Embsay is a village in the

Craven Craven may refer to: * Craven in the Domesday Book, an area of Yorkshire, England, larger area than the district ** Craven District, a local government district of North Yorkshire formed in 1974 Places * Craven, New South Wales, Australia, see ...

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 England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. It is paired with the neighbouring hamlet of Eastby to form the

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 ...

of Embsay with Eastby. The parish population as of the 2011 census was 1,871.

Geography

At the foot of Embsay Crag, a rock formation north of the village, is Embsay Reservoir. The crag marks the start of Barden Moor, an expanse of open moorland which is open access land and used by walkers. There are two more

reservoirs A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...

on the moor: Upper Barden Reservoir and Lower Barden Reservoir. Embsay reservoir is the headquarters of Craven Sailing Club.

History

Embsay was originally a Celtic settlement, possibly founded at the same time as a local

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

, destroyed in a Viking raid in 867 AD. The village has a Saxon name and is listed in the

Doomsday 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 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

as "Embesie", which translates as "Embe's enclosure". At that time, much of the area was wooded and this was progressively cleared over time to provide farmland. In 1120, Cecily de Romille and her husband founded

Embsay Priory Embsay Priory was a medieval monastic house in North Yorkshire, England. The priory was founded in 1120 in Embsay in Wharfedale. It was dedicated to St Mary and St Cuthbert and was part of the Augustinian order. William de Meschines and hi ...

. The Augustinian members of the priory dedicated it to

Saint Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Nor ...

and received local tithes. In 1154 they exchanged estates with the de Romille family and moved to

Bolton Abbey Bolton Abbey in Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England, takes its name from the ruins of the 12th-century Augustinian monastery now known as Bolton Priory. The priory, closed in the 1539 Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered by King H ...

, which was a more fertile location. The priory flourished and grew rich on the profits of sheep farming and wool trading. In 1305, Edward I granted a charter for an annual fair at Embsay.

The Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going fr ...

resulted in several mills being built in Embsay.

Community

Embsay Village Hall events include film nights, pantomimes, bowls, and jumble sales. The village has a newsagent on the main road. The dedicated post office closed; a counter in a newspaper shop now serves as a post office. Other businesses in Embsay are a hairdresser and an arts and crafts store. Embsay has two

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

s: the Elm Tree Inn and the Cavendish Arms. The Elm Tree Inn and

Elm Tree Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus ''Ulmus'' in the plant family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical- montane regions ...

Square take their names from a tree that stood there for many years. It was replaced in the late 20th century because of

Dutch elm disease Dutch elm disease (DED) is caused by a member of the sac fungi (Ascomycota) affecting elm trees, and is spread by elm bark beetles. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease was accidentally introduced into America, Europe, ...

, but in 2006 that replacement was also taken down. A further replacement was planted in 2007. The village has a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school which receives pupils from Embsay, Skipton and farther away. It was ranked the 141st best primary school in England in 2000, and had risen to 84th place by 2003. Embsay railway station was built in 1888, and is the current terminus of the heritage Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway. There is a bus service between Embsay and Skipton eight times a day on weekdays and three on Saturdays. The village has a cricket club that competes in the Craven League; its second team was, in 2006, the first second team in the league's history to play in the first division. The village also has a football club. Both clubs play at the same ground on Shires Lane at the north of the village. The club grounds are named the 'Robinson Memorial' after a local family who supported the club. Also at the north of the village is a recreational ground with a climbing frame and small football pitch.

Filming location

In the 2018

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

The ABC Murders ''The A.B.C. Murders'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, featuring her characters Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp, as they contend with a series of killings by a mysterious murderer know ...

'', Embsay is the location of the fifth murder. Scenes were filmed at the Embsay railway station.

Notable people

* Ron Fawcett, rock climber, born in Embsay * Robert Sidgwick, amateur first-class cricketer, born in Embsay

Gallery

Image:EmbsayStation.jpg, Embsay Station Image:Embsaycrag.jpg, Barden Moor with Embsay Crag in the distance Image:UpperBardenReservoir.jpg, Upper Barden Reservoir in Barden Moor

References

Sources

* *

External links

*
Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
Stringer Communications International, Ltd.
Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
UK Individual web site
AboutBritain.com "Embsay, North Yorkshire Photo Gallery"
Aboutbritain.com
Embsay with Eastby Parish Council website
{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Craven District