensleydale in North Yorkshire, was a glaciated valley during the last Ice Age and contained a glacial lake when the Ice Age ended. Sedimentary deposits from that lake left rich alluvial soil in the valley bottom in contrast to the thin alkaline soils on the surrounding hillsides.
The first human inhabitants arrived in this area between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago. At first, they were hunter-gatherers who lived nomadic lives and took shelter where they could. Over time, they began to settle the land, domesticate animals and cultivate grain and vegetables. They also built a henge monument in lower Bishopdale known as Castle Dykes, the remains of which can be seen between Aysgarth and Gayle Ing.
Below and aerial view of Castle Dykes
No direct evidence of Neolithic farming communities has survived in Bishopdale, but Castle Dykes is believed to have been a Neolithic henge, probably built for religious or communal purposes, that dates from around 2000 to 1800 B.C. It would have required a lot of manpower over a considerable period of time to construct Castle Dykes and it is hard to conceive of it having been possible without the presence of several settled farming communities living nearby.
High above West Burton, one mile to the south east on bleak and windswept Burton Moor, are relics of an extensive Iron Age settlement. The 18 circular huts and nine enclosures which were built of rough – hewn stone are in an unusual honeycomb arrangement. When established, perhaps 2,500 years ago, this settlement was one of up to 15 prehistoric villages in and around Wensleydale. Many of these have since been almost totally destroyed and none, though formally classified as protected historical monuments, has yet been surveyed in detail by archaeologists. Local tradition names these settlements as Egton and Fenton.
The Burton Moor settlement housed the first people ever to live in the West Burton area. Nearby springs provided water for people and cattle, as well as for fields which were crudely cultivated. At 1,500 feet there were few trees, so the inhabitants could more easily protect themselves from wild animals roaming the forests below. Sentries would probably have been posted nearby, on the Height of Hazely or other parts of Penhill, to warn of human marauders.
The fate of the ancient Britons who lived in this settlement is unknown. Nor is it known when people started settling on the current site of West Burton, or Burton – in – Bishopdale as it was called until the late 17th century. It is possible that the Romans, who built camps and towns at York (Eburacum) and Aldbrough (Isurium Brigantium) on their conquering march north, forayed in the Burton area since there were forts at Wensley and Bainbridge and a villa at Middleham. It is also possible that Burton was brought into existence during the Celtic kingdom of Deira (York) in the sixth to the eighth centuries or by the Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, which incorporated Deira, in the eighth and ninth centuries.
It is much more likely, however, that the present village dates back to the Danish invasion and settlement of the ninth and tenth centuries. Some evidence for this is that the names of nearby villages such as Aysgarth, Thoralby, Melmerby and Carperby are of Danish origin. Moreover, around the village there is clear evidence of terraces and strip lynchets where cereals would have been cultivated centuries ago. These land patterns strongly resemble those of other, better-surveyed parts of Danelaw. Many of the existing boundaries of West Burton houses, especially on the southern side of the main street, follow the old, slightly curved toft (homestead plus arable land) boundaries. The second wave of Viking invaders, which included more Norwegians, then settled extensively in the area. Many local terms are old Norse words such as beck (small river), foss (waterfall), gill (narrow valley with stream), garth (fenced area), rigg (ridge), fell (high moorland), slack (depression in hillside), and biggin (building), see the Origins of Burton.
Below an aerial view of the Iron Age settlement on Burton Moor, Pen Hill.
The earliest known settlements in Bishopdale were collections of hut circles and livestock enclosures, traces of which can be found on the hills on either side of the dale. The best preserved lies on Burton Moor on the west flank of Pen Hill. It dates from sometime between 1800 and 200 B.C. The small circles on this aerial photograph were huts and the larger circles were livestock enclosures. There is also evidence of a field system.
Other settlements from that period on the hillsides above Bishopdale can be found on Stake Moss, in Gayle Ing Gill and alongside the track from Kidstones to Stalling Busk. At that time, the climate was wetter than today, which is probably why the settlements were on well-drained limestone high above the boggy valley bottoms.
Below an aerial view of Gayle Ing hut circles.
Faint traces of a settlement that may date from somewhere around 200 B.C. can also be seen on the edge of Thoralby in fields above Town Head.
Below an annotated aerial view of the historic traces of a settlement in the fields above Town Head Farm, Thoralby, highlighted in red.
Above annotated aerial photograph of historic sites at Townhead Farm, Thoralby, courtesy of Histtoric Village Atlas, Thoralby, pub. YDNP Apr. 2007.