Girsby 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 authority ...

Hambleton District Hambleton is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England. The administrative centre is Northallerton, and the district includes the outlying towns and villages of Bedale, Thirsk, Great Ayton, Stokesley, and Easingwold. The dist ...

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 village lies on high ground on the eastern bank of the

River Tees The River Tees (), in Northern England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar near Middlesbrough. The modern day history of the river has be ...

. The population of the parish was estimated at 40 in 2010. The population as of the 2011 census remained less than 100. Details are included in the civil parish of

Over Dinsdale Over Dinsdale is a small village and civil parish in the Local Government District of Hambleton in North Yorkshire, England. The population of the village (including Girsby) taken at the 2011 census was 151. The village straddles an ancient R ...

. Historically the village was a

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, Ca ...

in the ancient parish of

Sockburn Sockburn is a village and former civil parish to the south of Darlington in County Durham, England. It is situated at the apex of a meander of the River Tees, known locally as the Sockburn Peninsula. Today, all that remains of the village is ...

, a parish divided by the River Tees between 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 ...

(which included Girsby) and

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

(which included the township of Sockburn). Girsby became a separate civil parish in 1866. The settlement has fallen into disrepair, many of the remaining buildings are derelict, there are barely enough houses to constitute a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

. The small and secluded 'Girsby All Saints Church' overlooks the meandering Tees from its elevated position. The views from this vantage point are most enjoyable at sunset. A private farmers track leads down to a rarely used bridge over the Tees. A public bridle path crosses the bridge linking Girsby with the nearby village of

Neasham Neasham is a village approximately four miles to the south east of Darlington in County Durham, England. Geography and recreation The village sits on the banks of the River Tees which, at that point, marks the border between the counties of D ...

on the opposite bank of the river. A plaque on the bridge is inscribed; Bridle Bridge, Erected by Theophania Blackett 1870, Thomas Dyke Esq Civil Engineer. This engineer from Newcastle owned much land in this area, he erected the church at Girsby after the ruins of Sockburn church were no longer visitable, the church was built for the equivalent price today of £14.67 The name bridle may refer to the historic right of way called

bridleway A bridle path, also bridleway, equestrian trail, horse riding path, ride, bridle road, or horse trail, is a trail or a thoroughfare that is used by people riding horses, riding on horses. Trails originally created for use by horses often now s ...

References

External links

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