Kirby Hill, Richmondshire
Encyclopedia
Kirby Hill is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire
Richmondshire
Richmondshire is a local government district of North Yorkshire, England. It covers a large northern area of the Yorkshire Dales including Swaledale and Arkengarthdale, Wensleydale and Coverdale, with the prominent Scots' Dyke and Scotch Corner along the centre. Teesdale lies to the north...

 district of North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It has a population of around 60. It is notable for its large medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

 parish church of St Peter and St Felix which is a Grade I listed building. It was built in 1397, on the site of a Saxon church. A memorial in the church commemorates the former rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...

 Dr John Dakyn, who took part in, and is a noted chronicler of the Pilgrimage of Grace
Pilgrimage of Grace
The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular rising in York, Yorkshire during 1536, in protest against Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, as well as other specific political, social and economic grievances. It was done in action against Thomas Cromwell...

. A trust in his name still allocates educational grants to local youngsters. The church is also notable as the resting place of the last male descendant of the reformer John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe was an English Scholastic philosopher, theologian, lay preacher, translator, reformer and university teacher who was known as an early dissident in the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century. His followers were known as Lollards, a somewhat rebellious movement, which preached...

. In 1859, the centre of the village green featured "a beautiful spring", although it is no longer there. Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...

 described the village as "perfect and exceptional". Its small grammar school was closed in 1957, just one year after its 400th anniversary.

Notable people

  • Dr John Dakyn, cleric.
  • Matthew Hutton
    Matthew Hutton (Archbishop of Canterbury)
    Matthew Hutton was a high churchman in the Church of England, serving as Archbishop of York and Archbishop of Canterbury...

    , the Archbishop of Canterbury
    Archbishop of Canterbury
    The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...

     was born and educated there.
  • James Raine, the antiquarian and topographer, was educated there.
  • William Lax
    William Lax
    William Lax AM FRS was an English astronomer and mathematician.Lax was born in Ravensworth, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, the son of William and Helen Lax. He was educated at the local grammar school at Kirby Hill. He entered Trinity College, Cambridge University in 1780 at the age of 19 as...

    , the astronomer, was schooled there.

External links

– St Peter and St Felix Church
  • http://www.whashton.net/
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