Bilbrough () is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the county of

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, England, south-west of

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

, and just outside the York city boundary. According to the 2001 Census it had a population of 319 increasing to 348 at the 2011 census. The village was historically part of the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

until 1974. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of

Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, ...

, it is now administered by the unitary

North Yorkshire Council North Yorkshire Council, known between 1974 and 2023 as North Yorkshire County Council, is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire, England. Since 2023 the council has been a unitary authority, being a county coun ...

History

The name means "The fortress of ''Bila''", a personal name – probably Anglo-Saxon – not recorded but suggested by numerous other placenames. The village and the surrounding parish has an area of 1,390 acres and was mostly the property of the Fairfax family from the 14th century onwards.

Thomas Fairfax Sir Thomas Fairfax (17 January 1612 – 12 November 1671) was an English army officer and politician who commanded the New Model Army from 1645 to 1650 during the English Civil War. Because of his dark hair, he was known as "Black Tom" to his l ...

, parliamentary commander-in-chief during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, is buried here in a tomb inside the Fairfax Chapel within the village church, beside his wife Anne, daughter of Lord Vere, Baron of Tilbury. Other notable landowners of the Parish included Richard Basy, an MP for York in the late 13th century. Bilbrough Manor, built in 1902 for Guy Thomas Fairfax, is a Grade II listed building. The original Manor House, now a farmhouse, was built in 1670 for Thomas Fairfax. It is known that the former MP and Lord Mayor of York, Admiral Robert Fairfax, resided at this Manor. It was destroyed by fire in 1832. In 1881 the population was 198. The village is the subject of a 17th-century poem, ''Upon the hill and grove at Bilbrough'', written by English metaphysical poet and politician,

Andrew Marvell Andrew Marvell (; 31 March 1621 – 16 August 1678) was an English metaphysical poet, satirist and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1659 and 1678. During the Commonwealth period he was a colleague and friend ...

Geography

The village is set amongst fields and farmland north of the

A64 road The A64 is a major road in North and West Yorkshire, England, which links Leeds, York and Scarborough. The A64 starts as the A64(M) ring road motorway in Leeds, then towards York it becomes a high-quality dual carriageway until it is east of ...

on lateral

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and Rock (geology), rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a gla ...

made of boulder clay and gravel, 150 feet above sea level. A flyover which affords access to the village was opened on 9 June 2005 by the then Roads Minister Dr Stephen Ladyman, replacing an earlier junction that was a known accident blackspot. Close to the flyover, at either side of the A64, there are small service stations, hotels and fast food restaurants. To the west of the village is Ingle Edge Hill with views to Marston Moor and Towton. Close by is a ''tumulus'' of an ancient chieftain that faces towards Leeds. Little Chef - geograph

The main street in Bilbrough is home to ''The Three Hares''

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

and a parish church which dates back to

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

times. The village hall offers community events.

Parish Council

The local Parish Council has seven available councillor posts and is within the North Yorkshire Council ward of Appleton Roebuck and Church Fenton.

Religion

St James' Church, Bilbrough St James' Church is the parish church of Bilbrough, a village between York and Tadcaster in North Yorkshire, in England. A church was built on the site in the 12th century, initially as a chapel in the parish of Askham Richard. By the early 19 ...

was built in 1876 in a Norman style by Thomas Fairfax upon the remains of the original. There was also a Wesleyan Chapel built in 1836.

References

External links