Melsonby 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 ...
in the
Richmondshire
{{Infobox settlement
, name = Richmondshire District
, type = District
, image_skyline =
, imagesize =
, image_caption =
, image_blank_emblem= Richmondshire arms.png
, blank_emblem_type = Coat ...
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 a west of the
A1(M)
A1(M) is the designation given to a series of four separate motorway sections in England. Each section is an upgrade to a section of the A1, a major north–south road which connects London, the capital of England, with Edinburgh, the capit ...
motorway and north of the A66.
Etymology
The second element in the name ''Melsonby'' is the
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
suffix ''-by'',
meaning "farm, settlement". The first element may be the
Old Irish
Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writt ...
personal name ''Maelsuithan'',
which indicates
Norse-Gaelic settlement in the area.
Governance
The village lies within the
Richmond (Yorks) parliamentary constituency, which has been represented since 2015 by
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak (; born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party since October 2022. He previously held two Cabinet of ...
, who took over from retiring fellow
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
William Hague
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
.
An
electoral ward
A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...
in the same name exists. This ward stretches north to
Manfield
Manfield is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It is a parish in the wapentake of Gilling East. The closest major town is Darlington, which is east of Manfield. It is close to the River Tees ...
with a total population taken at the
2011 Census of 1,406.
Murder of Diana Garbutt
In March 2010, village postmistress Diana Garbutt was found dead in the living quarters above the shop, after suffering severe head injuries. Her husband Robin Garbutt was charged with her murder. He was committed for trial and pleaded not guilty.
On 27 September Robin Garbutt was released on bail due to a significant breakthrough in the case against him.
On 19 April 2011, following trial at Teesside Crown Court, he was convicted of the murder of Diane Garbutt and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
See also
*
St James' Church, Melsonby
References
External links
{{authority control
Villages in North Yorkshire
Civil parishes in North Yorkshire