Masham ( ) is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

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 ...

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. It had a population of 1,205 at the 2011 census. The town is located northwest 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 was in the former

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and civil parish in the North Yorkshire District, district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist de ...

district. It is situated in the lower

Wensleydale Wensleydale is a valley in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Dales, which are part of the Pennines. The Dale (landform), dale is named after the village of Wensley, North Yorkshire, Wensley, formerly the valley's market tow ...

, on the western bank of the

River Ure The River Ure in North Yorkshire, England, is about long from its source to the point where it becomes the River Ouse. It is the principal river of Wensleydale, which is the only major dale now named after a village rather than its river. ...

, just north of its confluence with the River Burn.

Etymology

The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon "Mæssa's Ham", the homestead belonging to Mæssa.

History

The Romans had a presence here, but the first permanent settlers were the

Angles Angles most commonly refers to: *Angles (tribe), a Germanic-speaking people that took their name from the Angeln cultural region in Germany *Angle, a geometric figure formed by two rays meeting at a common point Angles may also refer to: Places ...

. Around 900 AD the

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

invaded, burning and laying waste to the church. They also introduced sheep farming, for which the town is still known. Masham was historically a large parish in 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 ...

. As well as the town of Masham the parish included the

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

s of

Burton-on-Yore Burton-on-Yore (historically also Burton upon Ure) is a civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England, facing Masham across the River Ure (historically the River Yore). There is no village in the parish, but there are two hamlets, Lo ...

Ellingstring Ellingstring is a village and civil parish in Wensleydale in North Yorkshire, England, about south-east of Leyburn, and north of Masham. Historically it was in the wapentake of Hang East. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the Borough of Harroga ...

Ellington High and Low Ellington may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Ellington, Cambridgeshire, a village and civil parish * Ellington, Northumberland, a village * Ellington High and Low, a civil parish in North Yorkshire ** High Ellington ** Low Ellington Unit ...

Fearby Fearby is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is located in the valley of the River Burn west of Masham. Nearby settlements include Healey, High Ellington and Swinton. The population of the parish was estimated at 13 ...

Healey with Sutton Healey may refer to: People * Chadwyck-Healey baronets, an English baronetcy seated in Surrey * Healey (surname), people with the surname Healey * Healey Willan (1880-1968), Anglo-Canadian composer Places in England * Healey, Greater Manchester ...

Ilton cum Pott Ilton-cum-Pott is a civil parish in North Yorkshire, in England. The hamlets of Ilton and Pott first became associated in the late Medieval period, when both became possessions of Fountains Abbey. Both lay within the parish of Masham, and despi ...

and Swinton. In 1866 the townships became separate civil parishes. Masham Moor was an area of moorland to the west of the parish bordering the

West Riding The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The lieutenancy at that time included the city of York a ...

, common to the parishes of Masham and

East Witton East Witton is a village and civil parish in Wensleydale in North Yorkshire, England. It lies south of Leyburn. The western part of the parish is in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and most of the eastern part is in the Nidderdale Nation ...

. It was divided between the parishes of Healey, Ilton cum Pott and

Colsterdale Colsterdale is the valley of the River Burn, a tributary of the River Ure, in the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It gives its name to a hamlet and civil parish in the upper part of the dale, about west of Masham. The population ...

in 1934. The area of the ancient parish, except Burton-on-Yore, was known as Mashamshire from the 12th century or earlier. St Mary's Church was most likely founded in the seventh century and stood somewhere near the present town hall on what used to be known as Cockpit Hill. The graveyard yielded 36 burials in a recent excavation. The present church – while having some

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

stonework and the stump of an eighth-century prayer cross – is mainly

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

with fifteenth-century additions. Masham was given to

York Minster York Minster, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The minster is the seat of the archbishop of York, the second-highest of ...

in the medieval period but, as the archbishop did not wish to make the long journey north to oversee the town's affairs, the parish was designated a peculiar. During the Middle Ages, Masham developed as a small town with milling, mining, cloth making and tanning industries. The town received its first market charter in 1251. Masham's importance as a major sheep market is the reason for the large market place and its Georgian houses. The market originally thrived because of its nearness to Jervaulx and

Fountains Abbey Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercians, Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operat ...

s, with their large flocks of sheep. From 1875 the town was served by the Masham branch of the North Eastern Railway. Passenger services were stopped in December 1930, with goods traffic continuing until 1963. The station was across the River Ure at Low Burton. The naturalist

Charles Hedley Charles Hedley (27 February 1862 – 14 September 1926) was a naturalist, specifically a malacologist. He was born in Britain, but he spent most of his life in Australia. He was the winner of the 1925 Clarke Medal. Early life Hedley was born ...

(1862–1926) was born in Masham, where his father, the Rev. Canon Thomas Hedley, was vicar. On 5 July 2014 the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

Stage 1 from Leeds to Harrogate passed through the town.

Governance

Prior to local government reform in North Yorkshire in 2023, the town lay within the

Borough of Harrogate The Borough of Harrogate was a local government district with borough status in North Yorkshire, England, from 1974 to 2023. Its council was based in the town of Harrogate, but it also included surrounding settlements, including the cathedral ...

. Masham was part of that borough's

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

of Mashamshire. This ward stretched west to Colsterdale with a total population taken at the 2011 census of 2,350. Since 2023, the town is covered by

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 unitary authority. As of 2025, 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 ...

, called Masham Parish Council, with

, and

Swinton with Warthermarske Swinton with Warthermarske is a civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. The parish includes the village of Swinton and the hamlets of Roomer and Warthermarske. It also includes Swinton Park, although the wider Swinton Estate ...

Community

Masham market days are Wednesday, Saturday and Bank Holiday Monday with a Farmers' Market every first Sunday of the month from April to September. An annual Sheep Fair is held in September, and the Masham breed is named after the town. The market place, the largest in the district, is tightly bordered on its south and west sides by ranges of two- and three-storey buildings. To the south-east, lies St. Mary's Church with its large yard. Although Masham is a relatively small town it has two working breweries,

Black Sheep Brewery The Black Sheep Brewery is a brewery in Masham, North Yorkshire, England. History The Black Sheep Brewery was established by Paul Theakston in 1991. Following a successful launch as a Business Expansion Scheme, it became a public limited co ...

and Theakstons, situated only a few hundred yards from one another. The Black Sheep Brewery sponsors annual folk festivals. Previous performers have included

Hugh Cornwell Hugh Alan Cornwell (born 28 August 1949) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and writer, best known for being the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for the punk rock and new wave band the Stranglers The Stranglers are an English ro ...

The Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1974. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 20 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have originated in the ...

. The town was also for a long time home to Lightfoot Brewery. This was bought by the Theakston family and closed in the 1920s. The Lightfoot brewery buildings are now used by Black Sheep. The Masham Steam Engine & Fair Organ Rally is held annually, organised by the Masham Town Hall Association; it began in 1965 to raise money for Masham Town Hall. The town holds an arts festival every two years. The town has a

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets: one at each corner and ...

and

billiards Cue sports are a wide variety of games of skill played with a cue stick, which is used to strike billiard balls and thereby cause them to move around a cloth-covered table bounded by elastic bumpers known as . Cue sports, a category of stic ...

club, which was founded in 1871.

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by

BBC North East and Cumbria BBC North East and Cumbria is one of the BBC's BBC English Regions, English regions covering Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Gateshead, South Tyneside, City of Sunderland, County Durham, Northumberland, north and mid Cumbria and parts of N ...

and

ITV Tyne Tees ITV Tyne Tees, previously known as Tyne Tees, Channel 3 North East and Tyne Tees Television, is the ITV television franchisee for North East England and parts of North Yorkshire. Tyne Tees launched on 15 January 1959 from studios at a convert ...

. Television signals are received from the

Bilsdale Bilsdale is a Dale (landform), dale in the western part of the North York Moors in North Yorkshire, England. The head of the dale is at Hasty Bank, and the dale extends south to meet Rye Dale near Hawnby. The dale is the valley of the River ...

TV transmitter. Local radio stations are

BBC Radio York BBC Radio York is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of North Yorkshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios in the Bootham area of York. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience ...

, Greatest Hits Radio Harrogate & the Yorkshire Dales and Dales Radio. The town is served by the local newspaper, ''Harrogate Advertiser''.

Transport

The nearest railway stations are

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 ...

and

Northallerton Northallerton ( ) is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the River Wiske in the Vale of Mowbray and had a population of 16,832 in 2011. Northallerton is an administrative centre for York and North Yorkshire ...

both of which are on the

East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a electrified railway between its northern terminus at and southern terminus at . The key towns and cities of , , , , and are on the line. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Grea ...

; although the town was formerly served by 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 Masham branch railway. Buses operate from

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

and the town is on the

A6108 road The A6108 road is an A roads in Great Britain, A road in North Yorkshire, England. It runs from the south of Scotch Corner to Ripon going via Richmond, North Yorkshire, Richmond and Leyburn across the moors and the valleys of Swaledale and Wens ...

between Ripon,

Leyburn Leyburn is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, sitting above the northern bank of the River Ure in Wensleydale. Historic counties of England, Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, the name was derived from 'Ley' ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

and

Scotch Corner Scotch Corner is a junction of the A1(M) and A66 trunk roads near Richmond in North Yorkshire, England. It has been described as "the modern gateway to Cumbria, the North East and Scotland", and is a primary destination signed from as f ...

. The town is several miles west of the

A1(M) motorway A1(M) is the designation given to a series of four separate controlled-access highway, motorway sections in the UK. Each section is an upgrade to a section of the A1 road (Great Britain), A1, a major north–south road which connects Greater ...

References

External links

Welcome to Masham

Masham Parish Council
{{authority control Towns in North Yorkshire Market towns in North Yorkshire Civil parishes in North Yorkshire Wensleydale