60-492: Craven was a non-metropolitan district in the west of North Yorkshire , centred on the market town of Skipton . The name Craven is much older than the modern district and encompassed a larger area . This history is also reflected in the way the term is still commonly used, such as by the Church of England . In its modern manifestation, from 1974 until 2023, Craven was a separate local government district , formed originally as
120-434: A borough or district council. In these cases local government functions are divided between county and district councils, to the level where they can be practised most efficiently: Many districts have borough status , which means the local council is called a borough council instead of district council and gives them the right to appoint a mayor . Borough status is granted by royal charter and, in many cases, continues
180-425: A district will consist of a market town and its more rural hinterland. However districts are diverse with some being mostly urban such as Dartford, and others more polycentric such as Thurrock. Non-metropolitan districts are subdivisions of English non-metropolitan counties which have a two-tier structure of local government. Two-tier non-metropolitan counties have a county council and several districts, each with
240-580: A living for themselves." Cultivation lynchet terraces and ridge-and-furrow fields of the Middle Ages are visible alongside many villages particularly in Wharfedale and Malhamdale and tithe records show they grew crops of oats , barley and wheat and in rotation, beans and peas. However, the wool boom of the 16th century caused most arable land to be turned into pasture. In the 18th century miller's records show they had to import wheat to grind and sell as flour but
300-570: A much narrower face than cattle, they crop plants very close to the ground and with continuous grazing can overgraze land rapidly. Ancient Common Grazing rights made it impossible to grow trees, even for fuel, because coppicing requires enclosure to protect regrowth from sheep, and the rights deny enclosure. From 2002 to 2008, a Yorkshire Dales National Park programme encouraged sheep farmers to switch uplands livestock from sheep to cattle since they do not graze so intensively. Traditional breeds such as Blue Greys and Belted Galloways can survive
360-442: A national industry. Craven was made accessible by major roads from Ribchester up Ribblesdale and from York through Ilkley . The extent of a Roman villa farm excavated at Gargrave implies it practiced grazing on nearby moorland. By 1000 AD England and Spain were recognized as the pinnacles of European sheep wool production. About 1200 AD scientific treatises on agricultural estate management began to circulate amongst
420-457: A style enjoyed by a predecessor authority, which can date back centuries. Some districts such as Oxford or Exeter have city status , granted by letters patent , but this does not give the local council any extra powers other than the right to call itself a city council . By 1899, England had been divided at district level into rural districts , urban districts , municipal boroughs , county boroughs and metropolitan boroughs . This system
480-486: A type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially shire counties ) in a two-tier arrangement. Non-metropolitan districts with borough status are known as boroughs , able to appoint a mayor and refer to itself as a borough council. Some shire counties now have no sub divisions so are a single Non-metropolitan district such as Cornwall. Typically
540-544: A unitary authority or those that transferred from one county to another, including those that changed name. Nor does it include unitary authorities that have been abolished ( Bournemouth and Poole ). Ilkley Roman Fort Ilkley Roman Fort is a Roman fort on the south bank of the River Wharfe , at the centre of the modern town of Ilkley , a Victorian spa town in West Yorkshire , England . The traditional view
600-608: Is at Elslack 53°56′27″N 2°06′58″W / 53.94078°N 2.1160°W / 53.94078; -2.1160 . Through this fort passes a Roman road linking two other forts: Bremetennacum at Ribchester Lancashire and another at Ilkley Yorkshire. Archaeologists describe the road as running north-east up Ribblesdale about 0.6 miles (1 km) east of Clitheroe , then bending eastwards near 53°53′35″N 2°20′29″W / 53.893°N 2.3413°W / 53.893; -2.3413 , then about 0.6 miles (1 km) north of Barnoldswick to pass into Airedale through
660-682: Is ca 9000 BC: a hunter's harpoon point carved out of an antler found in Victoria Cave . Most traces of the Mesolithic nomadic hunters are the flint barbs they set into shafts. Extensive finds of these microliths lie around Malham Tarn and Semerwater . Flint does not occur in the Dales, the nearest outcrop is in East Yorkshire. On higher ground microliths are found near springs at the tree line at 500 m (1,600 ft) indicating campsites close to
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#1733085735151720-514: Is much larger than the civic District of Craven; in particular northern Ewecross is in Cumbria county, lower South Craven is in West Yorkshire , and south-west Bowland is in Lancashire county. The Church of England has considered changing their boundary of Bowland to match that of civic Lancashire Non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts , or colloquially " shire districts ", are
780-413: Is that Olicana is the fort at Ilkley, but the identification is not settled. Ptolemy mentions Olikana in his Geographia (c. 150), although Rivet and Smith give Olenacum as the proper form of the name, rejecting Ptolemy's Olikana as corrupt. The 1086 Domesday Book gives Ilecliue also variants Illecliue , Illiclei and Illicleia for Ilkley. Modern scholarship has, however, suggested that
840-454: The vicus , formed the nucleus of the village that followed. Excavations have yet to reveal continuous habitation from Roman times, but it is quite likely that a village established itself within the ramparts of the fort following the Roman departure. Anglo-Saxon settlement probably did not take place until well into the seventh century, and the sculptured crosses are evidence of a church here in
900-535: The 2010 election and held it until abolition in 2023. There were 76 Civil Parishes in Craven . They were grouped into 19 wards . The Wards were represented by 30 councillors; eight wards by one councillor and eleven by two councillors.. The wards were: Craven District Council allied with other organizations: In the 1974 government reorganization of the shire districts , some towns were lost to Lancashire, but because of cultural history some of them, all now part of
960-462: The Aire Gap and Craven Basin . Craven: “The exact extent of it we nowhere find” Craven has been the name of this district throughout recorded history. Its extent in the 11th century can be deduced from The Domesday Book but its boundaries now differ according to whether considering administration, taxation or religion. The derivation of the name Craven is uncertain, yet a Celtic origin related to
1020-584: The District Councils' Network , special interest group which sits within the Local Government Association . The network's purpose is to "act as an informed and representative advocate for districts to government and other national bodies, based on their unique position to deliver for local people." This is a list of two-tier non-metropolitan counties and their districts. All unitary authorities are also non-metropolitan districts, which, with
1080-561: The Parliamentary constituency of Skipton & Ripon . This constituency is considered one of the safest seats in England with a long history of Conservative representation . The Member of Parliament (MP) was: John Watson 1983 to 1987; David Curry 1987 to 2010; Julian Smith since 2010. In July 2021 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced that in April 2023,
1140-523: The Wapentake of Staincliffe and so included the following areas which are not in the modern secular district of Craven: These valuable records also define the area by wapentakes. This tax was introduced by the government of Charles II at a time of serious fiscal emergency, and collection continued until repealed by William and Mary in 1689. Under its terms each liable householder was to pay one shilling for each hearth within their property, due twice annually at
1200-467: The borough of Pendle , came to be known as West Craven : Barnoldswick , Earby , Sough , Kelbrook , Salterforth and Bracewell and Brogden . (Other more westerly parts of Craven that became parts of Ribble Valley in modern Lancashire, such as Gisburn , are not normally referred to as part of West Craven.) The Anglican Church Archdeanery number 542 is named Craven and has four Deaneries: Ewecross, Bowland, Skipton and South Craven. Ecclesiastic Craven
1260-403: The common land beside each village. In the 18th century they crossbred with Shorthorns ; fully grown crossbreeds weighed 420 lb (190 kg) to 560 lb (250 kg). Some graziers of the Craven highlands also visited Scotland , for example Oban , Lanark and Stirling , to purchase stock to be brought down the drove roads to the cattle-rearing district. In the summer of 1745
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#17330857351511320-579: The equinoxes , Michaelmas (29 September) and Lady Day (25 March). The Yorkshire records of all three ridings are now completely transcribed, analyzed and available free online The hills and slopes of Craven are greatly involved in the history of sheep particularly in the history of wool . After 5000 BC the Neolithic farming movement introduced domesticated sheep, but the Roman occupation of Britain introduced advanced sheep husbandry to Britain and made wool into
1380-451: The worsted mills. However, in 1966 the price of wool fell by 40% due to the increased popularity of synthetic fibres . Farmers complain it now costs more to shear a sheep than you can get for its wool and the result is reduced flocks. Although the tough wool of hill sheep is still used for carpet weaving, sheep breeding is now mostly for lambs to sell on for fattening for meat in low pastures. The small surviving areas of ancient woodland in
1440-562: The 16th century. The farmlands were progressively taken from the Anglo-Scandinavian farmers and given by the King to selected Normans. The previous and subsequent landowners were recorded in the Domesday Book along with the area of the ploughland. The Great Domesday Book of 1086 did not use the later Wapentake district names in this part of England, as it usually did, but instead used
1500-596: The 1970s Holstein Friesians became the most popular breed weighing ca 1600 pounds (725 kg). Pollen analysis shows that the peak of arable agriculture in Craven was 320–410 AD, but outbreaks of pestilence in the 6th century and in the 7–8th century resulted in a shift away from ploughing to grazing. However, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records the Danish Viking settlers "were engaged in ploughing and making
1560-602: The 30 seats on the council being elected at each election. Since the first election to the council in 1973 the council had alternated between periods when no party had overall control and times when the Conservatives had a majority, apart from a 2-year period between 1996 and the 1998 election when the Liberal Democrats had a majority. After no party had a majority since 2001, the Conservatives regained overall control at
1620-463: The Abbey owned 15,000 sheep in various locations and traded directly with Italian merchants. On the limestone fells it held extensive sheep runs managed by granges located at valley heads to access both the moors and the rough pasture of valley sides. Many granges developed into hamlets . The Fountains' sheep administrative centre was at Outgang Hill, Kilnsey . By 1320 Bolton Priory 's flock at Malham
1680-558: The Cistercian monasteries in the Yorkshire dales. These indicated the way to greatest profit was to produce wool for export. “The famous monasteries under the steep, wooded banks of Yorkshire dales began the movement that in the course of four or five hundred years converted most of North England and Scotland from unused wilderness into sheep-run.” Fountains Abbey strongly affected Craven in upper Wharfedale, Airedale and Littondale . In 1200
1740-609: The Domesday Book merely for administrative convenience. Also the Domesday Book does not describe the width of Craven at all, for only arable land was noted. Ploughing is a minor part of Craven agriculture, and cultivators then had been reduced by the Harrying of the North . Most of Craven is uncultivable moorland and the valley bottoms are usually boggy, shady frost-hollows, with soils of glacial boulder clay very heavy to plough. So ploughing
1800-681: The House of Romille and the House of Percy . The King was clearly intent that Cravenshire should retain a compact structure for he added-in estates from his own demesne . The result was two partially interwoven castleries incorporating nearly all the land in Craven. The Percy estates were mainly concentrated in Ribblesdale with their castle at Gisburn while the Romilles dominated upper Wharfedale and upper Airedale with their fortress at Skipton Castle . Craven
1860-748: The Monasteries and sold Littondale and the Bolton Priory's estates in lower Wharefedale and Airedale to Henry Clifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland and Lord of Skipton . By 1600 the wool trade was the primary source of tax revenue for Queen Elizabeth I . Britain's success made it a major influence in the development and spread of sheep husbandry worldwide. In more modern times the Industrial Revolution brought factory production of wool cloth to towns further down Airedale and many Craven families, made redundant by agricultural machinery, moved south to work in
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1920-595: The Normans had designated only one county in the North of England and that was Yorkshire. One may assume thereby that the Norman Yorkshire of 1086 was much the same as the Kingdom of York of 1065; and the Domesday Book supports this. However the opposing faction proposes that the first Yorkshire was smaller, much as it was up till 1974, and that Amounderness, Cartmel, Furness, Kendale, Copeland and Lonsdale were attached to it in
1980-539: The North. Young King Richard II had commanded that poll tax to pay off the debts he had inherited from the Hundred Years' War . Its first application in 1377 was a flat rate and the second of 1379 was a sliding scale from 1 groat (4p pence) to 4 marks. However, the third tax of 1381 of 4 groats (1 shilling) and up was applied corruptly and led to the Great Rising of 1381 . The Deanery of Craven had similar boundaries to
2040-477: The Roman name would be better applied to the fort at Elslack ( Eleslac in Domesday Book ) near Skipton . Rivet and Smith suggest the name Verbeia instead, this being the Roman name for the River Wharfe. An altar-stone dedicated to the goddess Verbeia is thought to originate from the site. The first fort at Ilkley was founded by Agricola around 80 AD and was largely constructed of wood, but this
2100-934: The West Riding of Yorkshire , a 140-page book detailing every factor. The wide variety of soil composition resulted in tithes ranging from 6 shillings up to 3 pounds per acre and farms leasing from 50 to 500 pounds per year. It details by parish quantities of cattle and crop produced, their rotation and market value. The report recommended more wheat and turnips; more sheep and of better breed; criticized poor drainage and design of farm buildings and taught principles of farm management. Average wages then paid to employees were 12 pounds per annum with victuals and drink; and to temporary labourers 2 shillings and sixpence per day with beer. Hours of work in winter were "dawn till dark" and in harvest time "six till six, with one hour for dinner and another for drinking". The author shows concern for their virtue and welfare. Since 1983 Craven has been in
2160-568: The area have high biodiversity value. However, the Pennines are now notably lacking in trees despite archaeological evidence showing 90% was woodlands before human settlement. Palynology indicates the decline in trees coincided with the increase in grasses in Neolithic times caused by direct clearance for pasture and by overgrazing . Since sheep are grazers , not browsers , they do not affect mature trees , but they devour all their seedlings. With
2220-449: The areas for Wales and England had been enacted separately and there were no Welsh metropolitan areas, the term 'non-metropolitan district' does not apply to Wales. A similar system existed in Scotland , which in 1975 was divided into regions and districts, this was also abolished in 1996 and replaced with a fully unitary system . In England most of the district councils are represented by
2280-610: The bailiffs substitute sheep-pasture for tillage. The export of wool to the Flanders looms, and the concurrent growth of cloth manufacture in England, aided by Edward III 's importation of Flemish weavers to teach his people the higher skill of the craft, made demand for all the wool that English flocks could supply. As the profitability of wool further increased some landowners converted all arable land into sheep pasture by evicting whole villages. Over 370 deserted medieval villages have been unearthed in Yorkshire. Henry VIII in 1539 suppressed
2340-530: The celebrated Mr Birtwhistle had 20,000 head driven from the northernmost parts of Scotland to Great Close near Malham , a distance of ca 300 miles (483 km). In 1818 the Craven Heifer , bred for meat on the Bolton Abbey estate remains to this day the largest and fattest cow of her age ever shown in England, weighing 2,496 lb (1,132 kg). In modern times dairy farming has predominated and after
2400-414: The collection of indigenous seeds and propagation produced saplings for planting schemes that began in 2010. Between 2007 and 2013 The Dales Woodland Restoration Programme funded the creation of 450 hectares of new native woodland, almost all on privately owned land. In the 16th and 17th centuries Longhorn cattle prevailed in Craven. Good quality bulls were bought communally to improve the livestock on
2460-506: The crown in 1100 arose a rebellion of men with a variety of grievances. Several Yorkshire lords were involved and suffered confiscation of their estates. In Craven these were Roger the Poitevin , Erneis of Burun and Gilbert Tison. The King conducted a reorganization of Yorkshire by establishing men more skilled in government. Shortly after 1102 the castleries in Cravenshire were divided between
Craven District - Misplaced Pages Continue
2520-516: The eighth and ninth centuries. A wall, once part of the fort, can still be seen from the back of Ilkley Manor House , which stands on the site. Around the area are four signs showing the edges of the walls of the fort. The area of the fort extends underneath the Manor House and nearby All Saints Parish Church whilst the vicus probably existed from the car park in the centre of Ilkley to Christchurch on The Grove. The church and Manor House both have
2580-487: The exception of those of Berkshire , are coterminous with non-metropolitan counties. For a full list of districts of all types including unitary authorities, metropolitan districts and London boroughs , see Districts of England . This is a list of former two-tier districts in England which have been abolished, by local government reorganisations such as the 2009 structural changes to local government in England . It does not include districts that still exist after becoming
2640-457: The farmers still grew oats for it formed the principle article of their subsistence, some made into bread and puddings but mostly cooked as oatcakes . “We were browt up on haverbreead and cheese” In the 18th century the national Board of Agriculture commissioned a survey of agriculture in the region, with a view of improving it. It was published in 1793 as General view of the Agriculture of
2700-487: The harsh winters and live off the rough grasses just as well a sheep. Until December 2013, The National Park Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme is offering grants to help farming, forestry and horticultural businesses become more efficient, more profitable and resilient whilst reducing the impact of farming on the environment. Since 1968, some moorland has been reforested by the Forestry Commission . Since 2005,
2760-469: The land one ox could plough and that varied with the heaviness of the local soil. A carucate was the area that could be managed with team of eight oxen. In 1086 Roger of Poitou was Tenant-in-chief of the western side of Craven: Ribblesdale and the Pendle valley. In 1092 he was granted also Lonsdale to defend Morecambe Bay against Scottish raiding parties. Soon after Henry I of England 's succession to
2820-564: The largest county in England. It was a non-metropolitan county that operated a cabinet-style council in Northallerton . The 72 councillors therein elected a council leader who appointed up to 9 councillors to form an executive cabinet. NYCC Elections – 2017 results Craven, for representation on North Yorkshire County Council, was divided into seven divisions and each returned one councillor . Elections to Craven District Council were held in three out of every four years, with one third of
2880-657: The low 144 m (472 ft) pass near Thornton-in-Craven . To collect the Danegeld in 991–1016 the Anglo-Saxons divided their territory into tax districts. The Wapentakes of Staincliffe and Ewcross covered the region we call Craven but also areas beyond it such as the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire; and Sedbergh in Cumbria to the North. The Church was still using these areas in
2940-536: The merger of Skipton urban district, Settle Rural District and most of Skipton Rural District ; all were historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire . Since 1 April 2023, it has formed part of the new North Yorkshire Council unitary authority. The population of the Local Authority area at the 2011 Census was 55,409; it comprised the upper reaches of Airedale , Wharfedale , Ribblesdale , and includes most of
3000-596: The name Craven. The Book included lands further west than any later description: Melling , Wennington and Hornby on the River Lune in Lonsdale and even Holker near Grange over Sands in Cumbria . The historic northwestern boundary of Craven is much disputed. One faction declares that before the Norman Conquest the North of England from coast to coast was administered from York and named The Kingdom of York . By 1086
3060-439: The non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire would be reorganised into a unitary authority . Craven District Council, the other district councils and North Yorkshire County Council were abolished on 1 April 2023 and their functions were transferred to a new single authority for the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire. North Yorkshire County Council administered an area of 8,654 square kilometres (3,341 sq mi),
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#17330857351513120-580: The open hunting grounds. The valley woodlands were inhabited by deer, boar and aurochs , the higher ground was open grassland that fed herds of reindeer, elk and horse. No permanent settlements have been found of that age, hunting here was seasonal, returning to the plains in winter. After 5000 BC long-distance trade is indicated by the distribution of stone axes . Lithic analysis can identify their quarry source as Langdale in central Cumbria and most finds are in Ribblesdale and Airedale indicating that Craven
3180-526: The two-tier structure, but reforms in the 1990s and 2009 reduced their number to 192. A further 55 non-metropolitan districts are now unitary authorities, which combine the functions of county and borough/district councils. In Wales , an almost identical two-tier system of local government existed between 1974 and 1996 (see Districts of Wales ). In 1996, this was abolished and replaced with an entirely unitary system of local government, with one level of local government responsible for all local services. Since
3240-470: The word for garlic ( craf in Welsh) has been suggested as has the proto-Celtic *krab- suggesting scratched or scraped in some sense and even an alleged pre-Celtic word cravona , supposed to mean a stony region. In civic use the name Craven or Cravenshire had, by 1166, given way to Staincliffe . However, the church archdeaconry retained the name of Craven. The first datable evidence of human life in Craven
3300-673: Was abolished by the London Government Act 1963 and the Local Government Act 1972 . Non-metropolitan districts were created by this act in 1974 when England outside Greater London was divided into metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan counties. Metropolitan counties were sub-divided into metropolitan districts and the non-metropolitan counties were sub-divided into non-metropolitan districts. The metropolitan districts had more powers than their non-metropolitan counterparts. Initially, there were 296 non-metropolitan districts in
3360-513: Was about 2,750 and it built extensive sheep farm buildings there. Accounts show that a quarter of its cheese was sheep's cheese, and that most of the Priory's came from wool sales. It also developed fulling , sorting and grading into industries. Feudal Lords began to imitate monastic management methods for their own estates and in 1350 when the Black Death killed off half the rent-paying farmers they had
3420-403: Was later abandoned in the 120s. A second fort was erected around 161 AD which survived for 30 years, before being burnt down, perhaps during a documented rebellion by the inhabitants of northern Britain. It was immediately replaced by a stone fort which survived until the end of the Roman period. The fort was abandoned in the late 4th or early 5th century. A substantial civil settlement,
3480-501: Was limited to well-drained moderate slopes. The higher slopes are so full of rock debris that grazing cattle still is the primary living in Craven, with some sheep marginal. Because grazing land was not tallied in the Domesday Book the full areas of the estates of the manors can only be induced The areas of ploughland were counted in carucates and oxgangs : one carrucate being eight oxgangs and one oxgang varying from fifteen to twenty acres. This vagueness comes from an oxgang signifying
3540-518: Was still suffering from Scottish raiders ; for example in 1318 they severely damaged churches as far south as Kildwick . In 1377, in the form of Poll Tax records, the earliest surviving detailed statistics of Craven were collected. From them we can compare the income brackets of various occupations, and the relative worth of villages. The records list every hamlet and village using the wapentake system . The Wapentakes of Staincliffe and Ewcross cover Craven but also areas beyond such as Sedbergh to
3600-637: Was their trade route through the Pennines. Neolithic farmers permanently settled in Craven, bringing domesticated livestock and used those stone axes to clear woodlands, probably by slash-and-burn , to increase areas for grazing and crops. In the first century the Romans, having trouble controlling the Brigantes in the Yorkshire Dales , built forts at strategic points. In Craven one fort, possibly named Olenacum,
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