Osmotherley
Encyclopedia
Osmotherley is an English
village and civil parish, situated in the Hambleton
hills in North Yorkshire
.
It is likely that Osmotherley means the clearing or 'ley' , belonging to a Viking
called 'Asmund' or a Saxon called 'Osmund'. There have been a number spellings of the Osmotherley over the centuries: the name appeared in the Domesday Book
as Asmundrelac; it has also been known as Osmundeslay and Osmonderlay.
Osmotherley is on the route of the 110 mile Cleveland Way
National Trail.
Osmotherley boasts three pubs
within a 50 metre radius: the Queen Catherine, the Three Tuns and the Golden Lion.
The village is served by a newsagent
s, a 'Top Shop' store, a fish and chip shop, a Youth Hostel and an antique store.
The shop that has served Osmotherley since 1786, 'Thompson', along with a recently opened Art
and Craft
Shop have recently closed.
The public toilets are situated by the side of the Village Hall (which in turn is next to Church House, which hosts book sales and tea sales on Sundays and Bank Holidays.) These toilets have been voted the best in the UK on several occasions and are filled with flowers and decorated with pictures of horses.
preached at the barter table in the middle of Osmotherley on several occasions. His first visit was in 1745. In 1754 a Chapel was erected. is the oldest Methodist Chapel in the world, it can be found in Chapel Yard.
The Church of England building in Osmotherley is called St Peter's Church. It is built on an earlier Saxon
site, with parts of the building dating from the Norman
period.
Osmotherley is also home to Osmotherley Friends Meeting House
, which is a traditional stone building, erected in 1690 or 1723. Meetings are still held here once a month. It is thought that George Fox
may have visited the village in the late 17th century.
at Osmotherley gets its name from Cod Beck
, a small tributary of the River Swale
. The beck derives its name from the Celtic
word 'Coed', meaning woody. Just before Cod Beck reaches the reservoir is a picturesque location called Sheepwash
.
Osmotherley is close to the western terminus of the Lyke Wake Walk
. The official starting point is at the edge of the moors above the village, where there is a stone marker.
About 1½ miles from Osmotherley near the A19
is Mount Grace Priory
. These beautiful ruins are situated at the foot of a steep wooded hill with a footpath leading up it into the village. This Carthusian
religious house was founded around 1396.
by Robert Swindells. In the novel, many towns and cities in are hit by individually programmed nuclear missiles, but Osmotherley's small size means it is spared.
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...
village and civil parish, situated in the Hambleton
Hambleton
Hambleton is a local government district of North Yorkshire, England. The main town and administrative centre is Northallerton, and includes the market towns and major villages of Bedale, Thirsk, Great Ayton, Stokesley and Easingwold....
hills 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...
.
It is likely that Osmotherley means the clearing or 'ley' , belonging to a Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
called 'Asmund' or a Saxon called 'Osmund'. There have been a number spellings of the Osmotherley over the centuries: the name appeared in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Asmundrelac; it has also been known as Osmundeslay and Osmonderlay.
Osmotherley is on the route of the 110 mile Cleveland Way
Cleveland Way
The Cleveland Way is a National Trail in ancient Cleveland in Northern England. It runs 110 miles from Helmsley to Filey, skirting the North York Moors National Park.-History:The trail was opened in 1969...
National Trail.
Origin of Name
Fanciful local legend says that Osmotherley was named after the mother of a villager named Oswald or Osmund, who supposedly went out to gather firewood in the winter. When she did not return her son became anxious and went out to look for her. He found her lying in the snow, dead or dying from the cold. Because he was not able to carry her back, he lay down beside her and died himself. It is where Oswald's mother lies, hence Osmotherley. However, it is far more likely that the name signifies 'Osmund's ley', as cited above.Amenities
The village school was founded 1857, the present building dates from 1878. The school is now known as Osmotherley Primary School. It is located on School Lane and has around 60 pupils.Osmotherley boasts three pubs
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
within a 50 metre radius: the Queen Catherine, the Three Tuns and the Golden Lion.
The village is served by a newsagent
Newsagent
A newsagent's shop , newsagency or newsstand is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local interest. In Britain and Australia, these businesses are termed newsagents...
s, a 'Top Shop' store, a fish and chip shop, a Youth Hostel and an antique store.
The shop that has served Osmotherley since 1786, 'Thompson', along with a recently opened Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and Craft
Craft
A craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
Shop have recently closed.
The public toilets are situated by the side of the Village Hall (which in turn is next to Church House, which hosts book sales and tea sales on Sundays and Bank Holidays.) These toilets have been voted the best in the UK on several occasions and are filled with flowers and decorated with pictures of horses.
Religion
John WesleyJohn Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
preached at the barter table in the middle of Osmotherley on several occasions. His first visit was in 1745. In 1754 a Chapel was erected. is the oldest Methodist Chapel in the world, it can be found in Chapel Yard.
The Church of England building in Osmotherley is called St Peter's Church. It is built on an earlier Saxon
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
site, with parts of the building dating from the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
period.
Osmotherley is also home to Osmotherley Friends Meeting House
Osmotherley Friends Meeting House
Osmotherley Friends Meeting House is a Friends Meeting House of the Religious Society of Friends , situated in the village of Osmotherley in North Yorkshire, England...
, which is a traditional stone building, erected in 1690 or 1723. Meetings are still held here once a month. It is thought that George Fox
George Fox
George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.The son of a Leicestershire weaver, Fox lived in a time of great social upheaval and war...
may have visited the village in the late 17th century.
Nearby
Cod Beck ReservoirCod Beck Reservoir
Cod Beck Reservoir is a man-made lake situated adjacent to the North Yorkshire Moors National Park and near the village of Osmotherley in the English county of North Yorkshire. The reservoir is named after Cod Beck, which is the small river that fills it....
at Osmotherley gets its name from Cod Beck
Cod Beck, North Yorkshire
Cod Beck is a river in North Yorkshire, England. It has a catchment area of .The river extends from above Cod Beck Reservoir at Osmotherley on the edge of the North York Moors through Thirsk and on to join the River Swale at Topcliffe....
, a small tributary of the River Swale
River Swale
The River Swale is a river in Yorkshire, England and a major tributary of the River Ure, which itself becomes the River Ouse, emptying into the North Sea via the Humber Estuary....
. The beck derives its name from the Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
word 'Coed', meaning woody. Just before Cod Beck reaches the reservoir is a picturesque location called Sheepwash
Sheepwash, North Yorkshire
Sheepwash is a popular tourist spot in the North York Moors, North Yorkshire, England. It is located on Cod Beck which flows into Cod Beck Reservoir near Osmotherley....
.
Osmotherley is close to the western terminus of the Lyke Wake Walk
Lyke Wake Walk
The Lyke Wake Walk was started by a local farmer, Bill Cowley, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England, in 1955. He claimed that one could walk over the North York Moors from east to west on heather all the way except for crossing one or two roads and he issued a challenge that walkers took up...
. The official starting point is at the edge of the moors above the village, where there is a stone marker.
About 1½ miles from Osmotherley near the A19
A19 road
The A19 is a major road in England running approximately parallel to and east of the A1 road, although the two roads meet at the northern end of the A19, the two roads originally met at the southern end of the A19 in Doncaster but the old route of the A1 was changed to the A638. From Sunderland...
is Mount Grace Priory
Mount Grace Priory
Mount Grace Priory, in the parish of East Harlsey, North Yorkshire, England is today the best preserved and most accessible of the ten medieval Carthusian houses in England....
. These beautiful ruins are situated at the foot of a steep wooded hill with a footpath leading up it into the village. This Carthusian
Carthusian
The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns...
religious house was founded around 1396.
In popular culture
Osmotherley is the setting of some of the final chapters of the novel Brother in the LandBrother in the Land
Brother in the Land is a 1984 post-apocalyptic novel by Robert E. "Bob" Swindells. It follows a teenage boy as he fights for survival following a nuclear attack on his home...
by Robert Swindells. In the novel, many towns and cities in are hit by individually programmed nuclear missiles, but Osmotherley's small size means it is spared.