Nesfield
| Nesfield | |
| Yorkshire West Riding | |
|---|---|
 Stocks in Nesfield village | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SE092495 |
| Location: | 53°56’31"N, 1°51’36"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Ilkley |
| Postcode: | LS29 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Harrogate |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Skipton and Ripon |
Nesfield is a small village in the West Riding of Yorkshire two miles north-west of Ilkley on the north bank of the River Wharfe. The village sits at the southern edge of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
History
A Roman fort appears to have existed here: many artefacts have been found on the mound including a copper key almost two feet in length (surmised to be the key for gates to the Roman compound), urns and human bones.[1].[2]
Nesfield is recorded in the Domesday Book as belonging to Lord William Percy and as having two ploughlands.[3] The name Nesfield derives from the Old English Neates feld, which means Calf's field. The name has been recorded in different forms at least a dozen times, being Nacefeld in the Domesday Book, Nesfeld(e) in Qwhorfdale in the 15th century, and Nesfeild in the 17th century.[4]
The stocks at the east end of the village date back to the 18th century and are now Grade II listed.[5]
A church was consecrated in the village in August 1892 on land donated by the Duke of Devonshire, and was known as Christ Church, being able to seat 120 people.[6] Due to a lack of attendance, it was demolished in 1955.[7] Besides agriculture, the other main industry in the village was a bark mill, which used horse or donkey power to grind up the bark for use in tannery. This mill is believed to have only operated during the 19th century.[7]
A suspension bridge across the River Wharfe, erected in 1896, connects the village by way of West Hall to Addingham on the south side of the river.[6][8]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Nesfield) |
References
- ↑ Speight 1900, p. 265.
- ↑ NCACA 2011, p. 3.
- ↑ Nesfield in the Domesday Book
- ↑ Ekwall, Eilert, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 4th edition, 1960. p. 338 ISBN 0198691033
- ↑ National Heritage List 1174567: Stocks south of manor house (Grade II listing)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Speight 1900, p. 269.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 NCACA 2011, p. 4.
- ↑ "Wharfedale Greenway Feasibility Stud y" (PDF). November 2017. p. 3. https://www.addingham-pc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/greenway-feasibility-Burley-Ilkley-Addingham-28th-Nov-17-1.pdf.
- 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: Elliott Stock. OCLC 7225949.
