Oswaldkirk is a small village 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...

 near Helmsley

Helmsley

Helmsley is a market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. The town is located at the point where the valleys of Bilsdale and Ryedale leave the higher moorland and join the flat Vale of Pickering. It is situated on the River Rye and lies on the A170 road, east...

 in the district of Ryedale

Ryedale

Ryedale is a non-metropolitan district of the shire county of North Yorkshire in England. Settlements include Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, Malton, Norton-on-Derwent, Pickering, and Terrington.-Derivation of name:...

 in 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 named after the village church

Church of Saint Oswald, King and Martyr, Oswaldkirk

The Church of Saint Oswald, King and Martyr is a Church of England church in Oswaldkirk, North Yorkshire, England, a village that takes its name from the church...

 of St Oswald, King and Martyr, the Anglo-Saxon

Anglo-Saxon

Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...

 King of Northumbria who was slain by the pagan, Penda

Penda of Mercia

Penda was a 7th-century King of Mercia, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom in what is today the English Midlands. A pagan at a time when Christianity was taking hold in many of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, Penda took over the Severn Valley in 628 following the Battle of Cirencester before participating in the...

 in 642. There is also a Catholic Church of St Aidan.

The village also has a playground, a village hall

Village hall

In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...

 and a pub called 'The Malt Shovel'. It it situated on the junction of the B1257 and the B1363. It is on the path of the Ebor Way

Ebor Way

The Ebor Way is a 70 mile long-distance footpath from Helmsley, North Yorkshire to Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England. It takes its name from Eboracum, the Roman name for York....

.

Each year the village holds a Safari Lunch, a Cricket match and a Bonfire

Bonfire Night

Bonfire Night may refer to:* Bonfire Night, several traditions of bonfire celebrations* Guy Fawkes Night, in Great Britain and some Commonwealth nations * St John's Eve, in Ireland and Scandinavia...

. Every two years there is a benefice Hog Roast (Ampleforth

Ampleforth

Ampleforth is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England, about north of York. The village is situated on the edge of the North York Moors National Park...

, Gilling

Gilling

In Norse mythology, Gilling was the frost giant, father of Suttungr and Baugi and grandfather of Gunnlöð. He and his wife were murdered by Fjalar and Galar. Gilling is also a surname, although not very common.- Mythology :...

, Stonegrave

Stonegrave

Stonegrave is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the Howardian Hills and 4 miles south east of Helmsley.-External links:...

 & Oswaldkirk

Oswaldkirk

Oswaldkirk is a small village and civil parish near Helmsley in the district of Ryedale in North Yorkshire, England. It is named after the village church of St Oswald, King and Martyr, the Anglo-Saxon King of Northumbria who was slain by the pagan, Penda in 642...

).
In 2002 the village community wrote a book entitled "Oswaldkirk, A Living Village". In 2008, the village reached the North of England Finals in the Calor

Calor

Calor Gas is a brand of bottled butane and propane which is available in Britain and Ireland. It comes in cylinders, which have a special gas regulator.Calor was formed in 1935. Calor is the UK's leading supplier of Liquefied petroleum gas...

 village of the year competition, and was placed first in the "people" category.

Geology

Oswaldkirk is situated to the south of a steep hill, known as "Oswaldkirk Hagg". Many springs rise along the base of the hill, at the boundary of the Kimmeridge clay

Kimmeridge Clay

The Kimmeridge Clay Formation is a sedimentary deposit of fossiliferous marine clay which is of Jurassic age. It occurs in Europe.Kimmeridge Clay is arguably the most economically important unit of rocks in the whole of Europe, being the major source rock for oil fields in the North Sea hydrocarbon...

 and the Coralline Oolite. The latter was mined into the twentieth century in numerous quarries on the hagg between Oswaldkirk and Ampleforth

Ampleforth

Ampleforth is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England, about north of York. The village is situated on the edge of the North York Moors National Park...

, and fossils from the limestone, especially gastropods, are often found in the village.

History

The first recorded reference to Oswaldkirk was in the Domesday Book. It was referred to as "Oswaldecherca" or "Oswaldecherce" (Oswald's Church).

External links