Aldbrough St John
| Aldbrough St John | |
| Yorkshire North Riding | |
|---|---|
 Aldbrough St John | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NZ202112 |
| Location: | 54°29’46"N, 1°41’17"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 392 (2011) |
| Postcode: | DL11 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Richmondshire |
Aldbrough St John is a village in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The parish of Aldbrough St John had a population of 392 at the 2011 Census.
History
The village's name is Old English, Ealdburh meaning "Old stronghold". At one time, Aldbrough St John had a fortification: according to John Leland's account in 1540: "There appere great ruines of a howse or litle castel at Albruch village, and thereby rennith a bekke. It standith a 2 mile south from Perse Bridg on Tese"
Leland's Albruch is Aldbrough St John and Perse Bridg is Piercebridge, which is indeed 2 miles to the north. If this "castle" was indeed a ruin by 1540, then it must have dated from long before.
When the Duchess of Northumberland came to live in the village in the late 1800s, she had many of the old properties removed and the stone used to build new houses. It is generally accepted that any castle remains were also removed at this time. The foundations of this building were recently found by local historians in what is believed to have been the "burh" oval. A property of this type within the village is thought by Ian Wardle, a local historian, to be the reason why Aldbrough not only maintained its value in Norman times, but increased it, when all villages around were sacked and burned. He believes that Aldbrough was at the centre of the lands occupied by the local lord so may have been spared.[1]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Aldbrough St John) |
- Aldbrough St John in the Domesday Book