Lythe is a small village and large

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

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, situated near

Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is on the Yorkshire Coast at the mouth of the River Esk, North Yorkshire, River Esk and has a maritime, mineral and tourist economy. From the Middle Ages, Whitby ...

within 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 ...

. The name of the village derives from

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

and means hill or slope. It was in the old

North Riding 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 ...

and in the

wapentake A hundred is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region. It was formerly used in England, Wales, some parts of the United States, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and in Cumberland County in the British Colony of ...

of Langbaurgh East until 1974. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the

Borough of Scarborough The Borough of Scarborough () was a non-metropolitan district with borough status in North Yorkshire, England. In addition to the town of Scarborough, it covered a large stretch of the coast of Yorkshire, including Whitby and Filey. It bordere ...

, 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 ...

. According to the

2011 UK census A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...

, Lythe parish had a population of 377, a reduction on the

2001 UK census A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...

figure of 465.

History

St Oswald's Church is a plain stone building in the Early English style. The

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

east window is a memorial to the Rev. William Long, who was vicar from 1813 to 1858. Inside the church are memorials to the Phipps family, and to the

Marquess of Normanby Marquess of Normanby is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in 1694 in the Peerage of England in favour of John Sheffield, 3rd Earl of Mul ...

. The register dates from 1634. There is also a Wesleyan Methodist chapel.

Mulgrave Castle Mulgrave Castle refers to one of three structures on the same property in Lythe, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. One of these, known as the "old" or "ancient" castle, was by legend founded by Wade (folklore), Wada, a 6th-century ruler of ...

is the seat of the

. The estate also contains the ruins of a former residence known locally as Mulgrave Old Castle, which was an earthwork

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

fortress.

Geography

Within the parish are the villages of

Mickleby Mickleby is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2011 UK census, Mickleby parish had a population of 283, an increase on the 2001 UK census figure of 165. However, the 2011 census statistics a ...

Ugthorpe Ugthorpe is a village and civil parish situated near Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 UK census, Ugthorpe parish had a population of 225, an increase on the 2001 United Kingdom census, 2001 UK ...

and

Sandsend Sandsend is a small fishing village, near to Whitby in North Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Lythe. It is the birthplace of fishing magnate George Pyman. Originally two villages, Sandsend and East Row, the united San ...

, and the hamlets of Barnby, Ellerby, Goldsborough, Hutton Mulgrave,

Kettleness Kettleness, is a hamlet in the county of North Yorkshire, England. The settlement only consists of half-a-dozen houses, but up until the early 19th century, it was a much larger village. However, most of that village, which was on the headland, ...

and Newton Mulgrave.

Amenities

There are a variety of amenities in the village including a primary school, a community shop with post office, tennis courts and a retained fire station. The old ''Red Lion''

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 ...

has recently been renamed ''The Stiddy''. A "stiddy" is an anvil packed full of gunpowder and fired like a cannon on special occasions, such as the birth of the Marquess' male heir, the jubilee, or the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Sport and culture

Lythe is the home of Mulgrave Cricket Club. The club's home ground is on Lythe Sports Field, located on the High Street, exiting west of the village. The club has two senior XI teams that compete in the

Scarborough Beckett Cricket League The Scarborough Beckett Cricket League, founded in 1958, is a Saturday League that administer's cricket clubs that participate in its League, Cup and Trophy competitions. The league headquarters is based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. The Sc ...

Anecdotes

Scenes from the 2017 film ''

Phantom Thread ''Phantom Thread'' is a 2017 American romantic period drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, and Lesley Manville, and follows an haute couture dressmaker in 1950s London who takes a y ...

'' were filmed in the village.

References