Skipton-on-Swale 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 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. The population at the 2011 Census was less than 100. Details are included in the civil parish of

Catton, North Yorkshire Catton is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated between Thirsk and Ripon, on the River Swale The River Swale in Yorkshire, England, is a major tributary of the River Ure, which ...

. It lies on the

A61 road A61 or A-61 may refer to: * A61 road (England), a road connecting Derby and Thirsk * A61 motorway (France), a road connecting Narbonne and Bordeaux * A61 motorway (Germany), a road connecting Venlo and Hockenheim * Benoni Defense The Benoni Defense ...

, about 4 miles 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 ...

on the east bank of the

River Swale The River Swale in Yorkshire, England, is a major tributary of the River Ure, which becomes the River Ouse, that empties into the North Sea via the Humber Estuary. The river gives its name to Swaledale, the valley through which it flows. Th ...

History

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 ''Schipetune'' in the ''Yarlestre hundred'' under the manor of ''Topeclive, ( Topcliffe)''. At the time of the Norman invasion, the manor was owned by ''Bernwulf'' and afterwards by '' William of Percy''. In 1086 there were 35 villagers. The overlordship remained with and followed that of Topcliffe, but there were grants as

mesne lord A mesne lord () was a lord in the feudal system who had vassals who held land from him, but who was himself the vassal of a higher lord. Owing to ''Quia Emptores'', the concept of a mesne lordship technically still exists today: the partitionin ...

to various families over the centuries. For example, in 1284, Baldwin, son of John de Skipton owned land. In the 14th century, John Minniott of nearby Carlton bought land in the village. From 1600, one of the main land owners were the ''Clough'' family who were recorded as still in possession in 1710. After then, manorial rights seem to cease. The name is derived from the Anglian word ''Scēp'', meaning ''Sheep'' and the

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 ...

word ''tun'' for ''settlement/farm'', therefore literally ''Sheep farm''. The bridge that crosses the River Swale is a Grade II Listed building designed by

John Carr John Carr may refer to: Politicians *John Carr (Indiana politician) (1793–1845), American politician from Indiana *John Carr (Australian politician, born 1819) (1819–1913), member of the South Australian House of Assembly, 1865–1884 * John H ...

and built in 1781. To the north of the village is an abandoned airfield which was used by four squadrons from the Royal Canadian Air Force and one Polish Bomber Squadron between 1942 and 1947.

Governance

The village is within the Thirsk and Malton UK Parliament constituency. It also lies within the Sowerby electoral division of North Yorkshire County Council and the Topcliffe ward of Hambleton District Council.

Geography

The nearest settlements are

Howe Howe may refer to: People and fictional characters * Howe (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters * Howe Browne, 2nd Marquess of Sligo (1788–1845), Irish peer and colonial governor Titles * Earl Howe, two titles, an ext ...

to the north west,

Carlton Miniott Carlton Miniott, formerly Carlton Islebeck is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England, on the A61 road to the immediate west of Thirsk, north of York. According to the 2001 census it had a populatio ...

to the north east,

Baldersby Baldersby is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England, about west of Thirsk and north-east of Ripon on the A61. The parish includes the village of Baldersby St James, south east of the village of Balde ...

to the south west and Catton to the south. It is located on the east bank of the

and on the

. In 1881, the UK Census recorded the population as 145.

Religion

There is a church dedicated to ''St John the Evangelist'' built in 1848 and is a Grade II Listed building. The Wesleyans built a chapel in the village in 1810 that had a school attached in 1882, both now disused.

References

External links

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