West Tanfield

File:Marmion Tower, West Tanfield - geograph.org.uk - 274592.jpg

The toponym is from the Old English tāna feld, meaning "open land where young shoots grow", or possibly "open land of a man called Tana".{{cite encyclopedia | contribution = Tanfield | year = 2010 | title = The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names | editor-last = Watts | editor-first = Victor | publisher = Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-16855-7 }} The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Tanefeld. The manor was owned by Thorkil at the time of the Norman invasion, but were afterwards granted to Count Alan of Brittany.{{OpenDomesday|OS=SE2679|name=west-tanfield|display=West Tanfield|accessdate=3 February 2013}} The manor was held by Hugh, son of Gernegan thereafter and his heirs until at least 1243. One of these heirs, a woman named Avis had married Robert Marmion and held the manor in 1287. The Marmion family held the manor until 1387 when it passed to the next line of descent to the wife of Sir Henry Fitz Hugh. The Fitz Hugh family held the manor until 1513 when the direct line ended and it passed to another branch family, the Parr's. The Parr's held the manor until the death of William Parr, Marquess of Northampton in 1571. William was also the brother of Catherine Parr, Queen consort to Henry VIII. The manor was passed back to the Crown at that time before being granted in 1572 to William Cecil, Lord Burghley. The manor was inherited by his son Thomas, Earl of Exeter and thence his son William. Having no surviving son, the manor of Tanfield passed to his second daughter whose second marriage was to Robert Bruce, 2nd Earl of Elgin and 1st Earl of Ailesbury and who held the manor in 1676 and was passed down the line of descent until 1738. It became the possession of Thomas Bruce Brudenell, who succeeded to the title as well. It remained with the family until 1886.{{cite book|title=Bulmer's Topography, History and Directory (Private and Commercial) of North Yorkshire 1890 |pages=808–810|year=1890 |publisher= S&N Publishing|isbn= 1-86150-299-0}}{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=64772|title=Parishes: West Tanfield |editor-first=William|editor-last=Page|editor-link=William Henry Page |publisher=Institute of Historical Research |date=1914 |work=Victoria County History. A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 1|access-date=3 February 2013}}

The village has a monument called the Marmion Tower, a 15th-century gatehouse which belonged to the now vanished manor house and former home of the Marmion family known as the "Hermitage".{{cite book |last1=Pettifer |first1=Adrian |title=English Castles; a Guide by Counties |date=1995 |publisher=Boydell Press |location=Woodbridge |isbn=0851157823 |page=299}} At first floor level there is an example of an oriel window. The tower is now in the care of English Heritage and is a Grade I listed building.{{cite web |title=Marmion Tower |url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/marmion-tower/ |website=english-heritage.org.uk |access-date=12 September 2023}}{{NHLE|desc=Marmion Tower (former gatehouse of Tanfield Castle fortified manor) |num=1011669 |grade= I|access-date=12 September 2023}}

The village had a railway station on the Masham branch line of the North Eastern Railway until the line was closed in 1963.{{cite web|url=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/t/tanfield/index.shtml|title=Disused railway|access-date=3 February 2012}}

Not far from the village are the Thornborough Henges, known as the 'Stone Henge of the North'.{{NHLE|num=1004912|desc=Earth circles, cursus, pit alignments and burial sites near Nosterfield and Thornborough, including Centre Hill round barrow|accessdate=6 July 2017}}

West Tanfield was historically a parish in the North Riding of Yorkshire. In 1974 it was transferred to the new county of North Yorkshire. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Hambleton, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council.{{cite news |last1=Minting |first1=Stuart |title=North Yorkshire district council slammed over £1.7m payments to officers |url=https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/24245292.hambleton-district-council-slammed-payments-officers/ |access-date=30 June 2024 |work=York Press |date=11 April 2024}} Until 2023, West Tanfield was part of the Richmond (Yorks) parliamentary constituency. It was removed and added to the expanded Thirsk and Malton Constituency, in part due to areas from that constituency being created into a new seat of Wetherby and Easingwold.{{cite web |title=Boundary Commission for England - Revised Proposals for the Yorkshire and Humber Region |url=https://boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/review2023/b65f7782-658b-4c4a-9cba-59c16c807f77/a3-maps/YH_49_Thirsk%20and%20Malton%20CC.pdf |website=boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk |access-date=30 June 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Gleeson |first1=Janet |title='How stupid' protest over moving Bedale out of Richmond |url=https://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/23633282.anger-bedale-moved-richmond-constituency/ |access-date=30 June 2024 |work=Darlington and Stockton Times |date=9 July 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Darley |first1=Karen |title=New Conservative Association created to reflect boundary change |url=https://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/news/23791563.new-conservative-association-created-reflect-boundary-change/ |access-date=30 June 2024 |work=Gazette & Herald |date=15 September 2023}}{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/?x=445761&y=486520&z=4&bnd1=wmcpreop&bnd2=&labels=off |website=ordnancesurvey.co.uk |access-date=30 June 2024 |quote=On the left of the screen is the "Boundary" tab; click this and activate either civil parishes or Westminster Constituencies (or both), however, only two functions can be active at any one time.}}

The parish shares a grouped parish council, Tanfield Parish Council, with the much smaller parish of East Tanfield.{{cite web|url=http://tanfieldparishcouncil.btck.co.uk/Councillors|title=Parish Council|access-date=3 February 2013}}

An electoral ward in the name of Tanfield exists. This ward stretches east to Pickhill with a total population taken at the 2011 Census of 1,865.{{NOMIS2011|id=1237325083|title=Tanfield Ward (as of 2011)|accessdate=22 July 2018}}

The village lies on the A6108 Ripon to Leyburn road and on the north bank of a large meander on the River Ure. The settlements of Nosterfield, Thornborough, Binsoe, Mickley and North Stainley all lie within {{convert|1.5|mi}} of the village.{{cite web | url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/business-government/tools-support/open-data-support | title=OpenData support | OS Tools & Support }}

The 2001 UK Census recorded the population of the Parish as 532 of which 48.5% were male and 51.5% female. There were 242 dwellings in the Parish of which 92 were detached.{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDatasetList.do?a=7&b=11130405&c=west+tanfield&d=16&g=6454215&i=1001x1003&m=0&r=1&s=1359894749739&enc=1&domainId=7|title=2001 UK Census|work= Neighbourhood Statistics|publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=3 February 2013}} The parish population had increased to 636 by the time of the census 2011.

Village services include two public houses and a village store encompassing the post office.{{cite web|url=http://www.wtvs.co.uk/|title=Store/Post Office|access-date=3 February 2013}} The public houses are both Grade II Listed buildings.{{cite web|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-332692-the-bruce-arms-inn-west-tanfield-north-y|title=The Bruce Arms|access-date= 3 February 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-332687-the-bull-inn-west-tanfield-north-yorkshi|title=The Bull Inn|access-date= 3 February 2013}} The Memorial Hall serves as a venue for events in the village and was built as a monument to the men of West Tanfield who died during the two world wars. West Tanfield has two holiday parks, Cedar Retreats to the east of the village and Riverdale Rural Holidays to the south.{{cite web|url=https://www.riverdaleruralholidays.com/|title=Riverdale Rural Holidays|website=Riverdale Rural Holidays|accessdate=11 March 2023}}

St Nicholas CE School is located in the village and is within the catchment area of Bedale High School for secondary education. The present structure in Marmion Court was built in 1965.{{cite web|url=http://stnicholas-westtanfield.co.uk/about.html|title=Education|access-date=3 February 2013}}{{cite web|title=Secondary admission arrangements for the Northallerton area|url=http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/article/26699/Secondary-admission-arrangements-for-the-Northallerton-area|website=North Yorkshire County Council|access-date=28 December 2017}}

There is a village football team.{{cite web|url=http://full-time.thefa.com/DisplayTeam.do?teamID=7373080&divisionseason=415032948|title=Football Club|access-date=3 February 2013}} The village Cricket Club which was founded in 1907 is situated at Sleningford on the opposite side of the Ure, they play league matches in the Nidderdale and District League and Wensleydale Evening League as well as local knockout cup competitions. There is an annual one-day Cricket Twenty20 knockout competition between West Tanfield, Kirkby Malzeard and two other local teams.{{cite web|url=http://www.freewebs.com/wtanfieldcc/aboutus.htm|title=Cricket Club|access-date=3 February 2013}}

File:St Nicholas Church, West Tanfield - geograph.org.uk - 320383.jpg

The church in the village is dedicated to St. Nicholas and is situated on Main Street. It is a Grade II Listed building erected in the 13th century and has undergone renovation in the 15th century and in 1860.{{cite web|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-332680-church-of-st-nicholas-west-tanfield-nort|title=Church listing|access-date=3 February 2013}}

John Marmion, 4th Baron Marmion of Winteringham is buried in this church. There also is a Methodist Chapel, built in 1798, located next to the old railway station and buildings on Mowbray Terrace and is a Grade II Listed building.{{cite web|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-332698-old-wesleyan-chapel-west-tanfield-north-|title=Wesleyan Chapel |access-date=3 February 2013}}

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Category:Villages in North Yorkshire

Category:Civil parishes in North Yorkshire

Category:Wensleydale