Whaw is a hamlet in

Arkengarthdale Arkengarthdale is a dale, or valley, on the east side of the Pennines in North Yorkshire, England. Running roughly north-west to south-east, it is the valley of the Arkle Beck, and is the northernmost of the Yorkshire Dales. It is a subsidiary ...

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 one of few settlements in the dale and is one of the smallest. Its name derives from 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 ...

of ''Kvi'' and ''Hagi'', which means the enclosure of the sheep. It is about north of

Langthwaite Langthwaite is one of the few villages in Arkengarthdale, North Yorkshire, England. It is north of Reeth and sits above sea level. It is the main settlement in the dale and is one of the most northerly settlements in the whole of Yorkshire D ...

and north west of

Reeth Reeth is a village west of Richmond in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England, in the civil parish of Reeth, Fremington and Healaugh. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is the principal settlement of uppe ...

. The adjacent Arkle Beck Meadows form a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

. The hillsides around Whaw are scarred with the remnants of lead mining and former

hushes Hushing is an ancient and historic mining method using a flood or torrent of water to reveal mineral veins. The method was applied in several ways, both in prospecting for ores, and for their exploitation. Mineral veins are often hidden below ...

are still in evidence. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the hamlet was (and the whole of Arkengarthdale) were subject to a higher population because of the miners working in the hills. In 1840, a Wesleyan chapel was built in Whaw, this survives but no longer as a religious house. The 1851 census counted 18 houses in Whaw. In the 2011 census, Whaw was counted in Arkengarthdale Parish as having 231 residents overall.

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Villages in North Yorkshire Arkengarthdale {{Richmondshire-geo-stub