Sowerby, North Yorkshire
Encyclopedia
Sowerby is a small village
and civil parish in the Hambleton
district of North Yorkshire
, England, it is situated immediately south of Thirsk
.
Thirsk School and Sixth Form College
, the secondary school
for the surrounding area is actually in Sowerby and has around 1,200 pupils. The primary schools in the village are Sowerby Community Primary School and All Saints Roman Catholic Primary School.
The Parish Church of St Oswald
dates from about 1140. In 1145 Roger de Mowbray, nephew of William the Conqueror, gave the care of the Chapel at Sowerby to the Prior of Newburgh, and historical records show that several members of the ancient Family of Lassels, who were Lords of the Village for about 500 years, are buried in their own Chapel of St Oswald of Sowerby. The Lascelles (Lassels) family are also credited with building a terrace of houses at the north end of the village, still known as Blue (or Bribery) Terrace, since tenants were expected to vote for the candidate who supported the Tory cause!
The area's main industry
is farming, though most people commute to nearby towns and villages. It is also an important tourist centre, with holiday cottages, bed and breakfast providers and a touring caravan site just to the south of the village. Sowerby's name comes from the Viking
(Norse) language, in which it means 'Farmstead (by the) smelly pit', which is the origin of the word sewer.
British Member of Parliament, trade union activist and Labour Party Vice Chairman Joan Maynard
lived and died here.
The village has connections with the author James Herriot (Alf Wight), and several former residents featured in his books, including "Mrs Pumphrey", her Pekinese dog "Tricky Woo", and her irrascible chauffeur. Amenities include a pub/restaurant, the "Crown and Anchor", and "Oswalds", a premier hotel/restaurant overlooking the village green. There is also a fish and chip shop.
The centre of the village also boasts a fine avenue of English lime trees, planted to celebrate the Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. The southern limit of the village is the Cod Beck River, with a 17th century pack horse bridge. A short walk away is a neolithic round barrow, "Pudding Pie Hill". To the east of the village is the open area of Sowerby Flatts, pasture land valued as a green lung for the village and a favourite dog walking area. The fields show "rig and furrow" cultivation marks, and the river shows signs of the abandoned late 18th century attempt to build a canal from the centre of the town to connect with the River Swale.
Also within the parish bounds, which run almost to the Thirsk town centre, the volunteer-run Ritz Cinema. It dates back to 1912 (although the building is much earlier) and shows first run films seven days a week.
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 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, it is situated immediately south of Thirsk
Thirsk
Thirsk is a small market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. The local travel links are located a mile from the town centre to Thirsk railway station and to Durham Tees Valley Airport...
.
Thirsk School and Sixth Form College
Thirsk School and Sixth Form College
Thirsk School and Sixth Form College is a secondary school located in Sowerby, a village adjoining Thirsk, North Yorkshire, England. The headteacher, Mr. Christopher Lewis, retired in January 2009 after nearly 28 years as headteacher at the school. His successor is Mr. Stuart Mason who has a good...
, the secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
for the surrounding area is actually in Sowerby and has around 1,200 pupils. The primary schools in the village are Sowerby Community Primary School and All Saints Roman Catholic Primary School.
St Oswald's Church, Sowerby
St Oswald's Church is located in Sowerby, in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is named after Oswald of Northumbria.The earliest church at Sowerby, of which any part remains, appears to have been built about 1140. The fine south doorway was probably built in the 11th century and most of...
dates from about 1140. In 1145 Roger de Mowbray, nephew of William the Conqueror, gave the care of the Chapel at Sowerby to the Prior of Newburgh, and historical records show that several members of the ancient Family of Lassels, who were Lords of the Village for about 500 years, are buried in their own Chapel of St Oswald of Sowerby. The Lascelles (Lassels) family are also credited with building a terrace of houses at the north end of the village, still known as Blue (or Bribery) Terrace, since tenants were expected to vote for the candidate who supported the Tory cause!
The area's main industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
is farming, though most people commute to nearby towns and villages. It is also an important tourist centre, with holiday cottages, bed and breakfast providers and a touring caravan site just to the south of the village. Sowerby's name comes from the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
(Norse) language, in which it means 'Farmstead (by the) smelly pit', which is the origin of the word sewer.
British Member of Parliament, trade union activist and Labour Party Vice Chairman Joan Maynard
Joan Maynard
Vera Joan Maynard known as Joan Maynard was an English trade unionist and Labour politician.Dubbed "Stalin's Granny" due to her left-wing views, Maynard was a leading activist in the National Union of Agricultural Workers becoming vice-president of the union and being narrowly beaten to its...
lived and died here.
The village has connections with the author James Herriot (Alf Wight), and several former residents featured in his books, including "Mrs Pumphrey", her Pekinese dog "Tricky Woo", and her irrascible chauffeur. Amenities include a pub/restaurant, the "Crown and Anchor", and "Oswalds", a premier hotel/restaurant overlooking the village green. There is also a fish and chip shop.
The centre of the village also boasts a fine avenue of English lime trees, planted to celebrate the Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. The southern limit of the village is the Cod Beck River, with a 17th century pack horse bridge. A short walk away is a neolithic round barrow, "Pudding Pie Hill". To the east of the village is the open area of Sowerby Flatts, pasture land valued as a green lung for the village and a favourite dog walking area. The fields show "rig and furrow" cultivation marks, and the river shows signs of the abandoned late 18th century attempt to build a canal from the centre of the town to connect with the River Swale.
Also within the parish bounds, which run almost to the Thirsk town centre, the volunteer-run Ritz Cinema. It dates back to 1912 (although the building is much earlier) and shows first run films seven days a week.
External links
- Sowerby Primary School
- Sowerby North Yorkshire
- St Oswald's Parish Church, Sowerby
- Thirsk School and Sixth Form College
- All Saints RC Primary School
- Sowerby Nursery School
- Links to everything about Sowerby
- War Memorials in Sowerby, North Yorkshire
- Ritz Cinema
- Sowerby Now! Sowerby's quarterly newspaper