Oulston 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 Hambleton 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 about north-east of

Easingwold Easingwold is a market town, electoral ward and civil parish in the Hambleton District in North Yorkshire, England. Historically, part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it had a population of 4,233 at the 2001 census, increasing to 4,627 at the ...

. Remains of a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...

have been found in the area. The village is within the Howardian Hills

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of thei ...

History

The village name may be derived from the Anglian personal name of ''Ulf'' combined with ''tun'' meaning habitation. There are the remains of a Roman villa nearby, consistent with the village's location near the junction of two old Roman roads. Articles from the site are located within the York Museum. 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 manusc ...

'' as ''Uluestan'' and at the time of the Norman invasion, the lands were owned by ''Gospatric, son Arnketil''. Following the Norman invasion of Britain, the estates of Yearsley, Coxwold and Oulston fell into the hands of a Norman family whose previous seat of power had been in Montbray, Normandy. By 1158, however, these same lands had been given to another Norman lord whose family base had been Colleville on the Normandy coast. In return for receiving these lands, Thomas de Colville had to swear allegiance to Roger de Mowbray. Thomas de Colville's estate included the manors of

Yearsley Yearsley is a small village and civil parish in the district of Hambleton in North Yorkshire, England. The population of the civil parish was less than 100 at the 2011 Census. Details are included in the civil parish of Brandsby-cum-Stearsby. ...

Coxwold Coxwold is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England, in the North York Moors National Park. It is 18 miles north of York and is where the Rev. Laurence Sterne wrote '' A Sentimental Journey''. History ...

and Oulston as well as other properties and land in

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 ...

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England known for its racecourse; quirky yarnbomber displays, and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological fin ...

, Everley, Nunwick,

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

, Kilburn and Upsland. The Colville shield is proudly displayed at one of the roof intersections in the twelfth century Norman church at Coxwold. A fourth Thomas Colville generously allowed John, the Prior of Newburgh, to live “by suit of court” in his manor house at Oulston. In return for Thomas's generosity, John (besides offering prayers) used his influence, in 1256, to arrange a special privilege for Thomas: Thomas would no longer be required, on behalf of the king, to carry out any legal or other administrative duties against his will. The lands were eventually passed to the Fauconberg family and thence to the Wombwell family, who resided at nearby Newburgh Priory Estate. There used to be a Wesleyan chapel in the village, which is now the village hall. It is a Grade II listed building. There are four sites in the area that are

scheduled ancient 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 ...

s. They are: * a

round barrow A round barrow is a type of tumulus and is one of the most common types of archaeological monuments. Although concentrated in Europe, they are found in many parts of the world, probably because of their simple construction and universal purpose. ...

500m WNW of Pond Head Farm at * a

350m NW of Pond Head Farm at * a section of cross ridge dyke and earthworks in Roman Plantation, Oulston Moor at * a section of cross ridge dyke and hollow way 200m NW of Pond Head Farm at

Governance

The village is part of the Thirsk and Malton UK Parliament constituency. It lies within the

Stillington, North Yorkshire Stillington is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the York to Helmsley road about north of York. Stillington Mill was the endpoint of the Foss Navigation Act of 1793. History The ...

electoral division of North Yorkshire County Council. It also lies within the White Horse ward of Hambleton District Council.Ordnance Survey Open Viewer
/ref>

Geography

According to the 1881 UK census, the population was 177. In the 2001 UK census the population was 102 of which 85 were over sixteen years old. Of those, 51 were in employment. Oulston lends its name to the

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

on the

River Foss The River Foss is in North Yorkshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Ouse. It rises in the Foss Crooks Woods near Oulston Reservoir close to the village of Yearsley and runs south through the Vale of York to the Ouse in the centre of ...

to the east of the village. The nearest settlements to Oulston are

Crayke Crayke is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England, about east of Easingwold. Etymology The name ''Crayke'' is of Brittonic origin, derived from the neo-Brittonic Cumbric ''crẹ:g'', meaning "a crag" o ...

to the south;

Husthwaite __NOTOC__ Husthwaite is a village and civil parish in Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately north from Easingwold. History The name probably derives from the Middle English 'hous', from Old English 'hus ...

to the west;

to the north and

to the east.

References

External links

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