Acaster Malbis () is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in the
unitary authority
A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...
of the
City of York
The City of York is a unitary authority area with city status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The district's main settlement is York, and it extends to the surrounding area including the town of Haxby and the villages of E ...
, England. It is located on the
River Ouse, almost south of
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
. Nearby are the villages of
Copmanthorpe
Copmanthorpe () is a village and civil parish in the City of York in the English county of North Yorkshire, south-west of York, west of Bishopthorpe and close to Acaster Malbis, Askham Bryan and Askham Richard. According to the 2001 census the ...
to the north-west,
Bishopthorpe
Bishopthorpe is a village and civil parish three miles south of York in the City of York unitary authority area and ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Bishopthorpe is close to the River Ouse, and has a population of 3,174, in ...
2 miles to the north and
Appleton Roebuck
Appleton Roebuck is a village and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 692 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 792 in the 2011 census and including Acaster Selby. The village is about ...
to the south-west. The parish covers an area of about .
The Latin word for a camp is 'castra' indicating that the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
army may once have been based here. The village is mentioned in the ''
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
'' as "Acastre". The 'Malbis' is derived from the Norman Malbysse or De Malebys family. Malbis was a Norman personal name that in French means "very swarthy".
There was a
Royal Air Force station
The Royal Air Force (RAF) operates several stations throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. This includes front-line and training air bases, support, administrative and training stations with no flying activity, unmanned airfields used fo ...
in the village during and immediately after the Second World War.
According to the
2001 census the parish had a population of 578, increasing to 669 at the 2011 Census.
There are two churches and an inn in the village. The village is also the home for a holiday park.
The village was historically part of the
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
until 1974. It was then a part of the district of
Selby District
Selby District is a local government district of North Yorkshire, England. The local authority, Selby District Council, is based in the town of Selby. The Local Authority had a population of 83,449 at the 2011 Census. The southernmost distri ...
in
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
from 1974 until 1996. Since 1996 it has been part of the City of York unitary authority.
History
Early history
The land on which the village stands was named by the
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
as Val-Caester. In Latin, Val means "a wall" and Castrum means a "camp". When the Romans departed the land was acquired by an
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
called Aca.
The village is mentioned in the ''
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
'' as ''Acastre'' in the
wapentake
A hundred is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region. It was formerly used in England, Wales, some parts of the United States, Denmark, Southern Schleswig, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek, C ...
of Ainsty and was recorded to belong to two men, Elsi and Robert.
Ownership passed to the Malbysse family during the reign of
Richard I
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...
. The family held the lands for about 200 years. In 1190, Richard Malebysse was a leader involved in the massacre of the Jews at Cliffords Tower in York.
Richard I
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...
dismissed the sheriff and constable of York and imposed severe penalties on the city and arrested many of those who had taken part. Richard Malbysse had been described by a Hebrew scribe eight years earlier as "the evil beast". As punishment, the King ordered his estates seized into the king's hand and two of his esquires were thrown into prison.
In 1314, John De Malbysse was appointed as a
Sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
of the County. His daughter married into the Fairfax family who then inherited the lands after the deaths of John De Malbysse and his son Walter. The Fairfax family held the estates until 1745 when it was sold to Lady Dawes and was eventually inherited by
Lord Wenlock.
During the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
, the city of York was under siege from Scottish and Parliamentarian Armies. They had settled around the city in a great arc, with Lord Thomas Fairfax's army to the east and the Scots to the south and west. A bridge of boats, similar to those constructed at
Nether Poppleton
Nether Poppleton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It is by the west bank of the River Ouse and is adjacent to Upper Poppleton west of York. It is close to the A59 road from ...
, was constructed over the River Ouse at Acaster Malbis to allow communications between the two armies.
RAF Acaster Malbis
RAF Acaster Malbis
Royal Air Force Acaster Malbis or more simply RAF Acaster Malbis is a former Royal Air Force station located south of York city centre and east of Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England. It was developed from a small grass airfield at the beginn ...
, situated between the villages of Acaster Malbis and
Acaster Selby
Acaster Selby is a village in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England. It is part of the joint civil parish with Appleton Roebuck (where the population is now included). It is situated about south from York, on the west back of the Riv ...
, was commissioned in 1942. Originally it was a grass airfield used by the No 601 Squadron Auxiliary Air Force from 6 January 1942 until April of that year. They flew American
Bell P39 Airacobra fighter planes. From 6 April 1942 until the beginning of 1943 No 15 Pilots Advanced Flying Unit was established here to train recently qualified pilots to convert to twin-engine aeroplanes using the
Airspeed Oxford
The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford is a twin-engine monoplane aircraft developed and manufactured by Airspeed. It saw widespread use for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery roles throughout the Seco ...
aircraft.
On 25 January 1943 the airfield was reconstructed into a full size 'Class A’ bomber station, with three concrete runways, steel hangars and new administration buildings. Initially the airfield was used as a relief landing ground for heavy bombers stationed at
Rufforth
Rufforth is a village in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It lies about west of York. The village is mentioned in the ''Domesday Book''[Marston Moor
The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms of 1639 – 1653. The combined forces of the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester and the Scottish Covenanters un ...]
. From November 1944, No 4 Aircrew School took over for pilots, navigators, and air gunners to complete their ground training whilst waiting for a posting to a squadron. In 1945 there were between 200 and 300 RAF personnel living on the camp.
After the end of the war, RAF Acaster Malbis was home to
No 91 MU (Maintenance Unit) who were responsible for the storage and disposal of vast amounts of ammunition. This function was not complete until well into the 1950s. RAF Acaster Malbis was decommissioned in 1963 and the land sold by public auction. It resumed operations as a private airfield in the mid-1970s until the mid-1980s. Large parts of the runways have since been dug up and the buildings have fallen into disuse with many being demolished, although one hangar and the
control tower
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airsp ...
still remain.
Governance
Acaster Malbis lies in the
Bishopthorpe
Bishopthorpe is a village and civil parish three miles south of York in the City of York unitary authority area and ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Bishopthorpe is close to the River Ouse, and has a population of 3,174, in ...
Ward of the Unitary Authority of the City of York. It forms part of the
UK Parliamentary Constituency
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
of York Outer. It was part of the
EU Constituency of Yorkshire and the Humber until
Brexit
Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...
in 2020. In 2011 the Ward was won by Councillor John Galvin, a member of the local Conservative Party, after holding the seat in 2015 he again won the seat in 2019, this time as an Independent.
Demography
In 1848 the population of the village was recorded as 322, just under half of the whole population of the parish of the same name. By 1881 this had fallen to 230.
According to the
2001 census the parish had a population of 578, which rose to 669 by the time of the 2011 UK Census.
Community
![Ship Inn, Acaster Malbis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Ship_Inn%2C_Acaster_Malbis.JPG)
There are few amenities in the village save for the 17th-century
public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
, The Ship Inn. This Inn features in the book, ''The Girl with the Red Suspenders'' by Barbara Whitehead. The inn reopened in May 2009 after nine months of major refurbishment, following serious flooding when the River Ouse burst its banks.
The owners of the inn have reported a number of ghostly incidents.
Transport
Harrogate Coach Travel
Harrogate Coach Travel operates local and regional bus services in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England.
History
Harrogate Coach Travel was established in February 2002 by Craig and Julie Temple. Initially, the company operated local bu ...
operate a service through the village as part of the York Askham Bar to
Tadcaster
Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England, east of the Great North Road, north-east of Leeds, and south-west of York. Its historical importance from Roman times onward was largely as the ...
route.
Education
Acaster Malbis used to have brick built school, founded by John Knowles in 1603.
As of 2010, primary education is provided at Archbishop of York's CE Junior School in
Bishopthorpe
Bishopthorpe is a village and civil parish three miles south of York in the City of York unitary authority area and ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Bishopthorpe is close to the River Ouse, and has a population of 3,174, in ...
.
The village is in the Secondary School catchment area for
Fulford School
Fulford School is a coeducational comprehensive school on Fulfordgate near Heslington Lane in Fulford, York, England.
History
Fulford School was founded in 1963 and has been a comprehensive school since 1970. The site is close to the former ...
and
Millthorpe School
Millthorpe School is a mixed secondary school located in York, North Yorkshire, England.
It is situated in South Bank, York, and can be accessed via Scarcroft Road (the A59). It is close to two primary schools, Scarcroft Primary School and K ...
in York and also for
Tadcaster Grammar School
Tadcaster Grammar School founded in 1557, is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located near Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England, educating children aged 11–18 years old, and has an on-site sixth form.
The school is located in t ...
.
Religion
There are two churches in the village.
Holy Trinity Church, the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
parish church, stands on the site of the original Norman Church. In 1360 the estates of the Malbysse family passed into the hands of the Fairfax family, who pulled the old church down. The church stands a little way out of the village on the road to
Bishopthorpe
Bishopthorpe is a village and civil parish three miles south of York in the City of York unitary authority area and ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Bishopthorpe is close to the River Ouse, and has a population of 3,174, in ...
.
It is a Grade I
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
There is also a
Methodist Church
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...
in the centre of the village, founded in 1880.
Gallery
File:AcasterMalbisMethodistChurch(BillHenderson)2002.jpg, Methodist Church
File:The Ouse at Acaster Malbis - geograph.org.uk - 720595.jpg, The River Ouse at Acaster Malbis
File:An ornate garden gate - geograph.org.uk - 1512299.jpg, The gate folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings.
Eighteenth-cent ...
in Acaster Malbis
References
External links
*
*
{{authority control
Civil parishes in North Yorkshire
Villages in the City of York