Coxwold 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, in the

North York Moors National Park North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

. It is 18 miles north 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 is where the Rev.

Laurence Sterne Laurence Sterne (24 November 1713 – 18 March 1768) was an Anglo-Irish novelist and Anglican cleric. He is best known for his comic novels ''The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'' (1759–1767) and ''A Sentimental Journey Thro ...

wrote '' A Sentimental Journey''.

History

The village name is derived from

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

words ''Cuc'', meaning ''cry'', and ''valt'', meaning ''wood''. The village is mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086 as part of the ''Yarlestre'' hundred by the name of ''Cucvalt''. The lord of the manor at the time of the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

in 1066 was ''Kofse'' but the manor passed to ''Hugh, son of Baldric'', and thence to Roger de Mowbray. Before 1158 the manor and lands of Coxwold passed to Thomas de Colville. In return for the lands Thomas had to swear allegiance to Roger de Mowbray. Thomas de Colville's estate included the manors of

Yearsley Yearsley is a small village and civil parish in the county in North Yorkshire, England. The population of the civil parish was less than 100 at the 2011 Census. Details are included in the civil parish of Brandsby-cum-Stearsby. It is situate ...

, Coxwold and Oulston as well as other properties and land in

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England; it is known for its racecourse and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological finds indicate there was a settlement in Thirsk aro ...

, Everley, Nunwick, Kilburn and Upsland. The Colville shield is proudly displayed at one of the roof intersections in the twelfth-century Norman church in Coxwold.Yearsley: A Genealogical Story Part 1: The Early Years
/ref> Successive generations of Colvilles held the estate and lands of Coxwold until 1405 when the eighth Thomas Colville was murdered, probably on the instructions of Richard le Scrope, Archbishop of York, who, in turn, was acting on behalf of

Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal (10 November 134120 February 1408) was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy, and a descendant of Henry III of England. His mother was M ...

. The bulk of the Coxwold estate was then granted to the Uhtred-Neville family. While in possession of the Coxwold estate the Colville family made generous grants to

Byland Abbey Byland Abbey is a ruined abbey and a small village in Byland with Wass civil parish, in the county of North Yorkshire, England, in the North York Moors National Park. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Ryedale, it is now administe ...

and

Newburgh Priory Newburgh Priory is a Grade 1 listed Tudor building near Coxwold, North Yorkshire, England. Originally a house of Augustinian canons, it was founded in 1145 and became a family home following the dissolution of the priory in 1538. The present ...

but at the turn of the fourteenth century there were disputes between the monks of

and the Colvilles over rights to land around Coxwold. In 1304 the fifth Sir Thomas Colville started a tradition of a weekly market to be held in the grounds of the manor of Coxwold. He also established a two-day annual fair to celebrate the Assumption, a tradition that survived uninterrupted in Coxwold Manor for some five hundred years. The seventh Sir Thomas Colville (of Yearsley and Coxwold) became famous following a jousting incident before the

Battle of Crécy The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northern France between a French army commanded by King PhilipVI and an English army led by King Edward III. The French attacked the English while they were traversing northern France ...

in 1346 when he crossed the river to joust with a French knight who had been hurling abuse at the English king. He later joined the retinue of

John of Gaunt John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399), was an English royal prince, military leader and statesman. He was the fourth son (third surviving) of King Edward III of England, and the father of King Henry IV. Because ...

, the Duke of Lancaster, the third son of Edward III and by far the richest noble in England. At one time the village had a

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

on the Thirsk and Malton Line. It opened on 19 May 1853 but closed on 7 August 1964 as part of the reorganisation of the national railway system. In 1603 Sir John Harte, who was born in nearby

Kilburn, North Yorkshire Kilburn is a village in the civil parish of Kilburn High and Low, in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the edge of the North York Moors National Park, and north of Easingwold. History The village is mentioned in the Domesday ...

, built a grammar school in the village, which closed in 1894. He was also a Lord Mayor of London.

Governance

Coxwold is in the Thirsk and Malton UK Parliament constituency. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Hambleton, 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 ...

. A ne
Coxwold village website
was launched in 2018.

Geography

Most of the buildings in the village are on a slight incline, with the church at the top. At the bottom of the hill was the village smithy, now a holiday cottage. The

Fauconberg Arms Inn The Fauconberg Arms is a 17th-century Coaching inn in Coxwold, North Yorkshire, England. The village and estate were given to the Fauconberg family by Henry VIII. The property is still owned by the Newburgh Priory Estate and is named after the ...

is on the main street. It bears the arms and motto of

Baron Fauconberg Baron Fauconberg (also Falconberg or Falconbridge) is an hereditary title created twice in the Peerage of England. First created in 1295 when Sir Walter de Fauconberg, an Anglo-Norman, was summoned to parliament. Between 1463 and 1903 the peera ...

and offers accommodation and a restaurant. According to the 1881 UK Census the population was 313. The 2001 UK Census put the population of the wider civil parish at 265. The nearest villages to Coxwold are Husthwaite to the south-west,

Carlton Husthwaite Carlton Husthwaite is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England, about seven miles south-east of Thirsk. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 167, increasing to 180 at the 2011 Census. History The vi ...

to the west, Kilburn to the north-west, Wass to the north-east and Oulston to the south-south-east. Ordnance Survey
/ref> Green's Beck runs south-westwards through the village to join Mill Beck, form Elphin Beck and eventually flow into the

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

Education

The village had a primary school from 1863 until 1974. It is in the primary-education catchment area of

Husthwaite __NOTOC__ Husthwaite is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately north from Easingwold. History The name probably derives from the Middle English 'hous', from Old English 'hus' meaning ...

Church of England School and in the secondary-education catchment area of

Easingwold Easingwold is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish 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 the 2011 Census. I ...

School.

Religion

Since 700 AD Coxwold has had a church at the top of the hill. The present church was built in 1420 in the

Perpendicular style Perpendicular Gothic (also Perpendicular, Rectilinear, or Third Pointed) architecture was the third and final style of English Gothic architecture developed in the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ages, typified by large windows, four-ce ...

with an unusual octagonal west tower and is dedicated to St Michael. The chancel features a unique tongue-shaped communion rail (early 18th century). Laurence Sterne was appointed vicar in 1760.

Notable residents

The Rev.

lived at

Shandy Hall Shandy Hall is a writer's house museum in the former home of the Rev. Laurence Sterne in Coxwold, North Yorkshire, England. Sterne lived there from 1760 to 1768 as perpetual curate of Coxwold. He is remembered for his novels ''The Life and Op ...

from 1760 to 1768 and the house was named by him. Shandy Hall is on Thirsk Bank at the north-western end of the village and was originally built in 1430 as a parsonage for Coxwold's village priest. It is a small brick building with a mossy, stone-covered roof, wide gables and massive chimney-stacks. It was originally a timber-framed open-hall house but was considerably altered in the 17th century. The stone tablet above the doorway states that Sterne wrote ''

Tristram Shandy Tristram may refer to: Literature * the title character of ''The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'', a novel by Laurence Sterne * the title character of '' Tristram of Lyonesse'', an epic poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne *"Tristr ...

'' and ''A Sentimental Journey'' at Shandy Hall. This is not entirely accurate, for two (of the nine) volumes of ''Tristram Shandy'' had already been published in 1759 before Sterne moved to Coxwold. Sir George Orby Wombwell, 4th Baronet and the last surviving officer of the

Charge of the Light Brigade The Charge of the Light Brigade was a military action undertaken by British light cavalry against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War, resulting in many casualties to the cavalry. On 25 October 1854, the Light Br ...

, is buried in the village churchyard. In more recent times the village was the home to the Coxwold Pottery, run by Peter & Jill Dick.

Notable buildings

To the south of the village is

, a Grade I listed stately home built on the site of a former Augustinian priory. The original priory was built in 1145 by Roger de Mowbray but fell victim to the Dissolution of the Monasteries instigated by

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...

. The King sold the estate to Anthony de Bellasis, whose family took the name of Fauconberg when the baronetcy was created. The estate passed to the Wombwell family in 1825 at the end of the male line and remains in their possession today. To the north of the village are the ruins of

, a Grade I listed building, which was founded in the 12th century by Savigniac monks. In the village is

Bell House Bell House or Bellhouse may refer to: Places Canada * Bell House (1910), a notable residence in Nutana, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada * Bellhouse Provincial Park, British Columbia Ireland * Bell House (Ireland), part of Cambridge House Gramm ...

, almshouses dating from 1662, and The Old Hall, a former school built about 1600.

References

External links

Coxwold village
{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Civil parishes in North Yorkshire