An History of Thirsk

THIRSK..

The earliest mention of Thirsk is in the Doomsday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as Tresche, but the origin of the name is probably Celtic and archaeology tells us that both the Romans and the Saxons were here before the arrival of the invading Norman's. After the conquest, however, Thirsk and most of the surrounding land came under the ownership of the great de Mowbray family, who gave their name to the northern part of the Vale of York, known locally to this day as the Vale of Mowbray. Thirsk, situated on the Codbeck where the route north from York crosses the road running eastwards to the coast, was clearly of strategic importance, and the de Mowbrays built a castle her and probably a church where St. Mary's stands today. Their stronghold figures in the accounts of the baronial wars of the twelfth century but when the rebel Roger de Mowbray finally surrendered to King Henry in 1174 his castles were ordered to be destroyed; all that remains of Thirsk Castle today is part of the moat and ramparts in Castle Garth, a site once used as a burial ground by seventh century Saxons.

The oldest part of the town was centred on the east bank of the Codbeck round St. James' Green. No trace remains of the chapel which gave this spot its name, but cattle markets were held on the Green into the early 1900s and records tell that elections took place there under an ancient elm that survived until 1818 when a Guy Fawkes night prank led to its destruction.

The parish church stood on the far bank of the Codbeck overlooking the site of a holy well dedicated to St. Mary, but which could possibly have been a sacred spot in pre-Christian times. We do not know what the Norman building looked like, but by the fifteenth century the townsfolk were prosperous enough to undertake the building of a magnificent new church with a tower that stands as a landmark for all the roads that lead into the town. St. Mary's was completed about 1480 and remains today substantially unchanged in structure, a fine example of late Gothic architecture. Alongside the church stands Thirsk Hall, the family seat of the Bells, squire. of Thirsk since 1723 when the manor was sold to them by the Earls of Derby The early Georgian mansion was remodelled late in the eighteenth century by the York architect John Cart

The cobbled Market Place on the west bank of the stream was probably laid out in early mediaeval times and has been the centre of commercial activity in the town ever since. The ancient market cross, though long broken, stood there until replaced by the Clock Tower, built in 1896 to commemorate the marriage of the then Duke of York ,who came to the throne as George V) to the future Queen Mary Opposite the cross until 1834 stood the Tollbooth or Market Hall and nearby were two dilapidated rows of covered butchers' stalls - the Shambles - demolished in 1857. The only relic of the tradition of open-air butchery that survives is the Bull Ring, marked out in the cobbles near the bus stand with a replica of the tethering ring at its centre. This was where mediaeval market laws required bulls to be baited by dogs before being sold for slaughter - a cruel custom that had died out by the eighteenth century

The railway reached Thirsk in 1841, though the station was a mile or so out of town The years that followed marked the peak of Thirsk's industrial importance; tanning and a leather-working, milling, malting and brewing, linen-weaving, bleaching and dyeing were already well-established and the town had been lit by gas since 1834, but in 1860 Adam Carlisle Bamlett set up his agricultural engineering firm which, for the best part of a century sent grass cutters and reapers all over world.

Behind most of the 5 brickworks, foundry a ropewalk. The civic pride of the citizens was reflected in stables., workshops the setting-up of a Savings Bank and Assembly Rooms, a Mechanics Institute a tinsmiths, saddlers a

Court Room and Police Station and eventually a Town Hall. There were Nonconformist chapels and a Roman Catholic Church. Clubs and Societies flourished and the civic and social life of the town was probably at its richest in the years before World War 1. Changes in economic and social conditions in the last generation or so have seen both decline and redevelopment and while the way of life of the old Market Town has gone for good, the town faces the arrival of the third millennium with a confidence born of long tradition and awareness of a proud past.

A busy market called for abundant supplies of food and drink - hence the Market Place was ringed with inns, taverns and public houses. The timbers visible inside some of the surviving establishments reveal something of their history With the coming of the mail coaches in the eighteenth century Thirsk became a posting stage on the route from York to the North of England. The Three Tuns and the Golden Fleece were principal coaching inns and in their yards stabled the relays of horses that ensured the swift passage of the mails and their passengers. Horses have long played an important role in the area and the Racecourse was first laid out in 1854.

SOWERBY

With a name that dates from the Danish settlement of the ninth century Sowerby lies close to its larger neighbour Thirsk, but retains an individual character Its long Front Street with generous grass verges is shaded by an avenue of lime trees planted in celebration of Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and runs south to an ancient pack-horse bridge over the Codbeck where the limits of the township are still known as World's End, though the tavern once bearing that name is no more. Before the coming of the Danes, early inhabitants built a great burial mound near the beck, known popularly as Pudding Pie Hill and thought by some to be the haunt of the little folk. Meadows ridged by mediaeval ploughing and still known by the old name of Flatts run beside a section of the Codbeck embanked with the masonry of an abandoned 18th century canal project. The parish church of St. Oswald is a 19th century rebuilding of a Norman foundation; next to it lies the site of the ancient Manor House which was for centuries part of the Lascelles family estates until divided up in Elizabethan times. Sowerby has long been a favoured residence for the prosperous commercial and professional families of the area and the succession of fine Georgian house-fronts reflects the architectural tastes of the 18th and early 19th centuries, interspersed with humbler cottages and houses that date from earlier days.

CARLTON MINIOTT

The earliest part of the township lies well to the east of Thirsk, running out to the cross roads on the Ripon road where the name of the Busby Stoop Inn preserves the name of the gibbet post where some three hundred years ago the infamous coiner Thomas Busby hung in chains as a stern warning to the folk of the neighbourhood. With the building of the GNE railway in the 1840s, a new part of the village grew up around the station and the adjoining depot to house the many railway employees. A large malting concern had its kilns near the station and these noted buildings now house a thriving furniture concern.

TOPCLlFFE

The name of this ancient township reflects its position, set high on the steep banks of the Swale. Commanding an important river crossing, it was in mediaeval times a stronghold of the great Percy family and a substantial market centre. The Tollbooth, once the market hall and courthouse, still survives, as does the stump of the old market cross. Until 1969 Topcliffe had a July fair that was an annual rendezvous for horse-dealers and travelling folk from all over the country.

PRESENT DAY THIRSK

Still a thriving market town nestling the Yorkshire Dales and Moors and linked by a superb road network. Market days still abound every Saturday and Monday with special Bank Holiday Monday markets filling the whole of the picturesque cobbled town centre. There are many shops, pubs and cafes where you can relax and while away the day. A must for every visitor is to view "The World of James Herriot", a fitting memorial and tribute to Thirsk's own author and vet AIf Wight. Situated at No 23 Kirkgate you will step back in time to the days when this was not only home for AIf and his family but a working veterinary practice. Every admission ticket has special vouchers which can be redeemed against special offers, discounts or promotions at participating businesses in and around the town.