Ilton is a village in North Yorkshire, England, 3 miles south-west of

Masham Masham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 1,205 at the 2011 census. Etymology In Wensleydale, on the western bank of the River Ure, the name derives from the An ...

. It is the principal settlement in the civil parish of Ilton cum Pott, in the former

Harrogate district The Borough of Harrogate is a local government district with borough status in North Yorkshire, England. Its population at the census of 2011 was 157,869. Its council is based in the town of Harrogate, but it also includes surrounding towns ...

. The parish includes Roundhill Reservoir. The population of the parish was estimated at 50 in 2015.

History

The name is recorded in the Domesday Book as ''Ilcheton'', meaning "settlement of a man called Ylca". In the Middle Ages Fountains Abbey held land in Ilton, and also had a

grange Grange may refer to: Buildings * Grange House, Scotland, built in 1564, and demolished in 1906 * Grange Estate, Pennsylvania, built in 1682 * Monastic grange, a farming estate belonging to a monastery Geography Australia * Grange, South Austral ...

at Pott, west of Ilton. Following the Dissolution in the 16th century Sir Thomas Danby acquired the land at Pott, and in 1658 a later Sir Thomas Danby bought the Ilton land, which has since formed part of the Swinton estates. Although Ilton and Pott were detached from each other, they formed a single township in

Mashamshire Masham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 1,205 at the 2011 census. Etymology In Wensleydale, on the western bank of the River Ure, the name derives from the An ...

, the large ancient parish of Masham, 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 ...

. Ilton cum Pott became a separate civil parish in 1866. In 1934 a large area of Masham Moor between the two parts of the parish was added to the parish. In 1974 the parish was transferred to the new county of North Yorkshire.

Governance

Until 1974 Ilton was part of Masham Rural District (before 1934 Masham Urban District) in the

. It is now part of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire. The parish now shares a grouped parish council, known as Fearby, Healey and District Parish Council, with Colsterdale, Ellingstring, Fearby and Healey.

Druids' Temple

Near the village is the Druids' Temple, a replica of

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connectin ...

built in about 1800 by William Danby of nearby

Swinton Park The Swinton Estate is a large privately owned estate in North Yorkshire, England. It comprises some of countryside in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, extending west from the River Ure near Masham. The estate includes Swint ...

. During a time of agricultural depression and high unemployment, Danby hired local men to construct a moderately large-scale replica of Stonehenge, working at a full shilling a day. The result is a folly of national reputation. He was less successful in hiring a silent druidic hermit to fulfill a seven-year contract, though several tried, for the promised annuity. The folly is still owned by the

Swinton Estate The Swinton Estate is a large privately owned estate in North Yorkshire, England. It comprises some of countryside in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, extending west from the River Ure near Masham. The estate includes Swint ...

References

{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire