Hartwith cum Winsley is a 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 Harrogate district

Harrogate (borough)

Harrogate is a local government district and borough of North Yorkshire, England. Its council is based in the town of Harrogate but it also includes surrounding towns and villages...

, 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. Historically it was a township

Township (England)

In England, a township is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church...

 in the ancient parish of Kirkby Malzeard

Kirkby Malzeard

Kirkby Malzeard is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England.In recent years a creamery in the village was acquired by the Wensleydale Creamery, and Wensleydale cheese is now made there.-History:...

, a detached part of that parish.

The main settlement in the parish is the village of Summerbridge

Summerbridge, North Yorkshire

Summerbridge is a settlement in the Harrogate district North Yorkshire, England. It is on the River Nidd, about south east of Pateley Bridge....

. The parish also includes the hamlets of Low Laithe, New York

New York, North Yorkshire

New York is a settlement in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is on the River Nidd, near Summerbridge, and about south east of Pateley Bridge....

, Brimham and Hartwith. Winsley consists of some scattered houses and farms in the east of the parish.

The parish occupies the north side of lower Nidderdale

Nidderdale

Nidderdale is one of the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is the upper valley of the River Nidd, which flows south through the dale, forming several reservoirs including the Gouthwaite Reservoir, before turning east and eventually joining the River Ouse.The only town in the dale is...

. In the north of the parish are Brimham Rocks

Brimham Rocks

The Brimham Rocks are balancing rock formations located on Brimham Moor in North Yorkshire, England. The rocks stand at a height of nearly 30 metres in an area owned by the National Trust which is part of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty....

.

In the middle ages Hartwith cum Winsley (then known as Brimham) formed part of the lands of Fountains Abbey

Fountains Abbey

Fountains Abbey is near to Aldfield, approximately two miles southwest of Ripon in North Yorkshire, England. It is a ruined Cistercian monastery, founded in 1132. Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved Cistercian houses in England. It is a Grade I listed building and owned by the...

, which established granges in the dale.

Church

The parish church of St Jude's at Hartwith was originally built in 1751 as a chapel-of-ease, to save the inhabitants the 12 mile journey to their then parish church at Kirkby Malzeard. It became the parish church in 1891. It is a Grade II listed building.