Bilsdale is a dale in the western part of the

North York Moors The North York Moors is an upland area in north-eastern Yorkshire, England. It contains one of the largest expanses of Calluna, heather moorland in the United Kingdom. The area was designated as a national parks of England and Wales, National P ...

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 ...

, England. The head of the dale is at Hasty Bank, and the dale extends south to meet

Rye Dale Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...

near

Hawnby Hawnby is a small crossroads village and civil parish in Rye Dale in the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England. The village is about north-west of Helmsley. History The village is mentioned twice in the ''Domesday Book'' as ...

. The dale is the valley of the

River Seph The River Seph (or River Sep) is a tributary of the River Rye (itself a tributary of the River Derwent) in North Yorkshire, England. The river flows for down Bilsdale and meets the Rye near the village of Hawnby. The name derives from Old Sw ...

, formed where Raisdale Beck joins Bilsdale Beck at the small village of

Chop Gate Chop Gate ( ) is a small village in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. The village lies within the North York Moors National Park. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, the village is situated south east of Stokes ...

in the north of the dale. The river flows south to meet the River Rye at Seph Mouth. The dale is divided between two

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 ...

es and

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

s. The upper part of the dale comprises the civil parish of

Bilsdale Midcable Bilsdale Midcable is a civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, which occupies the northern part of Bilsdale in the North York Moors National Park. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 293 increasing to 332 at the 2011 Census. ...

in the district of Hambleton. The lower part of the dale is in the civil parish of Hawnby in the district of

Ryedale Ryedale is a non-metropolitan district in North Yorkshire, England. It is in the Vale of Pickering, a low-lying flat area of land drained by the River Derwent. The Vale's landscape is rural with scattered villages and towns. It has been inha ...

History

The place-name is derived from an

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

personal name ''Bildr'', and so means "Bildr's valley". In the 12th century the northern part of the dale was granted to

Kirkham Priory The ruins of Kirkham Priory are situated on the banks of the River Derwent, at Kirkham, North Yorkshire, England. The Augustinian priory was founded in the 1120s by Walter l'Espec, lord of nearby Helmsley, who also built Rievaulx Abbey. The ...

, and the southern part to

Rievaulx Abbey Rievaulx Abbey was a Cistercian abbey in Rievaulx, near Helmsley, in the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England. It was one of the great abbeys in England until it was seized in 1538 under Henry VIII during the Dissoluti ...

. Bilsdale Rievaulx was itself divided by the River Seph. The part to the west of the river became the township of Bilsdale Westside in the parish of Hawnby. The part to the east became part of the township of Bilsdale Midcable, which also included Bilsdale Kirkham, in the parish of

Helmsley Helmsley is a market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, the town is located at the point where Ryedale leaves the moorland and joins the flat Vale of Pi ...

. An area above

Laskill Laskill is a small hamlet in Bilsdale, 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Helmsley, North Yorkshire, England, on the road from Helmsley to Stokesley and is located within the North York Moors National Park. Archaeological investigations ha ...

became a separate township of Helmsley parish, known as Laskill Pasture. At the

Dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...

both Bilsdale Kirkham and Bilsdale Rievaulx were granted to Thomas Manners, Earl of Rutland. His successors sold the estate in 1687 to the

Duncombe family Baron Feversham is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation, in the Peerage of Great Britain, came in 1747 when Anthony Duncombe, who had earli ...

. In the 19th century jet was extensively mined in the dale. The townships of Bilsdale Westside, Bilsdale Midcable and Laskill Pasture became separate civil parishes in 1866. Bilsdale Westside and Laskill Pasture became part of the new Ryedale District in 1974, and were subsequently absorbed into the civil parish of Hawnby. The main settlements in the dale are

, Fangdale Beck and the ancient hamlet of Urra. In 1969,

Bilsdale transmitting station The Bilsdale transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility, located at Bilsdale West Moor above Bilsdale, close to Helmsley, North Yorkshire, England. The original facility included a Radio masts and towers#Tubular ste ...

was erected above the dale on Bilsdale West Moor.

References

{{Coord, 54.331, -1.122, type:landmark_region:GB_scale:50000, display=title Valleys of the North York Moors