Beckwithshaw 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 authorit ...

in the

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 ...

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 about south-west of

History

Beckwithshaw takes its name from the now smaller settlement of Beckwith, to the east. The suffix "shaw", first recorded in 1323, is from 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 settlers in the mid-5th c ...

''sceaga'', meaning a copse. In 1875, a reservoir was built to the west of the village. Known as Ten Acre Reservoir, it actually only covered . In 2016, a report was commissioned into its future as the dam head was known to be failing. In 2019, it will be drained so that it only contains of water to relieve pressure on the dam head and will also be converted into a wildlife area. Beckwithshaw was historically a hamlet in the ancient parish of Pannal. When the village of Pannal was removed from the civil parish of Pannal in 1937, Beckwithshaw became the largest settlement in the parish. The name of the civil parish was changed from Pannal to Beckwithshaw in 2010. The parish now shares a grouped parish council with Haverah Park.

Amenities

The village has a primary school, a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

(The Smiths Arms) and the Anglican Church of St Michael and All Angels. A board in the church names all the vicars, the first being Charles Farrar Forster, who served from 1887 until his death in August 1894. The church benefice is shared with St Robert's Church, Pannal.The Church of England: Pannal: other information
Retrieved 5 January 2014. A

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

was opened in the village in 1887 but closed in October 1978."Beckwithshaw: The final frontier", Ken Forster, in ''Stamp Magazine'', October 1999, pp. 30–31.

Sports

Beckwithshaw Horse Trials, organised by

British Eventing British Eventing (BE) is the Great Britain governing body for the equestrian sport of eventing, which combines a single rider and horse pairing competing in dressage, showjumping and cross country. The organisation both regulates the sport a ...

, is an annual cross country event held at Beaver Horse Shop on Windmill Farm.

References

External links

Beckwithshaw Community Primary SchoolBeckwithshaw Horse TrialsBeaver Horse Shop
{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Civil parishes in North Yorkshire