Kirby Knowle 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, on the border of the

North Yorkshire Moors The North York Moors is an upland area in north-eastern Yorkshire, England. It contains one of the largest expanses of heather moorland in the United Kingdom. The area was designated as a National Park in 1952, through the National Parks and A ...

and near

Upsall Upsall is a Hamlet (place), hamlet in and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately four miles north-east of Thirsk. Upsall is part of the Upsall and Roxby estates owned by the Turton family. The popu ...

, about four miles northeast of

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 ...

Historically History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

part of the

North Riding of Yorkshire The North Riding of Yorkshire was a subdivision of Yorkshire, England, alongside York, the East Riding and West Riding. The riding's highest point was at Mickle Fell at . From the Restoration it was used as a lieutenancy area, having b ...

, the population of the civil parish was estimated at 60 in 2014. In the 2011 census the population of Kirby Knowle was included with

Cowesby Cowesby is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. Part of the village including The Cowesby Hall Estate is within the North York Moors, North York Moors National Park and about north of Thirsk. The population of ...

parish and not counted separately.

History

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 ...

'' as ''Chirchebi'' in the ''Yalestre'' hundred. The lands were in the possession of ''Orm, son of Gamal'', but passed to ''Hugh , son of Baldric'' after the Norman invasion. The lands became the possession of

Robert de Mowbray Robert de Mowbray (died 1125), a Norman, was Earl of Northumbria from 1086 until 1095. Robert joined the 1088 rebellion against King William II on behalf of Robert Curthose, but was pardoned and later led the army that killed Malcolm III of Sc ...

who granted tenancy to Baldwin le Wake and then to the Upsall family, eventually passing to the Lascelles family. The Lascelles built a castle here in the 13th century which burnt down in 1568. During this time the manor was in the hands of the Constable family. The Constables were Catholics and were dispossessed of the manor after the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. A mile to the west of the village is

Kirby Knowle Castle Kirby Knowle Castle is a historic building in Kirby Knowle, a village in North Yorkshire, in England. History The first castle on the site is believed to have been built in the late 12th century, by Roger Lascelles. The castle burned down in ...

, a 17th-century house altered in the 19th century. An earlier house on the site belonged to Joseph Constable. He was a Catholic recusant and was arrested in the house on 6 March 1597 after a search was made of secret hiding places and underground passages.

Governance

The village is within 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 ...

. The parish shares a

grouped parish council A parish council is a civil local authority found in England, which is the lowest tier of local government. Parish councils are elected corporate bodies, with variable tax raising powers, and they carry out beneficial public activities in geogr ...

, known as Hillside Parish Council, with the civil parishes of

Boltby Boltby is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is on the edge of the North York Moors National Park at , and about north-east of Thirsk. According to the 2011 census, it had a population of 143. There are ...

Felixkirk Felixkirk is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. The village is situated about three miles north-east of Thirsk. The population of the civil parish was estimated at 100 in 2014. History The village is named ...

and

Geography

The nearest settlements are

to the west;

to the south;

to the southeast and

to the north. The 1881 UK Census recorded the population as 114. The 2001 UK Census recorded the population as 68 of which 59 were over the age of sixteen years and of these 35 were in employment. There were 33 dwellings of which 24 were detached.

Religion

St Wilfrid's Church, Kirby Knowle St Wilfrid's Church is the parish church of Kirby Knowle, a village in North Yorkshire, in England. A church was built on the site in the 12th century, and was altered in the 13th century. Its chancel was rebuilt in 1815, but in 1848 it was stil ...

is a Grade II listed building, rebuilt in 1873 on the site of the original.

References

External links