Firby is a small 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 Hambleton 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 lies south of

Bedale Bedale ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the district of Hambleton, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is north of Leeds, south-west of Middlesbrough and south-west of the county town of ...

. The population of the parish was estimated at 30 in 2015. At the 2011 Census the population was included with the civil parish of Bedale, and not counted separately. The manor was owned by ''Auduid'' before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

. By 1086, it was held by Count Alan who had many lands in the area and owned the manor of Bedale. Count Alan and his family owned the parish for over two centuries and by the late 14th century, it was in a different family name. Firby was a

liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

of Richmondshire, and within the bounds of East Hang

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 ...

in the

North Riding of Yorkshire The North Riding of Yorkshire is a subdivision of Yorkshire, England, alongside York, the East Riding and West Riding. The riding's highest point is at Mickle Fell with 2,585 ft (788 metres). From the Restoration it was used as ...

. It is now within Crakehall ward of Hambleton district. The gardens at

Thorp Perrow Snape is a large village in the civil parish of Snape with Thorp in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England, located about south of Bedale and west of the A1(M) motorway, it has a population of 350. Nearby is Thorp Perrow Arboret ...

lie just to the south of the village and are in the parish of Firby. Some names of places within Firby include: Firby Hall, Firby (Christ's) Hospital, John Clapham House, Firby Grange (a former subdivision of

Jervaulx Abbey Jervaulx Abbey in East Witton, 14 miles north-west of the city of Ripon, was one of the great Cistercian abbeys of Yorkshire, England, dedicated to St Mary in 1156. It is a Grade I listed building. The place name ''Jervaulx'' is first atteste ...

), Low Ash Bank and High Ash Bank, Mile House Farm and Manley Farm. Christ's Hospital was founded in 1608 and was originally four

almshouses An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

. The building is now

Grade II listed 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 ...

. Firby Hall, also Grade II listed, was built in 1788 by Colonel Thomas Coores who fought in the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. He demolished much of the village to build the house and the estate. Firby was the origin of the surname Firby. The name of the village derives from a personal name (Frithi) and the suffix ''by,'' meaning village or farmstead.

References

External links

Villages in North Yorkshire Civil parishes in North Yorkshire {{Hambleton-geo-stub