West Witton 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 the

Richmondshire {{Infobox settlement , name = Richmondshire District , type = District , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_blank_emblem= Richmondshire arms.png , blank_emblem_type = Coat ...

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. Located in

Wensleydale Wensleydale is the dale or upper valley of the River Ure on the east side of the Pennines, one of the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of only a few Yorkshire Dales not currently named after its principal river, but th ...

in the

Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales is an upland area of the Pennines in the Historic counties of England, historic county of Yorkshire, England, most of it in the Yorkshire Dales National Park created in 1954. The Dales comprise river valleys and the hills ri ...

it lies on the A684 (the main road between

Leyburn Leyburn is a market town and civil parish in the district of Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, England, sitting above the northern bank of the River Ure in Wensleydale. Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, the name was derived from 'L ...

and

Hawes Hawes is a market town and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England, at the head of Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, and historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The River Ure north of the town is a touri ...

). The civil parish also includes the hamlet of Swinithwaite. The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 347. 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 340. The educator

Eric James, Baron James of Rusholme Eric John Francis James, Baron James of Rusholme (13 April 1909 – 16 May 1992) was a prominent British educator. Background Eric John Francis James was born at Derby into a Nonconformist family. His father was a commercial traveller wi ...

, lived in West Witton, and after his death had his ashes scattered there.

History

There was a settlement at West Witton during the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

and the

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 ...

occupation of Britain. West Witton was originally known simply as Witton, and was mentioned (as ''Witun'') in the

Doomsday 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 ...

. The name is

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 ...

, from ''widu'' and ''tūn'', meaning "wood settlement", suggesting a place where wood was felled or worked. By the late 12th century the village became known as West Witton to distinguish it from another Witton, now known as

East Witton East Witton is a village and civil parish in Wensleydale in North Yorkshire, England. It lies south of Leyburn, in the Richmondshire district. Richard Whiteley is buried there; he and his partner, Kathryn Apanowicz, lived in the village. ...

, down Wensleydale. The parish church of St Bartholomew dates back to 1281 but was largely rebuilt in the 19th century. It was under the governance of

Jervaulx Abbey Jervaulx Abbey in East Witton, 14 miles north-west of the city of Ripon, was one of the great Cistercian abbeys of Yorkshire, England, dedicated to St Mary in 1156. It is a Grade I listed building. The place name ''Jervaulx'' is first attes ...

until the dissolution of the monasteries, when the patronage of the parish passed to the crown, before being sold to the Earl of Sunderland. The old vicarage is now an hotel.

Burning of Bartle

The village is famous locally for its "Burning of Bartle" ceremony held on the Saturday nearest 24 August (

St Bartholomew Bartholomew (Aramaic: ; grc, Βαρθολομαῖος, translit=Bartholomaîos; la, Bartholomaeus; arm, Բարթողիմէոս; cop, ⲃⲁⲣⲑⲟⲗⲟⲙⲉⲟⲥ; he, בר-תולמי, translit=bar-Tôlmay; ar, بَرثُولَماو� ...

's Day). A larger than life effigy of 'Bartle' is paraded around the village, complete with glowing eyes. Bartle stops at various strategic places to recite the doggerel, before finally being burnt at Grassgill End to much merry singing. The doggerel is: ''On

Penhill Penhill ( high at the trig point, at Height of Hazely) is a prominent hill, south west of Leyburn, in the Pennines, North Yorkshire, England. It forms a ridge that commands the southern side of Wensleydale and the northern side of Coverdale ...

Crags he tore his rags''; ''Hunter's Thorn he blew his horn''; ''Capplebank Stee happened a misfortune and brak' his knee''; ''Grisgill Beck he brak' his neck''; ''Wadham's End he couldn't fend''; ''Grassgill End we'll mak' his end''. ''Shout, lads, shout.'' At Grassgill end they burn the Bartle effigy. This celebration has its similarities to

Guy Fawkes night Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Fireworks Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain, involving bonfires and fireworks displays. Its history begins with the ev ...

. One local folk-story is that Bartle was the sheep-stealing

Penhill Giant Penhill giant is a giant found in English folklore and legends. The giant lived in a fortress on Penhill in Wensleydale, Yorkshire. There are general legends and tales about the giant which claim the giant ate flocks of sheep and terrorized maide ...

Popular culture

St Bartholomew's Church was featured in the British television series '' All Creatures Great and Small'', in the episode "Cats and Dogs"."St Bartholomew’s Church, West Witton, N Yorks, UK – All Creatures Great & Small, Cats & Dogs (1978)"
- Waymarking.com Meanwhile, when filming in Yorkshire, several of the cast stayed at West Witton's pub
the Heifer
''All Memories Great & Small'', Oliver Crocker (2016; MIWK)

References

External links

Village Community Website

Official Burning Bartle site
{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Civil parishes in North Yorkshire Wensleydale