Barden is a civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It consists of the hamlet of Drebley and a few scattered houses in Wharfedale in the Yorkshire Dales.[1] The parish also includes two areas of moorland, Barden Fell to the east of the River Wharfe and Barden Moor to the west of the river. Both moorlands are access land, and are popular with walkers. Barden Fell rises to the prominent peak of Simon's Seat, and Barden Moor includes two scenic 19th century reservoirs. Much of the parish is on the Bolton Abbey estate.[2]
| Barden | |
|---|---|
 Barden, Craven | |
.svg)  Barden Location within North Yorkshire | |
| OS grid reference | SE050571 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SKIPTON |
| Postcode district | BD23 |
| Police | North Yorkshire |
| Fire | North Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
The parish is sparsely populated. At the 2011 Census the population of the civil parish was less than 100, and the census statistics for the parish were therefore merged with those of the adjoining civil parish of Hazlewood with Storiths.[3] In 2015, North Yorkshire County Council estimated that the population of the parish was 90.[4]
Barden is derived from the Old English berdene, and means the valley where the barley is grown.[5]
Buildings and history
editTo the south, Barden Tower is a ruined late 15th century tower house built by Sir Henry Clifford.[6] This was made Henry Clifford, 10th Baron de Clifford's chief residence after the Clifford estates, confiscated by the Yorkists, were restored to him on the accession of Henry VII.[7] Because Clifford led a troop of dalesmen to victory at the Battle of Flodden, halberds used at that battle were passed down to descendants and, as late as the middle of the 20th century, could still be found in some farmhouses in the area.[7]
Earlier there was also a mill used for drying and grinding corn (Hough Mill) which was rebuilt by Lady Anne Clifford in 1657. This fell out of use after Skyreholme Dam burst in 1899, sweeping away the smaller dam which supplied the mill. Tom Lister, the last besom-maker of Wharfedale made his wares in the top story during the 1930s.[7]
Near Barden Tower, Barden Bridge carries a single track local road across the River Wharfe, linking together the parts of the parish on both banks. At a further remove, the bridge also gives access to Appletreewick and Parcevall Hall from the B6160 road. The bridge was built in 1659 and is Grade II listed.[8]
In the west side of the parish on Barden Moor are Upper and Lower Barden Reservoirs.[9] These both feed water into Barden Beck, which flows into the River Wharfe. The Upper reservoir also is connected to the Nidd Aqueduct, which sends water from Nidderdale and Wharfedale to the Chellow Heights treatment plant in Bradford.[10] Barden Moor itself covers an area of 25 square miles (65 km2) and stretches from Embsay in the west and Bolton Abbey in the south, to Burnsall in the north and the River Wharfe in the east.[11] The moor is used for shooting grouse between August and December each year, which can lead to paths across it being closed for public safety.[12]
The Dales Way from Ilkley to the Lake District also passes through the parish on a north–south axis.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Chrystal, Paul (2017). The Place Names of Yorkshire; Cities, Towns, Villages, Rivers and Dales, some Pubs too, in Praise of Yorkshire Ales (1 ed.). Catrine: Stenlake. p. 15. ISBN 9781840337532.
- ^ "Walking". Bolton Abbey Estate. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Hazlewood with Storiths Parish (E04007093)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ "2015 Population Estimates Parishes" (PDF). northyorks.gov.uk. 2015. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 25. ISBN 0-19-869103-3.
- ^ Historic England. "Barden Tower (48258)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 15 June 2011.
- ^ a b c Pontefract, E. & Hartley, M. Wharfedale (1943 reprint) Dent & Sons
- ^ "Barden Bridge". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ Wilkinson, George (23 May 2006). "Barden Moor". York Press. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ Bowtell, Harold D (1991). Lesser railways of the Yorkshire Dales : and the dam builders in the Age of Steam. Brighton: Plateway Press. pp. 156–157. ISBN 1-871980-09-7.
- ^ "Winter starts to fade in Wharfedale as spring is in the air". The Yorkshire Post. 28 February 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ "Yorkshire Dales Walk - Barden Bridge to Simon's Seat". yorkshirelife.co.uk. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
- ^ Marsh, Terry (2018). The Dales Way : from Ilkley to the Lake District through the Yorkshire Dales (3 ed.). Kendal: Cicerone Press. p. 48. ISBN 9781852849436.