South Stainley is a small village in the Harrogate District, in the county 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. Nearby settlements include the city 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 ...

, the town of

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

and the village of

Markington Markington is a village in the Harrogate district, in the English county of North Yorkshire. The population of the civil parish (including Markenfield Hall) taken at the 2011 census was 629. Nearby settlements include the city of Ripon, the ...

. South Stainley is on the A61 road. South Stainley has a pub and a place of worship, St Wilfrid's Church, which is a grade II listed structure. 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 manus ...

as having 30 plough lands and a meadow covering . The name has been recorded variously as ''Southe Stanley, South Stonley'' and ''Kyrke Staynelay''. The name derives from the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

of ''Nyrran Stanlege'', which means ''Stony forest or glade clearing''. The presence of the prefix ''Kirk'' is due to it having a church as opposed to North Stainley. Historically, the village was in 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, ...

of Claro, and is now in the

Borough of Harrogate The Borough of Harrogate is a local government district with borough status in North Yorkshire, England. Its population at the census of 2011 was 157,869. Its council is based in the town of Harrogate, but it also includes surrounding towns and ...

, some south of

. The village sits on Stainley Beck, a tributary of the

River Ure The River Ure in North Yorkshire, England is approximately long from its source to the point where it becomes the River Ouse. It is the principal river of Wensleydale, which is the only major dale now named after a village rather than its r ...

and the land is mostly magnesian limestone with a small outcrop of millstone grit around the village. The population of the parish was 174 at the 2001 census, falling slightly to 172 at 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 the population to be 180. The village is the principal settlement in the civil parish of South Stainley with Cayton. Cayton is the site of a deserted medieval village west of South Stainley, and was the location of a grange established by

Fountains Abbey Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near to the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operated for 40 ...

in the Middle Ages.

References

External links

Genuki
Villages in North Yorkshire {{Harrogate-geo-stub