Coxwold
Encyclopedia
Coxwold is a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in the Hambleton
Hambleton
Hambleton is a local government district of North Yorkshire, England. The main town and administrative centre is Northallerton, and includes the market towns and major villages of Bedale, Thirsk, Great Ayton, Stokesley and Easingwold....

 district of North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is situated 18 miles north of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...

 and is where the Rev. Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne was an Irish novelist and an Anglican clergyman. He is best known for his novels The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, and A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy; but he also published many sermons, wrote memoirs, and was involved in local politics...

 wrote A Sentimental Journey
A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy
A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy is a novel by the Irish-born English author Laurence Sterne, written and first published in 1768, as Sterne was facing death. In 1765, Sterne travelled through France and Italy as far south as Naples, and after returning determined to describe his...

.

Coxwold stands on a slight hill. At the bottom is the village smithy and well. Facing a big elm tree is the Fauconberg Arms Inn
Fauconberg Arms Inn
The Fauconberg Arms is a 17th Century Coaching Inn in Coxwold, North Yorkshire, England.The village and estate were given to the Fauconberg family by Henry VIII. The property is still owned by the Newburgh Priory Estate and is named after the Earl of Fauconberg...

, bearing the arms and motto of Baron Fauconberg
Baron Fauconberg
The title Baron Fauconberg has been created twice in the Peerage of England. It was first created in 1295 when Walter de Fauconberg was summoned to parliament. Between 1463 and 1903 the title was abeyant, until the abeyance was terminated in favour of Marcia Amelia Mary Lane-Fox, who also gained...

. The villagers' cottages are on the slope, and at the top is St Michael's church, to which Sterne was appointed vicar in 1760. Since 700 AD, Coxwold has had a church on this site at the top of the hill. The present church was built in 1420 in the Perpendicular style with an unusual octagonal west tower. The chancel features a unique tongue-shaped communion rail (early 18th century).

Nearby is Shandy Hall
Shandy Hall
Shandy Hall was the home of the Rev. Laurence Sterne who is famous for his novel Tristram Shandy in Coxwold, North Yorkshire, England. Sterne lived there from 1760 to 1768 as perpetual curate of Coxwold...

, the house where Sterne lived from 1760 to 1768, and playfully named by him. Shandy Hall was originally built in 1430 as a parsonage for the Coxwold village priest. It is a small building, with a mossy stone-covered roof, wide gables, and massive chimney-stacks, originally a timber framed open-hall house considerably altered in the 17th century. The stone tablet above its doorway states that Sterne wrote Tristram Shandy and A Sentimental Journey at Shandy Hall. This is not entirely accurate, for two (of the nine) volumes of Tristram Shandy had already been published in 1759 before Sterne moved to Coxwold.

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