Embsay is a village in the

Craven Craven may refer to: * Craven in the Domesday Book, an area of Yorkshire, England, larger area than the district ** Craven District, a local government district of North Yorkshire formed in 1974 Places * Craven, New South Wales, Australia, see ...

district of North Yorkshire, England. It is paired with the neighbouring hamlet of Eastby to form the civil parish of

Embsay with Eastby Embsay with Eastby is a civil parish and electoral ward in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Its main settlements are the village of Embsay and the nearby hamlet of Eastby. According to the 2001 UK census, Embsay with Eastby pa ...

. The parish population as of the 2011 census was 1,871.

Geography

At the foot of Embsay Crag, a rock formation north of the village, is

Embsay Reservoir Embsay Reservoir is located above the village of Embsay, near Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Yorkshire Water, and supplies water to the north and west of Skipton, feeding 25,000 homes. It has a dam he ...

. The

crag Crag may refer to: * Crag (climbing), a cliff or group of cliffs, in any location, which is or may be suitable for climbing * Crag (dice game), a dice game played with three dice * Crag, Arizona, US * Crag, West Virginia, US * Crag and tail, a g ...

marks the start of Barden Moor, an expanse of open

moorland Moorland or moor is a type of habitat found in upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and montane grasslands and shrublands biomes, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils. Moorland, nowadays, generally ...

which is open access land and used by walkers. There are two more reservoirs on the moor:

Upper Barden Reservoir Upper Barden Reservoir is an upland fresh water reservoir, one of two reservoirs that collect water from Barden Moor, and dam Barden Beck, a tributary of the River Wharfe in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, England. The reservoir was opene ...

and Lower Barden Reservoir. Embsay reservoir is the headquarters of Craven Sailing Club.

History

Embsay was originally a Celtic settlement, possibly founded at the same time as a local monastery, destroyed in a Viking raid in 867 AD. The village has a Saxon name and is listed in the Doomsday Book as "Embesie", which translates as "Embe's enclosure". At that time, much of the area was wooded and this was progressively cleared over time to provide farmland. In 1120, Cecily de Romille and her husband founded

Embsay Priory Embsay Priory was a medieval monastic house in North Yorkshire, England. The priory was founded in 1120 in Embsay in Wharfedale. It was dedicated to St Mary and St Cuthbert and was part of the Augustinian order. William de Meschines and his ...

. The Augustinian members of the priory dedicated it to Saint Cuthbert and received local tithes. In 1154 they exchanged estates with the de Romille family and moved to Bolton Abbey, which was a more fertile location. The priory flourished and grew rich on the profits of sheep farming and wool trading. In 1305,

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

granted a charter for an annual fair at Embsay.

The Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going fr ...

resulted in several mills being built in Embsay.

Community

Embsay Village Hall events include film nights, pantomimes, bowls, and jumble sales. The village has a newsagent on the main road. The dedicated post office closed; a counter in a newspaper shop now serves as a post office. Other businesses in Embsay are a hairdresser and an arts and crafts store. Embsay has two public houses: the Elm Tree Inn and the Cavendish Arms. The Elm Tree Inn and Elm Tree Square take their names from a tree that stood there for many years. It was replaced in the late 20th century because of Dutch elm disease, but in 2006 that replacement was also taken down. A further replacement was planted in 2007. The village has a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school which receives pupils from Embsay, Skipton and farther away. It was ranked the 141st best primary school in England in 2000, and had risen to 84th place by 2003.

Embsay railway station Embsay railway station is a railway station on the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway. It serves the small village of Embsay in North Yorkshire, England. The station is a terminus on the railway and was re-opened in 1981. History The ori ...

was built in 1888, and is the current terminus of the heritage Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway. There is a bus service between Embsay and Skipton eight times a day on weekdays and three on Saturdays. The village has a cricket club that competes in the Craven League; its second team was, in 2006, the first second team in the league's history to play in the first division. The village also has a football club. Both clubs play at the same ground on Shires Lane at the north of the village. The club grounds are named the 'Robinson Memorial' after a local family who supported the club. Also at the north of the village is a recreational ground with a climbing frame and small football pitch.

Filming location

In the 2018 BBC One television series ''

The ABC Murders ''The A.B.C. Murders'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, featuring her characters Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp, as they contend with a series of killings by a mysterious murderer know ...

'', Embsay is the location of the fifth murder. Scenes were filmed at the

Notable people

* Ron Fawcett, rock climber, born in Embsay *

Robert Sidgwick Robert Sidgwick (7 August 1851 – 1934) was an English amateur first-class cricketer, who played nine matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 1882, and one game for Jamaica against R.S. Lewis' XI in 1894/95. Born in Embsay, near Skipto ...

, amateur first-class cricketer, born in Embsay

Gallery

Image:EmbsayStation.jpg, Embsay Station Image:Embsaycrag.jpg, Barden Moor with Embsay Crag in the distance Image:UpperBardenReservoir.jpg,

in Barden Moor

References

Sources

* *

External links

*
Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
Stringer Communications International, Ltd.
Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
UK Individual web site
AboutBritain.com "Embsay, North Yorkshire Photo Gallery"
Aboutbritain.com
Embsay with Eastby Parish Council website
{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Craven District