Kildale

Kildale
Looking down on Kildale from Park Nab, Christmas Day, 2007
Kildale  Kildale shown within North Yorkshire
Population	139 (2001 census)
OS grid reference	NZ6284209682
Civil parish	Kildale
District	Hambleton
Shire county	North Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Postcode district	YO21
Police	North Yorkshire
Fire	North Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
EU Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	Richmond
List of places UK England Yorkshire

Coordinates: 54°28′44″N 1°01′55″W / 54.47887°N 1.03193°W / 54.47887; -1.03193

Kildale is a village and civil parish in Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south-east from Great Ayton, within the North York Moors National Park and on the Cleveland Way National Trail. The parish occupies 5,730 acres (23.2 km²), with 3,416 acres (13.82 km²) being taken up by moorland.^[1]

A church at Kildale was referred to in the Domesday Book.^[2] Viking relics (bones, swords, daggers and a battle axe) were discovered on the spot where a later church, St Cuthbert's, was erected.

Kildale railway station is on the Esk Valley Line.

History

Origins

The name of the village, Kildale has derived from Norman times where it was scribed as Childale. The transition from ‘Chil’ to ‘Kil’ is uncertain. Many believe the name changed to ‘Kil’ in the Saxon times as a result of the Norse Kyll stream or after the name of a Saxon proprietor patronymic.^[2] In 900 years the boundaries of Kildale have never changed,^[3] along with only ever being in the hands of three families. Kildale was in the hands of the Percy family from an early date. Around 1662 John Turner purchased Kildale, then after the death of the last Turner in 1806, Kildale was then bought by Robert Bell Livesey of Thirsk, who then passed the parish of Kildale down to his daughter who married into the Turton family^[4] and is still owned by the Turton family today. Stone built walls were built as boundaries to enclose Kildale’s fields and many are still standing today, over 300 years later.^[3] Stone was used to build the walls as during this time period, it was easier to get hold of than wood. Using stone to build the walls came at a great expense and took a long time to build,^[3] therefore the estate acknowledges this and ensures the stone walls are well managed even today,^[3] in order to maintain the structure of the stone walls in hope they should last forever holding on to Kildale’s historical landscape. Kildale is in fact an estate and all the farms and the majority of houses are owned by the estate. The houses owned by the estate are only let to people who live in the dale to ensure a strong community is held,^[3] holding on to traditional values.

Population change

The change in population between 1880 and 1960 within Kildale has fluctuated greatly, the occupational structure of Kildale may have factored in this. The highest peak in Kildale’s population is shown to have been in 1880 this may have been due to the expansion of the mineral trade within Kildale. The greatest change in population is present between 1881–1885, this may be due to high infant mortality rates and low occupational structure. From the late 19th century onwards, population figures within Kildale began to increase again, most likely due to improved medical facilities meaning a lower death toll amongst infants and people living longer contributing to the age structure of Kildale’s population.^[5]

Occupational structure

The occupational data gathered from the 1881 census shows that the women of Kildale were more involved in domestic services, for example cooking and sewing, whereas within the male population the most predominant type of work was in agriculture (mostly farming) and working in the mines of Kildale in which they extracted Jet and Iron ore.^[3] In comparison the 2001 census^[6] shows that the most popular occupation for males and females in Kildale is working in the service industry sector. These industries include; retail, transport and distribution food services to name a few. Comparing the two census reports, one can see how Kildale’s occupational structure has changed over time, going from a more hands on labour approach to working in service industries. The occupational structure has changed most likely due to the expansion of technological development and modernization. The mines are no longer active, and although farming practices are still carried out, fewer people work in the agricultural sector as with today’s advanced technology many machines can do the same job with one person rather than the workload farming included in the 1880s.

Literature

Many books have been written containing descriptions of journeys people have made around Britain between the twelfth and the nineteenth century.^[7] William Camden, a historian made one reference to Kildale in his piece of travel writing ‘Yorkshire:East and North Ridings’.^[7] Along with Kildale being mentioned in a piece of travel writing, a gazetteer entry was also made by John Bartholomew, 1887^[8] commenting on kildale’s geographical situation and the population of Kildale.

Landmarks

Kildale Hall

Kildale Hall is a traditional stone built hall commissioned by Mr. R. Bell Livesey and designed by Mr. Salvin^[2] dating from c 1810. The hall is situated to the north-east of St Cuthbert's Church, 440 yards (400 m) east of Kildale village.^[9] The previous manor house or castle was situated adjacent to (and to the west of) St Cuthbert's Church and was owned by the Percy family. Some of the remains and the original structure of the manor house including the moat can still be traced in the field alongside St. Cuthbert’s church ^[10]

Kildale Village Hall The village hall is another stone structure situated at the top of the village erected in 1929.^[11] The village hall is very valued and embodies a strong community spirit, holding many varied events bringing locals together.^[12]

St. Cuthbert's Church

Stained glass window at St. Cuthbert's Church, April 2011

The parish church was built in 1868^[13] in dedication to St.Cuthbert. It replaced an earlier church of Norman origin and is approached across an iron railway bridge situated at the western end of Kildale station.^[12] The church is in the Early English style ^[14] and is enhanced by its detailed stained-glass millennium window showing (amongst other panes marking Kildale’s community and its beautiful surroundings) a steam train passing through Kildale, created by Goddard and Gibbs in c. 1996 1992.^[12] A framed list of all the names of the people living in Kildale is also present in the church in order to mark the millennium.^[15] Amongst the list is most of the people that farmed within Kildale parish from the year 1806–2006, the period during which Kildale has been owned by the Turton/Sutcliffe family.^[15] During the construction of St. Cuthbert's Church Viking relics were found^[16] giving indication that the church grounds have been of great importance for centuries.

Captain Cook's Monument

Captain Cook's Monument was built in 1827^[12] in memory of the circumnavigator Captain James Cook.^[17] The monument lies about one and a half miles away from Kildale and bears a rousing inscription to commemorate the man who grew up on a farm beneath the hill on which the Monument stands. The site provides an excellent place for visitors to enjoy the scenery of the Cleveland Hills and for those more adventurous to go on long walks exploring the countryside.

Kildale Barn

Kildale Barn is a listed building at Park Farm in the farmyard.^[18] It was a former barn and wheelhouse and with funds provided by the Youth Hostel Association and the Long Distance Walkers Association in 1992^[18] the barn reopened as a camping barn providing accommodation which sleeps up to 18 people.^[19] Kildale Barn is situated in the North York Moors National Park.^[18] It is a perfect place for people who like walking, cycling, Duke of Edinburgh groups, scouts/guides to stay^[18] as the Cleveland Way walk is minutes away and many other good walks are surrounding the area. The Kildale Barn is about 1 mile away from the Kildale station,^[19] so it is at easy walking distance making the area accessible and enabling tourists to explore outside of Kildale if they so wish.

Kildale Cricket Club

Kildale Cricket Club were 2012 champions of the Langbaurgh Cricket League. The first team is captained by Marty Pellow. Other notable players include leg spinning talisman and amateur competitive eating champion of North East England James Burns. The team's ground is one of the most picturesque in Great Britain, situated beneath Captain Cook's monument, which makes up for the inconsistent quality of the wicket.

References

External links

Media related to Kildale at Wikimedia Commons