Littondale
Encyclopedia
Littondale is a dale in the Craven
district
of the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire
, England
. It comprises the main settlements of Hawkswick
, Arncliffe
, Litton
, Foxup
and Halton Gill
, and farmhouses that date from the 17th century. The main waterway in the dale is the River Skirfare
which is fed by many small gills and becks.
and follows the River Skirfare
. The nature of the dale and its characteristic smooth form was the result of many ice ages, especially the one 20,000 years ago. As the glacier for that age receded it left retreat moraine, an example of which can be found at Skirfare Bridge. Like neighbouring Wharfedale, Littondale comprises mainly Great Scar Limestone and Yoredale rock. The dale has a number of shake holes and sink-holes that lead to underground cave systems such as at Boreham Cave. At the head of the dale is Pen-y-ghent
, the third highest peak in the Yorkshire Dales.
is the first settlement reached travelling from the B6160. The name is derived from the Middle English Hauk meaning someone who trained Hawks and wick, meaning dairy farm.
Arncliffe
is the second, and largest, settlement reached travelling from the B6160, lies at the confluence of Cowside Beck and the River Skirfare. The name derives from the Old English, earna-clif, meaning eagles cliff. It is now a conservation area and is centred around its village green and has one public house. The church was built in the 16th and 18th centuries to replace the stone 11th century building, which probably superseded a wooden Saxon church.
Litton
is the third settlement reached travelling from the B6160. The name has the meaning village on a roaring stream.
Halton Gill
is the fourth settlement reached travelling from the B6160. The name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon haugh meaning Valley and tun meaning farm. Gill is a derivation of the Olde Norse 'gil', meaning ravine, therefore the whole name means valley farm by the ravine.
Foxup
is the last settlement reached travelling from the B6160. The name means upstream with the foxes.
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
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
of the non-metropolitan county 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...
. It comprises the main settlements of Hawkswick
Hawkswick
Hawkswick is a hamlet and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Situated in the Yorkshire Dales it lies in Littondale on the River Skirfare....
, Arncliffe
Arncliffe, North Yorkshire
Arncliffe is a small village and civil parish the largest of Littondale's four settlements. Littondale is a small valley beside Upper Wharfedale, 3 miles beyond Kilnsey and its famous crag...
, Litton
Litton, North Yorkshire
Litton is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England that lies further up Littondale than Arncliffe. A little further up the dale is the small hamlet of Halton Gill. From Litton there are walks over the fells to the east to Buckden in Wharfedale and up Pen-y-ghent...
, Foxup
Foxup
Foxup is a hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England near Halton Gill and Litton. The source of the River Skirfare starts here....
and Halton Gill
Halton Gill
Halton Gill is a hamlet and civil parish in the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near Litton and another hamlet, Foxup....
, and farmhouses that date from the 17th century. The main waterway in the dale is the River Skirfare
River Skirfare
River Skirfare is a small river that flows through Littondale and ends where it joins the larger River Wharfe. The sourceis the confluence of Foxup Beck and Cosh Beck at the hamlet of Foxup.-Course:...
which is fed by many small gills and becks.
Geography
Littondale is located to the west of WharfedaleWharfedale
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...
and follows the River Skirfare
River Skirfare
River Skirfare is a small river that flows through Littondale and ends where it joins the larger River Wharfe. The sourceis the confluence of Foxup Beck and Cosh Beck at the hamlet of Foxup.-Course:...
. The nature of the dale and its characteristic smooth form was the result of many ice ages, especially the one 20,000 years ago. As the glacier for that age receded it left retreat moraine, an example of which can be found at Skirfare Bridge. Like neighbouring Wharfedale, Littondale comprises mainly Great Scar Limestone and Yoredale rock. The dale has a number of shake holes and sink-holes that lead to underground cave systems such as at Boreham Cave. At the head of the dale is Pen-y-ghent
Pen-y-ghent
Pen-y-ghent is a fell in the Yorkshire Dales. It is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, the other two being Ingleborough and Whernside. It lies some 3 km east of Horton in Ribblesdale...
, the third highest peak in the Yorkshire Dales.
History
Littondale is rich in Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements, and has been a sheltered fertile valley for 5,000 years or more. Saxon cultivation terraces (lynchets) can be seen in the valley. After the Conquest, the Normans turned it into a hunting chase before the land was granted to the monks of Fountains Abbey in the 13th century, and became extensively used for sheep farming.Settlements
HawkswickHawkswick
Hawkswick is a hamlet and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Situated in the Yorkshire Dales it lies in Littondale on the River Skirfare....
is the first settlement reached travelling from the B6160. The name is derived from the Middle English Hauk meaning someone who trained Hawks and wick, meaning dairy farm.
Arncliffe
Arncliffe, North Yorkshire
Arncliffe is a small village and civil parish the largest of Littondale's four settlements. Littondale is a small valley beside Upper Wharfedale, 3 miles beyond Kilnsey and its famous crag...
is the second, and largest, settlement reached travelling from the B6160, lies at the confluence of Cowside Beck and the River Skirfare. The name derives from the Old English, earna-clif, meaning eagles cliff. It is now a conservation area and is centred around its village green and has one public house. The church was built in the 16th and 18th centuries to replace the stone 11th century building, which probably superseded a wooden Saxon church.
Litton
Litton, North Yorkshire
Litton is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England that lies further up Littondale than Arncliffe. A little further up the dale is the small hamlet of Halton Gill. From Litton there are walks over the fells to the east to Buckden in Wharfedale and up Pen-y-ghent...
is the third settlement reached travelling from the B6160. The name has the meaning village on a roaring stream.
Halton Gill
Halton Gill
Halton Gill is a hamlet and civil parish in the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near Litton and another hamlet, Foxup....
is the fourth settlement reached travelling from the B6160. The name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon haugh meaning Valley and tun meaning farm. Gill is a derivation of the Olde Norse 'gil', meaning ravine, therefore the whole name means valley farm by the ravine.
Foxup
Foxup
Foxup is a hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England near Halton Gill and Litton. The source of the River Skirfare starts here....
is the last settlement reached travelling from the B6160. The name means upstream with the foxes.