North Cowton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

North Cowton
North Cowton looking towards the village green
North Cowton shown within North Yorkshire
Population	600
OS grid reference	NZ285038
District	Richmondshire
Shire county	North Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NORTHALLERTON
Postcode district	DL7
Dialling code	01325
Police	North Yorkshire
Fire	North Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
European Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	Richmond
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

Coordinates: 54°25′45″N 1°33′35″W / 54.4291, -1.5598

North Cowton is a village and civil parish, located in Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, England. The surrounding towns are Darlington, Northallerton, and Richmond.

The local school is called North and South Cowton Community Primary School.

North Cowton has a pub called the Blacksmiths Arms and two churches: St Lukes, Church of England and the Methodist Chapel.

Other notable neighbourhood amenities include the village hall, football pitch, children's playground, bus stop, war memorial, public telephone box and a postbox. There is also a petrol station/shop slightly outside the village on the B1263 road.

Notable amenities within the surrounding area include: Croft Circuit (cars), Catterick racecourse (horses), Darlington FC, Darlington Railway Centre and Museum, Kiplin Hall, Richmond Castle and several pubs.

The surrounding countryside is dominated by the impact of modern farming techniques, but retains its beauty nonetheless. There are a number of public footpaths and bridleways, including Cramble Cross.

[edit] History

On 22 August 1138 the English armies defeated the Scottish at nearby Cowton Moor in the Battle of the Standard. It is thought that the fields behind Holywell Lane are the burial grounds for the Scottish; the medieval name for the area was "Scotch Graves". The name of a local public footpath called Cramble Cross is thought to derive from a cross marking the last stand of the Scottish soldiers.

The Scottish army were led by King David I of Scotland, who was also known as David, Earl of Huntingdon. The Scottish armies had already taken Cumberland and Northumberland, the city of Carlisle and the royal castle at Bamburgh.

The English were led by Archbishop Thurstan of York. The Yorkshiremen and Midlanders of the English army rallied around a chariot carrying the consecrated banners of St Peter of York, St John of Beverley, St Wilfrid of Ripon and St Cuthbert of Durham.

Nearly two centuries later, the Scottish had their revenge on North Cowton, raiding it regularly in the early 14th century and burning it to the ground in 1318.

[edit] Public transport

The disbanded Eryholme-Richmond branch line passed nearby with a former train station at Moulton End, around ¼ of a mile from North Cowton. The line was opened in 1846 by the York and Newcastle Railway Company. At one time 13 trains a day passed through Moulton End railway station in each direction. The line was closed in 1969.

The village is now served by the No 72 bus, which runs between Darlington and Northallerton.