Fewston 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 authorit ...

in the

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...

district of

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. It is situated north of

Otley Otley is a market town and civil parish at a bridging point on the River Wharfe, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the population was 13,668 at the 20 ...

and close to Swinsty and Fewston reservoirs. The Church of St Michael and St Lawrence is the village church. The majority of the building was constructed in 1697, although the tower dates from the 14th century. The Washburn Heritage Centre, adjacent to the church, opened in February 2011.

History

Fewston was an ancient parish in the

Forest of Knaresborough The Forest of Knaresborough was a royal hunting forest in Yorkshire, England. It covered an area of some west and south of the town of Knaresborough, between the River Nidd and the River Wharfe, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire and now in ...

in 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 ...

. It covered a wide area, and included the

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

s of

Blubberhouses Blubberhouses is a small village and civil parish located in the Washburn Valley in the borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, a county in the north of England. The population as at the 2011 Census was less than 100. Details are included in th ...

, Clifton with Norwood, Great Timble, and Thruscross. All these places became separate civil parishes in 1866. Fewston was transferred to the new county of North Yorkshire in 1974. The poet Edward Fairfax lived at nearby New Hall, now submerged under the waters of

Fewston Reservoir Fewston Reservoir is located in the Washburn valley north of Otley and west of Harrogate in Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1879. The capacity is about 3.5 million cubic metres. It can be found from the A59 road. The overflow from the rese ...

, as did

Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron MP (29 March 1584 – 14 March 1648) was an English nobleman and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1648. He was a commander in the Parliamentary army in ...

. Edward's daughters Elizabeth and Anne were baptised in the village church in 1606 and 1621 respectively, while Ferdinando's daughter Mary and son Charles were baptised there in 1606 and 1615.''The History and Topology of Harrogate and Knaresborough Forest'' by

William Grainge William Grainge (25 January 1818 – 29 September 1895) was an English antiquarian and poet, and a historian of Yorkshire. He was born into a farming family in Dishforth and grew up on Castiles Farm near Kirkby Malzeard in the North Riding of ...

, 1871, reprinted 1988 by M.T.D. Rigg, Guiseley.

References

External links

*
Fewston with Blubberhouses church website
{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Civil parishes in North Yorkshire