Sherburn-in-Elmet

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Sherburn-in-Elmet
Yorkshire
West Riding

All Saints Church, Sherburn-in-Elmet
Location
Grid reference: SE506337
Location: 53°47’50"N, 1°13’59"W
Data
Population: 6,657  (2011)
Post town: Leeds
Postcode: LS25
Local Government
Council: Selby
Parliamentary
constituency:
Selby and Ainsty

Sherburn-in-Elmet is a large village in the West Riding of Yorkshire, near Selby. It is one of three villages in the area to be named from with the ancient Welsh kingdom of Elmet which survived in this part of Yorkshire until the 7th century. The other villages are Barwick-in-Elmet and Scholes-in-Elmet.

According to the 2011 census, Sherburn has a population of 6,657.

Parish church

The parish church is All Saints. It is unusually large for a village parish church and dates from around 1120, with Norman pillars and a later-built large tower housing a ring of eight bells. It was built on the site of an earlier Anglo-Saxon church.

History

The origins of the village are unknown but locally it is believed to be very ancient. The field adjoining All Saints' Church is said to be the site of the palace of kings of Elmet, which was given (with the manor of Cawood) by Guthrum the Dane to the Archbishops of York on his conversion to Christianity in the 10th century, though nothing can be certain.

The Battle of Towton was fought nearby in 1461 and local legend tells that Edward of York, King Edward IV, who won the battle, used the church tower as a point for surveying the battle lines. This is indeed a legend as due to the topography of the land and the weather conditions on the day of the battle, it is not possible to see the battle ground from the tower.

During the Civil War, the village was garrisoned by the Royalists for King Charles I; it was close to their stronghold at Selby and the northern capital of York, and commanded the approaches from both the south and the west. In 1645, the Parliamentarians attacked Sherburn and defeated the garrison. On 15 October 1645 the Battle of Sherburn-in-Elmet took place. A Royalist force commanded by Lord Digby and Sir Marmaduke Langdale attacked and initially defeated the Parliamentarian garrison now based in the village. However, another Parliamentarian force, under Colonel Copley, counterattacked and routed the Royalists. Thus was defeated the last significant Royalist force in the North during the First Civil War.[1]

Culture and community

The village has three supermarkets: Spar, Tesco Express and Co-op. There are several independently owned shops, and a market in the centre of the village on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Sherburn is a regular meeting place for motorcycle riders, particularly on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. The roads leading into Sherburn-in-Elmet are known nationally for the varied and pleasurable rides they offer for motorcyclists.

The town is now home to a major industrial site attracting large businesses such as Eddie Stobart Ltd. The former Gascoigne Wood mine, which was part of the Selby coalfield project, is to the south-east.

Sherburn-in-Elmet Airfield

Sherburn-in-Elmet Airfield lies by the village. Sherburn's links with the air industry go back to the Second World War when the Blackburn Aircraft Company built the Fairey Swordfish in the town. Production ended in 1945, and by then 1,699 such aircraft had been built in Sherburn. The airfield also saw the first flight of L.E. Baynes's famous prototype glider, the Baynes Bat.

Today the airfield is the base for the Sherburn Aero Club.

Transport

The town is served by Sherburn-in-Elmet railway station with services to York railway station, Hull Paragon Interchange and Sheffield railway station, with a second station (South Milford railway station) in nearby South Milford providing services to Leeds and Kingston upon Hull.

Sport

  • Rugby League: Sherburn Bears Amateur Rugby League Football club, formed in 1967
  • Football: Sherburn White Rose Football Club, re-formed in 1960
  • Fishing: The Bacon Factory Pond is a local recreational fishery located on the eastern side of the town. With a total of 40 pegs the fishery is controlled by the Wheatsheaf Angling Club. The pond is stocked with perch, carp, roach, bream, tench, eels and pike.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Sherburn-in-Elmet)

References

  1. C. Hibbert, Cavaliers and Roundheads (1993), pp.237-238; V. Wedgwood, The King's War (1983 edition), p.504; http://www.pastscape.org.uk, 'Battle of Sherburn in Elmet' [retrieved 30 January 2014].