Langstrothdale
Langstrothdale is a scenic valley in the Yorkshire Dales in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The uppermost course of the River Wharfe runs through it, but Wharfedale itself does not begin until the Wharfe meets Cray Gill, downstream of Hubberholme.
The name Langstrothdale derives from Old English and translates as 'long marsh' or 'marshy ground'.[1]
In Norman times the Forest Law was applied across the dale and its hills, in the broad area known as Langstrothdale Chase, a royal hunting forest. As a result, many of the isolated settlements were prevented from expanding.[2] At that time, Langstrothdale Chase, in the upper part of the dale, was well forested: now it is moorland.
The dale became part of the lands owned by the Clifford family and in 1604, due to the then Earl of Cumberland's 'extravagances', the lands were sold to pay off his debts. This allowed many Dalesfolk to purchase their own farmsteads.[3]
In the age before mass transportation, the road through the dale was part of a packhorse route from Lancaster to Newcastle upon Tyne.[4]
Location
- Location map: 54°12’14"N, 2°8’2"W
Villages
References
- ↑ Ekwall, Eilert, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 4th edition, 1960. p. 287 ISBN 0198691033
- ↑ Porter, Lindsey; Hanks, Martyn (1997). Yorkshire Dales & Moors : youth hosteller's walking guide (1 ed.). Ashbourne: Landmark. p. 104. ISBN 1-901522-41-5.
- ↑ Speight 1900, p. 491.
- ↑ "Restoration saves ruined farm" (in en). Craven Herald. 29 October 2011. http://www.cravenherald.co.uk/nostalgia/nostalgia_history/9330302.Restoration_saves_ruined_farm/. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- Speight, Harry (1900). Upper Wharfedale, being a complete account of the history, antiquities and scenery of the picturesque valley of the Wharfe, from Otley to Langstrothdale. London: Elliot Stock. OCLC 7225949. https://archive.org/details/upperwharfedale01speigoog.
