Oulston 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. It lies about north-east of

Easingwold Easingwold is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically, part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it had a population of 4,233 at the 2001 census, increasing to 4,627 at the 2011 Census. I ...

. Remains of a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

have been found in the area. The village is within the

Howardian Hills The Howardian Hills are a range of hills in England located between the Yorkshire Wolds, the North York Moors, and the Vale of York. They are named after the Howard family, who still own land locally, and have been designated a National Land ...

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 2023, the areas in England an ...

History

The village name may be derived from the Anglian personal name of ''Ulf'' combined with ''tun'' meaning habitation. There are the remains of a Roman villa nearby, consistent with the village's location near the junction of two old Roman roads. Articles from the site are located within the York Museum. 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 ''Uluestan'' and at the time of the Norman invasion, the lands were owned by ''Gospatric, son Arnketil''. Following the Norman invasion of Britain, the estates of Yearsley, Coxwold and Oulston fell into the hands of a Norman family whose previous seat of power had been in Montbray, Normandy. By 1158, however, these same lands had been given to another Norman lord whose family base had been Colleville on the Normandy coast. In return for receiving these lands, Thomas de Colville had to swear allegiance to Roger de Mowbray. Thomas de Colville's estate included the manors of

Yearsley Yearsley is a small village and civil parish in the county in North Yorkshire, England. The population of the civil parish was less than 100 at the 2011 Census. Details are included in the civil parish of Brandsby-cum-Stearsby. It is situate ...

Coxwold Coxwold is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England, in the North York Moors National Park. It is 18 miles north of York and is where the Rev. Laurence Sterne wrote '' A Sentimental Journey''. History The villag ...

and Oulston as well as other properties and land in

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 ...

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 ...

, Everley, Nunwick,

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 ...

, Kilburn and Upsland. The Colville shield is proudly displayed at one of the roof intersections in the twelfth century Norman church at Coxwold. A fourth Thomas Colville generously allowed John, the Prior of Newburgh, to live “by suit of court” in his manor house at Oulston. In return for Thomas's generosity, John (besides offering prayers) used his influence, in 1256, to arrange a special privilege for Thomas: Thomas would no longer be required, on behalf of the king, to carry out any legal or other administrative duties against his will. The lands were eventually passed to the Fauconberg family and thence to the Wombwell family, who resided at nearby Newburgh Priory Estate. There used to be a Wesleyan chapel in the village, which is now the village hall. It is a Grade II listed building. There are four sites in the area that are

scheduled ancient monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

s. They are: * a

round barrow A round barrow is a type of tumulus and is one of the most common types of archaeological monuments. Although concentrated in Europe, they are found in many parts of the world, probably because of their simple construction and universal purpose. ...

500m WNW of Pond Head Farm at * a

350m NW of Pond Head Farm at * a section of cross ridge dyke and earthworks in Roman Plantation, Oulston Moor at * a section of cross ridge dyke and hollow way 200m NW of Pond Head Farm at

Governance

The village is part of 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 ...

Geography

According to the 1881 UK census, the population was 177. In the 2001 UK census the population was 102 of which 85 were over sixteen years old. Of those, 51 were in employment. Oulston lends its name to the

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

on the

River Foss The River Foss is in North Yorkshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Ouse. It rises in the Foss Crooks Woods near Oulston Reservoir close to the village of Yearsley and runs south through the Vale of York to the Ouse in the centre of ...

to the east of the village.Ordnance Survey Open Viewer
/ref> The nearest settlements to Oulston are

Crayke Crayke is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, about east of Easingwold. Etymology The name ''Crayke'' is of Brittonic origin, derived from the neo-Brittonic Cumbric ''crẹ:g'', meaning "a crag" or "prominent rock" ( Wels ...

to the south;

Husthwaite __NOTOC__ Husthwaite is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately north from Easingwold. History The name probably derives from the Middle English 'hous', from Old English 'hus' meaning ...

to the west;

to the north and

to the east.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Civil parishes in North Yorkshire