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Sherburn in Elmet

Coordinates: 53°47′50″N 1°13′59″W / 53.7973°N 1.2331°W / 53.7973; -1.2331
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Sherburn in Elmet
Town and Civil Parish
Sherburn town centre
Sherburn in Elmet is located in North Yorkshire
Sherburn in Elmet
Sherburn in Elmet
Location within North Yorkshire
Population6,657 (2011 census)[1]
OS grid referenceSE506337
Civil parish
  • Sherburn in Elmet[2]
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLEEDS
Postcode districtLS25
Dialling code01977
PoliceNorth Yorkshire
FireNorth Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
53°47′50″N 1°13′59″W / 53.7973°N 1.2331°W / 53.7973; -1.2331

Sherburn in Elmet (pronounced /ˈʃɜːrbərnɪnˈɛlmɪt/ SHUR-bər-nin-EL-mit) is a town[2] and civil parish in the district and county of North Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Selby and south of Tadcaster.

It was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1974.[3]

It is one of three placenames associated with the post-Roman kingdom of Elmet, the others being Barwick-in-Elmet and Scholes-in-Elmet. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 6,657.[1]

History

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The name derives from Old English "scir" (bright, pure) and "burn" (bourne, stream, spring).[4] The earliest record of the name ('Scyreburnan') dates from 963.[5] Elmet refers to a little-understood post-Roman, Brittonic (non-Anglo-Saxon) kingdom in the area around what is now the Leeds conurbation, the precise boundaries of which are not known, but are thought to have been located at bodies of water, such as the Ouse, Aire and Wharfe rivers.[6]

Sherburn is situated on a low hill of Permian limestone jutting out into the valley of the River Ouse, so the name may refer to the clarity of the water on the hill compared with the muddy streams on the alluvial plain below. This limestone ridge is still an important source of clear water, for example for the brewing industry at Tadcaster six miles to the north.

The Roman road connecting Castleford with Tadcaster and York ran along this ridge, and the current Low Street/Finkle Hill north–south route through the town marks its line, but little evidence of Roman settlement has been found.[7][8]

An earthwork adjoining All Saints' Church is the site of Hall Garth, sometimes erroneously called 'Athelstan's Palace', a high-status dwelling given (along with the manor of Cawood) by King Athelstan to the Archbishops of York to mark his victory over the combined Scots/Norse forces at Brunanburh in 937. Hall Garth cannot be dated back with certainty to the Kingdom of Elmet prior to its absorption into the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria in 616/7 (see Wikipedia entry for Elmet) and may have been an Anglo-Saxon rather than a Brittonic foundation.

All Saints Church

The existing church, a Grade I listed building, contains features dating from c.1120: "C12 nave and north aisle, C13 chancel with C14 south aisle and extension to north aisle, C15 south aisle chapel, and later additions and alterations including C16 clerestory, north aisle windows and heightening of tower. East end restored in 1857 by Anthony Salvin and C19 vestry".[9] It was built on the site of an earlier Anglo-Saxon church.[10]

The town was part of the wapentake of Barkston Ash in the West Riding of Yorkshire.[11]

The Battle of Towton was fought nearby in 1461 and local legend tells that King Edward IV, who won the battle, used the church tower as a point for surveying the battle lines.[12] In fact the battle, the main action of which occurred between 3–4 miles (4.8–6.4 km) away, could not have been seen with any clarity from the church tower, which was not then as tall as it is today.[9]

During the English Civil War, the town was garrisoned by the Royalists for King Charles I; it was close to their stronghold at Selby and the northern capital of York, and commanded the approaches from both the south and the west. In 1645, the Parliamentarians attacked Sherburn and defeated the garrison. On 15 October 1645 the Battle of Sherburn-in-Elmet took place. A Royalist force commanded by Lord Digby and Sir Marmaduke Langdale attacked and initially defeated the Parliamentarian garrison now based in the town. However, another Parliamentarian force, under Colonel Copley, counterattacked and routed the Royalists. Thus was defeated the last significant Royalist force in the North during the First English Civil War.[13][14]

Notable residents

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Ernest Popplewell, Baron Popplewell, CBE (10 December 1899 – 11 August 1977). Ernest was conferred the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life, by the name, style and title of Baron Popplewell, of Sherburn-in-Elmet in the West Riding of the County of York.[15]

Transport

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Sherburn-in-Elmet railway station

The village is served by Sherburn-in-Elmet railway station with services to York railway station, Hull Paragon Interchange and Sheffield railway station, with a second station (South Milford railway station) in nearby South Milford providing services to Leeds and Hull. Arriva Yorkshire buses go to Leeds, Tadcaster and Selby.

Media

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Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire. Television signals are received from the Emley Moor TV transmitter.[16] Local radio stations are BBC Radio York on 103.7 FM, Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire (formerly Minister FM) on 104.7 FM, YO1 Radio on 90.0 FM, Heart Yorkshire on 106.2 FM and Capital Yorkshire on 105.1 FM. [17] The town is served by the local newspapers, The York Press and Wetherby News.[18]

Education

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Sherburn in Elmet has two primary Schools and one secondary school.[19] Its primary schools are Sherburn Hungate Primary School[20] and Athelstan Primary School.[21] Its secondary school is Sherburn High School, which is located on Garden Lane.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Sherburn in Elmet Parish (E04007766)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Home – Sherburn in Elmet Town Council". www.sherburninelmet-tc.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  3. ^ "History of Sherburn in Elmet, in Selby and West Riding | Map and description". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  4. ^ Moorman, F. W. (1910). Place-Names of the West Riding of Yorkshire. Thoresby Society. p. 169. OCLC 187202578.
  5. ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 416. ISBN 0-19-869103-3.
  6. ^ Bogg 1904, p. 25.
  7. ^ Bogg 1904, p. 19.
  8. ^ "Sherburn in Elmet village design statement" (PDF). northyorks.gov.uk. December 2009. p. 4. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  9. ^ a b Historic England. "Church of All Saints (1148444)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  10. ^ Historic England. "Site of 'King Athelstan's Palace', immediately north of the church (1017486)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Sherburn in Elmet :: Survey of English Place-Names". epns.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  12. ^ "Sherburn in Elmet village design statement" (PDF). northyorks.gov.uk. December 2009. p. 5. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  13. ^ C. Hibbert, Cavaliers and Roundheads (1993), pp.237–238; V. Wedgwood, The King's War (1983 edition), p.504
  14. ^ Historic England. "Battle of Sherburn in Elmet (1121106)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  15. ^ "No. 44014". The London Gazette. 7 June 1966. p. 6598.
  16. ^ "Emley Moor (Kirklees, England) Full Freeview transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Yorkshire Radio Stations". Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Wetherby News". British Papers. 14 July 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  19. ^ "Schools". Sherburn-in-Elmet. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  20. ^ "Sherburn Hungate Primary School – Home". www.sherburnhungate.net. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  21. ^ "Athelstan Community Primary School – Home". www.athelstan.n-yorks.sch.uk. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  22. ^ "Sherburn High School". sherburnhigh. Retrieved 18 August 2020.

Sources

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  • Bogg, Edmund (1904). The old kingdom of Elmet, the land twixt Aire and Wharfe. York: John Sampson. OCLC 1049966966.
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