Kelfield 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 the

Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until ...

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 was historically part of the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

until 1974. The village is situated on the northern bank of the River Ouse, equidistant between the villages of

Riccall Riccall is a village and civil parish situated in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, lying to the north of Selby and south of York. It was historically part of the East Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. According to the 2011 cens ...

Cawood Cawood (other names: ''Carwood'') is a large village (formerly a market town) and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England that is notable as the finding-place of the Cawood sword. It was historically part of the West Rid ...

and Stillingfleet, approximately north-west of

History

Kelfield is recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) as Chelchefelt,‘an estate of one carucate and seven bovates… The estate of Hugh son of Baldric had land for one plough, and four villeins had a plough there.’ In 1823 Kelfield 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 civil parish of Stillingfleet, in the

and the

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 ...

Ouse and Derwent Ouse and Derwent was a wapentake of the historic East Riding of Yorkshire, England consisting of the westerly part of the county, between the River Ouse and the River Derwent. Established in medieval times, it ceased to have much significance in ...

. A public school existed for the benefit of poor children. Population at the time was 286, with occupations including a schoolteacher, nine farmers, a tailor, a butcher, two carpenters – one of whom was a gunsmith, the other a shopkeeper – and the

landlord A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant (also a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). When a juristic person is in this position, the ...

of the Boot and Shoe

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, who was also a shoemaker. There was an

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

at the Hall, and three

yeomen Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...

. Baines, Edward (1823): ''History, Directory and Gazetteer of the County of York'', p. 359 A prophetess arrived in Kelfield in the summer of 1833. The Yorkshire and national newspapers were gripped by the story of a young girl called Hannah Beedham who became known as the 'Kelfield Prophetess'. Whilst staying at James Sturdy's home in Kelfield, Hannah described having a vision where she was told the date of her death. Thousands of people flocked to Kelfield to be 'in at the death'. The newspapers reported Hannah Beedham's exploits with growing cynicism and glee when she failed to die as promised on 1 August 1833 at 9.00 pm. She had laid herself out in state in James Sturdy's Kelfield parlour, and thousands of curious people from all over Yorkshire filed past, in the hope of seeing a miracle. When she did not pass away, Sturdy must have wondered how to extricate himself from the embarrassing situation. Hannah died a few years later aged only 27 years. There is a record of Hannah's burial in an unmarked grave on Christmas Eve 1839, at

Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York Holy Trinity Church, on Goodramgate in York, is a Grade I listed former parish church in the Church of England in York and is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. History The church dates from the 12th century. The south east chape ...

."Strange Infatuation, The Curious Tale of Hannah Beedham: Forgotten Prophetess of York and Kelfield", J.E. Muldowney and C. A. Cade. Her obituary in the ''Yorkshire Gazette'' on 28 December 1839 read: 'On Monday twenty-third of December in Bedern in this city HANNAH WHITE formerly Hannah Beedham the fanatic who prophesied her own death a few years ago and created such a sensation in this City and its vicinity to induce a large number of persons to make a pilgrimage to Kelfield in order to witness its accomplishment. Shortly after her strange prediction she got married and has left two young children. Her closing days have been passed in distress and poverty.'

Amenities

The village no longer has a school, church or shops, but is served by the local villages of Riccall and Cawood, with secondary school children travelling to

Barlby High School Barlby High School is a mixed secondary school located in Barlby, North Yorkshire, England. The school opened in 1960. Previously a community school administered by North Yorkshire County Council, in September 2017 Barlby High School conv ...

. Amenities include the Grey Horse public house, the village institute and the cricket club.

References

External links

*
Kelfield Village website
{{authority control Civil parishes in North Yorkshire Selby District Villages in North Yorkshire