Rosedale
Rosedale is a valley lying almost in the centre of the North York Moors National Park in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The nearest town is Kirkbymoorside, some seven miles to the south.
Rosedale is surrounded by moorland. To the north-west sits Blakey Ridge at over 1,300 feet above sea level. At Dale Head is the source of the River Seven,which flows down the valley to join the River Rye at Little Habton near Malton. At its southern end Rosedale is squeezed between Spaunton Moor and Hartoft Rigg, where the river flows out through Forestry Commission woodland before passing the village of Cropton to reach the plains of the Vale of Pickering.
In the heart of the dale is a village, Rosedale Abbey, which was built around the site of a former Cistercian Priory of the same name.[1] is the main settlement in the valley. There is also a small hamlet at Thorgill.
Rosedale Head
Rosedale Head is at the top of the dale at the source of the River Seven. The surrounding moorland is typical of the heather moorland of the moors. In the 18th century the moorland belonged to the Helmsley Estate.
Rosedale Head separates Rosedale from its neighbouring dales to the north:Westerdale, Danby Dale and Great Fryup dale.
Old Ralph and Young Ralph are probably the best known of the many wayside crosses found on the North York Moors. The origin of the names Old Ralph and Young Ralph is not known, however the names might refer to members of the House of Neville; perhaps to Ralph Neville, 4th Earl of Westmorland, to whom the moorland was granted at the Dissolution of the monasteries, from the lands of Rosedale Priory, though they long predate his time. Each is a tall wayside cross of hard gritstone, believed to date from the 11th century, on Ledging Hill, the highest point on Blakey Ridge..
- Old Ralph cross stands about 6 feet tall, and is a Grade II* listed structure.[2]
- Young Ralph cross stands about 10 feet tall.[3] Its distinctive profile is used as the emblem of the North York Moors National Park.
Industry and afterwards
The extraction of ironstone probably began during the Roman period.
In the late 19th century the valley quickly became a major centre for iron-ore extraction. The ore was pre-processed by calcination, for which kilns were built. The mines were served by the freight-only Rosedale Branch railway line that ran round the head of the valley, serving mine workings on either side, and across the moors to reach what is now the Esk Valley Line at Battersby Junction.[4][5]
The railway line closed in 1929 after the last of the calcine dust extracted from the kiln waste had been sold.
Rosedale Chimney Bank, one of the steepest roads in the United Kingdom,[6] provides a popular entrance point into the valley. A row of disused kilns and a former Royal Observer Corps Underground Monitoring Post[7] are both situated yards from its summit. In the adjacent Farndale Valley wild daffodils bloom around Easter time.[8]
Events
Few inhabitants of Rosedale work in farming. The majority of houses are bought as second homes and as such the permanent local population has been significantly reduced.
In mid-August Rosedale Show is held at Rosedale Abbey and attracts some 5,000 people from all parts of Britain. The show dates back to 1871 and is one of the oldest in North Yorkshire.[9][10]
Location
- Location map: 54°21’4"N, -0°53’38"W
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Rosedale) |
- North York Moors, North York Moors National Park Authority
- The iron mining and railway community of Rosedale, Abandonedcommunities.co.uk (personal web site)
- A Walk in Beautiful Rosedale, Walkingenglishman.com
References
- ↑ "Rosedale History". Rosedale Abbey. http://www.rosedaleabbey.com/history.html. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1179098: Old Ralph Cross (Grade II* listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1148563: Young Ralph Cross (Grade II* listing)
- ↑ Brown, Adrian (31 March 2008). "East Mines at Rosedale". BBC North Yorkshire. http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/content/articles/2006/03/17/east_mines_rosedale_adrian_brown_feature.shtml. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ↑ "Rosedale Mines & Tramway Site records". Subterranea Britannica. http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/r/rosedale/. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ↑ "Taking on the chimney climb". Darlington and Stockton Times. https://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/lookingback/14475791.taking-on-the-chimney-climb/. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ↑ "Rosedale ROC Post". Subterranea Britannica. https://www.subbrit.org.uk/sites/rosedale-roc-post/. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ↑ "Weekend Walk: Farndale Daffodils Walk". The Yorkshire Post. 16 April 2016. https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/lifestyle/walks-and-cycling/weekend-walk-farndale-daffodils-walk-1-7852991. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ↑ "Our Rosedale Abbey". http://www.rosedaleabbey.com/history.html. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ↑ Blackburne, Linda (15 August 2008). "Village searches its history for the 'women of steel'". The Yorkshire Post. https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/village-searches-its-history-for-the-women-of-steel-1-2512249. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- James, Alan G. (2019). The Brittonic Language in the Old North, A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence, Volume 2. Scottish Place-Name Society. https://spns.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Alan_James_Brittonic_Language_in_the_Old_North_BLITON_Volume_II_Dictionary_2019_Edition.pdf. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- Jennings, Bernard (1999). The Yorkshire Monasteries: Cloister, Land and People. Smith Settle. ISBN 9781858251059.
- Pawley White, Gunwyn (1972). A Handbook of Cornish Surnames. G. PAWLEY WHITE, Camborne.
- Reaney, P H (1969). The Origin of English Place Names. Routledge.
- A History of the County of York: North Riding - Volume 2 pp 453-461: Parishes: Middleton (Victoria County History)
- Langdale, Thomas (1822). A Topographical Dictionary of Yorkshire. LANGDALE.