Melmerby, Ripon
| Melmerby | |
| Yorkshire North Riding | |
|---|---|
 The Methodist Church in Melmerby | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SE337769 |
| Location: | 54°11’14"N, 1°29’4"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 386 |
| Post town: | Ripon |
| Postcode: | HG4 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Harrogate |
Melmerby is a village in the North Riding of Yorkshire, that stands three and a half miles north of Ripon and less than a mile west of the A1(M) motorway. The population was recorded as 386 by the 2011 census.
The name is of Old Norse origin and means a sandy settlement (malmr "sandy field" and by "farmstead or village").[1] The form of the name has been influenced by Melmerby in Coverdale, 16 miles to the west, which has a different origin.[2] Many of the fields in the area have Norse names too, for example Halikeld where 'keld' is an Old Norse word for 'spring'.[3]
History
Melmerby is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It was historically a manor and chapelry in the parish of Wath in the North Riding.[4] It became a separate civil parish in 1866.[5]
Until the late 1950s, the village was the site of a major rural railway junction that was situated on the main Harrogate to Northallerton via Ripon railway line (closed 1968). A branch line ran westwards from Melmerby to the small market town of Masham, which is famous for its brewing.[6] This line stopped carrying passengers in 1930 and closed completely in 1963. Another line (closed 1959) also ran north-eastwards linking Melmerby with the East Coast Main Line at Thirsk.[7]
During the war the village was the site of a large munitions store, taking advantage of the railway access.[8]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Melmerby, Ripon) |
References
- ↑ Smith, A.H.: 'Place-Names of North Riding of Yorkshire , Part' (English Place-Names Society, 1928), page 219
- ↑ 'The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names:' Melmerby NYorks SE0785 (Cambridge University Press 2010) ISBN 978 0 521 16855 7
- ↑ Richmond and Swaledale History
- ↑ A History of the County of York: North Riding - Volume 1 pp 390–396: {{{2}}} (Victoria County History) British History Online
- ↑ Vision of Britain
- ↑ "Masham & Its History - Visit Masham". http://www.visitmasham.com/history/. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ↑ "Disused Stations: Melmerby Station". http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/m/melmerby/index.shtml. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ↑ "Melmerby Ordnance Depot". http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/features/harrogate_northallerton/index3.shtml. Retrieved 3 January 2017.