Birdforth is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

in the Hambleton district of

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four cou ...

, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 13. The population remained less than 100 at the 2011 Census. Details are included in the civil parish of Long Marston, North Yorkshire. The village is on the

A19 road The A19 is a major road in England running approximately parallel to and east of the A1 road. Although the two roads meet at the northern end of the A19, the two roads originally met at the southern end of the A19 in Doncaster, but the old r ...

, about six miles south of

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England known for its racecourse; quirky yarnbomber displays, and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological ...

History

Birdforth was also the name of one of the wapentakes, or subdivisions, of the North Riding of Yorkshire, which covered the area around the village. A school was built in 1875, but closed in 1961.

Governance

The village lies within the Thirsk and Malton UK Parliament constituency. It is also within the

Easingwold Easingwold is a market town, electoral ward and civil parish in the Hambleton District in North Yorkshire, England. Historically, part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it had a population of 4,233 at the 2001 census, increasing to 4,627 at ...

electoral division of North Yorkshire County Council and the Helperby ward of Hambleton District Council.

Geography

The nearest settlements to the village are Hutton Sessay to the north-west; Carlton Husthwaite to the north-east and Thormanby to the south. Birdforth Beck, which flows at the south end of the village, is part of the tributary system of the

River Swale The River Swale in Yorkshire, England, is a major tributary of the River Ure, which becomes the River Ouse, that empties into the North Sea via the Humber Estuary. The river gives its name to Swaledale, the valley through which it flows. ...

. The 1881 UK Census recorded the population as 42.

Religion

St Mary's Church, Birdforth is a

grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

Norman church; it was partly rebuilt in 1585, but is no longer in use.

References

Villages in North Yorkshire Civil parishes in North Yorkshire {{Hambleton-geo-stub