Place:Masham, North Riding of Yorkshire, England

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Masham is a small market town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 1,205 at the 2011 census.^[1]

In Wensleydale, on the western bank of the River Ure, the name derives from the Anglo-Saxon "Mæssa's Ham", the homestead belonging to Mæssa. The Romans had a presence here, but the first permanent settlers were the Angles. Around 900 AD the Vikings invaded, burning and laying waste to the church. They also introduced sheep farming, for which the town is still known.

end of Wikipedia contribution

The above quote from Wikipedia describes Masham's current status and its most ancient history. Prior to the reorganization of local government of 1974, the district municipality of Harrogate District did not exist. From 1894 until 1934 Masham itself was classified as an Urban District with the North Riding of Yorkshire, England. Unusually, Masham Urban District contained a number of rural communities within its boundaries (see below). In 1934, Masham Urban District combined with Colsterdale civil parish (from Leyburn Rural District) to form Masham Rural District. Masham Rural District continued to exist until the nationwide reorganization of local government in 1974 which replaced the North Riding of Yorkshire with North Yorkshire and made many internal changes within the county.

Civil Parishes of Masham Urban District

• Burton on Yore (or Burton upon Ure)
• Ellingstring
• Ellington
• Fearby
• Healey with Sutton
• Ilton cum Pott
• Masham
• Masham Moor
• Nutwith and Roomer Common
• Swinton with Warthermarske

The following description from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time covers the history of the parish up to the mid 19th century:

"MASHAM, a village, a township, and a [registration] sub-district, in Bedale [registration] district, and a parish partly also in Leybourn [registration] district, [North Riding of] Yorkshire. The village stands on the river Ure, near the line of the Hawes and Melmerby railway which was authorized in 1865, and 6 miles SW by W of Bedale town and [railway] station; is a well built and picturesque place, amid beautiful environs; has a postoffice under Bedale, and three good inns; and gave the title of baron to the family of Scroop, one of whom, the friend and councillor of Henry V., was executed for treason in 1415, and has been immortalized by Shakespeare.

"A weekly market is held on Wednesday; a fortnightly market for cattle and sheep is held, during the spring months, on Monday; a fair for live-stock is held on 17 and 18 Sept.; and there are malt-houses, breweries, anf flax and woollen mills.

"The township comprises 8,756 acres. Real property: £4,300. Population in 1851: 1,139; in 1861: 1,079. Houses: 278. The manor belonged to the Scroops, passed to the Danbys, and belongs now to Admiral Harcourt.

"The [registration] sub-district contains also the Masham townships of Ilton cum Pott and Swinton with Warthermask, the Thornton-Watlass township of Thornton Watlass, and the entire parish of Well. Acres: 20,378. Population in 1851: 2,821; in 1861: 2,650. Houses: 620.

"The parish, in addition to its three townships in the sub-district, contains the townships of Fearby, Ellingstring, Ellingtons, Healey with Sutton, and Burton upon Ure; and is sometimes called "Mashamshire". Acres: 22,525. Real property: £17,606; of which £[.22?] are in quarries. Population in 1851: 2,695; in 1861: 2,438. Houses: 578. The property is subdivided.

"Fine salmon and trout fishings are in the Ure; and some beautiful walks are along the river's banks. The living is a vicarage, united with the vicarage of Kirkby Malzeard, in the diocese of Ripon. Value: £440. Patron: Trinity College, Cambridge. The church has a fine Norman W doorway; is chiefly early English; has a lofty tower and spire, figuring conspicuously in the landscape; and contains a brass of 1689, a monument to Sir Marmaduke Wyville, Bart., and several other monuments. The churchyard contains a curious sculptured cylindrical stone, which may have been the base of an ancient cross. The vicarages of Dallo-Gill, Healey, Mickley, and Middlesmoor, are separate benefices. There are chapels for Baptists, Wesleyans, and Primitive Methodists, an endowed grammar school with £100 a year, and a national school."

Research Tips

• GENUKI on Masham.
• A Vision of Britain through Time on Masham.
• The FamilySearch wiki on the ecclesiastical parish of Masham provides a list of useful resources for the local area.