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East Witton Supplementary

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In 1822, the following places were in
the Parish of East Witton:


"BIRKS, in the parish of East Witton, and wapentake of Hang West, 5 miles W. of Masham. A small hamlet pleasantly situated in Colsterdale. Pop. included with East Witton."

"Efforts to locate this in 2008 failed: I have wandered about up there looking at spoil heaps (a long time ago) and there are only heaps of stones, no hamlet. I was perplexed when I first came across Birks as a place in the East Witton parish registers, but I did find it as Birks Gill. All the people who lived there were miners, when the mines closed, all the buildings fell down." [Marion Moverley 2008]

Birks is shown on the Jeffrey's 1771 map of Yorkshire, scattered along the road up Colsterdale, probably between modern day Low Houses and the Toc H Colsterdale Centre. It lies between Birk Gill Beck and the River Burn. I have tried to locate it by comparing the OS 1:25,000 map on streetmap.co.uk and my copy of Jeffrey's, my best guess at the location is here on streetmap [Doug Whiteley 2013]"


"BRAITHWAITE HALL, a farm house in the township of East Witton within, and parish of East-Witton; 1¾ miles W. of East Witton, 2 miles from Middleham."


"FLEET'S HOUSE, a farm house in the township and parish of East Witton, 3 miles from Middleham."


"HAMMER, a farm house in the township of East-Witton-without, and parish of East-Witton; 1 mile SE. of East Witton, 4 miles from Middleham, 6 from Leyburn."


"HIGH NEWSTEAD, a small hamlet, in the parish of East Witton wapentake of Hang West and liberty of Richmondshire; 1¾ miles SE. of East Witton, 3½ miles SE. of Middleham."


"JERVAULX ABBEY, in the parish of East Witton, wapentake of Hang West, and liberty of Richmondshire; 1¾ miles E. of East Witton, 3 miles SE. of Middleham." (There is further information for Jervaulx Abbey).


"KILGRIM BRIDGE, (later Kilgram Bridge) in the parish of East Witton, wapentake of Hang West, and liberty of Richmondshire; 3 miles E. of East Witton, 4 miles NW. of Masham."


"LANE HOUSE, a farm house in the township of East-Witton-without, and parish of East-Witton; 2¾ miles E. of East Witton, 6 miles from Middleham."


"MOOR COTE, in the parish of East Witton and wapentake of an West; 1¾ miles SE. of East Witton, 4 miles SE. of Middleham."


"ULSHAW BRIDGE, in the parish of East Witton, wapentake of Hang West; ¾ mile N. of East Witton, 1 mile E. of Middleham."

[Description(s) edited mainly from various 19th century sources by Colin Hinson. ©2010]