Foston 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 authorit ...

in the

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 inh ...

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. The population of the civil parish as of the 2011 census was 263. Details are included in the civil parish of Whitwell-on-the-Hill. It is situated close to the A64 road and is approximately north-east from

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 ...

History

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 manus ...

'' as "Fostun" in the Bulford hundred. At the time it was the possession of Earl Morcar, but had passed to

Count Alan of Brittany Alan Rufus, alternatively Alanus Rufus (Latin), Alan ar Rouz ( Breton), Alain le Roux ( French) or Alan the Red (c. 1040 – 1093), 1st Lord of Richmond, was a Breton nobleman, kinsman and companion of William the Conqueror (Duke William II o ...

by 1086. It was also recorded that there was a church here. The etymology of the name is from Old Scandinavian meaning "Fotr's settlement".

Governance

The village lies within the Thirsk and Malton UK Parliament constituency. It also lies within the

Hovingham Hovingham is a large village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It is on the edge of the Howardian Hills and about south of Kirkbymoorside. History The name 'Hovingham' is first attested in the Domesday Boo ...

Sheriff Hutton Sheriff Hutton is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies about north by north-east of York. History The village is mentioned twice in the Domesday Book of 1086, as ''Hotun'' in the Bulford hund ...

electoral division of North Yorkshire County Council and the Ryedale South West ward of

District Council.

Geography

According to the 1881 UK Census the population was 99. Local council estimates the current population as 50. The nearest settlements are

Thornton-le-Clay Thornton-le-Clay is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It is about north-east of York. History The village is mentioned in the ''Domesday book'' as ''Torentune'' in the ''Bulford'' hundred. There a ...

to the west; Bulmer, North Yorkshire to the north; Whitwell-on-the-Hill to the east and Barton Hill, North Yorkshire to the south-east. To the east of the village is Spittal Beck, a tributary of the River Derwent. The village is the site of a

Scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

, this being a medieval settlement and moated

monastic grange Monastic granges were outlying landholdings held by monasteries independent of the manorial system. The first granges were owned by the Cistercians and other orders followed. Wealthy monastic houses had many granges, most of which were largely ...

. In addition to the church, the Rectory and Foston Hall are also Grade II

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 ...

Religion

The presence of a church in the village was recorded at the time of the

Norman invasion The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...

, but the present building, dedicated to ''All Saints'', dates from the 12th century with subsequent renovations. It is a Grade II listed building.

Notable residents

The noted English writer and Anglican cleric,

Sydney Smith Sydney Smith (3 June 1771 – 22 February 1845) was an English wit, writer, and Anglican cleric. Early life and education Born in Woodford, Essex, England, Smith was the son of merchant Robert Smith (1739–1827) and Maria Olier (1750–1801) ...

, was

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the parish from 1806 until 1829 and resident in the village from 1809.Alan Bell, ''Sydney Smith: A Biography'' (Oxford: Oxford UP, 1980), pp. 72, 84–147.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Civil parishes in North Yorkshire