Tockwith 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, near the town of

Wetherby Wetherby () is a market town and civil parish in the City of Leeds district, West Yorkshire, England, close to West Yorkshire county's border with North Yorkshire, and lies approximately from Leeds City Centre, from York and from Harrogat ...

and the city of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. There has been a village on the site since at least 1086 when ''Tocvi'' was 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 ...

''. Tockwith's greatest claim to fame is being used as a staging post by

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

prior to the

Battle of Marston Moor The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms of 1639 – 1653. The combined forces of the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester and the Scottish Covenanters und ...

in 1644. He made reference to Tockwith in his diaries, in which he said: "If heaven should be half as blessed as the fields of Tockwith, all those who should pass St. Peter's Gate shall be met with joys unequalled".

Conservation area

On 20 January 1994, Tockwith was designated a conservation area.

Etymology

The name Tockwith may derive from the Old English name Toc(c), and wic, which is most commonly interpreted as 'dairy farm'. The word wic was later exchanged for the Scandinavian word við(r) meaning 'wood'. The name of the village is recorded in a number of forms: Tocvi in the

of 1086 Tockwic and Tockwith in 1121-27 Tocwic in the early Yorkshire Charters of 1428 and 1430 Tocwyz in the 1249 Charter Rolls and Tockewyht in the 1280 Charter Rolls Tockheight in the 1460 Census Tockwith in the 1723 Census Tockwith in the 2011 Census

Historical information

Tockwith played a major part in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

during the 17th century when the village was occupied by the Parliamentarian army commanded by Thomas Fairfax. In 1644, the Battle of Marston Moor occurred on the land between Tockwith and Long Marston. A stone monument on the road between the two villages commemorates the site.

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

mentioned the village favourably in his diaries; "If heaven should be half as blessed as the fields of Tockwith, all those who should pass St. Peter's Gate shall be met with joys unequalled". RAF Tockwith was opened on the western edge of the village in November 1941. Most

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

bases are named after the parish in which their headquarters are located in, but to prevent confusion with

RAF Topcliffe Royal Air Force Topcliffe or RAF Topcliffe is a Royal Air Force station in North Yorkshire, England. It was established as a RAF Bomber Command station in 1940. The British Army took over a large part of the site in 1974 and the airfield beca ...

near

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England known for its racecourse; quirky yarnbomber displays, and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological ...

, the base was named RAF Marston Moor.

Stirling air crash

At 1.34am on Tuesday 9 October 1945, a

Stirling bomber The Short Stirling was a British four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It has the distinction of being the first four-engined bomber to be introduced into service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Stirling was designed during t ...

which was about to land on RAF Marston Moor crashed in the main street of Tockwith, killing the village postmaster and the six crew members as well as destroying nineteen houses. Amongst the crew members killed was former

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...

footballer Albert Bonass. On 11 October 2015, a memorial was erected at Tockwith to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the crash.

Tockwith church

Church of the Epiphany, Tockwith - geograph

The Tockwith Church of the Epiphany was consecrated in 1866, and was designed by Mallinson and Healey. The grade II listed building is a large aisleless cruciform church in the Geometrical style with a cylindrical bell turret.

Village layout

Tockwith is situated west of

and north-east of

. The village is approached through relatively flat farmlands from the west along Fleet Lane, with the church clearly visible. The village has grown significantly since the war, with several large developments on its boundaries. There are two public houses in the heart of the village, the ''Boot and Shoe'' and the ''Spotted Ox''.

Sports facilities

Tockwith has one of the finest 'grass roots' level football pitches in the country; it has appeared in several magazines and local groundsman Joe Wilson was awarded "Highly Commended" in the FA Groundsman of the Year Awards for Steps 7 and below for the 2006 season, awarded 1st place in 2007 and 2nd place in 2008. There is also a second football pitch, which the junior teams use. There is a large training area and a pavilion. Tockwith AFC fields a 1st and 2nd team every Saturday who play in the York Minster League. There is also a bowls green (made of grass) and tennis courts (made of concrete) at the same location, which require membership.

References

Sources

External links

Tockwith Festival

Tockwith with Wilstrop Parish Council

Tockwith Residents Association

Tockwith and District Agricultural Show

Tockwith-Together- Everything about Tockwith- in one place

Tockwith Players
{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Civil parishes in North Yorkshire Aviation accidents and incidents locations in England