View source for Bilsdale

{{For|the transmitting station|Bilsdale transmitting station}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
[[File:Urra - geograph.org.uk - 528628.jpg|300px|thumb| Urra Village in Bilsdale viewed from [[Urra Moor]]]]
'''Bilsdale''' is a [[Dale (landform)|dale]] in the western part of the [[North York Moors]] in [[North Yorkshire]], England.  The head of the dale is at Hasty Bank, and the dale extends {{convert|10|mi|0}} south to meet [[Rye Dale]] near [[Hawnby]].  The dale is the valley of the [[River Seph]], formed where Raisdale Beck joins Bilsdale Beck at the small village of [[Chop Gate]] in the north of the dale.  The river flows south to meet the River Rye at Seph Mouth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yorkshiremoors.co.uk/gazetteer/river_seph.html|title=River Seph|last=Rickard|first=John|date=2005–2009|work=Moors Knowledge|accessdate=21 August 2014}}</ref>
The dale is divided between two [[civil parish]]es and [[Districts of England|district]]s.  The upper part of the dale comprises the civil parish of [[Bilsdale Midcable]] in the district of [[Hambleton District|Hambleton]].  The lower part of the dale is in the civil parish of Hawnby in the district of [[Ryedale]].
== History ==
The place-name is derived from an [[Old Norse]] personal name ''Bildr'', and so means "Bildr's valley".<ref name=bygones>{{cite web|url=http://www.bygonebilsdale.org.uk/index.php?id=9|publisher=Bygone Bilsdale|year=2014|title=Short History of Bilsdale|accessdate=21 August 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140601071545/http://www.bygonebilsdale.org.uk/index.php?id=9|archivedate=1 June 2014}}</ref>
In the 12th century the northern part of the dale was granted to [[Kirkham Priory]], and the southern part to [[Rievaulx Abbey]].<ref name=bygones />  Bilsdale Rievaulx was itself divided by the River Seph.  The part to the west of the river became the township of Bilsdale Westside in the parish of Hawnby.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=64604 |title=Parishes: Hawnby |editor-first=William|editor-last=Page |publisher=Institute of Historical Research |date=1923 |work=[[Victoria County History]]. A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 2 |accessdate=21 August 2014 }}</ref>  The part to the east became part of the township of Bilsdale Midcable, which also included Bilsdale Kirkham, in the parish of [[Helmsley]].  An area above [[Laskill]] became a separate township of Helmsley parish, known as Laskill Pasture.<ref name= vchhelmsley>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=64792 |title=Parishes: Helmsley |editor-first=William|editor-last=Page |publisher=Institute of Historical Research |date=1914 |work=Victoria County History. A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 1 |accessdate=21 August 2014 }}</ref>  At the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries|Dissolution]] both Bilsdale Kirkham and Bilsdale Rievaulx were granted to [[Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland|Thomas Manners, Earl of Rutland]].<ref name=vchhelmsley/>  His successors sold the estate in 1687 to the [[Baron Feversham|Duncombe family]].<ref name=bygones />
In the 19th century [[Jet (lignite)|jet]] was extensively mined in the dale.<ref name=bygones />
The townships of Bilsdale Westside, Bilsdale Midcable and Laskill Pasture became separate civil parishes in 1866.  Bilsdale Westside and Laskill Pasture became part of the new Ryedale District in 1974, and were subsequently absorbed into the civil parish of Hawnby. The main settlements in the dale are [[Chop Gate]], Fangdale Beck and the ancient hamlet of Urra.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Chrystal|first1=Paul|title=The Place Names of Yorkshire; Cities, Towns, Villages, Rivers and Dales, some Pubs too, in Praise of Yorkshire Ales|date=2017|publisher=Stenlake|location=Catrine|isbn=9781840337532|page=17|edition=1}}</ref>
In 1969, [[Bilsdale transmitting station]] was erected above the dale on Bilsdale West Moor.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Moran |first1=Joe |title=Armchair nation : an intimate history of Britain in front of the TV |url=https://archive.org/details/armchairnationin0000mora |url-access=registration |date=2013 |publisher=Profile Books |location=London |isbn=978-1-84668-391-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/armchairnationin0000mora/page/217 217]}}</ref>
== References ==
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[[Category:Bilsdale| ]]
[[Category:Valleys of the North York Moors]]