Place:Tosside, West Riding of Yorkshire, England

Watchers
NameTosside
Alt namesTossettsource: Family History Library Catalog
Houghton-Chapelsource: Family History Library Catalog
Houghton Chapelsource: unhypenated
TypeCivil parish
Coordinates54°N 2.354°W
Located inWest Riding of Yorkshire, England     ( - 1974)
Also located inYorkshire, England     ( - 1974)
Lancashire, England     (1974 - )
See alsoGisburn, West Riding of Yorkshire, Englandancient parish of which it was a part
Staincliffe and Ewcross Wapentake, West Riding of Yorkshire, Englandwapentake in which it was located
Settle Rural, West Riding of Yorkshire, Englandrural district in which it was located 1894-1938
Bowland Rural, West Riding of Yorkshire, Englandrural district in which it was located 1938-1974
Ribble Valley (borough), Lancashire, Englanddistrict municipality covering part of its area since 1974
Craven District, North Yorkshire, Englanddistrict municipality covering part of its area since 1974
source: Family History Library Catalog
the text in this article is based one in Wikipedia

Tosside is a small village on the border of North Yorkshire and Lancashire in northern England. It lies within the Forest of Bowland, and is between the villages of Slaidburn and Wigglesworth. It lies 11.5 miles north of Clitheroe and 17 miles northwest of Skipton. The village is 870 feet (270 m) above sea level and is on the B6478. Tosside has a population of around 100 families scattered across a widespread area, living typically in upland farms and other remote dwellings.

Historically, Tosside was in the ecclesiastical parish of Gisburn in Staincliffe Wapentake. Tosside was made a civil parish in 1858 and continued as such until 1938 during which time it was part of the Settle Rural District. When it was abolished it was divided between the parishes of Bolton by Bowland and Wigglesworth.

Location and History

Tosside is now situated on the Lancashire/North Yorkshire border - literally. Since 1974 the village is split with the eastern half being in North Yorkshire and the western half being in Lancashire. Historically the entire village lay within the West Riding of Yorkshire.

The name Tosside is believed to be derived from Old Norse/Anglo-Saxon. It can be traced back to two old Scandinavian words - 'Tod' meaning fox and 'Saetr' meaning a high summer pasture. The name gradually changed to Toddsett, then Tossett and ultimately to Tosside. This fact is recognised to this day with the symbol of the fox being present on the top of the small water fountain at the centre of the village. Houghton Chapel was a settlement within Tosside.

Sawley with Tosside

A Vision of Britain through Time has notes on the extra parochial area of Sawley with Tosside. Like Tosside, Sawley was an an extraparochial division of the Staincliffe and Ewcross Wapentake, but was located some distance south of Tosside on the pre-1974 boundary between the West Riding of Yorkshire and Lancashire. In the middle of the 19th century these two extraparochial areas were combined and may continue to exist as one unit ecclesiastically.

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