Barkston Ash
Encyclopedia
Barkston Ash is a small village
and civil parish
close to Selby
in North Yorkshire
, England
. Until recently it was officially called Barkston. A local legend has it that the ash tree which stands in the centre of the village and gives it its name also marks the exact centre of Yorkshire, and that anyone who spits at this tree will come to a bad end.
The Barkston Ash wapentake
was named after the village. Barkston Ash was also the name of the local parliamentary constituency of Barkston Ash
up until 1983, when its boundaries were redrawn to divide the area into Elmet
and Selby
. The Barkston Ash constituency was traditionally a safe Conservative
seat, though both successive constituencies elected Labour
MPs in 1997.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
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...
close to Selby
Selby
Selby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012, most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district.Historically a part of the West Riding...
in 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...
. Until recently it was officially called Barkston. A local legend has it that the ash tree which stands in the centre of the village and gives it its name also marks the exact centre of Yorkshire, and that anyone who spits at this tree will come to a bad end.
Barkston Ash (wapentake)
Barkston Ash was a wapentake of the West Riding of Yorkshire, named after the meeting-place at the village of Barkston. It included the parishes of Birkin, Bramham cum Oglethorpe, Brayton, Drax, Kirk Fenton, Ledsham, Monk Fryston, Saxton with Scarthingwell and Sherburn-in-Elmet and parts of...
was named after the village. Barkston Ash was also the name of the local parliamentary constituency of Barkston Ash
Barkston Ash (UK Parliament constituency)
Barkston Ash was a parliamentary constituency centred on the village of Barkston Ash in the West Riding of Yorkshire . It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 1983...
up until 1983, when its boundaries were redrawn to divide the area into Elmet
Elmet (UK Parliament constituency)
Elmet was a county constituency in West Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
and Selby
Selby (UK Parliament constituency)
Selby was a parliamentary constituency in North Yorkshire, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
. The Barkston Ash constituency was traditionally a safe Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
seat, though both successive constituencies elected Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MPs in 1997.
External links
- The Ancient Parish of Sherburn in Elmet at GENUKIGENUKIGENUKI is a genealogy web portal, run as a charitable trust. Its aim is "to serve as a "virtual reference library" of genealogical information that is of particular relevance to the UK & Ireland"...
: Barkston Ash was in this parish