Coverdale, North Yorkshire

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Coverdale
Coverdale.jpg
View of Coverdale looking towards Melmerby
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Coverdale
Location within North Yorkshire
OS grid reference SD055825
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Postcode district DL8
Police North Yorkshire
Fire North Yorkshire
Ambulance Yorkshire
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
54°15′04″N1°54′07″W / 54.251°N 1.902°W / 54.251; -1.902

Coverdale is a dale in the far east of the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, England. It takes its name from the River Cover, a tributary of the River Ure. The dale runs south-west from the eastern end of Wensleydale to the dale head at a pass, known as Park Rash Pass, [1] between Great Whernside to the south and Buckden Pike to the north. It is accessible by a single track road, which runs the length of the dale and over the pass to Kettlewell in Wharfedale. [2] [3] The name is taken from that of the River Cover, which is of Brittonic origin. Ekwall suggested that it might mean "hollow stream", but more recently Andrew Breeze has argued that it is cognate with Welsh gofer "streamlet". [4]

Contents

History

An abbey was founded at Coverham in the 14th century by Ralph, son of Robert, Lord of Middleham. The order that it belonged to was Premonstratensian (or White Canons) and was formally dissolved in 1536. Whilst some of the ruins are still extant, it is not open to the general public. [5] [6]

In the 18th century, the road through Coverdale from Kettlewell to Middleham was used as the route of coaches between London and Richmond. The route came north through Halifax, Keighley, Skipton and Cracoe as part of its 251-mile (404 km) journey. [7]

The valley gives its name to a variant of Yorkshire Dales cheese, produced at the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes. Coverdale cheese is of the same general texture and flavour as Wensleydale, but thought by some to be slightly sourer and therefore possessing greater 'edge'. [8]

The River Cover meets its confluence with the River Ure at the hamlet of Coverbridge which consists of Clarkson's farm and the Coverbridge Pub, an ancient travellers inn on the road from Jervaulx Abbey to Middleham. [9] The Coverbridge Pub has at least two claims to fame including having been the hiding place of monks who kept alive the recipe of Wensleydale cheese during the sacking of Jervaulx Abbey by troops loyal to King Henry VIII, and, the scene of the first formally recorded game of cricket in 1706. In 2006 the Coverbridge Cricket Festival celebrated the 300th anniversary in a massive spectacle of cricket supported by the Red Arrows and a Spitfire and Hurricane of the RAF with musical support provided by the band of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. A Coverbridge team of dalesmen played the visiting Awali Camels team on tour from the Kingdom of Bahrain. [10]

Tourism

Settlements

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jervaulx Abbey</span> Ruined monastery in North Yorkshire, England

Jervaulx Abbey in East Witton in North Yorkshire, 14 mi (23 km) north-west of the city of Ripon, was one of the great Cistercian abbeys of Yorkshire, England, dedicated to St Mary in 1156. It is a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wensleydale</span> Upper valley of the River Ure in North Yorkshire, England

Wensleydale is a valley in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Dales, which are part of the Pennines. The dale is named after the village of Wensley, formerly the valley's market town. The principal river of the valley is the Ure, which is the source of the alternative name Yoredale. The majority of the dale is within the Yorkshire Dales National Park; the part below East Witton is within the national landscape of Nidderdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmondshire</span> Former local government district in England

Richmondshire was a local government district of North Yorkshire, England, from 1974 to 2023. It covered a large northern area of the Yorkshire Dales including Swaledale and Arkengarthdale, Wensleydale and Coverdale, with the prominent Scot's Dyke and Scotch Corner along the centre. Teesdale lay to the north. With a total area of 1,319 km2, it was larger than seven of the English ceremonial counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Cover</span> River in North Yorkshire, England

The River Cover is a river in the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. The Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust has a remit to conserve the ecological condition of the River Cover. The river forms a limestone dale with ancient woodlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kettlewell</span> Village in North Yorkshire, England

Kettlewell is a village in Upper Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies 6 miles (10 km) north of Grassington, at the point where Wharfedale is joined by a minor road which leads north-east from the village over Park Rash Pass to Coverdale. Great Whernside rises to the east. The population of the civil parish was 322 at the 2011 census, with an estimated population of 340 in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swaledale</span> Valley in North Yorkshire, England

Swaledale is a valley in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Dales, which are part of the Pennines, and within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is named after the River Swale, which runs through it. Swaledale is the most northerly of the major dales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Ure</span> River in North Yorkshire, England

The River Ure in North Yorkshire, England, is about 74 miles (119 km) long from its source to the point where it becomes the River Ouse. It is the principal river of Wensleydale, which is the only major dale now named after a village rather than its river. The old name for the valley was Yoredale after the river that runs through it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nidderdale</span> Valley in Yorkshire, England

Nidderdale, historically also known as Netherdale, is one of the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is the upper valley of the River Nidd, which flows south underground and then along the dale, forming several reservoirs including the Gouthwaite Reservoir, before turning east and eventually joining the River Ouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nidderdale National Landscape</span> Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England

The Nidderdale National Landscape is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Yorkshire, England, bordering the Yorkshire Dales National Park to the east and south. It comprises most of Nidderdale itself, part of lower Wharfedale, the Washburn valley and part of lower Wensleydale, including Jervaulx Abbey and the side valleys west of the River Ure. It covers a total area of 233 square miles (600 km2). The highest point in the Nidderdale AONB is Great Whernside, 704 metres (2,310 ft) above sea level, on the border with the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aysgarth</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Aysgarth is a village and civil parish in Wensleydale, in North Yorkshire, England. The village is in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, about 16 miles (26 km) south-west of Richmond and 22.6 miles (36.4 km) west of the county town of Northallerton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bainbridge, North Yorkshire</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Bainbridge is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 480. The village is situated in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, near the confluence of the River Bain with the River Ure. It is 27+12 miles west of the County Town of Northallerton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Witton</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

East Witton is a village and civil parish in Wensleydale in North Yorkshire, England. It lies south of Leyburn, in the Richmondshire district. Richard Whiteley is buried there; he and his partner, Kathryn Apanowicz, lived in the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Scrafton</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

West Scrafton is a village and civil parish in Coverdale in the Yorkshire Dales, England. It is located 4 miles (6.4 km) south west of Leyburn. It falls within the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire. The population was estimated at 70 in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coverham</span> Village in North Yorkshire, England

Coverham is a village in Coverdale in the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It lies 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the town of Middleham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horsehouse</span> Village in North Yorkshire, England

Horsehouse is a village in Coverdale in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, England. It is listed as a hamlet in many texts, but the presence of the church makes it a village. The River Cover runs near the village, and it lies some 6 miles (9.7 km) and 8.5 miles (13.7 km) south-west of Middleham and Leyburn respectively, at an elevation of 820 feet (250 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A6108 road</span> A-road in North Yorkshire, England

The A6108 road is an A road in North Yorkshire, England. It runs from the south of Scotch Corner to Ripon going via Richmond and Leyburn across the moors and the valleys of Swaledale and Wensleydale. The road is 37 miles (60 km) long, but through traffic between the two destinations will find a shorter route of 26 miles (42 km) by going south on the A1. The route is single carriageway for its entire length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coverham Abbey</span> Premonstratensian monastery in England

Coverham Abbey, North Yorkshire, England, was a Premonstratensian monastery that was founded at Swainby in 1190 by Helewisia, daughter of the Chief Justiciar Ranulf de Glanville. It was refounded at Coverham in about 1212 by her son Ranulf fitzRalph, who had the body of his late mother reinterred in the chapter house at Coverham.

Akarius Fitz Bardolph, Lord of Ravensworth, was the son of Bardolph, Lord of Ravensworth, an 11th-century nobleman living in Richmondshire, the area encompassing the Ure, Tees and Swale valleys in northern England. He was a sub-feudatory of Alan, Earl of Richmond. Akarius gave land at Fors in Wharfedale for the founding of a monastery in 1145. He died in 1161 and in 1165 his son, Harveus fitz Akarius, consented to the abbey being relocated to its permanent site. The abbey was relocated to the valley of the River Ure and was renamed the Abbey of Yore vale, which became Jervaulx Abbey. Akarius had a second son named William Bardolf.

The Six Dales Trail is a long distance footpath in North Yorkshire, England, with a short section in West Yorkshire. It is 38 miles (61 km) long and connects Otley and Middleham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilgram Bridge</span> Bridge in North Yorkshire, England

Kilgram Bridge is a crossing point across the River Ure in North Yorkshire, England. The bridge, which has six arches, is thought to date back to the 12th century, and it is thought that it is built on the old Roman ford crossing point of the river. Kilgram bridge is traditionally associated as being at the eastern and lower end of Wensleydale and is now a scheduled monument.

References

  1. Yorkshire Dales National Park website: Kettlewell Archived 7 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Coverdale". yorkshiredales.org.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  3. "98" (Map). Wensleydale & Upper Wharfedale. 1:50,000. Landranger. Ordnance Survey. 2016. ISBN   9780319261965.
  4. Coates, Richard; Breeze, Andrew; Horovitz, David (2000). Celtic Voices English Places: Studies of the Celtic Impact on Place-Names in England. Stamford: Shaun Tyas. pp. 58–60. ISBN   9781900289412 . Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  5. "The ancient parish of Coverham". genuki.org.uk. Genuki. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  6. Historic England. "Coverham Abbey Premonstratensian monastery and precinct including Holy Trinity Church and medieval bridge (1015725)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  7. Speight, Harry (1897). Romantic Richmondshire; being a complete account of the history, antiquities and scenery of the picturesque valleys of the Swale and Yore. E Stock. p. 308. OCLC   7241488.
  8. "Coverdale". britishcheese.com. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  9. "The Cover Bridge Inn". thecoverbridgeinn.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  10. Hickling, Michael (27 July 2006). "Bahrain restarts play at village ground". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  11. "Braithwaite Hall Overview". nationaltrust.org.uk. National Trust. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  12. "Braithwaite Hall". outofoblivion.org.uk. Out of Oblivion. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  13. Bagshaw, Mike (2014). "14.Coverdale". Yorkshire Dales Slow Travel. Chalfont St Peter: Bradt. pp. 130–131. ISBN   978-1-84162-549-2.

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