Easingwold

Image credit: Discover Hambleton

A Yorkshire gem, Easingwold is a market town in the Hambleton district in North Yorkshire, originally the North Riding of Yorkshire. This Georgian market town is located at the foot of the Howardian hills 12 miles away from York. According to the 2011 census, Easingwold has a population of 4,627.

Shopping in Easingwold

Easingwold has a range of independent shops run by local people including an old fashioned sweetshop. There are many pubs and cafes for refreshment, and it also has banks and a post office.

This Yorkshire town also has an open air market that runs every Friday in the town square, and a farmers market every third Wednesday each month.

Easingwold War Memorial

Easingwold has a war memorial dedicated to those who died in WWI and WWII. This granite obelisk with a three stepped base is located in the market place. In total there are 57 names for those who died in WWI, and 15 for WWII. Inscribed on the memorial is “for justice and freedom” and “proud and loving memory” at the top, and “for King and country” at the bottom just above the dates 1914 – 1919. On the 26th January 2018, the Easingwold War Memorial was granted a Grade II listing.

Listed Buildings in Easingwold

In total, the market town of Easingwold has 51 Grade II listed buildings which includes Long Street, pubs, a telephone kiosk, and a farm. An area of Easingwold is also part of the conservation area.

Sport in Easingwold

Easingwold has its own football team called Easingwold Town AFC which was founded in 1892. The team went on to win the York FA Senior Cup in the 1971 – 1982 season and were finalists in two other seasons. Before the team went on to win the cup, Easingwold Junior’s won the York FA Junior cup in 1961 – 1962 and were finalists in one other season. The market town also has its own cricket and golf club.

The Galtres Centre is said to be the heart of Easingwold. It provides activities to its residents such as tennis, badminton, and gymnastics. The centre also has an indoor shooting range. Many of the market towns social events are held here including film showings and plays.

Religion in Easingwold

There are many churches in Easingwold such as St John and All Saints, St John the Evangelist, and a Wesleyan Chapel.

St John and All Saints has been around in the market town since Saxon times. It’s believed that the church building dates back to the 15th century.

St John the Evangelist is a catholic church built in 1830 which is served by Benedictine monks of Ampleforth Abbey. The building was designed by Charles Handsom and later in 1871 a school was added.

Since 1786, there has been a Wesleyan Chapel in the market town however its location has changed a few times. The second building of the chapel was in 1815 with a school later added in 1869. It was then rebuilt in 1975 on Chapel Street.

Easingwold also used to have a Methodist Chapel that was built in 1870 however this has since been removed.

Travelling In & Out of Easingwold

In 1891, a privately owned branch line opened to join the London to Edinburgh main railway line at nearby Alne. A passenger service ran up until 1948 and was then replaced as a line to transport goods until it finally closed in 1957.

The station court was the original railway station and is all that remains. In 1967 there was a fire at the old station house which resulted in the building being demolished for safety.

Easingwold has a bus service that runs through the village. This takes its passengers to nearby villages, towns, and even to the city of York.

Education in Easingwold

The market town of Easingwold in the past had three schools however there’s currently only two.

Easingwold Grammar School was originally founded in 1781 but has since become Easingwold Community Primary School. It was later decided that a secondary school was needed for the village which was built in 1954 and called Easingwold School. This school later became Outwood Academy Easingwold and currently teaches around 1,000 pupils.

In 1862, a national school was built in the town. This has since closed and been repurposed as the town library.

History of Easingwold

Easingwold is recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as Eisicewalt. It’s believed that ‘easing’ derives from ‘esa’ which is a Saxon family name, and the word ‘wold’ is translated as ‘forest’ meaning ‘esa’s forest’.

The market town was originally two separate smaller villages before they were combined to create the Easingwold that we know today. These villages were called Uppleby and Lesimers.

Earl Morcar owned the manor and land during the Norman conquest before it was passed over to the king. In 1265, the manor was passed to Edmund Crouchback.

Easingwold Manor was later caught in the middle of a dispute between the 2nd Earl of Lancaster and Edward I. This caused it to be given back to the crown after the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322.

Over the years, the manor fell into disrepair before it was restored for the Earl’s brother and then given to the crown again until 1633. The manor was then passed on to Thomas Belayse and therefore became a possession of the Wombwell family. Evidence has been found that King John had a hunting lodge there.

The market place in Easingwold was originally on the site of the Old Toll Booth. Next to Easingwold Town Hall, which is a public hall, is the base of the old market cross.

In 1837, a poor law union was established in the town. The workhouse that was built in 1756 was eventually turned into a hospital for the mentally ill in 1934 called Claypenny Colony and later became Claypenny Hospital in 1952. Most of the site was sold and turned into housing with a 34 acre park called Millfields Park which opened in 1999 and is run by the Woodland Trust.