Menthorpe is a hamlet in the

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 Duffield North Duffield is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It lies about north-east of Selby and south-east of York, on the A163 road from Selby to Market Weighton. The River Derwent forms the eastern boundary ...

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 lies on the west bank of the River Derwent, east of

Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, ...

. Menthorpe Ings, north of the hamlet, is a

flood meadow A flood-meadow (or floodmeadow) is an area of grassland or pasture beside a river, subject to seasonal flooding.Huhta, Ari‐Pekka, Rautio, Pasi (2014). Flood meadows in Finland - their development during the past century. '' Nordic Journal of ...

which is part of the

Derwent Ings Derwent Ings is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) divided between North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Derwent Ings is of international significance and has been designated a Wetland of International Importance u ...

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

, internationally important for its concentration of water-fowl in winter.

History

The toponym is of

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 ...

origin, and means "the hamlet of a man called Menni or Menja". In the Middle Ages the village was in the

Ouse and Derwent Ouse and Derwent was a wapentake of the historic East Riding of Yorkshire, England consisting of the westerly part of the county, between the River Ouse and the River Derwent. Established in medieval times, it ceased to have much significance in ...

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 the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...

. Most of Menthorpe was in the large ancient parish of Hemingbrough, and formed a

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 ...

of that parish with the hamlet of Bowthorpe, to the south. An area of Menthorpe between the village and Bowthorpe was a detached part of

Skipwith Skipwith is a village and civil parish about north-east of Selby and south-east of York in North Yorkshire, England. It was historically in the East Riding of Yorkshire. After the 1974 local government reorganisation Skipwith was in the Se ...

parish. In 1866 the township of Menthorpe with Bowthorpe became a separate

, and the detached part of Skipwith parish became part of North Duffield civil parish. In 1935 the civil parish of Menthorpe with Bowthorpe was abolished and merged with the parish of North Duffield. From the Middle Ages until the 1930s a ferry operated across the Derwent to Breighton. Between 1853 and 1953 the hamlet was served by Menthorpe Gate railway station on the

Selby to Driffield Line Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, ...

. In 1974 Menthorpe was transferred from the East Riding to the new county of North Yorkshire. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of

, 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 ...

References

{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire