Appleton Wiske

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Appleton Wiske
Yorkshire
North Riding
Appleton Wiske.jpg
Appleton Wiske
Location
Grid reference: NZ390047
Location: 54°26’11"N, 1°23’52"W
Data
Population: 487  (2011[1])
Post town: Northallerton
Postcode: DL6
Dialling code: 01609
Local Government
Council: Hambleton
Parliamentary
constituency:
Richmond (Yorks)

Appleton Wiske is a small village and parish in the North Riding of Yorkshire, sitting between Northallerton and Yarm.

The village, which was known as Apletona in the Domesday Book, eventually took the name of the nearby River Wiske to distinguish itself from other Appletons in the area, such as Appleton-le-Moors. The river does not actually run through the village itself, passing about half a mile to the south on its meandering journey to the larger River Swale.

Surrounding area

There are four roads out of Appleton Wiske, each leading to a neighbouring village or hamlet. The road north leads to the tiny community of Picton whilst the road to the east - after crossing the railway line connecting Teesside to the East Coast Main Line - leads to West Rounton. Heading out of the village to the west the road runs up a small hill known locally as Cheesecake, which briefly follows the course of a minor Roman road, before passing through Hornby and into Great Smeaton. The southerly road forks, passing through Welbury on the eastern branch and through Deighton and on to Northallerton on the western one.

History

The parish was gifted by William the Conqueror to Robert de Brus of Skelton, an ancestor of Robert the Bruce, the famous Scottish king. De Brus's son gave it to St Mary's Abbey, York, along with Hornby and other lands. It remained in the possession of St Mary's until the dissolution of monasteries, when it was granted by Henry VIII to Charles Brandon, who later became the Duke of Suffolk. The parish then passed through several hands and was finally split up in the early 19th century after the death of Robert Henry Allan, whose family had owned the parish since the early 18th century.

The village is thought to date back to Saxon times[2] and, as already mentioned, is referred to in the Domesday Book as Apletona. The village church is not quite as old - the first reference to it is in 1299, when Edward I visited and heard Mass. Parish records indicate that it was being called The Chapel of St Mary Magdalen in Appleton by 1586. It is a small Norman structure, consisting of nave, chancel and porch.

Plaudits

The village won a Gold medal in Yorkshire in Bloom in 2006, 2007 and 2008, also winning best village in 2008. Appleton Wiske has also represented Yorkshire and Humberside three times in the national Britain in Bloom competition.[3] In 2002 winning a Silver Medal, in 2004 a Silver-Gilt and Best Village and in 2009 a Gold Medal.[4]

References

Outside links

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("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Appleton Wiske)