Rainton is a village in the

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

borough 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 is situated about north of

Boroughbridge Boroughbridge () is a town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is north-west of the county town of York. Until a bypass was built the town lay on the mai ...

, north-east of

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 ...

and south-west of

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 ...

. The area has a village green and a

maypole A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, around which a maypole dance often takes place. The festivals may occur on 1 May or Pentecost (Whitsun), although in some countries it is instead erected at ...

. There are approximately 120 houses in Rainton including six

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

s, several period farm houses, a smithy and a dovecote. The local vernacular building style is sandstone and cobble construction with slate or pantile roof.

History

The village was 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 having 30 ploughlands and belonging to

Count Alan of Brittany Alan Rufus, alternatively Alanus Rufus (Latin), Alan ar Rouz (Breton), Alain le Roux ( French) or Alan the Red (c. 1040 – 1093), 1st Lord of Richmond, was a Breton nobleman, kinsman and companion of William the Conqueror (Duke William II of No ...

. The name is thought to have derived from

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

(though it could be

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 ...

) of the ''Tūn of Regna's/Rægen's ''. Rainton was historically in the parish of Topcliffe 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 ...

, part of the

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 ...

of Rainton with Newby. The township became a separate civil parish in 1866, and in 1974 was transferred to the new county of North Yorkshire. Rainton was a largely agricultural village. However, since 2000, it has become a commuter village, largely due to its close proximity to 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 ...

. This in turn has led to an increase in property prices which is evidenced by the large number of barn conversions and property renovations. Rainton continues to host Christmas parties for local children, lunches for retired people, and other social events including a gardening club. Rainton is the principal settlement in the

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 ...

of Rainton with Newby. Newby, historically known as Newby-on-Swale, is a

deserted medieval village In the United Kingdom, a deserted medieval village (DMV) is a former settlement which was abandoned during the Middle Ages, typically leaving no trace apart from earthworks or cropmarks. If there are fewer than three inhabited houses the convent ...

, now occupied by Baldersby Park (also known as Newby Park), the home of

Queen Mary's School Queen Mary's School is an independent day and boarding school for girls in Baldersby Park near Topcliffe, between Ripon and Thirsk in North Yorkshire, England. Established in 1921, the school is set on of landscaped grounds and houses approxi ...

. At the 2001 Census, the population of the parish was 354, which had risen to 447 by the time of the 2011 Census. In 2015,

North Yorkshire County Council North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) is the county council governing the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire; an area composing most of North Yorkshire in England. The council currently consists of 90 councillors. The council is current ...

estimated that the population had fallen slightly to 440.

Facilities

The local school is based at

Baldersby St James Baldersby St James is a village in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. Several notable buildings in the village were commissioned by Viscount Downe of Baldersby Park and designed by William Butterfield in the 1850s. The Church ...

. There are two freehold pubs in the village: ''The Lamb'' and ''The Bay Horse'' which are both traditional village pubs. In 2011, The Lamb diversified into being a village shop as well as a pub. A recreation field, including a children's park, opened in 2000 after local fundraising. The children's park obtained further funds to provide new equipment for older children, which was completed in 2016. The cricket club has two teams which have a new pavilion, built largely by the hands-on cricket team and villagers themselves. There is a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

chapel in Rainton. The church at nearby Baldersby St James has a 'impressive' steeple.

References

Sources

External links

Parish council
{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire