Kirby Sigston

Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Manor House, Kirby Sigston

Kirby Sigston is a denucleated village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Northallerton.[1] The parish is situated on the Cod Beck river,[2] and also includes the hamlet of Jeater Houses,[3] east of the village on the A19 road, on the boundary with Thimbleby.[4]

History

The settlement is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as having 75 ploughlands, and its name derives from a combination of the Old Norse Kirkju-býr (a village with a church) and Sigges tūn (Sigge's farmstead or settlement).[5]

During the 14th century, the parish was part of a huge deer park and hunting area on the eastern side of what is now known as the Vale of Mowbray.[6] A deserted medieval village (DMV) lies to the south of the church.[7]

The village has never had a shop, post office or pub, and its school, which opened in 1846 and would teach around 35 pupils, closed in 1944.[8][9]

Places of interest

Sigston Castle; only earthworks remain

To the north is the site of Sigston Castle, a 14th-century quadrangular castle, surrounded by a now largely dry moat.[10][11] South of Sigston Castle, near the grade II listed Manor House,[12] is St Lawrence's church.[8] The church is largely Norman but the tower was renovated in the 18th century.[13] The grade I listed church is decorated with carvings of dragons, which Pevsner states show the Danish influence in the area.[14]

Population

St Lawrence's Church, Kirby Sigston

The population taken at the 2011 Census was fewer than 100, so details are included in the civil parish of Winton, Stank and Hallikeld.[15] North Yorkshire County Council estimated the population of the village in 2015 to be 100 people, an increase of ten since the 2011 census.[16]

Notable residents

The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Conservative MP for Richmond and Northallerton, Rishi Sunak, currently lives in Kirby Sigston as his constituency home.[17]

Kirby Sigston is referred to in The Mountain Goats' song "Going to Kirby Sigston".[18]

References

  1. ^ "Genuki: Kirby Sigston, Yorkshire (North Riding)". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  2. ^ "History of Kirby Sigston, in Hambleton and the North Riding | Map and description". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  3. ^ "Parishes: Kirkby Sigston | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  4. ^ "302" (Map). Northallerton & Thirsk. 1:25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2015. ISBN 978-0-319-24554-5.
  5. ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names (4 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 279, 422. ISBN 0-19-869103-3.
  6. ^ National Character Area Profile 24: Vale of Mowbray. Natural England. 2015. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-84754-301-1.
  7. ^ "Beresford's Lost Villages :: Site detail :: Sigston, Kirby". dmv.hull.ac.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  8. ^ a b "St Lawrence - Kirby Sigston". www.cofe-northallerton.org.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Golden anniversary can put Sigston on the map". The Northern Echo. 8 June 2004. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  10. ^ Historic England. "Sigston Castle: an enclosure castle 400m north of Kirby Sigston church (1008207)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  11. ^ Pettifer, Adrian (1995). English castles : a guide by counties. Woodbridge: Boydell Press. p. 301. ISBN 0-85115-600-2.
  12. ^ Historic England. "The Manor House (Grade II) (1294735)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  13. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Lawrence (Grade I) (1150888)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  14. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (2002). Yorkshire, the North Riding. London: Yale University Press. p. 212. ISBN 0-300-09665-8.
  15. ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Winton, Stank and Hallikeld Parish (E04007299)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  16. ^ "2015 Population Estimates Parishes" (PDF). northyorks.gov.uk. December 2016. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  17. ^ Copeland, Alexa (31 October 2017). "Residents celebrate anniversary of vital village hall refurbishment". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  18. ^ Chapman, Hannah (27 August 2007). "US band helps put North Yorkshire village on the map". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kirby Sigston.
  • The ancient parish of Kirby Sigston: historical and genealogical information at GENUKI.

54°21′N 1°21′W / 54.350°N 1.350°W / 54.350; -1.350