Place:Ravensworth, North Riding of Yorkshire, England

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

the following text is based on an article in Wikipedia

Ravensworth is a village and civil parish in the Holmedale valley, within the Richmondshire District of North Yorkshire, England. It is approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north-west from Richmond and 10 miles (16 km) from Darlington. The parish has a population of 255, according to the 2011 Census.

Ravensworth was historically situated in the North Riding of Yorkshire, and has been a part of North Yorkshire since 1974, following the Local Government Act 1972. The village has ancient origins dating back to the time of Viking settlement. The village contains the remains of the 14th century Grade I listed Ravensworth Castle, the ancestral home of the FitzHugh family. After the cessation of the FitzHugh line the castle was abandoned, and it began to be dismantled from the middle of the 16th century. although the gatehouse remains almost wholly intact. There are a number of listed buildings situated around the village green, mostly dating from the eighteenth century, many of which were constructed using raw materials from the castle.

Today, Ravensworth is primarily a commuter village, and the historically important agricultural sector now employs only a small number of people. Stone mining was once important to the local economy, and although that industry had died out by the twentieth century, a sandstone quarry was recently opened outside the village. The village is served by a primary school, a public house and a chapel, and contains a large village green.

Ancient parish

Ravensworth was historically the largest settlement in the ancient parish of Kirkby-Ravensworth. The ancient parish encompassed an area of 15,000 acres, including Ravensworth itself, as well as the townships of Dalton, Gayles, Kirby-on-the-Hill, New Forest, Newsham and Whashton. All of these places became separate civil parishes in 1866.

The parish church since 1397 has been the Church of St Peter & St Felix in Kirby Hill, situated about one mile (1.6 km) from Ravensworth; it is believed to have been built on the site of a much earlier Saxon church. The cleric and historian John Dakyn was rector of the parish from 1554 until his death four years later. In 1556 he established the Kirby Ravensworth Free Grammar School (free from external control rather than free at the point of use) and an almshouse, and his benefaction continues to fund charitable causes for the parishioners.

{{moreinfo wikipedia| This includes a short outline of the FitzHugh family and the ownership of the local manor since the line died out.

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