Beggar's Bridge | |
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![]() Beggar's Bridge over the River Esk | |
Coordinates | 54°26′19″N0°47′31″W / 54.43861°N 0.79194°W |
OS grid reference | NZ784054 |
Crosses | River Esk |
Locale | Glaisdale, North Yorkshire |
Other name(s) | Ferris Bridge |
Characteristics | |
Total length | 54 feet (16 m) |
Width | 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) |
History | |
Opened | 1619 |
Statistics | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Designated | 5 October 1969 |
Reference no. | 1148573 |
Location | |
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Beggar's Bridge is a packhorse bridge straddling the River Esk in Glaisdale, North Yorkshire, England. The bridge dates back to 1619 and was reputedly built by a former poor farm worker (Tom Ferris) who wanted to meet his love but could not due to the river being in flood. Having become rich working at sea, then becoming the mayor of Kingston upon Hull, Ferris built the bridge at that point when flooding prevented him crossing it years before. The structure is both a scheduled monument and a grade II* listed building.
The River Esk had five Medieval stone bridges crossing it; three in Danby, one in Sleights, and Beggar's Bridge in Glaisdale. [1] The Medieval bridge crossing at Glaisdale was replaced by the current bridge in 1619, but it incorporates some of the stone used in the previous bridge which had collapsed in 1577. [2] [3] The bridge was built by Thomas Ferris, the son of a poor famer who lived on one side of the river, but the woman he loved (Agnes) lived on the other side, and she was the squire's daughter. The squire forbade them from marrying due to Ferris being poor, so Ferris resolved to make his fortune, which he did at sea, returning to marry Agnes, and then became the Lord Mayor of Kingston-upon-Hull. [4] The story is that on the night he left to go to sea, flooding prevented him from using the stepping stones to cross the river to say goodbye to Agnes, so when he had made his fortune, he built the bridge so that other lovers would not suffer as he and Agnes did. [5] However, it appears that Agnes died in 1618, so with the bridge being built later, some have suggested that it was a memorial to her rather than a crossing for others. [6] [note 1]
The bridge consists of a single arch with a ribbed underside, [8] stretching 54 feet (16 m) over the Esk, with a maximum width of 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m). [9] The bridge has "unusually low parapets", and was the location of what has been termed a "bizarre accident". [10] At the end of the 19th century, a cart was being pulled by two horses, but on nearing the end of the bridge, one of the horses jumped over the side and was hanged by its own harness. [11] Not long after the bridge was finished, it was said to have been the site of a murder, and then haunting. A man killed his lover in a fit of rage and threw her body under the bridge, her headless body is rumoured to haunt the area. [12]
Beggar's Bridge is quite close to the formation of the railway line between Battersby and Whitby (the old Cleveland Railway which connected to the Whitby & Pickering Railway at Grosmont), and during the course of construction of the railway, serious consideration was given to removing Beggar's Bridge altogether. [13] The bridge lies near to the Coast to Coast Walk between St Bees and Robin Hood's Bay, with many walkers resting by the bridge. [14] The bridge carried an old track between Whitby, Glaisdale and Egton, which continued across the moors to Pickering. [15] [16] The bridge was used as part of a packhorse route connecting Glaisdale with the high level road to Whitby (on the valley top to the north). [5] In July 2023, some of the stones of the bridge were incised to a depth of 1.5 inches (38 mm) with an angle-grinder in what the North York Moors National Park Authority described as "a crude act of heritage crime." [17] The bridge was formerly referred to as "Ferris Bridge" in honour of its builder, and besides being a scheduled monument, it was grade II* listed in 1969. [18] [19] [20]
A short dramatised film based on the folk story of Ferris, Agnes and the bridge was released in 2010. [21]
The River Esk is a river in North Yorkshire, England that empties into the North Sea at Whitby after a course of around 28 miles (45 km) through its valley of Eskdale. The river's name is derived from the Brythonic word "isca" meaning "water". The Esk is the only major river in Yorkshire that flows directly into the North Sea; all other watercourses defined as being major rivers by the Environment Agency, either flow to the North Sea via the River Tees or the Humber Estuary.
The Esk Valley Line is a railway line located in the north of England, covering a total distance of approximately 35 miles (56 km), running from Middlesbrough to Whitby. The line follows the course of the River Esk for much of its eastern half.
The River Leven in North Yorkshire, England is a tributary of the River Tees. It rises on Warren Moor, part of Kildale Moor, in the North York Moors and flows to the north of the moors to join the River Tees at Yarm.
The Esk Valley Walk is a long distance footpath in North Yorkshire, England. The route first follows a loop on the North York Moors to the south of Castleton, then shadows the River Esk on its journey to the North Sea. Waymarking uses the symbol of a leaping salmon, with yellow arrows denoting footpaths and blue arrows bridleways.
Grosmont is a village and civil parish situated in Eskdale in the North York Moors National Park, within the boundaries of the Scarborough district of the county of North Yorkshire, England.
Castleton is a village on the River Esk, part of the civil parish of Danby in the county of North Yorkshire in England. It can be found 7.1 miles (11.5 km) south-east of Guisborough, in the North York Moors. There was once a medieval castle sited on Castle Hill that is thought to have been abandoned when Danby Castle was constructed.
Kildale is a railway station on the Esk Valley Line, which runs between Middlesbrough and Whitby via Nunthorpe. The station, situated 12 miles 65 chains (20.6 km) south-east of Middlesbrough, serves the village of Kildale, Hambleton in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Lealholm is a railway station on the Esk Valley Line, which runs between Middlesbrough and Whitby via Nunthorpe. The station, situated 11 miles 40 chains (18.5 km) west of Whitby, serves the village of Lealholm, Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Glaisdale is a railway station on the Esk Valley Line, which runs between Middlesbrough and Whitby via Nunthorpe. The station, situated 9 miles 33 chains (15.1 km) west of Whitby, serves the village of Glaisdale in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Egton is a railway station on the Esk Valley Line, which runs between Middlesbrough and Whitby via Nunthorpe. The station, situated 7 miles 66 chains (12.6 km) west of Whitby, serves the villages of Egton and Egton Bridge, Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Grosmont is a railway station on the Esk Valley Line, which runs between Middlesbrough and Whitby via Nunthorpe. The station, situated 6 miles 24 chains (10.1 km) west of Whitby, serves the village of Grosmont, in the Borough of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains. The station is also served by heritage services operated by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Sleights is a railway station on the Esk Valley Line, which runs between Middlesbrough and Whitby via Nunthorpe. The station, situated 2 miles 78 chains (4.8 km) south-west of Whitby, serves the villages of Briggswath and Sleights, Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Goathland railway station is a station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and serves the village of Goathland in the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England. It has also been used in numerous television and film productions. Holiday accommodation is available in the form of a camping coach.
Egton Bridge is a village in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies within the North York Moors National Park, on the River Esk, between the villages of Glaisdale and Grosmont, about six miles south-west of Whitby, and on the route of the Esk Valley Walk.
Glaisdale is a village and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England, within the North York Moors National Park.
Lealholm is a small village in the Glaisdale civil parish of the Borough of Scarborough, in North Yorkshire, England. It is sited at a crossing point of the River Esk, in Eskdale which is within the North York Moors National Park. It is 9.5 miles (15.3 km) by road from the nearest town of Whitby, and approximately 27 miles (43 km) from both Middlesbrough and Scarborough. The village is typical of those found all across the North York Moors which straddle the main through-routes along the valley bottoms. It is mostly built of local stone with pantiled or slate roofs.
Egton Manor is an historic country house near the village of Egton Bridge, on the banks of the River Esk in the North Yorkshire Moors. The Grade II listed building was built in 1869 by the Foster family, whose descendants still live there today. Egton Manor, which is listed in the Domesday Book, lies at the heart of the 6,000 acre Egton Estate.
St Hilda's church, Egton, is a Church of England church in Egton, North Yorkshire, built in 1879 and designed by local architect E. H. Smales. St Hilda’s is one of five churches in the United Benefice of Middle Esk Moor.