"AYSGARTH  is a parish, township, village and the head of a union, pleasantly situated on the south of the river Ure, or Yore, in Wensleydale, with a station 1 mile north-east on the Northallerton and Hawes Branch of the North Eastern railway, 8¼ miles west-south-west from Leyburn, 9 east from Hawes and 4 south-east from Askrigg; it is in the Richmond division of the Riding, wapentake and petty sessional division of Hang West, county court district of Leyburn, rural deanery of West Catterick, archdeaconry of Richmond and diocese of Ripon. The church of St. Andrew is an ancient building of stone in the Early English style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, south porch, and an embattled western tower with pinnacles containing a clock, presented by J.C. Winn esq. in 1904. and 6 bells: the pinnacles were added to the tower at the restoration of the church: the elaborately carved and decorated rood loft, was brought from Jervaulx Abbey, and the ends of the reading desk are also the work of the monks of that house: the reredos of Caen stone, which adorned with a representation of "The last Supper," after Leonardo da Vinci, was given in the year 1887 by the daughters of  the late H.T. Robinson, of Edgley and the Cliff, Leyburn: there is a brass eagle lectern and elegant brass coronæ, and several of the windows are stained, the church was restored, and to a considerable extent rebuilt in 1866 a cost of about £6,000, and affords 620 sittings. The registers date from about 1700. The living is a discharged vicarage, net yearly value£175, including 38 acres of glebe ad residence, in the gift of Trinity College Cambridge, and held since 1873 by the Rev. Fenwick William Stow M.A. of that college, and rural dean of West Catterick, and surrogate. The monks of Jervaulx Abbey became impropriators of the tithes of Aysgarth in 1423; they were never restored to the parish, but in Queen Mary's reign were made over to Trinity College, Cambridge, which thus became patron of the benefice. The Wesleyan Methodist chapel here was erected in 1901. A fair for sheep and cattle is held here on October 30th. ... The trustees of the late Henry Thomas Robinson esq. who is lord of the manor, ... The soil is very good; subsoil, limestone. The land is chiefly in pasture. The parish of Aysgarth is very extensive, containing the twelve townships of Aysgarth, High and Low Abbotside, Askrigg, Bainbridge, Bishopdale, Burton-cum-Walden, Carperby-cum-Thoresby, Newbiggin, Thoralby, Thornton Rust and Hawes; it covers an area of 79,561 acres, a great part of which consists of high moorland. ... ecclesiastical parish in 1901, 1,369. ...

 

AYSGARTH RURAL DISTRICT COUNCIL.

Meets at the Board Room, Bainbridge, fortnightly on monday.

Chairman, Thomas Stuart, Hawes 

Clerk, W.E.M. Winn, Askrigg 

Treasurer, Edward Paul Gibson, Hawes 

Medical Officer of Health, Edward M. Hime M.B., Ch. B. Aysgarth

Sanitary Inspector , Ralph Blades, Aysgarth

Surveyor, James Whaley, Askrigg S.O.

 

AYSGARTH UNION.

Aysgarth poor law union comprises the following twelve townships, viz: - High Abbotside, Low Abbotside, Askrigg, Aysgarth, Bainbridge, Bishopdale, Burton-cum-Walden, Carperby-cum-Thoresby, Hawes, Newbiggin, Thoralby and Thornton Rust. The area of the union is 81,033 acres, rateable value, in 1904, £50,331; the population in 1904 was 4,506.

 

Board day monday, fortnightly, at the Board room, Bainbridge, at 1.45 p.m.  

 

Chairman of the Board of Guardians, Thos. Stuart, Hawes 

 

Clerk to the Guardians & Assessment Committee, W.E.M. Winn, Askrigg.

 

Treasurer, Edward Paul Gibson, Hawes 

 

  Collector to the Guardians, Relieving & Vaccination Officer for the Union, Alexander T. Storey, Askrigg (p.27)

 

Medical Officers & Public Vaccinators, Askrigg district, Edward M. Hime M.B., Ch. B. Aysgarth; Hawes district, Thomas Jackson Grime M.D. Hawes 

 

Superintendent Registrar, W.E.M. Winn. Askrigg

 

Registrars of Births & Deaths, Askrigg sub-district, Alex Thawites Storey, Askrigg; deputy, James Whaley. Askrigg ; Hawes sub-district, Francis P. Bowe, Hawes

 

The Workhouse, at Bainbridge, is a building of stone, erected in 1810, & will hold 60 inmates; Rev. Christopher Whaley M.A. vicar of Askrigg, hon. chaplain;  Frank Hiscock, master; Edward M. Hime M.B., Ch. B. medical officer;

Mrs Elizabeth Hiscock matron.

 

Public Elementary School, erected for 127 children; average attendance, 32, Mrs Hill, mistress.

 

Railway Station, Frederick Kitching, station master.

 

Bishopdale extends in a southerly direction from 3 to 6 miles from Aysgarth, and consists only of a few scattered farm-houses. Lead is found in small quantities in this township. The trustees of the late Henry Thomas Robinson esq. are lord of the manor. The principal landowners are Lieut. Col. John William Lodge J.P. William Purchas esq. of West Burton, and the representatives of the late Rev. John Metcalfe. The soil is rich loam; subsoil, limestone and gravel; the chief crop is hay. The population in 1901 was 80, and the area is 4,728 acres of land and 5 of water; rateable value, £1,780.

 

Letters from Aysgarth R.O. arrive at 8.30 a.m.

 

Wall Letter Box cleared at 4 p.m. week days only

 

Public Elementary School (mixed & infants), built in 1880, for 50 children; average attendance, 15;

Miss Barnes, mistress. (p.28)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Newbiggin is situated in Bishopdale, 2 miles south from Aysgarth station and 10 south-east from Hawes. The trustees of the late Thomas H. Robinson esq. are lords of the manor. The principal landowners are Robt. Chapman esq. Lieut. Col John William Lodge of Bishopdale, William Purchas esq. and William Robinson King esq. of West Burton and James Whaley Fryer esq. of Rookhurst, Hawes. The area is 1,696 acres of land 5 of water; rateable value, £1,360; the population in 1901 was 95.

 

Letters through Aysgarth Station R.S.O. arrive at 8 a.m.

 

Wall Letter Box cleared at 4.50 p.m. week days only.

 

Council-Non Provided School, for children; average attendance, 70; James Hill, master. (p.28)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THORALBY is pleasantly situated in Bishopdale, 2 miles south from Aysgarth station and 10 south-east-by-east from Hawes. There are Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists chapels and a reading-room and library, erected in 1887. Here also is a fine waterfall, called the "Silver Chain Force". The trustees of the late H.T. Robinson, esq., are lords of the manor. The principal landowners are William Purchas, esq. of West Burton, Lieut-Col. John William Lodge, of Bishopdale, Arthur L. Sadler, Robert Sadler esqrs. the trustees of the late H.T. Robinson, esq. and Mrs. Birch. The acreage is 2,857 acres of land and 6 of water; rateable value, £2,199; the population in 1901was 212.

 

POST OFFICE. - Mrs. Ann. Jane Webster, postmistress.

 

Letters arrive from Aysgarth station R.S.O. at 7.10 a.m; dispatched at 5.5 p.m. Postal Orders are issued & paid here. The nearest money order offices are at West Burton; the nearest telegraph office at Aysgarth station, 2 miles distant (p.28).