Rosedale, North Yorkshire

Maps for Rosedale showing land above the Moorland Line:[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]

• MAGiC MaP : North York Moors – Rosedale Head.[3]

• MAGiC MaP : Rosedale Head – River Seven.[4]

• MAGiC MaP : River Seven – Reeking Gill – Seavey Hill.[5][lower-alpha 3]

• MAGiC MaP : Old Ralph cross – Young Ralph cross.[6][lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 6]

• MAGiC MaP : Thorgill – Rosedale Abbey. [7] [8] [9]

• MAGiC MaP : Thorgill – Rosedale West Side – Rosedale East Side. [10] [11]

• MAGiC MaP : Rosedale Abbey – Listed buildings. [12] [13]

• MAGiC MaP : Rosedale Abbey – PRIORY REMAINS. [14] [13] [lower-alpha 7] [lower-alpha 8]

• MAGiC MaP : Ironstone mine – Rosedale East. [16] [11]

• MAGiC MaP : Ironstone mine – Rosedale West. [17] [11]

There was no mention of Rosedale in the Domesday Book of 1086 A.D. [lower-alpha 9]

However the name Rozebi [lower-alpha 12] [lower-alpha 14] is shown in the paragraph for Pickering. [lower-alpha 16]

Survey of English Place-Names : [22]

• Russedal(e) 1130[22]
• Rossedal(e) 1186[22]
• Rossdale 1328[22]
• Rosedale, Rosedall 1376[22]

The toponym might be:

• Russi's valley [22]
• Valley beside high but relatively level moorland promontory [lower-alpha 17]

The name element dale is from Old Norse dalr or Middle English dale. [lower-alpha 18] [lower-alpha 19]

The name element rose is from Brittonic < rōs > and might be a reference to Blakey Ridge that defines the west side of the dale.

The name might have a Cornish influence since " Rose " place names are very common in Cornwall. [lower-alpha 20] The Cornish language was introduced into the area by the migration of tin miners from Cornwall. The majority of those came during the Cornish diaspora, [lower-alpha 21] [lower-alpha 22] however place name evidence suggests that Cornish miners might have arrived at an earlier date.[lower-alpha 23]

Examples of place names that might have a similar etymology:

• Raisdale, near Chop Gate in upper Bilsdale. [lower-alpha 25]
• Roseberry Topping, North Yorkshire.
• Roose, Cumbria.
• Melrose, Scottish Borders.

Rosedale Head is at the top of the dale at the point where the River Seven rises from the ground.[4] The surrounding moorland is typical of the heather moorland of the North York Moors National Park.[26] In the 18th century the moorland belonged to the Helmsley Estate.[lower-alpha 26]

Rosedale Head separates Rosedale from its neighbouring dales to the north:

1. Westerdale
2. Danby Dale
3. Great Fryup dale

Old Ralph and Young Ralph are probably the best known of the many wayside crosses found in the North York Moors National Park. [lower-alpha 27]

The origin of the names Old Ralph and Young Ralph is not known, however the names might refer to members of the House of Neville:[lower-alpha 29]

Old Ralph cross is a monolithic wayside cross of hard gritstone that stands about 6 feet tall, possibly 11th century. The cross is a Grade II* listed building.[30] The cross is located on Ledging Hill the highest point on Blakey Ridge (OS ref: NZ 674 019).[6][lower-alpha 35]

Young Ralph cross is a wayside cross of hard gritstone that stands about 10 feet tall, possibly 11th century. The cross is located on Ledging Hill (OS ref: NZ 677 021).[31] The distinctive profile of the cross is used as the emblem of the North York Moors National Park.

Examples of similar crosses across the North York Moors:

• Lilla Cross, Lilla's Howe, Fylingdales Moor.
• Mulgrave Castle – Mauley Cross erected by the Mauley family.

The extraction of ironstone probably began during the Roman period. [lower-alpha 36] [lower-alpha 37]

In the late 19th century the valley quickly became a major centre for iron-ore extraction. [lower-alpha 38] [lower-alpha 39] Mining took place from 1857[32] to 1928.[33] The ore was pre-processed by calcination, for which special kilns were built.[32]

The mines were served by the freight-only Rosedale Branch railway line that ran round the head of the valley, serving mine workings on either side, and across the moors to reach what is now the Esk Valley Line at Battersby Junction.[34][35] The railway line closed in 1929 after the last of the calcine dust extracted from the kiln waste had been sold.[33]

Rosedale Chimney Bank, one of the steepest roads in the United Kingdom,[36] provides a popular entrance point into the valley. A row of disused kilns and a former Royal Observer Corps Underground Monitoring Post[37] are both situated yards from its summit. In the adjacent Farndale Valley wild daffodils bloom around Easter time.[38]

Historically the governance of Rosedale was split east–west by the River Seven.

In the 19th century Rosedale East Side was in the parish of Middleton and the wapentake of Pickering – Lythe ,[lower-alpha 40] while Rosedale West Side was in the parish of Lastingham and the wapentake of Ryedale. [lower-alpha 41]

Few inhabitants of Rosedale work in farming. The majority of houses are bought as second homes and as such the permanent local population has been significantly reduced.

In mid-August Rosedale Show is held at Rosedale Abbey and attracts some 5,000 people from all parts of Britain. The show dates back to 1871 and is one of the oldest in North Yorkshire.[39][40]

The Frank Elgee memorial was erected in 1953 at Blakey Ridge on The North York Moors, overlooking Loose Howe at Rosedale Head.[41]

• James, Alan G. (2019). The Brittonic Language in the Old North, A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence, Volume 2 (PDF). Scottish Place-Name Society. Retrieved 1 January 2023.

• Jennings, Bernard (1999). The Yorkshire Monasteries: Cloister, Land and People. Smith Settle. ISBN 9781858251059.

• Pawley White, Gunwyn (1972). A Handbook of Cornish Surnames. G. PAWLEY WHITE, Camborne.

• Reaney, P H (1969). The Origin of English Place Names. Routledge & Kegan Paul.

• Page, W. H., ed. (1923). 'Parishes: Middleton', A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 2. Victoria County History. British History Online. pp. 453–461. Retrieved 1 February 2023.

• Langdale, Thomas (1822). A Topographical Dictionary of Yorkshire. LANGDALE.