Kelfield, North Yorkshire
Encyclopedia
Kelfield is a small village
and civil parish
in the Selby
district of North Yorkshire
, England
.
It is situated on the northern bank of the River Ouse
, equidistant between the villages of Riccall
, Cawood
and Stillingfleet
, approximately 5 miles north west of Selby
.
The village no longer has a school, church or shops, but is served by the local villages of Riccall and Cawood, with secondary school children travelling to Barlby
High School. Amenities include The Grey Horse Public House, The Village Institute and The Cricket Club.
When she failed to meet her maker, James Sturdy must have been very embarrassed. The newspapers reported Hannah Beedham's exploits with growing cynicism and glee when she failed to die as promised on 1 August 1833. She had laid herself out in state in James Sturdy's Kelfield barn, and thousands of curious people from all over Yorkshire filed past, in the hope of seeing a miracle. When she did not pass away, Sturdy must have wondered how to extricate himself from the embarrassing situation. Hannah died a few years later aged only 27 years. There is a record of Hannah's burial on Christmas Eve 1839, at Holy Trinity, Goodramgate, York.
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 Selby
Selby
Selby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012, most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district.Historically a part of the West Riding...
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 on the northern bank of the River Ouse
River Ouse, Yorkshire
The River Ouse is a river in North Yorkshire, England. The river is formed from the River Ure at Cuddy Shaw Reach near Linton-on-Ouse, about 6 miles downstream of the confluence of the River Swale with the River Ure...
, equidistant between the villages of Riccall
Riccall
Riccall is a village and civil parish situated in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England, lying 3.5 miles north of Selby and 9 miles to the south of York. It is historically part of the East Riding of Yorkshire. According to the 2001 census the parish had a total population of...
, Cawood
Cawood
Cawood is a large village and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England that is notable as the finding-place of the Cawood sword....
and Stillingfleet
Stillingfleet
Stillingfleet is a village and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. It is about south of York and nearby settlements include Acaster Selby and Appleton Roebuck....
, approximately 5 miles north west of Selby
Selby
Selby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012, most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district.Historically a part of the West Riding...
.
The village no longer has a school, church or shops, but is served by the local villages of Riccall and Cawood, with secondary school children travelling to Barlby
Barlby
Barlby is a linear village in North Yorkshire, England. It lies to the north-east of the market town of Selby, and is bordered to the west by the River Ouse and to the east by the A19 Barlby bypass...
High School. Amenities include The Grey Horse Public House, The Village Institute and The Cricket Club.
Notable history
A prophetess arrived in Kelfield in the summer of 1833. The Yorkshire and national newspapers were gripped by the story of a young girl called Hannah Beedham who became known as 'The Kelfield Prophetess'. Whilst staying at James Sturdy's home in Kelfield, Hannah described having a vision where she was told the date of her death. Thousands of people flocked to Kelfield to see her 'die'.When she failed to meet her maker, James Sturdy must have been very embarrassed. The newspapers reported Hannah Beedham's exploits with growing cynicism and glee when she failed to die as promised on 1 August 1833. She had laid herself out in state in James Sturdy's Kelfield barn, and thousands of curious people from all over Yorkshire filed past, in the hope of seeing a miracle. When she did not pass away, Sturdy must have wondered how to extricate himself from the embarrassing situation. Hannah died a few years later aged only 27 years. There is a record of Hannah's burial on Christmas Eve 1839, at Holy Trinity, Goodramgate, York.