Masham

The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon "Mæssa's Ham", the homestead belonging to Mæssa.{{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=A. H.|title=The place-names of the North Riding of Yorkshire|date=1928|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|page=230|oclc=3818214|url=https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/epns/documents/north-riding-of-yorkshire.pdf}}

File:Silver Street - geograph.org.uk - 1401159.jpg

File:The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, Masham (geograph 4058860).jpg

The Romans had a presence here, but the first permanent settlers were the Angles. Around 900 AD the Vikings invaded, burning and laying waste to the church. They also introduced sheep farming, for which the town is still known.

Masham was historically a large parish in the North Riding of Yorkshire. As well as the town of Masham the parish included the townships of Burton-on-Yore, Ellingstring, Ellington High and Low, Fearby, Healey with Sutton, Ilton cum Pott and Swinton.{{cite web|title=GENUKI: Masham Supplementary|url=http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/NRY/Masham/more.html|website=www.genuki.org.uk|access-date=3 January 2017}} In 1866 the townships became separate civil parishes.{{cite web|title=Masham CP/AP through time|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10448013|website=www.visionofbritain.org.uk|access-date=6 December 2017}} Masham Moor was an area of moorland to the west of the parish bordering the West Riding, common to the parishes of Masham and East Witton. It was divided between the parishes of Healey, Ilton cum Pott and Colsterdale in 1934.{{cite web|title=Masham Moor PA through time {{!}} Census tables with data for the Parish-level Unit|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10448062|website=www.visionofbritain.org.uk|access-date=19 February 2018}}

The area of the ancient parish, except Burton-on-Yore, was known as Mashamshire from the 12th century or earlier.{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=64761 |title=Parishes: Masham |editor-first=William |editor-last=Page |publisher=Institute of Historical Research |year=1914 |work=A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 1 |access-date=10 June 2012 }}

St Mary's Church{{anchor|St Mary's Church, Masham}} was most likely founded in the seventh century and stood somewhere near the present town hall on what used to be known as Cockpit Hill. The graveyard yielded 36 burials in a recent excavation. The present church – while having some Anglo-Saxon stonework and the stump of an eighth-century prayer cross – is mainly Norman with fifteenth-century additions. Masham was given to York Minster in the medieval period but, as the archbishop did not wish to make the long journey north to oversee the town's affairs, the parish was designated a peculiar.

During the Middle Ages, Masham developed as a small town with milling, mining, cloth making and tanning industries.{{cite web|url=https://www.academia.edu/11566064 |title= Medieval local history from published records: a case-study of the medieval manor, market and church of Masham, Yorkshire |first=John S. |last=Lee | work= The Local Historian 45 (2015), 54–67 |date= January 2015 }} The town received its first market charter in 1251. Masham's importance as a major sheep market is the reason for the large market place and its Georgian houses. The market originally thrived because of its nearness to Jervaulx and Fountains Abbeys, with their large flocks of sheep.

From 1875 the town was served by the Masham branch of the North Eastern Railway. Passenger services were stopped in December 1930, with goods traffic continuing until 1963. The station was across the River Ure at Low Burton.{{cite web|last1=Catford|first1=Nick|title=Disused Stations: Masham Station|url=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/m/masham/index.shtml|website=www.disused-stations.org.uk|access-date=3 January 2017}}

The naturalist Charles Hedley (1862–1926) was born in Masham, where his father, the Rev. Canon Thomas Hedley, was vicar.{{cite book|last=Fairfax|first=Denis|chapter=Charles Hedley (1862–1926) |chapter-url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hedley-charles-6628|title=Australian Dictionary of Biography|publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University|access-date=22 June 2022}}

On 5 July 2014 the Tour de France Stage 1 from Leeds to Harrogate passed through the town.{{cite web|url=http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2014/us/stage-1.html|title=Tour de France Stage 1|access-date=15 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725103624/http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2014/us/stage-1.html|archive-date=25 July 2014|url-status=dead }}

Prior to local government reform in North Yorkshire in 2023, the town lay within the Borough of Harrogate. Masham was part of that borough's electoral ward of Mashamshire. This ward stretched west to Colsterdale with a total population taken at the 2011 census of 2,350.{{NOMIS2011|id=1237325106 |title=Mashamshire Ward (as of 2011)|access-date=15 July 2018}} Since 2023, the town is covered by North Yorkshire Council, a unitary authority.

As of 2025, the parish shares a grouped parish council, called Masham Parish Council, with Burton-on-Yore, Ellington High and Low, and Swinton with Warthermarske.{{cite web|title=Masham Parish Council|publisher=Visit Masham|url=https://www.visitmasham.com/community/parish-council/|access-date=14 January 2025}}

File:Masham Town Hall (geograph 4059655).jpg]]

File:2014 Masham Black Sheep Brewery.jpg

File:Theakston's Brewery, Masham - geograph.org.uk - 615589.jpg]]

Masham market days are Wednesday, Saturday and Bank Holiday Monday with a Farmers' Market every first Sunday of the month from April to September.{{cite web| title=Masham Market – Speciality markets throughout the year |url=http://www.mashammarket.co.uk/|website=www.mashammarket.co.uk |access-date=3 January 2017}} An annual Sheep Fair is held in September,https://www.mashamsheepfair.com and the Masham breed is named after the town. The market place, the largest in the district,{{cite web |title=About Masham |url=http://www.mashamtownhall.com/about-masham.html |website=Masham Town Hall |access-date=3 January 2017}} is tightly bordered on its south and west sides by ranges of two- and three-storey buildings. To the south-east, lies St. Mary's Church with its large yard.

Although Masham is a relatively small town it has two working breweries, Black Sheep Brewery and Theakstons, situated only a few hundred yards from one another. The Black Sheep Brewery sponsors annual folk festivals. Previous performers have included Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers.{{cite news |title=Star line up for Masham music festival |url=http://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/news/star-line-up-for-masham-music-festival-1-2719071 |access-date=3 January 2017 |work=Harrogate Advertiser |date=27 February 2007}} The town was also for a long time home to Lightfoot Brewery. This was bought by the Theakston family and closed in the 1920s. The Lightfoot brewery buildings are now used by Black Sheep.

The Masham Steam Engine & Fair Organ Rally is held annually,[https://www.mashamsteamrally.com/ Masham Steam Engine & Fair Organ Rally]. Retrieved 15 January 2025 organised by the Masham Town Hall Association; it began in 1965 to raise money for Masham Town Hall. The town holds an arts festival every two years.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/culture/2005/10/masham_arts/ |title=Mashamshire Festival of Arts|publisher=BBC|date= 29 October 2014|access-date=5 March 2022}}

The town has a snooker and billiards club, which was founded in 1871.[https://www.mashamsnookerclub.co.uk/ Masham Snooker Club] Retrieved 13 February 2025

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North East and Cumbria and ITV Tyne Tees. Television signals are received from the Bilsdale TV transmitter.{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Bilsdale|title=Bilsdale (North Yorkshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=20 November 2023}}

Local radio stations are BBC Radio York, Greatest Hits Radio Harrogate & the Yorkshire Dales and Dales Radio.{{cite web |url=https://bestradios.co.uk/yorkshire-radio-stations/ |title=Yorkshire Radio Stations|access-date=20 November 2023}}

The town is served by the local newspaper, Harrogate Advertiser.{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-yorks/harrogate-advertiser/|title=Harrogate Advertiser|date=28 March 2014|website=British Papers|accessdate=20 November 2023}}

The nearest railway stations are Thirsk and Northallerton both of which are on the East Coast Main Line; although the town was formerly served by a station on the Masham branch railway. Buses operate from Ripon and the town is on the A6108 road between Ripon, Leyburn, Richmond and Scotch Corner.{{cite web|title=Getting Here – Visit Masham|url=http://www.visitmasham.com/getting-here/|website=Visit Masham}} The town is several miles west of the A1(M) motorway.

• Listed buildings in Masham

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category|Masham}}

• [http://www.visitmasham.com/ Welcome to Masham]
• [https://www.mashamparishcouncil.com/ Masham Parish Council]

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Category:Towns in North Yorkshire

Category:Market towns in North Yorkshire

Category:Civil parishes in North Yorkshire

Category:Wensleydale