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BUCKDEN, , in the parish of Arnecliff, east-division and liberty of Staincliffe; 4 miles from Kettlewell, 14 from Settle, 16 from Leyburn. --Fair, October 12, for horned cattle, &c. --Pop. 382.

BURNSALL, a parish-town, in the east-division of Staincliffe, liberty of Clifford's-Fee; 9 miles from Pateley Bridge, 9.5 from Skipton and Kettlewell, 43 from York. --Pop. including Thorpe, 329. The Church is a rectory, dedicated to St. Wilfred, in the deanry of Craven, value in two medieties, 36L. p.r. 63L. Patrons, the Earl of Craven, and Robinson Chippendale, Esq. Two houses and a small parcel of land is in the parish of Linton.

Here in 1612, Sir William Craven, Knight, Alderman of the city of London, and late lord Mayor of the same, founded and endowed a Grammar School; and from an inscription over the door of the church, he appears to have repaired and beautified that handsome building. At the entrance of the choir of this church, each rector has his own stall and pulpit, and from which the service is alternately performed.

CONISTON, in the township of Coniston-cum-Kilnsey, and parish of Burnsall, east-division of Staincliffe, liberty of Cliffords-Fee; 3 miles from Kettlewell, 12 from Skipton and Settle. --Pop. including Kilnsey, 137, which being united, form a township. Here is a Chapel to Burnsall, dedicated to St. Mary.

GRASSINGTON, in the parish of Linton, east-division and liberty of Staincliffe; (the seat of Henry Brown, Esq.) 6 miles from Kettlewell, 10 from Skipton and Pateley Bridge, 14 from Settle. --It has a small Market on Tuesday, (chartered for Friday) --Fairs, March 4, April 24, June 29, September 26, for pedlary, &c. --Pop. 983.

The neighbourhood of Grassington is famous for its Lead Mines, which have been worked from about the time of James I. Dr. Whitaker says, the "Lead on Grassington Moor is extremely rich, a ton of ore sometimes yielding sixteen hundred pounds weight of metal; but it is poor in Silver." --History of Craven.

HARTLINGTON, in the parish of Burnsall, east-division of Staincliffe, liberty of Clifford's-Fee; 9 miles from Skipton and Pateley Bridge, 11 from Kettlewell. --Pop. 141.

HEBDEN, in the parish of Linton, east division and liberty of Staincliffe; 5 miles from Kettlewell and Pateley Bridge, 12 from Skipton. --Pop. 377.

HEBDEN-MOORSIDE, strag. cotts. in the township of Hebden and Hartlington, and parishes of Linton and Burnsall, east-division and liberty of Staincliffe; 7.5 miles from Pateley Bridge.

HUBBERHOLME, , s.h. in the township of Buckden, and parish of Arnecliff, east-division and liberty of Staincliffe; 5 miles from Kettlewell, 15 from Settle, 17 from Leyburn. The Chapel is a perpetual curacy, dedicated to St. Michael, value, p.r. !46L. 7s. Patron, the Vicar of Arnecliff.

This Chapel bears marks of very high antiquity. Several Norman Arches remain entire, though the square piers of some of them were drest away to slender octagons, when the chapel underwent a general repair, which seems to have been about the reign of Henry VIII. The steeple is of the same period if not still later. Over the entrance of the chancel is an entire and curious roodloft of oak, very handsomely wrought, and painted with broad red lines. On the front of which is the date 1558.

This is a sequestered and interesting place, situated on the northern banks of the Wharfe, shaded by tall trees on the east, and overhung by a steep and lofty wood beyond. Few scenes are better adapted to quiet and contemplation. --Hist. Craven.

KETTLEWELL, a market and parish-town, in the east-division and liberty of Staincliffe; 14 miles from Hawes, 14.5 from Askrigg, 15 from Middleham and Settle, 16 from Skipton, Pateley Bridge, and Leyburn, 48 from York, 233 from London. --Market, Thursday. --Fairs, July 6, for pedlary ware; Sept. 2, and Oct. 23, for sheep. --Principal Inns, Mason's Arms, Blue Bell, Kings-Arms, and Race Horses. --Pop. including Starbottom, 663. The Church, rebuilt in 1820, is a vicarage, dedicated to St. Mary, in the deanry of Craven, value, +5L. p.r. 61L. 0s. 9d. Patron, The Rev. George Coates.

The Church at Kettlewell which was of high antiquity, probably not later than Henry I. has been pulled down, and a new one in 1820, erected on its site, on the same plan, only a few yards longer.

Kettlewell is situated at the foot of a very steep hill, in a narrow part of Wharfedale, and although the village is large, the buildings are very mean. In the year 1686, this town and Starbottom were nearly destroyed by a violent flood. The situation of these towns is under a large hill, from whence the rain descended with great violence for one hour and a half at the same time the hill on one side opening, and casting up water to a prodigious height, demolished several houses, and filled others with gravel to the chamber windows; the affrighted inhabitants fled for their lives, and the loss was computed at many thousand pounds. -Magna Brit.

In Dec. 2002, Derek Wrathall of Skipton sent a photo and info regarding Kettlewell:

Here is a copy of a photograph I took in August when we took our grandchildren to the scarecrow festival at Kettlewell. I took the children for a walk up the hillside and took the shot looking down on the village. The Scarecrow Festival is a recent innovation and if you go to the Kettlewell website , there is information about it and about the village.

KILDWICK, a parish-town, in the east-division of Staincliffe, liberty of Clifford's-Fee; (Kildwick-Hall, the seat of Miss Currer) 4.25 miles from Skipton, 5.75 from Keighley, 9 from Colne, (Lanc.) --Pop. 175. The Church is a vicarage, dedicated to St. Andrew; in the deanry of Craven, value, +10L. 18s. 1.5d. Patrons, the Dean and Canons of Christ Church, Oxford.

The Church of Kildwick, is one of the two in the whole deanry of Craven, which are mentioned in Domesday. It was given by, Cecilia de Romille to the Priory of Embsay. After the dissolution of religious houses, the rectory, with the advowson of the vicarage, was granted by Henry VIII. to Christ-Church, Oxford. In the nave of the present Church, built or renewed about the reign of Henry VIII. are the tomb and cumbent statue of Sir Robert de Steeton, in link-mail, with his arms upon a shield. It is wrought in Haselwood stone, and is an exact counterpart of his contemporary Sir Adam de Midelton, at Ilkley: and in the north chapel and choir are, also monuments to the families of Currer, Swire, Jennings, &c.

The village, situated upon a hill on the road from Keighley to Skipton, was amongst the first donations to the Priory of Embsay; by Cecilia de Romille, the foundress. In that house it continued till the dissolution, when it was granted by Henry VIII. to Robert Wilkinson and Thomas Drake, of the parish of Halifax. In the 2 Edward I. is a license to Drake, to alienate the Manor of Kildwick to John Garforth, of Farnhill by whom, or his son, 1st of Elizabeth, it was sold to Henry Currer, Esq. and from whom it has lineally descended to the present owner, Miss Currer.

The Manor house, a respectable stone building, perhaps a century and a half old, stands high above the church, with a very deep descent in front; but is sheltered by thriving plantations. --Hist. Craven.

KILNSEY, in the township of Conistone-with-Kilnsey, and parish of Burnsall,east-division of Staincliffe, liberty of Cliffords-Fee; 3 miles from Kettlewell, 12 from Skipton and Settle. --Pop. included in Conistone.

This place is remarkable for a lofty range of limestone rock; the highest point of that denominated "Kilnsey Crag," will be about 16 feet, and its length 270 yards, or, more. The whole of this astonishing mass of limestone stretches nearly half a mile along the valley, and, as a feature in landscape, has greatly the advantage of Gordale Scar. To this village, the Abbots of Fountains drove their immense flocks of sheep from the surrounding hills, for their annual sheep-shearing. Here, too, they also kept Courts for all their Manors in Craven, excepting Litton and Long Strother, which last were holden at Litton. The walls of their Court-house were remaining at Kilnsey, 41 Elizabeth. --Hist. Craven.

Two ancient Arches, rather pointed, adjoining to a house called "The Hall" (dated W. W. 1644) behind the Inn at Kilnsey, still point to some of those remains. The keystone of the larger arch has the remains of a dog or sheep upon it. From the name of Chapel-house, "it seems probable," says Dr. Whitaker, "that the Monks either had a small Cell or a Grange, with a chapel annexed, in a picturesque and interesting situation, where an excellent house was built by the late John Tennant, Esq., whose ancestor Jeffry Tennant, of Bordley, purchased the estate of the Gresham family, the grantees of Fountains, in the 14th of Elizabeth."

LINTON, a parish-town, in the east-division and liberty of Staincliffe; (the seat of Mrs. Atkinson) 7 miles from Kettlewell, 9 from Skipton, 10 from Pateley Bridge, 44 from York. --Pop. 313. The Church is a rectory, dedicated to St. Michael, in the deanry of Craven, value, in two medieties of 16L. each, p.r. first mediety, !100L. second ditto, !120L. Patron, the King.

Here is an excellent Hospital, founded and endowed by Richard Fountain Esq. of Enfield, Middlesex, a native of the place, who having acquired a large fortune in London, by Will, dated July 15, 1721, ordered an estate to be purchased, out of which 26L. per annum, should be equally divided among six poor old women or men, in the parish of Linton. They each now receive upwards of twelve guineas per annum, besides the use of a large garden. The founder also left 20L. to the minister or ministers of the parish, provided they constantly reside in the parish, and read prayers twice in the week to the poor persons in the hospital. The building is after the style of Sir John Vanburgh, and is said to have cost 1,500L. The parish-church is at some distance from the village, on the banks of the Wharfe.

RILSTON, in the parish of Burnsall, east-division of Staincliffe, liberty of CliffordÕs-Fee; (the seat of Richard Waddilove, Esq.) 4 miles from Gargrave, 5 from Skipton, 10 from Kettlewell, 14 from Settle. --Pop. 145. Here is a Chapel of Ease to Burnsall, dedicated to Saint Peter.

Rilston, or Rilliston, gave name and habitation to a family perhaps of the first antiquity of Craven; as there is reason to suppose that William de Risletona, who occurs in the first charters of Cecelia de Romille, was the William, son of Clarenbald, mentioned in the black book of the exchequer, and undoubtedly a Saxon. The manor continued in the hands of the Rilstones, till Isabella, daughter and heiress of John Rillestone, married Miles, son of Walkin Radcliffe of Todmorden, a descendant of whom married John Norton, father of Richard Norton, who was attainted for high treason. Among the old tenants on this estate, mention is made of one "Richard Kitchen, butler to Mr. Norton, who rose in rebellion with his master, and was executed at Ripon."

Mr. Wordsworth lately published a poem, entitled "The White Doe of Rilston" it relates to a white Doe, which tradition says, for a long time "made a weekly pilgrimage from hence, over the fells of Bolton, and was constantly found in the Abbey church-yard, during divine service; after which she returned home as regularly as the rest of the congregation."

STARBOTTOM, in the parish of Kettlewell, liberty of Staincliffe; 2 miles from Kettlewell, 15 from Leyburn, 17 from Settle. --Pop. included in Kettlewell.

THORPE, in the township and parish of Burnsall, east-division of Staincliffe, liberty of Cliffords-Fee; (a seat of the Rev. Henry Wigglesworth,) 9 miles from Skipton and Kettlewell, 10 from Pateley Bridge.

Thorpe, sometimes called Thorp subtus Montem, is in a most retired situation, within a cavity so encircled by high grounds, that it is difficult to conceive, at first sight, how the waters escape, and why it is not a lake. In a pasture above this village, is a cave, called Knave Knoll Hole, very difficult of access, and, from the narrowness of the entrance, equally difficult to be discovered. For these reasons, it seems to have been a retreat of some ancient banditti. Several years ago, Dr. Whitaker discovered in it, besides many bones of sheep, &c. the remains of an human skeleton.

THRESHFIELD, in the parish of Linton, east-division and liberty of Staincliffe; 6 miles from Kettlewell, 9 from Skipton, 11 from Pateley Bridge, 20 from Settle. --Pop. 237. Here is a Grammar School, founded in 1674, by the Rev. Matthew Hewitt, Rector of Linton, who endowed it with 20L. per ann. for the master, and 10L. for the usher, and 50L. for four exhibitions to four scholars, from this School, to St. John's College, in Cambridge. Although this School cannot boast of late, either of "able masters or hopeful scholars," Dr. Whitaker informs us "that the late Bishop Elphin, Dr. Dodgson, as well as the present learned and venerable master of St. John's College, (Dr. William Craven,) were among the number of Hewitt's exhibitioners." And the Rev. Wm. Sheepshanks, of St. John's College, Cambridge, a native of Linton, received his education in this School.

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