Settle

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Coordinates: 54°04′20″N 2°16′55″W / 54.07213°N 2.28189°W / 54.07213; -2.28189

Settle
Settle Town Centre
Settle  Settle shown within North Yorkshire
Population	2,421 [1]
OS grid reference	SD816640
- London	239 miles (385 km)
Parish	Settle
District	Craven
Shire county	North Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SETTLE
Postcode district	BD24
Dialling code	01729
Police	North Yorkshire
Fire	North Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
EU Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	Skipton & Ripon
Website	http://www.settle.co.uk/
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

Settle is a small market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is served by the Settle railway station, which is located near the town centre, and Giggleswick railway station which is a mile away. It is 29 miles from Leeds Bradford International Airport. The main road running through Settle is the B6480, which links to the A65, connecting Settle to Skipton. The town has a population of 2,421 according to the 2001 Census.

[edit] History

Settle is thought to be on Anglian seventh century origins, its name being the Angle word for settlement. After the Harrying of the North between 1069 and 1071 , the area was described in the Domesday survey as "waste". A Market charter was granted to Henry de Percy (1228-1272) by Henry III in 1248. A market square developed and the main route through the medieval town was aligned on an east-west direction, from what is now Albert Hill down Victoria Street, High Street and Cheapside and on through Kirkgate. This led to Giggleswick, important because it was here that citizens had to go to attend the parish church. The first bridge over the Ribble was mentioned in 1498.

During the civil war, the Cliffords, the lords of the manor were royalists, but counter to tradition, their subjects were not. John Lambert of Calton in Malhamdale, was general in Cromwells army and his troops camped at Settle in August 1651 while on the road to an encounter in Lancaster.

The Turnpike, Keighley to Kendal road was put through in 1753. The "little" North Western Railway reached Giggleswick in 1847 and in 1849 later the railway company constructed the new Station Road from Giggleswick to Settle. In 1875 the Settle to Carlisle Railway was built, opening to goods traffic in 1875 and to passengers the following year when the station building was opened along with goods warehouse, cattle pens, signal box and water cranes.^[2]

In the late 18th century cotton spinning became the main employment in the town. Bridge End Mill was converted from corn milling to cotton spinning. John Procter operated mills at Runley and King's Mill; they were later taken over by his son Thomas. He built the row of workers cottages now called Procter's Row in lower Kirkgate. In 1835, Dog Kennel Mill and Brennands weaving shed, Settle had 5 mills employing 333 people. ^[3]

[edit] Governance

Settle is inthe Settle and Ribblebank ward of Craven District council. There are two councilors one of whom represents the Conservatives and one who represents the Liberal Democrats.^[4] It is in the Ribblesdale division of the county of North Yorkshire, where it is represented by a Conservative. It is twinned with the French Mediterranean seaside town of Banyuls-sur-Mer.

[edit] Geography

View from Castlebergh

Settle was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is located in Ribblesdale, at the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales, within a few miles of the Three Peaks.Immediately overlooking the town is Castleberg, an impressive 300 feet (91 m) limestone crag, and to the east is Malham with its tarn and limestone pavement scenery. The river provided the power for its former cotton mills, and is now being harnessed, by the Settle Hydro, a micro hydroelectric scheme to provided 50kW of power to the National Grid.

[edit] Tourism

Settle's market is held weekly on Tuesdays^[5], in the market place in the centre of the town, which is surrounded by local businesses, most of which are family-owned, with some offering items for sale unique to the Settle area^[5].

The district includes several caves where prehistoric remains have been found, the most notable being Victoria Cave, so called because the inner chamber was discovered on Queen Victoria's accession day in 1837. Victoria Cave contained remains of mammoth, bear, reindeer and hippopotamus as well as stones, flint, bone and other implements and ornaments. The discovery of flint is noteworthy since it is not a substance that is found naturally in the area; it would probably have been used for arrowheads. The museum^[6] at Giggleswick holds many of the artifacts discovered at Victoria Cave.

[edit] Education

Settle itself has three schools, and works on a middle school system, with Settle Primary School ^[7], Settle Middle School^[8], and Settle College ^[9]. To the west of the town is Giggleswick School, one of the principal public schools in the north of England, founded in 1512.

[edit] Notable people

• George Howson (1860–1919), reforming headmaster
• George Birkbeck (1776–1841) Founder of the Mechanics Institutes. Birkbeck, University of London is named after George Birkbeck.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• [1]
• Settle Guide
• Settle & the 3 Peaks History
• Caves in the Settle area
• Local study centre - computerised archive
• Four town walks on history of Settle - Richard Preston and the Folly
• Museum of North Craven Life at the Folly