| Boroughbridge | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Town pump | |
.svg)  Boroughbridge Location withinNorth Yorkshire | |
| Population | 3,405 (2011 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SE393668 |
| • London | 185 mi (298 km) SSE |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | YORK |
| Postcode district | YO51 |
| Dialling code | 01423 |
| Police | North Yorkshire |
| Fire | North Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| UK Parliament | |
| 54°05′39″N1°23′52″W / 54.09417°N 1.39778°W /54.09417; -1.39778 | |
Boroughbridge (/ˈbʌrəbrɪdʒ/BURR-ə-brij) is a town andcivil parish inNorth Yorkshire, England.Historically part of theWest Riding of Yorkshire, it is 16 miles (26 km) north-west ofYork. Until abypass was built the town lay on the mainA1 road fromLondon toEdinburgh, which crosses theRiver Ure here.
The civil parish includes the villages ofAldborough andMinskip.
The origin of the name 'Boroughbridge' lies in its location relative to Aldborough, the principal settlement during the Roman period and known asIsurium Brigantum.Dere Street, theRoman road heading north from York, originally crossed theRiver Ure just north of Aldborough, but at an unknown date the road was diverted to cross the river at Boroughbridge. The place was first mentioned in 1155 in theLatin formpontem de Burgo and by 1298 in the English formBurghbrig ('the bridge near Burgh or Aldborough').[2] A new town grew up at the bridge and the Old Town became known as the 'Ald-Borough'.
A line of threemenhirs, or standing stones, known as theDevil's Arrows, believed to have been erected in theBronze Age, can be found on the outskirts of Boroughbridge, by the side of the A1. The tallest stone is 22 feet (6.7 m) tall. The stones are of millstone grit, probably quarried fromPlompton, the closest source of this material. The stones stand on an almost north–south alignment, with the central stone slightly offset. The first reference to the stones is from the journal of a fisherman, Peter Frankck, who visited Boroughbridge in 1694 and claims he saw seven stones. The antiquarianJohn Leyland saw four stones, which is the verifiable number. The absent fourth stone stood close to the central stone and was dug out and broken up, allegedly by treasure hunters. Most of it was used to build Peg Bridge, which crosses theRiver Tutt as it enters the town. According to tradition the top of the fourth stone was to be found in the grounds of Aldborough Hall, which stands between Boroughbridge and Aldborough.[3]
Boroughbridge was not mentioned inDomesday Book of 1086, but was later described as part of the manor of Aldborough. In 1229 Boroughbridge, as part of the manor of Aldborough, was granted toHubert de Burgh, but was forfeited a few years later by his son, who fought against the king at theBattle of Evesham in 1265. It then remained aroyal manor untilCharles I granted it to several citizens of London.[4]
St James' Church, Boroughbridge originated as a Normanchapel-of-ease toSt Andrew's Church, Aldborough, but was rebuilt on a new site in 1852.[5] TheBorough Bridge was in existence in the 12th century, and the current structure dates from 1562.[6]
In 1318 Boroughbridge was devastated by the Scots underSir James Douglas following theCapture of Berwick upon Tweed.
In 1322 theBattle of Boroughbridge took place asKing Edward II overpoweredThomas, Earl of Lancaster, bringing about the end of Edward II's retaliation against those who had opposed him in theDespenser War of 1321–22. TheBattle Cross, commemorating the event, was erected in the market square, but was moved to Aldborough in 1852.[7]
From medieval times Boroughbridge was part of the parish of Aldborough in theWest Riding of Yorkshire. In 1553 it became aparliamentary borough, electing twoMembers of Parliament to theunreformed House of Commons. It had aburgage franchise, meaning that the right to vote was tied to ownership of certain of property in the borough and had fewer than 100 qualified voters by the time it was abolished in theReform Act of 1832. It was apocket borough under the control of theDukes of Newcastle.Augustus FitzRoy, who wasPrime Minister as the 3rdDuke of Grafton, was elected MP for Boroughbridge in 1756 but never sat for the borough, preferring to representBury St Edmunds, where he had also been elected.
Boroughbridge was an important stage forstagecoaches because of its position on theGreat North Road midway between London and Edinburgh. An advertisement in theEdinburgh Courant for 1754 reads:
The Edinburgh Stage-coach, for the better accommodation of passengers, will be altered to a New Genteel Two-end Glass Coach Machine, being on steel springs, exceeding light and easy, to go in ten days in Summer and twelve in Winter; to set out the first Tuesday in March, and continue it, from Hosea Eastgate's, the Coach and Horses, in Dean-Street,Soho, London; and from John Somerville's, in theCanongate,Edinburgh, every other Tuesday, and meet at Burrow-Bridge on Saturday night, and set out from thence on Monday morning, and get to London and Edinburgh on Friday. In Winter, to set out from London to Edinburgh every other (alternate) Monday morning, and to go to Burrowbridge on Saturday night; and to set out from thence on Monday morning, and get to London and Edinburgh on Saturday night. Passengers to pay as usual. Performed, if God permits, by your dutiful servant HOSEA EASTGATE.
Boroughbridge became a separate civil parish in 1866. In 1938 the civil parish absorbed the parishes of Aldborough and Minskip.[8]
In 1945 the bridge carrying the A1 road over the River Ure collapsed under the weight of a heavy vehicle carrying an 80-tonsteel mill roll housing fromSheffield toFalkirk. The incident interrupted the main transport route for a short time and the army installed aBailey bridge until repairs were completed.
In 1974 Boroughbridge was transferred from the West Riding to the new county of North Yorkshire. It was part of theBorough of Harrogate between 1974 and 2023.
In 2011 the town's sewage works, which serves a population of ten thousand, was upgraded, with the old bar screens, which had reached the end of their working life, being replaced with modern wire-mesh drum screens able to screen out an increasingly large amount of undesirable waste and also filter grit and fat, thus decreasing the load on the plant. They were designed to meet the plant's stringent outfall requirements as set out by the Environment Agency. The settling and humus tanks were also upgraded from old manual sludging under hydrostatic head to circular tanks fitted with scrapers to desludge the tanks automatically.[9]
Boroughbridgeelectoral ward had a population 3,104 at the 2011 Census.[10]
The town has a primary school, and the secondaryBoroughbridge High School. There is aMorrisons supermarket with petrol station and car wash, with independent businesses including cafes, bakeries, two butchers shops, a car dealership, and a hotel with health club.
Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC Yorkshire andBBC North East and Cumbria on BBC One andITV Yorkshire andITV Tyne Tees on ITV. Television signals are received from either theEmley Moor orBilsdale transmitters.[11][12]
Local radio stations areBBC Radio York on 104.3 FM andGreatest Hits Radio Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales on 97.2 FM.
The town is served by the local newspaper,Harrogate Advertiser.[13]
Places adjacent to Boroughbridge | |
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Boroughbridge".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 273.
Media related toBoroughbridge at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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