Appersett is a hamlet in the

Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales is an upland area of the Pennines in the historic county of Yorkshire, England, most of it in the Yorkshire Dales National Park created in 1954. The Dales comprise river valleys and the hills rising from the Vale of York w ...

in the

Richmondshire {{Infobox settlement , name = Richmondshire District , type = District , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_blank_emblem= Richmondshire arms.png , blank_emblem_type = Coat ...

district of

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, England west of

Hawes Hawes is a market town and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England, at the head of Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, and historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The River Ure north of the town is a touri ...

. It lies on the

A684 road The A684 is an A road that runs through Cumbria and North Yorkshire, starting at Kendal, Cumbria and ending at Ellerbeck and the A19 road in North Yorkshire. It crosses the full width of the Yorkshire Dales, passing through Garsdale and the f ...

and an unclassified road runs alongside Widdale Beck to connect with the

B6255 road New B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme The Great Britain road numbering scheme is a numbering scheme used to classify and identify all roads in ...

between Hawes and Ingleton.

History

The name Appersett derives from Norse and means the '

Shieling A shieling is a hut or collection of huts on a seasonal pasture high in the hills, once common in wild or sparsely populated places in Scotland. Usually rectangular with a doorway on the south side and few or no windows, they were often cons ...

by the apple tree'. The suffix "sett", is notable to

Wensleydale Wensleydale is the dale or upper valley of the River Ure on the east side of the Pennines, one of the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of only a few Yorkshire Dales not currently named after its principal river, but th ...

( Burtersett and

Countersett Countersett is the largest of the three settlements in Raydale, around Semerwater in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It is in the Yorkshire Dales to the north of the lake. The Boar East and West were once one farm, and ...

), with Appersett originally recorded as ''Appeltresate'', which became ''Aperside'' and eventually, Appersett. Historically in the

wapentake A hundred is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region. It was formerly used in England, Wales, some parts of the United States, Denmark, Southern Schleswig, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek, ...

Hang West Hang West was a Wapentake (Hundred) in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The Wapentake measured across (from west to east) and was from north to south. It was bordered on its eastern side by Hang East, the West Riding of Yorkshire on the southe ...

and in the Parish of Aysgarth, the hamlet is now within the civil Parish of Hawes, where its population is recorded in the 2011 Census. The bridge in the hamlet that carries the A684 over Widdale Beck, was built in the early 18th century and was widened in 1795 by the architect, John Carr. The second bridge to the north west, is New Bridge, which spans the

River Ure The River Ure in North Yorkshire, England is approximately long from its source to the point where it becomes the River Ouse. It is the principal river of Wensleydale, which is the only major dale now named after a village rather than its r ...

and was built in 1825 to allow Hawes to be connected to the

Askrigg Askrigg is a small village and civil parish in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is part of the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. The village and its parish are located in Upper Wensleydale, west of Leybur ...

Sedbergh Sedbergh ( or ) is a town and civil parish in Cumbria, England. The 2001 census gave the parish a population of 2,705, increasing at the 2011 census to 2,765. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies about east of Kendal, nor ...

Turnpike Turnpike often refers to: * A type of gate, another word for a turnstile * In the United States, a toll road Turnpike may also refer to: Roads United Kingdom * A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powers ...

. Both bridges are now grade II listed structures. Although the hamlet is above sea level, it is subjected to flooding as it lies at a low point in the Wensleydale valley at the northern end of

Widdale Widdale is a small side dale on the south side of Wensleydale in North Yorkshire, England. The dale lies to the east of Great Knoutberry Hill (also known as Widdale Fell) and is bounded on the west by Dentdale, south by Sleddale and north by Mo ...

, where Widdale Beck flows into the River Ure. The hamlet consists of only 23 dwellings and is located on the south side of the River Ure. Up until the early part of the twentieth century, the hamlet had its own

Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...

chapel. There are no amenities in the village, aside from an art gallery which previews the work of a local artist; however, the location is a popular starting point for walks in Cotterdale and Widdale, and the hamlet is also on the Herriott Way, a circular walk through

Swaledale Swaledale is one of the northernmost dales (valleys) in Yorkshire Dales National Park, located in northern England. It is the dale of the River Swale on the east side of the Pennines in North Yorkshire. Geographical overview Swaledale runs ...

and Wensleydale.

Appersett Viaduct

To the south of the village is Appersett Viaduct, which used to carry the Northallerton to Garsdale railway line. The five-arch viaduct is long and is above Widdale Beck, which it spans (although the eastern edge also crosses an unclassified road). It was designed by J S Crossley, who designed most of the viaducts on the

Settle and Carlisle line Settle or SETTLE may refer to: Places * Settle, Kentucky, United States * Settle, North Yorkshire, a town in England ** Settle Rural District, a historical administrative district Music * Settle (band), an indie rock band from Pennsylvania * ''S ...

, and was opened in 1878 as part of the Midland Railway's branch from Garsdale (Hawes Junction) to Hawes. The line closed to passengers in 1959, with complete closure coming in 1964. It was grade II listed in 1969 and in 1992, British Rail offered the viaduct for sale for only £1, but the new owners would be required to maintain the structure. It is used for abseiling by a local outdoor centre, but it does feature in the plans of a resurgent railway between and .

References

External links

Detailed street map of Appersett showing all 23 buildings with namesAppersett
in th
Upper Dales
website {{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Hawes