West Heslerton

West Heslerton is a village and former civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, 6 miles (10 km) southeast of Pickering. The village lies within the historic county boundaries of the East Riding of Yorkshire. In 1931 the parish had a population of 308.[2] The village was named on early maps as Heslerton Magna.

West Heslerton
All Saints' Church, West Heslerton
West Heslerton is located in North Yorkshire
West Heslerton
West Heslerton
Location within North Yorkshire
Population409 (2011 census)[1]
OS grid referenceSE911759
Civil parish
  • Heslerton
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMALTON
Postcode districtYO17
PoliceNorth Yorkshire
FireNorth Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament

Etymology

The village name is thought to be derived from the Old English words hæsel ('hazel'), or a derivative thereof, and the word tūn ('enclosure'). Thus it once meant "hazel enclosure".[3]

History

The village is the site of one of Britain's largest archaeological excavations,[4] that of a large settlement which seems to have been occupied for several centuries until about 800 AD.[5] The settlement flourished during late Roman/early Anglo-Saxon times, but may have been occupied for a considerable length of time before the arrival of Romans in Britain. The site covers over 110 acres (45 hectares) and contains the traces of more than 200 buildings. Excavations of Cook's Quarry in the village, unearthed a cemetery containing 250 skeletons of people buried between the 4th and 7th centuries AD.

Along with East Heslerton, it forms the civil parish of Heslerton which had 409 residents at the 2001 census,[6] with the population remaining unchanged at the 2011 census.[1]

The Yorkshire Wolds Way National Trail and the Centenary Way long distance footpaths run just south of the village.

Heslerton Cricket Club play in West Heslerton and field two teams in the Scarborough Cricket League.[7]

Ownership

The entire village was owned by the same family for over 150 years, until 2016, when the land and property remaining in Estate ownership was put up for sale for £20 million following the death of its last owner, Eve Dawnay, in 2010.[8] Miss Dawnay was a great-granddaughter of William Henry Dawnay, 7th Viscount Downe and of Lt.-Col. Arthur de Vere Capell, Viscount Malden, son of the 6th Earl of Essex.

The estate was purchased by Albanwise,[9] a Norfolk-based land and property investment company which is ultimately owned by the Vighignolo Investment Trust (a not-for-profit organization), Albanwise has ever since then invested to preserve the village historic heritage and maintain the surrounding landscape [10]

Transport

The A64 trunk road passes through the village. A regular Yorkshire Coastliner bus service providing connections to Scarborough, Malton, York and Leeds is operated by Transdev Blazefield.[11]

West Heslerton was served by Heslerton railway station on the York to Scarborough Line between 1845 and 1930.[12]

Notable people

References
  1. UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Heslerton Parish (E04007589)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  2. "Population statistics West Heslerton Tn/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  3. Smith, A. H. (1937). The Place-Names of The East Riding of Yorkshire and York (PDF). English Place-Name Society, 14. Cambridge University Press.
  4. "West Heslerton, North Yorkshire". English Heritage. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  5. Powlesland, Dominic (March 1999). "The West Heslerton Assessment". Internet Archaeology. Retrieved 1 May 2008.
  6. UK Census (2001). "Local Area Report – Heslerton Parish (36UF051)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  7. Gregory, Daniel (24 January 2018). "Three new sides to join new-look Beckett League". The Scarborough News. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  8. "Village goes up for sale for £20m". BBC News. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  9. "Buyer confirmed for £20m village". 26 April 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  10. Fraser, Isabelle (16 December 2017). "Grounds for concern over firms that snap up freeholds". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  11. Dillon, Paddy (2016). The Cleveland Way and Yorkshire Wolds Way (2 ed.). Milnthorpe: Cicerone. p. 61. ISBN 9781852848231.
  12. Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
  13. MacFarlane, Alan (6 January 2011). "Hutton, John Henry (1885–1968), anthropologist". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/53568. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
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