Uckerby is a hamlet

Hamlet

The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...

 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 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...

. It situated at a crossroads

Crossroads (culture)

In folk magic and mythology, crossroads may represent a location "between the worlds" and, as such, a site where supernatural spirits can be contacted and paranormal events can take place...

 on the road between Scorton and Moulton

Moulton, North Yorkshire

Moulton is a small village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in a secluded valley between the villages of Scorton and Middleton Tyas.-Amenities:...

.

Uckerby first appears on record as Ukerby, in 1198. The place name is derived from two Old Norse

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

 elements: the first is thought to be an unattested Old Norse personal name

Personal name

A personal name is the proper name identifying an individual person, and today usually comprises a given name bestowed at birth or at a young age plus a surname. It is nearly universal for a human to have a name; except in rare cases, for example feral children growing up in isolation, or infants...

, either *Úkyrri or *Útkári; the second element is býr, meaning farmstead.

Both of the minor roads that cross the main road are dead end

Cul-de-sac

A cul-de-sac is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...

s. The one that leads off to the west ends up in a farm yard, it is possible to follow a very rarely used footpath from here to Gatherley Road in Brompton-on-Swale

Brompton-on-Swale

Brompton-on-Swale is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. The village is located three miles east of Richmond. Its name comes from the fact that the River Swale is very close to the town...

. The other road which leads off to the east gradually turns into a farmers track and then into a public footpath which leads to another hamlet, Moulton End

Moulton End

Moulton End is a hamlet in North Yorkshire, in England.The hamlet gradually built up around the now disused railway station formerly serving North Cowton. The station was part of the disbanded Eryholme-Richmond branch line, which also used to serve Catterick Garrison...

 near North Cowton

North Cowton

North Cowton is a village and civil parish, located in Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, England. The surrounding towns are Darlington, Northallerton, and Richmond.The local school is called North and South Cowton Community Primary School....

.