Stainforth, North Yorkshire

Not to be confused with Stainforth, South Yorkshire.

Stainforth
Stainforth
Stainforth Location within North Yorkshire
Population	231
OS grid reference	SD821673
Civil parish	Stainforth
Unitary authority	North Yorkshire
Ceremonial county	North Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SETTLE
Postcode district	BD24
Police	North Yorkshire
Fire	North Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire

Stainforth is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated north of Settle. Nearby there is a waterfall, Stainforth Force, where the river falls over limestone ledges into a deep, broad pool which can be accessed by walking a short way from the village. There was a Youth Hostel at Taitlands between 1942 and 2007.

History

Stainforth Falls, c. 1890–1900

Its name derives from the 'stony ford' which linked two settlements half a mile apart on opposite banks of the River Ribble north of Settle. Stainforth, on the eastern side, was formerly owned by Sawley Abbey, whose monks developed the estate which prospered, while Little Stainforth, under private ownership, declined. In 1595 Edward Darcy received from four trustees acting for the previous owner the manor of Stainforth Underbargh and 20 dwelling houses with lands there. He was Groom of the Chamber to Elizabeth I and was knighted eight years later. In the 1670s, Samuel Watson replaced the ford by a packhorse bridge whose arch spans a wooded stretch of the river, and a grassy patch leads downstream to Stainforth Force. In Little Stainforth the three-storey Stainforth Hall was built at the same time and is now occupied as a farmhouse.

See also

• St Peter's Church, Stainforth

External links

Media related to Stainforth, North Yorkshire at Wikimedia Commons

• Stainforth Website