Sproxton, Yorkshire

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Sproxton
Yorkshire
North Riding

Postbox in Sproxton
Location
Grid reference: SE614815
Location: 54°13’34"N, 1°3’33"W
Data
Postcode: YO62
Local Government
Council: Ryedale

Sproxton is a hamlet in North Riding of Yorkshire, on the A170 in Ryedale, a mile and a half south of Helmsley, at the edge of the North York Moors National Park.

The village was founded by the Banks family who originated from the Barlow family who designed the original wooden Nelson Gates.

The Domesday Book of 1086 records that at the time of Norman Conquest, Sproxton (Sprostune) was in the hands of three local noblemen, but by 1086 the land belonged to the crown.[1] The name Sproxton derives from 'Sprok's farm'.[2]

The parish church, St Chad is a Grade II listed building.[3] is It unusual in that it was originally built in the 17th century[4] as the chapel of West Newton Grange and moved to the village brick by brick in 1879.[5] It is also reputedly the smallest in Yorkshire (in terms of attendance) as it has only nine pews.[6]

The 106-acre wood at the eastern edge of the village was bought by the Woodland Trust in 2008, having previously been part of the Duncombe Park estate.[7] In the 12th and 13th centuries, the wood was part of the deer park in the Helmsley area. The Woodland Trust refers to the site as Robson's Spring, but is it actually three woods named Ness Great Wood, Green Sykes and Robson's Spring.[8]

The Nelson Gates

The Nelson Gates, built in 1806, serve as the southern entrance/exit to Duncombe Park.[9] The structure is inscribed with "To the memory of Lord Viscount Nelson and the unparalleled gallant achievements of the British Navy" on the front and on the rear side is inscribed with "Lamented Hero! O price his conquering country grieved to pays o dear brought glories of Trafalgar Day!" It is a Grade II listed structure.[10]

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Sproxton, Yorkshire)

References

  1. A History of the County of York: North Riding - Volume 1 pp 485-505: Parishes: Helmsley (Victoria County History)
  2. Ekwall, Eilert, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 4th edition, 1960. p. 435 ISBN 0198691033
  3. National Heritage List 1149253: Church of St Chad, gate and gateposts (Grade II listing)
  4. Helmsley Parish: Sproxton
  5. Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Yorkshire: The North Riding, 1966 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09665-1
  6. Peach, Howard (2003). Curious tales of old North Yorkshire. Wilmslow: Sigma Leisure. p. 185. ISBN 1-85058-793-0. 
  7. "Robson’s Spring, Sproxton, Helmsley, North Yorkshire" (PDF). https://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/Case-Study-1_Robsons-Spring.pdf/$FILE/Case-Study-1_Robsons-Spring.pdf. Retrieved 18 April 2017. 
  8. "Robson [sic Spring Wood"] (PDF). p. 6. http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/woodfile/707/management-plan.pdf?cb=7daec04898ed48b392bb26010c293133. Retrieved 18 April 2017. 
  9. "Nelson Gate: North York Moors National Park". http://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/looking-after/our-projects/nelson-gate. Retrieved 18 April 2017. 
  10. National Heritage List 1175796: Nelson Gate (Grade II listing)