Reeth
Encyclopedia
Reeth is a village in the Yorkshire Dales
within the Richmondshire
district of North Yorkshire
, England
and principal settlement of Swaledale
. It is situated at the meeting point of the two most northerly of the Yorkshire Dales: Swaledale and Arkengarthdale
.
In Saxon
times, Reeth was only a settlement on the forest edge, but by the time of the Norman Conquest it had grown sufficiently in importance to be noted in the Domesday Book
.
Later it became a centre for hand-knitting
and the local lead
industry was controlled from here, but it was always a market centre for the local farming community. Its 18th-century houses and hotels are clustered around a triangular green. The village has three pubs all situated on the green. They are the Black Bull, the King's Arms and the Buck Hotel. The village is overlooked by the fell
s of Fremington Edge
and Calver Hill
. The village also offers several B & Bs and tea rooms as well as a hotel, the Burgoyne, that overlooks the village green.
The village, known as the capital of Swaledale, is the starting point for several of the North Yorkshire Dales' best known walks. Most notable is Fremington Edge, a walk that, after a steady climb, provides good views of Swaledale.
In May and June every year, Reeth becomes the hub of the Swaledale Festival
, a two-week celebration of small-scale music and guided walks. Additionally on the final Wednesday of August, the Reeth Show, an agricultural event, is held. In 2012 the show will enter its centenary year .
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...
within the Richmondshire
Richmondshire
Richmondshire is a local government district of North Yorkshire, England. It covers a large northern area of the Yorkshire Dales including Swaledale and Arkengarthdale, Wensleydale and Coverdale, with the prominent Scots' Dyke and Scotch Corner along the centre. Teesdale lies to the north...
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...
and principal settlement of Swaledale
Swaledale
Swaledale is one of the northernmost dales in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in northern England. It is the dale of the River Swale on the east side of the Pennines in North Yorkshire.-Geographical overview:...
. It is situated at the meeting point of the two most northerly of the Yorkshire Dales: Swaledale and Arkengarthdale
Arkengarthdale
Arkengarthdale is a dale, or valley, on the east side of the Pennines in North Yorkshire, England. Running roughly northwest–southeast, it is the valley of the Arkle Beck, and is the northernmost of the Yorkshire Dales...
.
In Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
times, Reeth was only a settlement on the forest edge, but by the time of the Norman Conquest it had grown sufficiently in importance to be noted 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...
.
Later it became a centre for hand-knitting
Knitting
Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth or other fine crafts. Knitted fabric consists of consecutive rows of loops, called stitches. As each row progresses, a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can...
and the local lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
industry was controlled from here, but it was always a market centre for the local farming community. Its 18th-century houses and hotels are clustered around a triangular green. The village has three pubs all situated on the green. They are the Black Bull, the King's Arms and the Buck Hotel. The village is overlooked by the fell
Fell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
s of Fremington Edge
Fremington Edge
Fremington Edge is a five kilometre long wall of crags and scree slopes that is situated to the north of the village of Reeth in Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, England. Fremington Edge stands where the dales of Arkengarthdale and Swaledale meet...
and Calver Hill
Calver Hill
Calver Hill is a fell in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in North Yorkshire, England. It composed of limestone and is situated at grid reference , near where the valleys of Swaledale and Arkengarthdale meet, the village of Reeth is located on its lower south eastern slopes, it reaches an altitude...
. The village also offers several B & Bs and tea rooms as well as a hotel, the Burgoyne, that overlooks the village green.
The village, known as the capital of Swaledale, is the starting point for several of the North Yorkshire Dales' best known walks. Most notable is Fremington Edge, a walk that, after a steady climb, provides good views of Swaledale.
In May and June every year, Reeth becomes the hub of the Swaledale Festival
Swaledale Festival
The Swaledale Festival was founded in 1980 by Trevor and Emma Woolston, not only to celebrate the music already within the Yorkshire Dales, England but also to bring internationally renowned musicians and composers into the area, making it - in the words of its founders - “to music what St Ives is...
, a two-week celebration of small-scale music and guided walks. Additionally on the final Wednesday of August, the Reeth Show, an agricultural event, is held. In 2012 the show will enter its centenary year .
Notable people
- The nonconformist minister David BradberryDavid BradberryDavid Bradberry, sometimes called Bradbury , was an English nonconformist minister.-Life:Bradberry appears to have been resident in London in 1768, and for a time was minister of the congregation at Glovers' Hall, London, which then belonged to the baptists; but he went from Ramsgate to Manchester,...
was born in Reeth. - Ruby FergusonRuby FergusonRuby Ferguson, 1899-1966, née Rubie Constance Ashby, was a British writer of popular fiction, including children's books, romances, and mysteries. She is best known today for her "Jill" books, a series of Pullein-Thompsonesque pony books for children and young adults.-Life and career:Ferguson was...
, a writer of popular fiction including children's books, romances, and mysteries, was born and raised in Reeth.