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Acaster Selby

Image Credit: Chris Heaton

Acaster Selby is a tiny village in the Selby district, in North Yorkshire, located 6 miles away from York. It’s part of a joint civil parish with Appleton Roebuck, which is around 1.5 miles away. Acaster Selby is 1,523 acres and, according to the 2001 census, only 56 people live there within its 20 households.

Religion in Acaster Selby

St John’s Church in Acaster Selby. Image Credit: Geograph

The village has its own church, called St John’s Church. It dates back to 1850 and is located south of the village just off Back Lane. The building is now a Grade II listed building.

History of Acaster Selby

Acaster Selby was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. After 1974, the small village became part of North Yorkshire. Acaster Selby is listed in the 1086 Domesday book as ‘Acastre’.

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The name ‘castra’ means camp in Latin. This is likely to derive from a Roman army making the area their base. Although there are no signs of encampment, the Romans are thought to have protected the waterway from Acaster Selby to Tadcaster. The second part of the village’s name ‘Selby’ is believed to have come from a time when it was under control of Selby Abbey at some point.

11 households in Acaster Selby were owned by a man called Wulstan. In 1086, he was replaced by Robert Malet, who then became the new owner of these households.

The barn at College Farm is believed to have been named after a former college on the site or a chantry that was dissolved during the reign of Henry the 8th.