Melmerby, Harrogate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Melmerby | |
|---|---|
 The Methodist Church in Melmerby | |
.svg)  Melmerby Location within North Yorkshire | |
| Population | 386 (2011 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SE337769 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | RIPON |
| Postcode district | HG4 |
| Police | North Yorkshire |
| Fire | North Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
Melmerby is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, that lies 3.7 miles (6 km) north of Ripon and 0.6 miles (1 km) west of the A1(M) motorway.[2] The population was 386 in the 2011 census.[1]
The name is of Old Norse origin and means a sandy settlement (malmr "sandy field" and bý "farmstead or village").[3] The form of the name has been influenced by Melmerby in Coverdale, 16 miles (26 km) west, which has a different origin.[4] Many of the fields in the area have Norse names too, e.g. Halikeld, where 'keld' is an Old Norse word for 'spring'.[5]
History
Melmerby was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. It was historically a manor and chapelry in the parish of Wath in the North Riding of Yorkshire.[6] It became a separate civil parish in 1866.[7]
Until the late 1950s, the village was the site of a major rural railway junction that was situated on the main Harrogate to Northallerton via Ripon railway line (closed 1968). A branch line ran westwards from Melmerby to the small market town of Masham, which is famous for its brewing.[8] This line stopped carrying passengers in 1930 and closed completely in 1963. Another line (closed 1959) also ran north-eastwards linking Melmerby with the East Coast Main Line at Thirsk.[9]
During the war the village was the site of a large munitions store, taking advantage of the railway access.[10]
The parish now shares a grouped parish council, Melmerby and Middleton Quernhow Parish Council, with the neighbouring parish of Middleton Quernhow.[11] The village has a pub, The George and Dragon Inn, a cricket team, the Wath & Melmerby Cricket Club, who play in the Nidderdale League and the village also stages an annual 10-kilometre (6.2 mi) road race which has been held since 1984.[12]
From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the Borough of Harrogate, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council.
