Sawley, North Yorkshire
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sawley 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the county of
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
, England. It is about west of
Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...
. From this position, the
Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales are a series of valleys, or Dale (landform), dales, in the Pennines, an Highland, upland range in England. They are mostly located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, but extend into C ...
are to the west and the
North Yorkshire Moors The North York Moors is an upland area in north-eastern Yorkshire, England. It contains one of the largest expanses of heather moorland in the United Kingdom. The area was designated as a National Park in 1952, through the National Parks and A ...
and coast are to the east. The village is located within the
Nidderdale area of outstanding natural beauty The Nidderdale National Landscape is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Yorkshire, England, bordering the Yorkshire Dales National Park to the east and south. It comprises most of Nidderdale itself, part of lower Wharfedale, the Wa ...
. In the 1870s, Sawley was described as "a township-chapelry, with a village and four hamlets, in Ripon parish, W. R. Yorkshire." The township's four hamlets were Cowbush, Hungate, North Pastures, and Rispleth.


History

Sawley dates back to the Saxon era where it gained its name from Old English and the Anglian dialect. From this period, Sawley is directly translated as "Willow-tree wood". The village is thought to have been the main source of stone for the construction of
Fountains Abbey Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercians, Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operat ...
in the 10th century. The
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
which is now maintained by the
National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...
is approximately two miles away from the village. Sawley is 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
'' as "Sallai” or “Sallaia", in the Burgshire
Hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...
of the
West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...
. It comprised 18 villagers, 21 smallholders, 1
freeman Freeman, free men, Freeman's or Freemans may refer to: Places United States * Freeman, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Freeman, South Dako ...
, and 1
thane Thane (; previously known as Thana, List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1996) is a metropolitan city located on the northwestern side of the list of Indian states, state of Maharashtra in India and on ...
, with 40 ploughlands, a meadow of , woodland of 1
league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...
, a mill and a fishery. In 1066 the Lord was
Ealdred Ealdred may refer to: * Ealdred of Hwicce, 8th-century king of Hwicce * Ealdred I of Bamburgh, 10th-century ruler of Bamburgh * Ealdred (archbishop of York), 11th-century English ecclesiastic * Ealdred II of Bamburgh, 11th-century ruler of Bamburgh ...
, Archbishop of York St Peter. After 1086 the created
Lord of the Manor Lord of the manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, referred to the landholder of a historical rural estate. The titles date to the English Feudalism, feudal (specifically English feudal barony, baronial) system. The ...
title was given to the new Archbishop of York,
Thomas of Bayeux Thomas of Bayeux (died 1100) was Archbishop of York from 1070 until 1100. He was educated at Liège and became a royal chaplain to Duke William of Normandy, who later became King William I of England. After the Norman Conquest, the king ...
, who also became
Tenant-in-chief In medieval and early modern Europe, a tenant-in-chief (or vassal-in-chief) was a person who held his lands under various forms of feudal land tenure directly from the king or territorial prince to whom he did homage, as opposed to holding them ...
. From 1837, Sawley was part of the Ripon
registration district A registration district in the United Kingdom is a type of administrative region which exists for the purpose of civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths and civil partnerships. It has also been used as the basis for the collation of ...
but has been involved in several changes regarding these districts and boundaries. It became a separate civil parish in 1866. In 1946, the parish was transferred to the Claro registration district. During this same change, Sawley had a boundary change where part of the area was transferred to the parish of High and Low Bishopside. During this time, the total population which was transferred was 20. Sawley was transferred from the West Riding to the new county of North Yorkshire in 1974. Sawley remained part of the Claro registration district until 1998 when it was abolished. From this point, Sawley has been part of the North Yorkshire registration county. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the
Borough of Harrogate The Borough of Harrogate was a local government district with borough status in North Yorkshire, England, from 1974 to 2023. Its council was based in the town of Harrogate, but it also included surrounding settlements, including the cathedral ...
, it is now administered by the unitary
North Yorkshire Council North Yorkshire Council, known between 1974 and 2023 as North Yorkshire County Council, is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire, England. Since 2023 the council has been a unitary authority, being a county coun ...
. Census data of Sawley dates back to 1871, with the earliest total population figure being 341. The population has been relatively constant with the highest population record being in 1881 with 372 and the lowest available data being in 1961 with 251. According to the 2011 census, Sawley had a population of 299. This is only one less than the 2001 census where the population was 300. Historically, Sawley's economy was mainly based in agriculture with 36.7% of the working population working in this
sector Sector may refer to: Places * Sector, West Virginia, U.S. Geometry * Circular sector, the portion of a disc enclosed by two radii and a circular arc * Hyperbolic sector, a region enclosed by two radii and a hyperbolic arc * Spherical sector, a po ...
. This has dropped in the following years with agriculture now only accounting for 12% of Sawley's economy, based on 2011 census figures. The decline in agriculture follows a similar pattern to the rest of Britain with a major decline in agriculture due to increased trade as well as a shift towards the secondary and
tertiary sector of the economy The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the seco ...
. This now means that the main industry in Sawley is now 'Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motor Cycles', with 14.9% of people being based in this industry.


Present day

Sawley is currently described as a "hamlet or isolated settlement in inhabited countryside" by the
Office for National Statistics The Office for National Statistics (ONS; ) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament. Overview The ONS is responsible fo ...
. This can be seen with Sawley's distance to certain services. For example, the nearest railway station lies just over away from the village centre. There is also only one public bus and four school bus routes which serves the village. The main types of housing are detached and semi-detached, majority of which are privately owned. In the last six months, the average house price was £224,375, the majority being detached houses which averagely sold at £402,000. Sawley hosts the annual 'Green Festival' and 'Jazz on the Green' afternoon as well as various other events throughout the year. Community events such as participation with the 'Yorkshire in Bloom' competition during spring and summer are put in place, giving a greater community feel. The parish now shares a
grouped parish council A parish council is a civil local authority found in England, which is the lowest tier of local government. Parish councils are elected corporate bodies, with variable tax raising powers, and they carry out beneficial public activities in geogr ...
with the civil parishes of Grantley, Eavestone and Skelding, known as the Grantley, Sawley, Skelding and Eavestone Parish Council.


Places of interest

Lacon Cross: one of 23 Grade II
listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
in Sawley, listed on 6 March 1967. It is thought that this structure dates back to the Medieval period when it was used as a route marker by the monks from
Fountains Abbey Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercians, Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operat ...
as well as travellers going through the area. Village Pump: was installed in 1909 but before this, all water was carried from outside the village. Details about the 'wood-boxed' pump can be found on a plaque on the actual pump itself. The plaque reads, "THE VILLAGE PUMP. After male parishioners refused an offer of a piped water supply in 1905, the parish council gave permission for this hand pump to be installed in 1909. This was the principal source of water until the early 1950s when borehole water became available. A mains supply was finally connected in 1963. Some of the women of Sawley had continued to carry water in buckets for 58 years." Village Hall: dates back to the 1790s when it was originally a school. It remained a school until 1989 and became solely a village hall. Now, the closest school to Sawley is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School which is approximately from the village. The closest secondary school is
Outwood Academy Ripon Outwood Academy Ripon is a small mixed secondary school with academy status situated in the city of Ripon, in North Yorkshire, England. It provides for ages 11 to 18, and has an enrolment of around 700 pupils. The school is operated by Outwo ...
which is about away. Sawley Hall: is also a grade II listed building, built in 1770. The Georgian house was built for Lord Grantley's wife. Between 1940 and March 1947, the hall was a
Barnardo's Barnardo's is a global charity headquartered in Barkingside in the London Borough of Redbridge. It was founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, to care for vulnerable children. As of 2013, it raised and spent around £200 million each ye ...
-run children's home, taking in child evacuees from the Barnardo's 'Hull Every Open Door' home at
Beverley Beverley is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located north-west of Hull city centre. At the 2021 census the built-up area of the town had a population of 30,930, and the smaller civil parish had ...
. The surrounding, "undisturbed" estate is ideal for shooting. The Sawley Hall shooting estate consists of of woodland area, primarily used for shooting pheasant and partridge. From 2009 to 2015, the estate was run by the former
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
and union player,
Liam Botham Liam James Botham (born 26 August 1977) is an English former professional sportsman who played both codes of rugby football and cricket. He is the son of former England cricketer Ian Botham. Career Cricket Botham was born in Doncaster and initi ...
, the son of
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film) ...
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
er
Ian Botham Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser. Hailed as one of ...
. Near the border of Sawley Hall, there is a great sequoia, one of 3,052 registered worldwide. It is thought that the tree was planted around 1864. Sawley Arms: is a pub in Sawley. It was the location for a "reunion of the former Yorkshire and England cricketers
Fred Trueman Frederick Sewards Trueman, (6 February 1931 – 1 July 2006) was an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the England cricket team. He had professional status and later became an author and broadcaster. Acknowled ...
,
Brian Close Dennis Brian Close, (24 February 1931 – 13 September 2015) was an English first-class cricketer. He was picked to play against New Zealand in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22  Test matches for England, ...
,
Ray Illingworth Raymond Illingworth Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (8 June 1932 – 25 December 2021) was an English cricketer, cricket commentator and administrator. , he was one of only nine players to have taken 2,000 wickets and made 20, ...
and
Geoffrey Boycott Sir Geoffrey Boycott (born 21 October 1940) is a former Test cricketer, who played cricket for Yorkshire and England. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's m ...
on 6 July 2005, four of Yorkshire's and England's greatest cricketers". It was here where artist John Blakey made a sketch of the four cricketers to mark the occasion. This would be the last place the four Yorkshire men met together due to Trueman's passing a year later.


References


External links

{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Civil parishes in North Yorkshire