Danby is a village and civil parish in the Scarborough district of

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four cou ...

, England. According to the

2011 UK census A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...

, Danby parish had a population of 1,411, a reduction on the

2001 UK census A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th Census in the United Kingdom, UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organis ...

figure of 1,515. The statistician

Karl Pearson Karl Pearson (; born Carl Pearson; 27 March 1857 – 27 April 1936) was an English mathematician and biostatistician. He has been credited with establishing the discipline of mathematical statistics. He founded the world's first university st ...

spent a lot of time there. Danby is located within the

North York Moors National Park North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

and is home to the Moors National Park Centre.The Moors National Park Centre, Danby
Danby is served by a rail network between

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the are ...

and

Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Cli ...

and an

Arriva Yorkshire Arriva Yorkshire is a major bus operator providing services primarily within and across West Yorkshire, although it also provides service in some parts of South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and southern areas of North Yorkshire. It is a ...

bus service as well as East Yorkshire's summer seasonal Moors Explorer bus which links Danby and the surrounding villages with Malton,

Beverley Beverley is a market and minster town and a civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre and north-west of City of Hull. The town is known ...

and

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

. Danby village incorporates the Duke of Wellington

pub 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 wa ...

and the neighbouring post office. The village lies on the

Esk Valley Walk The Esk Valley Walk is a long distance footpath in North Yorkshire, England. The route first follows a loop on the North York Moors to the south of Castleton, then shadows the River Esk on its journey to the North Sea. Waymarking uses the ...

. The civil parish includes Ainthorpe, Botton, Castleton, Commondale, Danby, Fryup and Westerdale.

Governance

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

in the same name exists. This ward had a population of 2,072 at the 2011 Census.

Danby Castle

A little over a mile to the south-east are the remains of Danby Castle. Danby Castle occupies a commanding position on the far slopes of Danby Rigg. It was built in the 14th century for Lord Latimer as a sign of his great wealth and, in its day, was of pioneering architectural design, combining both defence and comfortable living.

Catherine Parr Catherine Parr (sometimes alternatively spelled Katherine, Katheryn, Kateryn, or Katharine; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until ...

once lived at the castle, before she became the sixth wife of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...

. The castle is now a wedding venue; part of the building is now a farmhouse and the venue owners' family home. Danby

court leet The court leet was a historical court baron (a type of manorial court) of England and Wales and Ireland that exercised the "view of frankpledge" and its attendant police jurisdiction, which was normally restricted to the hundred courts. Etymol ...

, the all male, baronial court whose origins were as a manorial court, but whose functions are now restricted to the management of common land, regularly meets in the castle's courtroom.

Danby Show

The Danby

Agricultural Show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which breeding stock is exhibi ...

is held every year in August, with traditional country entertainments and activities such as

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ...

sheepdog trial A sheepdog trial (also herding event, stock dog trial or simply dog trial) — is a competition or test for working abilities of herding breeds dogs. It is a type of dog sport that emerged in the 1860s in New Zealand. By the 1870s regular trials ...

s, exhibitions of farm animals and machinery as well as horticultural, craft and produce competitions. The show was inaugurated in 1848 by the then vicar of Danby, Canon John Atkinson, and regularly attracts 6,000 visitors.

Church history

Daniel Duck (1743-?1825) was the vicar of Danby from 1780 until he was succeeded by his son Joseph in 1825. Joseph came from

Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College (referred to informally as "Sidney") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1596 under the terms of the will of Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex (1531–1589), wi ...

and his family was one of yeoman freeholders in the

Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales is an upland area of the Pennines in the historic county of Yorkshire, England, most of it in the Yorkshire Dales National Park created in 1954. The Dales comprise river valleys and the hills rising from the Vale of York ...

. He is commemorated in the poem, ''Lines in Memory of the Rev. D. Duck, Curate of Danby.'' *''"Yes Daniel, faithful Daniel – gone / We faithfull few lament their loss / No more we fix our eyes upon / That Zealous preacher of the cross."'' The preface to this poem in the original manuscript had: ''”Written on the Back of a pew before divine service while the folk were gathering up. Sunday April 1835.”'' Daniel Duck's diaries are held by the Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society, which indicates that Daniel was the eldest son of Joseph Duck, yeoman, of Ainthorpe, and Hannah. He was perpetual curate of Danby, first appearing in the church register in February 1780. The Rev. John Christopher Atkinson was Vicar of Danby 1850–1900 and author of ''Forty Years in a Moorland Parish'', 1891.

Danby Beacon

The Danby Beacon was one of a line of beacons up to 20 miles apart, and dates back to the 1600s when the country was living under the threat of invasion from France. It was to have been lit when the soldier stationed nearby had sight of a foreign fleet. The Beacon is now a landmark that is used as a waymarker by thousands of walkers each year. Over time, the old wooden beacon decayed so much that it fell down and the original landmark was lost. A new beacon was unveiled in 2008 by Lord Downe, President of the Danby Beacon Trust. The flame-shaped basket is made out of blued stainless steel, blending in with the sky. The flames are mounted around a cup that is decorated with bronze – a reminder of the Bronze Age burial mound which part occupies the site. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the site became home to one of the first radar stations guarding the north-east coast. The station was responsible for guiding Group Captain Peter Townsend, when he intercepted and shot down the first enemy aircraft to fall on English soil during the war. The radar station, which continued to function until 1957, was the precursor of the

RAF Fylingdales Royal Air Force Fylingdales or more simply RAF Fylingdales is a Royal Air Force station on Snod Hill in the North York Moors, England. Its motto is "Vigilamus" (translates to "We are watching"). It is a radar base and is also part of the Ball ...

early warning station, 15 miles south-east, whose three giant golf balls became one of the

's biggest attractions.North York Moors National Park: RAF Danby Beacon

References

* ''Wesley Historical Society Notes and Queries'' June 1841, p. 94 * Ord's ''History of Cleveland'' (1840) * Atkinson (1891)

Bibliography

* Atkinson, John Christopher (1891) ''Forty years in a Moorland Parish: reminiscences and researches in Danby in Cleveland''. London: Macmillan (Atkinson was Vicar 1850–1900; later editions: 1907, 1967 and 1983) *Michael Stainsby (2006) ''More Than An Ordinary Man: Life and Society in the Upper Esk Valley, 1830–1910.'' North York Moors National Park Authority. Helmsley.

External links

Parish PlanDanby ShowDanby show 2007

Danby in British History OnlinePoem
{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Civil parishes in North Yorkshire