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Momument commemorating The Battle of the Standard
On 22 August 1138,[2] English forces repelled a Scottish army on Cowdon Moor in Brompton Parish, around 2 miles north of the town.[2] This was the first major battle between the Scots and the English since the Norman Conquest and one of the two major battles in the civil war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda.[2] The English forces were summoned by Archbishop Thurstan of York, who had gathered local militia and baronial armies from Yorkshire and the north Midlands.[8] They arrayed themselves round a chariot with a ships mast carrying the consecrated banners of St Peter of York, St John of Beverley, St Wilfrid of Ripon and St Cuthbert of Durham, it was this standard bearing chariot that gave the battle its name.[9] The Scottish army were led by King David I of Scotland.
King David had entered England in support of his niece, Empress Matilda, who was viewed as the rightful heiress to the English throne usurped by King Stephen. With Stephen fighting rebel barons in the south, the Scottish armies had already taken Cumberland and Northumberland, the city of Carlisle and the royal castle at Bamburgh. Finding the English in a defensive position on a hill, David elected to force a battle counting on his superior numbers. Repeated attacks by native Scots failed, suffering casualties of up to 16,000 men from the English archers, with losses of up to 10,000 Englishmen.[2] A subsequent attack by mounted knights met initial success but fell back due to lack of infantry support.[2] The battle ended when David's reserve deserted, forcing him to retreat. The English elected not to pursue, and despite their great losses the Scots were able to regroup in sufficient number to besiege and capture Wark castle.
The victory by the English ensured the safety of Northern England.[8]
[edit] Religious importance
Shortly after his accession William Rufus gave the town, with the lands adjacent, to the see of Durham, and, under the patronage of the bishops of that diocese, it grew in importance, and became an episcopal residence. [10] In 1130 a castle was built on the west side of the town adjacent to North Beck[11] by Bishop Rufus and was expanded in 1142 after William Cumin seized the Bishopric of Durham in 1141.[12] The castle was further expanded in 1173 by Hugh Pudsey and garrisoned by a group of Flemish soldiers, an act which enraged King Henry II who ordered that it be razed to the ground in 1177[11]. A more substantial fortified palace surrounded by a moat was built on the same site in 1199 replacing the traditional motte and bailey castle. The palace became an important administrative centre for the bishops' lands in Yorkshire and served as a major residence for the bishops and their staff.[12] The palace lay on the main road from York to Durham and was a regular stopping place for royalty and other dignitaries. The palace fell into ruin by 1658. The site is now a cemetery.[12]
A Carmelite Priory was founded in 1354[13], but was demolished soon after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538[13]. The site passed to various people and was used for arable farming before a workhouse was built on the site in 1857[13], subsequently The Friarage Hospital which takes it's name from the friary was built.[14] Following development of the site in 2006, archaeologists uncovered the remains of eight monks along with other artefacts.[15]
[edit] A Centre for Trade and Transport
It became the market centre for the area and also drew traders from further afield to its four annual fairs (now reduced to two). Cattle drovers bringing cattle horses and sheep from Northumbria and Scotland regularly came to the town. The original cattle market was by the Church, but sheep were sold on the High Street until the early part of the 20th century . With the arrival of the railway the mart was built close to the station, but this later closed and today the cattle market is held at the Applegarth.
In the golden age of coaching, Northallerton had four coaching inns along its High Street serving passengers and horses using several routes to the north. With the arrival of the railway in 1841 the town maintained its importance as a communications centre. The line from London to Edinburgh via York and Newcastle passed through the town (as indeed it still does), as did the line linking the industrial West Riding with the port and steel town of Middlesbrough. It is now served by Northallerton railway station.
The Quarter Sessions for the area were held in the town from the 17th century in various buildings including the Tollbooth, the guild Hall and Vine House, but eventually a Court House was built in East Road in 1875, close to a House of Correction that opened in 1783. The House of Correction is now used as a Young Offender's Institute.
When the Poor Law Union system was introduced, a workhouse was established in the town to serve the three parishes in the area. This building is now part of the Friarage Hospital. When in 1856 the North Riding Constabulary was founded, one of the last County forces to be formed, Northallerton was selected as its headquarters, operating initially from premises in East Road.
The earliest records pertaining to Northallerton College (formerly Northallerton Grammar School) date from 1323. Parts of the old school building can be seen adjacent to All Saints' Church near the north end of Northallerton High Street. A famous old boy of the school was John Radcliffe (1652–1714), founder of Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital and physician to William of Orange.
Northallerton Prison (now a Young Offenders' Institute) once had the world's largest treadmill.
Northallerton High Street on market day
[edit] Present day
Today, Northallerton's main commercial function is a mixture of light industry, commerce and agricultural services, such as the regular Livestock Auction Market.
The headquarters of North Yorkshire County Council (County Hall) and Hambleton District Council (Civic Centre) are both based in Northallerton; these serve many parishes in the area including that of Great Langton. The RPA (Rural Payments Agency) also has a major building here. The base at RAF Leeming nearby is a major source of employment and income in the area.
[edit] Demography
- See also: Demography of England
According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the town of Northallerton had a total resident population of 15,571 or 18.5% of the total of Hambleton District. [1] This figure, combined with an area of 23.1 square kilometres (8.9 sq mi), provides Northallerton with a population density figure of 674 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,750 /sq mi). This is higher than the average population density of England (at 380 /km²/984 /sq mi).
There are 8203 females and 7538 males, which works out for every 100 females there are 91.9 males.[1]
The place of birth of the town's residents was 98.5% United Kingdom, 0.35% Republic of Ireland, 0.37% from other European Union countries, and 0.75% from elsewhere in the world.[1]
Compared with the average demography of England, Northallerton has low proportions of people born outside the United Kingdom and ethnic minorities and above average numbers of people over 65 years of age.[1]
Northallerton Compared
| 2001 UK census |
Northallerton |
Hambleton District |
Yorkshire and The Humber |
England |
| Total population |
15,741 |
84,111 |
4,964,833 |
49,138,831 |
| Foreign born |
1.5% |
2.28% |
5.25% |
9.2% |
| White |
99% |
99.2% |
93.5% |
91% |
| Asian |
0.3% |
0.1% |
4.5% |
4.6% |
| Black |
~0% |
0.1% |
0.7% |
2.3% |
| Chinese |
0.2% |
0.2% |
0.4% |
0.9% |
| Buddhist |
0.1% |
0.1% |
0.1% |
0.3% |
| Christian |
81.8% |
79.6% |
73.1% |
71.7% |
| Muslim |
0.2% |
0.1% |
0.4% |
3.1% |
| Hindu |
0.2% |
0.1% |
0.3% |
1.1% |
| Jewish |
~0% |
~0% |
0.2% |
0.5% |
| Sikh |
0% |
~0% |
0.4% |
0.7% |
| Other Religion |
0.1% |
0.1% |
0.2% |
0.3% |
| No religion/no religion stated |
17.7% |
16.5% |
21.9% |
22.3% |
| Over 65 years old |
18.3% |
17.5% |
16.1% |
16% |
| Unemployed |
2.2% |
2.0% |
3.7% |
3.3% |
The following is a table outlining the population change of the town since 1801, which demonstrates a trend of slow population growth in the 19th century and more rapid growth in the 20th century. In particular over the past 40 years, in which the population of Northallerton has more than doubled. The fall in population between 1851 and 1871 has been attributed to the collapse in coaching as the railways became popular.[16]
| Year |
1801 |
1811 |
1821 |
1831 |
1841 |
1851 |
1861 |
1871 |
1881 |
1891 |
1901 |
1911 |
1921 |
1931 |
1951 |
1961 |
1971 |
1991 |
2001 |
| Population |
3,382 |
3,497 |
4,143 |
4,839 |
4,967 |
4,983 |
4,871 |
3,164 |
3,692 |
3,802 |
4,009 |
4,806 |
4,794 |
4,786 |
6,087 |
6,726 |
8,742 |
15,050 |
15,571 |
| Sources:[17][18] |
[edit] Administration
[edit] Politics
Northallerton was formerly a parliamentary borough. Its first representatives were John le Clerk and Stephen Maunsell, who were elected to the parliament of King Edward I in 1298, but for some reason or other no subsequent return was made until 1640, when the privilege was again resumed by order of the House of Commons. [11] From 1640 to 1885 The town formed the parliamentary borough of Northallerton, returning two Members of Parliament until 1832, and one thereafter. Following the Great Reform Act of 1832, boundaries were extended to include neighbouring Brompton and Romanby and it's representation was reduced to a single member.[19] In 1885 the constituency was abolished and was absorbed into the Richmond division of the North Riding.[20] The serving member for Richmond constituency is the Conservative, William Hague MP, who has held the seat since 1989. In modern times it has been an ultra-safe seat for the Conservative Party with them having held it continually since 1929. Richmond is included in the Yorkshire and the Humber constituency for elections to the European Parliament. It currently elects six members using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.
[edit] Local government
In 1889 the County of York, North Riding administrative county was formed. In 1894 it was divided into municipal boroughs, urban districts and rural districts . Following a review of local government in 1974, the North Riding was abolished as an administrative county. The district council of Hambleton was then formed from the merger of the Northallerton Urban district with Bedale Rural District, Easingwold Rural District, Northallerton Rural District, Thirsk Rural District and Croft Rural District.[21]
This became part of the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire.[22]
Policing in the town remains the responsibility of North Yorkshire Police; and firefighting, the responsibility of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. The Fire Station at Northallerton is a Day Crewed station which operates from 0800 to 1800 each day and on call outside these hours.[23]
The town has been twinned with Ormesson-sur-Marne a suburb of Paris, France since 1994. [24]
[edit] Health service
South Tees Primary Care Trust guides primary care services (general practitioners, dentists, opticians and pharmacists) in the town, directly provides adult social care and services in the community such as health visiting and physiotherapy and also funds hospital care and other specialist treatments. The town is served by 2 GP surgeries: Mayford House Surgery and Mowbray House Surgery. The Friarage Hospital serves the local community. It employs 1400 staff and provides 281 beds at the site.[14] Recently it has underwent a £21 million programme of refurbishment and new development.[14] It has close ties with the Ministry of Defence and acts in partnership with the MoD to provide medical care to military personnel. A number of military doctors, nurses and support staff are employed at the Friarage.[14]
The Rutson Rehabilitation Centre, run by the North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust provides specialist support for Stroke victims.[25] It is due to close in spring 2008, as the building which opened in 1877 is not up to modern standards. However the move has been delayed due to lack of space at the Friarage.[25] Following merger of Tees East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust with the South Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust and the West Yorkshire metropolitan Ambulance Service NHS Trust in July 2006 the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust is responsible for the provision of statutory emergency medical services in the town.[26]
[edit] Public utilities
The main source of non-school funding is the formula grant, which is paid by government to local authorities based on the services they provide. The remainder, to which the police and fire authorities set a precept, is raised from council tax and business rates. Mains water and sewerage services are provided by Yorkshire Water, a former nationalised industry and natural monopoly, privatised in 1989 and regulated by OFWAT.
Following deregulation, the consumer has a choice of energy supplier. Electricity was formerly provided by Northern Electric, which was privatised in 1990. In 2002 the supply business was sold to Powergen and the distribution rights sold to CE Electric UK, trading as NEDL. Natural gas was (and still is) supplied by British Gas, which was privatised in 1986. Distribution and, as with electricity, transmission, is the responsibility of the National Grid, having been demerged as Transco in 1997. These industries are regulated by OFGEM.
British Telecommunications, privatised in 1984, provides fixed ADSL enabled (8 Mbps) telephone lines. The subscriber trunk dialling code for Northallerton is 01609. Tiscali is the only other LLU Operator in the town, enabled as of March 7, 2008.[27] These businesses are regulated by OFCOM.
[edit] Transport
Northallerton was a major stopping point on the coach routes between Scotland and London as it lay on the old Roman Road which ran between Scotland and London.
Coaching operations declined in the mid 19th century after the railway was introduced to the town in 1841. The station lies on the main east coast line between Scotland, Newcastle and London. In addition the railway also serves Cleveland and Durham with routes going to Middlesbrough and Sunderland. It is planned that the Wensleydale Railway will extend east from it's current terminus at Leeming Bar to join Northallerton. Currently it is serviced by a bus operated by the Dales & District bus service between Northallerton and Leeming Bar, which then runs by train to Redmire. Eventually it is hoped that the line will connect with the Settle-Carlisle Railway at Garsdale.
Two main A roads criss cross the town, the A684 which runs approximately east-west through the town and acts as a link between the A1 trunk road at Leeming Bar and the A19 at Osmotherley. The A167 runs approximately north-south between the A1(M) at Darlington and the A1 at Topcliffe, in addition the A168 runs from Wetherby to Thirsk to Northallerton.
The nearest major airport is Durham Tees Valley Airport approximately 15 miles north of the town, lying just to the east of Darlington.
[edit] Sport and Culture
[edit] Football
Northallerton Town FC play in the Northern League, the second oldest football league in the world. Formed sometime before 1895 they have been known as Northallerton, Northallerton Alliance before settling on their current name. They are the most southerly based team in the league. The team played in many minor leagues before joining the Northern League Division Two on it's formation in 1982. In 1994 the club was declared financially insolvent and closed down, but were rescued by local businessmen in time for the 1994-95 season.
The club has never actually played in Northallerton, playing at the Bluestone Ground near County Hall in Romanby until 1974, then moving to it's current location at the Regency Stadium on the outskirts of Romanby. The brothers Michael Dawson (Tottenham Hotspur defender}, Andy Dawson (Hull City defender) and Kevin Dawson (Worksop Town defender) all started their football career at Northallerton Town.[29]
Northallerton Rugby Union Football Club play at Brompton Lodge on the outskirts of Brompton. The team play in the 4th division of the Yorkshire League.
The recently formed Rugby League club Northallerton Stallions has reached agreement with the Rugby Union club to play at their Brompton Lodge facilities.[30]
[edit] Cricket
Cricket in Northallerton dates back to 1812, although the first recorded match played by Northallerton Cricket Club was in the early 1860’s. The Club was one of the six founder member teams of the North Yorkshire Cricket League, formed in 1893 and went on to join the Thirsk & District Senior League in 1911, winning the title in 1914. This later became known as the York Senior League and Northallerton enjoyed many successful seasons, being crowned Champions no less than 8 times.
In 1948, the Club played its final season at their home ground adjacent to County Hall. The following year, games were played on the newly purchased ground at the end of Farndale Avenue in Romanby, which has continued to be an excellent venue for cricket to this day. In 1965 a two tier pavilion was built at a cost of £6,500.
The team currently plays in the North Yorkshire & South Durham Cricket League and fields three teams. A fourth team (The Wolves) plays in the Nidderdale League Division 7.
There is a major television and radio transmitter at Bilsdale Moor, eight miles east of the town, which broadcasts BBC National Radio (Radio 1-4), BBC Radio Tees, commercial radio stations Classic FM, Century FM, TFM and Galaxy North East. It also broadcasts the five national analogue television channels as well as various digital televison channels.
On June 11, 2007 Northallerton finally got its own radio station.[31] Minster Northallerton, which is owned by The Local Radio Company[31] broadcasts from its studios in Northallerton on the frequencies 103.5 MHz and 102.3 MHz.[31]
The town is served by three local newspapers, North Yorkshire editions of the daily Northern Echo and the weekly Darlington & Stockton Times both published by Newsquest and the Thirsk, Northallerton & Bedale Times published by Johnston Press. Both publishers have local offices in the town.
[edit] Geography
[edit] Topography
Northallerton lies just to the north of the Vale of York and in the Vale of Mowbray. To the west lies The Pennines, a range of hills which rises to around 2,000 ft (610 m) and to the east lies the North Yorks Moors which rise to around 1,500 ft (460 m). The proximity of these hills is significant in the climatology of the area. To the west of the town runs the River Wiske which services the River Swale, in turn it is serviced by Brompton Beck, Turker Beck, Willow Beck and North Beck which run through the town. Although small in nature these have been the focus of flash flooding in the town and Brompton village in recent years.[32]
[edit] Climate
According to the Köppen classification the British Isles experience a maritime climate characterised by relatively cool summers and mild winters. Compared with other parts of the country, North Yorkshire is slightly warmer and sunnier in the summer and colder and frostier in the winter. Owing to its inland position, and sheltered by the Pennines to the west[33], North Yorkshire is one of the driest counties in the UK, receiving, on average, less than 600 mm (23.6 in) of rain per year. The mean annual daily duration of bright sunshine is three hours and 42 minutes.
There are two distinct local weather phenomenon, marked downslope lee winds caused by the proximity of the Pennines, leading to super geostrophic winds which can reach in excess of 60 KT (70 mph), most commonly in winter and spring. In the winter the presence of a subsidence inversion between the Pennines and the North Yorks Moors can allow dense, persistent fog to form which can last for several days.
| Weather averages for Northallerton, observed at RAF Leeming |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Average high °F |
43 |
43 |
48 |
52 |
59 |
64 |
68 |
68 |
63 |
57 |
48 |
45 |
| Average low °F |
34 |
34 |
36 |
39 |
43 |
48 |
52 |
52 |
48 |
45 |
37 |
34 |
| Precipitation inches |
2.2 |
1.6 |
1.8 |
1.8 |
1.9 |
2 |
2 |
2.6 |
2 |
2 |
1.7 |
2 |
23.6 |
| Average high °C |
6 |
6 |
9 |
11 |
15 |
18 |
20 |
20 |
17 |
14 |
9 |
7 |
| Average low °C |
1 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
6 |
9 |
11 |
11 |
9 |
7 |
3 |
1 |
| Precipitation mm |
56 |
40 |
46 |
45 |
49 |
52 |
50 |
65 |
50 |
51 |
43 |
52 |
599 |
| Source: The Weather Network[34] Years on Record: 30 |
[edit] Notable Residents
John Fisher (1469-1535), Vicar of Northallerton between 1491 and 1494.[11] Later Chancellor of the University of Cambridge and Bishop of Rochester. Executed by King Henry VIII for refusing to accept him as Head of the Church of England.
Edmund Gheast (1513-1577), Bishop of Rochester from 1560 to 1572.[11]
John Radcliffe (1652–1714), founder of Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital and physician to William of Orange. [11]
Sidney Weighell (1923-2002), former general secretary of the NUR.[35]
Mountaineer Alan Hinkes (born April 26, 1954), who was the first Briton to reach the summit of the world's 14 highest peaks. He is widely recognised as one of the UK's best climbers.[36]
Composer, conductor and author Malcolm Riley (born 1960). [37]
Hull City defender Andy Dawson (born October 20, 1978) and his brother Tottenham Hotspur defender Michael Dawson (born November 18, 1983) were born in Northallerton and started their football careers at Northallerton Town.[29]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- , a b c d e Statistics for the town of Northallerton were calculated using data for its four wards (Northallerton Broomfield, North, West and Romanby), which was retrieved from the National Statistics website
- , a b c d e f Battle of Northallerton. Battlesfield Trust. Retrieved on April 27, 2008.
- , a b c d Northallerton. Herriotcountry.com.
- , a b c T Whellan & Co. History of Northallerton, Thirsk, Stokesley, Malton, Helmsley.
- , Allertonshire or the Wapentake of Allerton. British History Online. Retrieved on April 22, 2008.
- , a b c Northallerton, a personal past or do it's roots lie in the trees. Darlington & Stockton Times.
- , Christopher James Davidson Ingledew. History and Antiquities of North Allerton, in the County of York.
- , a b Thurstan, archbishop of York. The Cistercians in Yorkshire. Retrieved on April 27, 2008.
- , Northallerton and Osmotherley History. The Yorkshire History Pages. Retrieved on April 27, 2008.
- , Northallerton (All Saints). British History Online.
- , a b c d e f NORTHALLERTON:Geographical and Historical information from the year 1890. Genuki.org.
- , a b c Bishop Rufus Palace. English Heritage.
- , a b c British Province of Carmelites- Chronology of Northallerton. Carmelites.org.uk. Retrieved on May 9, 2008.
- , a b c d South Tees - Friarage Hospital. South Tees Hospital Trusts. Retrieved on May 9, 2008.
- , Dig AT Homes Site Uncovers Skeletons of Eight Monks. Northern Echo. Retrieved on May 9, 2008.
- , Riordan, Michael (2002). The History of Northallerton:From Earliest Times to the Year 2000. Blackthorn Press. ISBN 978-0954053505.
- , Northallerton Yorkshire through time. A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved on May 10, 2008.
- , Setting the scene. Hambleton.gov.uk. Retrieved on May 10, 2008.
- , Formally the Representation of the People Act 1832 (2 & 3 Will. IV c.45)
- , Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict. c.23)
- , Under the Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c.73)
- , Under the Local Government Act 1972 (1972 cap.70)
- , Map of Area. North Yorks Fire Service. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
- , Town Twinning. Northallerton Town Council. Retrieved on April 24, 2008.
- , a b No space at Friarage, so Rutson stays open. Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
- , Tees east and North Yorkshire Ambulance Serrvice NHS Trust. Healthcare Commission. Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
- , Broadband availability details for Northallerton Samknows (retrieved 14 April 2008)
- , a b Football: Just the spur as Dawson grows into a higher role. Independent on Sunday. Retrieved on April 28, 2008.
- , Stallions to be based at North's Brompton Lodge. Northallerton, Thirsk & Bedale Times.
- , a b c Minster Northallerton, Bedale, Thirsk and Northallerton - Media UK. Mediauk.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
- , Thirsk Division 2 (Opens as Excel Spreadsheet). Hambleton.gov.uk. Retrieved on April 27, 2008.
- , Weather information for the Yorkshire Dales National Park and North Yorkshire. Yorkshiredales-stay.co.uk.
- , Historical Weather for Leeming The Weather Network (retrieved 20 April 2008)
- , Sidney Weighell Obituary. The Independent. Retrieved on May 13, 2008.
- , Home town honours record climber. BBC.co.uk. Retrieved on May 13, 2008.
- , Cranbrook Choral Society. Cranbrook Choral Society. Retrieved on April 28, 2008.
[edit] External links
(Source: Wikipedia) |
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