Strensall
Encyclopedia
Strensall is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority
of the City of York in North Yorkshire
, England, on the River Foss
north of York
and north-east of Haxby
. Prior to 1996 it had been part of the Ryedale
district. It covers an area of 2,908 acres.
The nearby Strensall Common
is a Special Area of Conservation
, an example of lowland heathland habitat covering over 5 km². Strensall also has an army firing range and training area both of which belong to the Ministry of Defence
.
as Streonaeshalch, after Streona, a personal name, and halch, a corner of land. The name has alterd through the centuries from Strenshale in the 11th century, to Stranessale in the 14th century and to Strencile or Strencham alias Trencham in the 17th century.
It has belonged to the Archbishops of York since before 1214, apart from a short period in 1547 when it was briefly held by Duke of Somerset and Lord Wharton. During the reign of Edward the Confessor the manor and land belonged to a couple of Saxon lords known as Sasford and Turchil
Strensall is also the possible site of many historical events supposed to have occurred in Whitby
, most significantly the 'Whitby' Synod
of 664
. This is due to a complication in 9th century documents, which describe Streonaeshalch as being Whitby (the name Whitby is Viking
as are all place names ending with the suffix "by", e.g. Selby, Grimsby, Wetherby etc. - "by" means "town" in Scandinavian languages, from the verb "bo", meaning "to reside").
The Hall with its moat and large grounds were to the north of the church. On the same site probably stood the manor-house of 1649 and 1757 which also had a moat.
On the 11th June 1974, the Provisinal IRA planted and exploded devices at the camp, though there was no loss of life.
As of 2010, the camp is the home of HQ 2 Med Bde, 34 Field Hospital, HQ Strensall Training Centre, 9 Cadet Training Team, AMS FTC, Kings Division Recruiting Team, Army Youth Team, The Garrison Dental Centre, MPGS Defence Platoon and other smaller units.
parliamentary constituency until the 2010 general election when it was transferred to the newly created constituency of York Outer.
Strensall forms its own ward in the City of York Council. As of May 2011, it is represented by Paul Doughty and Sian Wiseman of the local Conservative Party
The village is part of the Strensall with Towthorpe Parish Council. There are 14 councillors in total.
flows from the north-east of the vilalge in a south and south-westerly direction towards Towthorpe. It is crossed by three bridges. About a quarter of a mile east of the village is Strensall station on the York and Scarborough branch of the North Eastern railway.
Strensall Common lies to the east of the village and forms part of the surrounding lowland heath. There are a number of different habitats, such as wet heath, dry heath and birch/oak woodland with areas of standing water. There are over 150 plant species including, marsh cinquefoil, marsh gentian, round-leaved sundew and petty whin.
There are over 60 species of bird including curlew
, whinchat
, and both green and great spotted woodpecker
. Amongst the numerous insects to be found are green
and purple hairstreak butterflies
, dark-bordered beauty moth
, bog bush cricket and glow worm
. Other wildlife seen here include fox
, hare
and harvest mouse
. Hebridean sheep
and Highland cattle
graze during summer to keep down vegetation.
The site is maintained by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
There are three level crossings within Strensall as it lies on the York to Scarborough Line
but there is no station anymore. Strensall railway station
was a minor railway station serving the village. It was opened on 5 July 1845 by the York and North Midland Railway
and closed on 22 September 1930.
, three pubs, a bakery, a hairdressers, a fish & chip shop and Chinese takeaway. It also has a library and a medical centre. Its sports facilities include 2 playing fields, one with changing rooms; three floodlit tennis courts; two football pitches and one astro pitch and five small parks. There are 20 half plot allotments on New Lane run by the council and were established in 2008. There are also 14 plots run by the Parish Council on Northfield Lane.
The Parish Church of Strensall is St. Mary the Virgin. The current building was consecrated by the Archbishop of York in 1866 after the old building, originally dedicated to St James, was destroyed about 1798 or 1800. There are also the Methodist Chapel and St. Wilfred's Garrison
Church.
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of the City of York 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, on the River Foss
River Foss
The River Foss is an improved river in North Yorkshire, England, and a tributary of the River Ouse. It rises in the Foss Crooks woods near Oulston reservoir close to the village of Yearsley and runs south through the Vale of York to the Ouse...
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 north-east of Haxby
Haxby
Haxby is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of City of York, on the River Foss, five miles north of York and south of Strensall, in North Yorkshire, England. Haxby is bordered on the east by the River Foss, and to the west by the village of Wigginton, whose expansion has caused the...
. Prior to 1996 it had been part of the 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:...
district. It covers an area of 2,908 acres.
The nearby Strensall Common
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
is a Special Area of Conservation
Special Area of Conservation
A Special Area of Conservation is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive , also known as the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora...
, an example of lowland heathland habitat covering over 5 km². Strensall also has an army firing range and training area both of which belong to the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
.
History
Strensall is referred to in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Streonaeshalch, after Streona, a personal name, and halch, a corner of land. The name has alterd through the centuries from Strenshale in the 11th century, to Stranessale in the 14th century and to Strencile or Strencham alias Trencham in the 17th century.
It has belonged to the Archbishops of York since before 1214, apart from a short period in 1547 when it was briefly held by Duke of Somerset and Lord Wharton. During the reign of Edward the Confessor the manor and land belonged to a couple of Saxon lords known as Sasford and Turchil
Strensall is also the possible site of many historical events supposed to have occurred in Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
, most significantly the 'Whitby' Synod
Synod of Whitby
The Synod of Whitby was a seventh century Northumbriansynod where King Oswiu of Northumbria ruled that his kingdom would calculate Easter and observe the monastic tonsure according to the customs of Rome, rather than the customs practised by Iona and its satellite institutions...
of 664
664
Year 664 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 664 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* Arab armies conquer Kabul.* Kuo Wu Tsung of Tang...
. This is due to a complication in 9th century documents, which describe Streonaeshalch as being Whitby (the name Whitby is 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...
as are all place names ending with the suffix "by", e.g. Selby, Grimsby, Wetherby etc. - "by" means "town" in Scandinavian languages, from the verb "bo", meaning "to reside").
The Hall with its moat and large grounds were to the north of the church. On the same site probably stood the manor-house of 1649 and 1757 which also had a moat.
Strensall Camp
To the south of the village lays Strensall Camp, formed by the War Office in 1884 for training troops. It covers about 1800acres and stretches to Towthorpe. The military estate includes accommodation and a firing range. During the latter half of the 20th century, the camp was known as Queen Elizabeth Barracks and was home of the Training Depot of the Kings' Division.On the 11th June 1974, the Provisinal IRA planted and exploded devices at the camp, though there was no loss of life.
As of 2010, the camp is the home of HQ 2 Med Bde, 34 Field Hospital, HQ Strensall Training Centre, 9 Cadet Training Team, AMS FTC, Kings Division Recruiting Team, Army Youth Team, The Garrison Dental Centre, MPGS Defence Platoon and other smaller units.
Demography
The 1881 census records the population as being 446. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 3,815.Governance
Strensall was in the RyedaleRyedale (UK Parliament constituency)
Ryedale was a constituency in North Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
parliamentary constituency until the 2010 general election when it was transferred to the newly created constituency of York Outer.
Strensall forms its own ward in the City of York Council. As of May 2011, it is represented by Paul Doughty and Sian Wiseman of the local Conservative Party
The village is part of the Strensall with Towthorpe Parish Council. There are 14 councillors in total.
Geography
The soil is sand and foxmole laid over a subsoil of white and grey sandstone. The land lies for the most part about 50 ft above sea level. The River FossRiver Foss
The River Foss is an improved river in North Yorkshire, England, and a tributary of the River Ouse. It rises in the Foss Crooks woods near Oulston reservoir close to the village of Yearsley and runs south through the Vale of York to the Ouse...
flows from the north-east of the vilalge in a south and south-westerly direction towards Towthorpe. It is crossed by three bridges. About a quarter of a mile east of the village is Strensall station on the York and Scarborough branch of the North Eastern railway.
Strensall Common
54.04522°N 1.01179°WStrensall Common lies to the east of the village and forms part of the surrounding lowland heath. There are a number of different habitats, such as wet heath, dry heath and birch/oak woodland with areas of standing water. There are over 150 plant species including, marsh cinquefoil, marsh gentian, round-leaved sundew and petty whin.
There are over 60 species of bird including curlew
Curlew
The curlews , genus Numenius, are a group of eight species of birds, characterised by long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills...
, whinchat
Whinchat
The Whinchat Saxicola rubetra is a small migratory passerine bird breeding in Europe and western Asia and wintering in Africa.Its scientific name means "small rock-dweller", in reference to its habitat...
, and both green and great spotted woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
The Great Spotted Woodpecker , Dendrocopos major, is a bird species of the woodpecker family . It is distributed throughout Europe and northern Asia, and usually resident year-round except in the colder parts of its range...
. Amongst the numerous insects to be found are green
Green Hairstreak
The Green Hairstreak, Callophrys rubi, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.Callophrys rubi is found in Europe, North Africa, Russia, Asia Minor, Siberia, Amurland , Baluchistan and Chitral....
and purple hairstreak butterflies
Purple Hairstreak
The Purple Hairstreak Neozephyrus quercus is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae distributed throughout much of Europe. North Africa, Asia Minor, Caucasus and Transcaucasia....
, dark-bordered beauty moth
Epione vespertaria
The Dark Bordered Beauty is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is found from south-western Europe to the Amur River.The wingspan is 25-30 mm. Adults are sexually dimorphic, with the females darker than the males...
, bog bush cricket and glow worm
Glowworm
Glowworm, or glow worm, is the common name for various groups of insect larvae and adult larviform females that glow through bioluminescence. They may sometimes resemble worms, but all are insects .-Classification:Major families are:* Lampyridae , found around the world...
. Other wildlife seen here include fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
, hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
and harvest mouse
Harvest Mouse
The Harvest Mouse, Micromys minutus, is a small rodent native to Europe and Asia. It is typically found in fields of cereal crops such as wheat and oats, in reed beds and in other tall ground vegetation such as long grass and hedgerows. It has reddish-brown fur with white underparts and a naked,...
. Hebridean sheep
Hebridean (sheep)
The Hebridean is a breed of small black sheep from Scotland, similar to other members of the Northern European short-tailed sheep group, having a short, triangular tail. They often have two pairs of horns...
and Highland cattle
Highland cattle
Highland cattle or kyloe are a Scottish breed of beef cattle with long horns and long wavy coats which are coloured black, brindled, red, yellow or dun....
graze during summer to keep down vegetation.
The site is maintained by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
Economy
In the 19th century employment was found in a tannery in the village. There were also the Strensall Pottery and Britannia pottery near the village. Though there is some employment at the local Barracks, the village is mostly a domitory for commuters to nearby York.Transport
First transport group operate a service through the village as part of the York City Centre to Strensall route (Number 5 ).There are three level crossings within Strensall as it lies on the York to Scarborough Line
York to Scarborough Line
The York to Scarborough Line runs between the city of York, England, and the town of Scarborough. Towns and villages served along the way are Malton, Norton-on-Derwent and Seamer.-History:...
but there is no station anymore. Strensall railway station
Strensall railway station
Strensall railway station was a minor railway station serving the village of Strensall in North Yorkshire, England.-History:It is situated on the York to Scarborough Line and was opened on 5 July 1845 by the York and North Midland Railway. It closed on 22 September 1930...
was a minor railway station serving the village. It was opened on 5 July 1845 by the York and North Midland Railway
York and North Midland Railway
The York and North Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839, connecting York, with the Leeds and Selby Railway and in 1840 with the North Midland Railway at Normanton near Leeds.-Origins:...
and closed on 22 September 1930.
Community
Strensall has three local grocery shops plus a post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, three pubs, a bakery, a hairdressers, a fish & chip shop and Chinese takeaway. It also has a library and a medical centre. Its sports facilities include 2 playing fields, one with changing rooms; three floodlit tennis courts; two football pitches and one astro pitch and five small parks. There are 20 half plot allotments on New Lane run by the council and were established in 2008. There are also 14 plots run by the Parish Council on Northfield Lane.
Religious sites
A Wesleyan chapel existing in Strensall from 1823 was succeeded by a new building in 1895. Between 1879 and 1889 a Primitive Methodist chapel was built in the village.The Parish Church of Strensall is St. Mary the Virgin. The current building was consecrated by the Archbishop of York in 1866 after the old building, originally dedicated to St James, was destroyed about 1798 or 1800. There are also the Methodist Chapel and St. Wilfred's Garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
Church.