5 More Unusual Yorkshire Place Names
Following on from the popularity of our first article about strange place names in Yorkshire, we’ve crafted another list, with 5 more wonderful names within the 3 ridings.
1. The Land of Nod
The sleepy East Yorkshire hamlet called “The Land of Nod” near Holme upon Spalding Moor is believed to takes its origins from the bible. The name refers to a passage taken from Genesis 4:16-18 which reads,
“So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in The Land of Nod, North East of Eden…”
That would put Eden smack bang in the centre of Yorkshire! Amen t’ that brother!
2. Fryup
This hamlet in the North Yorkshire Moors would be an unusual place to enjoy a full English, as there is no cafe’, pub or restaurant to speak of. It is named after two local dales called, “Little fryup,” (one egg, one sausage, one bacon and baked beans) and “Great Fryup” (2 sausages, 3 bacon, 2 hash brown, 2 eggs and baked beans, toast)
How did it get its name? Well, unfortunately the hamlet has nothing to do with food but comes from the ancient English first name “Friga” and “up”, or “hop,” which means small valley. Around 1223AD it was known as “Frihop” and then Frehope, before developing into “Fryup.” The hamlet is a small scattering of farms, so I daresay a great fryup could be made from the animals that are kept here!
3. Penistone
The name “Penistone derives from the old Welsh word “penn,” which means “height” or “hill” and the Old English suffix, “tun,” which means enclosure or farmstead.
It has absolutely nothing to do with any part of the body..honest!
Dirty minds…
4. Booze
You would be well advised to access the tiny Dales hamlet of Booze in a more sober state, due to the steepness of its roads leading up to it. So much so that in 2008 The Royal Mail deemed this place unsafe for its workers to access, meaning that the villagers had to collect their post from Richmond. The name “Booze,” unfortunately has nothing to do with the alcoholic refreshments that may be enjoyed here, but merely refers to a “bowehouse, which means, “A house on the curve of a hill,” in olde English.
Those who venture up into this remote part of Yorkshire may want to enjoy some booze at the Red Lion Inn in nearby Langthwaite, which famously appears on the credits of “All Creatures Great and Small”. The village of Booze was once an important lead mining community, with a population of around 200, but as the industry declined so did the village into a mere cluster of farm buildings. There never was or ever will be, a pub in Booze.
5. Giggleswick
Sadly the name, Giggleswick is nothing to really laugh about as far as we can tell.
It’s named after a Viking bloke named “Gigel”, and “Wich/Wick/Wyke”, which is old Norse for a farm or settlement.
It was Gigel’s farm that grew into the village we all know and love.
That’s it really. He might’ve been a good laugh, but we’ll never know.