Barden is a village and civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in the Craven

Craven

Craven is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England that came into being in 1974, centred on the market town of Skipton. In the changes to British local government of that year this district was formed as the merger of Skipton urban district, Settle Rural District and most of Skipton...

 district of North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The village is by the River Wharfe

River Wharfe

The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England. For much of its length it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The name Wharfe is Celtic and means "twisting, winding".The valley of the River Wharfe is known as Wharfedale...

 and is in Wharfedale

Wharfedale

Wharfedale is one of the Yorkshire Dales in England. It is the valley of the River Wharfe. Towns and villages in Wharfedale include Buckden, Kettlewell, Conistone, Grassington, Hebden, Ilkley, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Otley, Pool-in-Wharfedale, Arthington, Collingham, and Wetherby...

 in the Yorkshire Dales

Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area in Northern England.The area lies within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria...

. The parish includes Barden Fell. Above the village, Barden Moor has been access land since the 1970s, and is popular with walkers, having two scenic 19th century reservoirs.

Associated buildings and history

To the south, Barden Tower is a ruined late 15th century tower house built by Sir Henry Clifford. This was made Henry Clifford, 10th Baron de Clifford's chief residence after the Clifford estates, confiscated by the Yorkists, were restored to him on the accession of Henry VII

Henry VII of England

Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....

. Because Clifford led a troop of dalesmen to victory at the Battle of Flodden, halberds used at that battle were passed down to descendants and, as late as the middle of the 20th century, could still be found in some farmhouses in the area.

Earlier there was also a mill used for drying and grinding corn (Hough Mill) which was rebuilt by Lady Anne Clifford

Lady Anne Clifford

Lady Anne Clifford, 14th Baroness de Clifford was the only surviving child of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland by his wife Lady Margaret Russell, daughter of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford...

 in 1657. This fell out of use after Skyreholme Dam burst in 1899, sweeping away the smaller dam which supplied the mill. Tom Lister, the last besom

Besom broom

A besom broom is a traditionally constructed broom made of a bundle of twigs tied to a stouter pole. They are still made today and sold at gardening stores as an outdoor broom.- Construction :...

-maker of Wharfedale made his wares in the top story during the 1930's.

External links

• Pictures and walking information