Sherburn in Elmet

Sherburn in Elmet (pronounced /ˈʃɜːrbərnɪnˈɛlmɪt/ SHUR-bər-nin-EL-mit) is a large village, civil parish and electoral ward in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, situated near to Selby. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of only three places in the area to be explicitly associated with the ancient Celtic kingdom of Elmet via featuring the kingdom's title in its name, the others being Barwick-in-Elmet and Scholes-in-Elmet. According to the 2011 census, Sherburn has a population of 6,657.[1]

Sherburn in Elmet

Sherburn town centre
Sherburn in Elmet
Location within North Yorkshire
Population6,657 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSE506337
Civil parish
  • Sherburn in Elmet [2]
District
  • Selby
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLEEDS
Postcode districtLS25
PoliceNorth Yorkshire
FireNorth Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament

History

The village is of ancient establishment, possibly with Roman origins and was part of the wapentake of Barkston Ash in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The field adjoining All Saints' Church is the site of the palace of kings of Elmet, which was given (with the manor of Cawood) by Athelstan to the Archbishops of York on his conversion to Christianity in or around the 10th century.

All Saints Church

The church itself is unusually large for a village parish church and dates from around 1120, with Norman pillars and a later-built large tower housing a ring of eight bells. It was built on the site of an earlier Anglo-Saxon church. The church is now a Grade I listed building.[3]

The Battle of Towton was fought nearby in 1461 and local legend tells that King Edward IV, who won the battle, used the church tower as a point for surveying the battle lines.

During the English Civil War, the village was garrisoned by the Royalists for King Charles I; it was close to their stronghold at Selby and the northern capital of York, and commanded the approaches from both the south and the west. In 1645, the Parliamentarians attacked Sherburn and defeated the garrison. On 15 October 1645 the Battle of Sherburn-in-Elmet took place. A Royalist force commanded by Lord Digby and Sir Marmaduke Langdale attacked and initially defeated the Parliamentarian garrison now based in the village. However, another Parliamentarian force, under Colonel Copley, counterattacked and routed the Royalists. Thus was defeated the last significant Royalist force in the North during the First English Civil War.[4][5]

Culture and community
The Swan, One of the many pubs in Sherburn

Sherburn in Elmet is often referred to locally as simply 'Sherburn'. It has Leeds as its post town and an LS25 postcode, but is in the Borough of Selby in North Yorkshire rather than the City of Leeds, which is in West Yorkshire.

The village has four supermarkets: Spar, Tesco Express, Aldi and Co-op. There are several independently owned shops, and a market in the centre of the village on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

HSBC Bank

Squires Cafe just outside Sherburn is a long-established meeting place for motorcycle riders, particularly on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons.[6] The roads leading into Sherburn-in-Elmet are known nationally for the varied and pleasurable rides they offer for motorcyclists.

The town is now home to a major industrial site attracting large businesses such as Eddie Stobart Ltd. The former Gascoigne Wood mine, which was part of the Selby coalfield project, is to the south-east.

Home to Sherburn-in-Elmet Airfield which is currently the base for the Sherburn Aero Club, Sherburn's links with the air industry go back to the Second World War when the Blackburn Aircraft Company built the Fairey Swordfish in the town. Production ended in 1945, and by then 1,699 such aircraft had been built in Sherburn. The airfield also saw the first flight of L.E. Baynes's famous prototype glider, the Baynes Bat.

Transport
Sherburn in Elmet railway station

The town is served by Sherburn-in-Elmet railway station with services to York railway station, Hull Paragon Interchange and Sheffield railway station, with a second station (South Milford railway station) in nearby South Milford providing services to Leeds and Hull. Arriva Yorkshire buses go to Leeds, Tadcaster and Selby.

Economy
The British Gypsum Works

Sherburn has a large manufacturing and trading base with British Gypsum being a long time major employer, Sainsbury's have a distribution centre. In 2011 bus manufacturer, Optare moved their factory from Cross Gates to a new purpose built site in the village.

Education

Sherburn has two primary schools, Hungate and Athelstan. The secondary school, Sherburn High School, has recently gained the status of a specialist science school.

Sport

Sherburn Eversley Cricket Club

Sherburn Eversley Cricket Club was formed in the 20th century and play at Eversley Park in Sherburn-in-Elmet. The club has two teams that play on a Saturday afternoons in the Leeds & Wetherby Cricket League; with the firsts gaining promotion and playing in the Second division in 2016 and the second team playing in Division Five. The club also has a Thursday evening team.

Fishing

The Bacon Factory Pond is a local recreational fishery located on the eastern side of the town. With a total of 40 pegs the fishery is controlled by the Wheatsheaf Angling Club. The pond is stocked with perch, carp, roach, bream, tench, eels and pike.

Compass Martial Arts

Established in 2016, Compass Martial Arts is based on Sherburn Industrial Estate in a purpose built Dojo, delivering Karate, Kickboxing and Okinawan Weaponry classes.

References
  1. "Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics – Area: Sherburn in Elmet (Parish)". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  2. "Home - Sherburn in Elmet Parish Council".
  3. Historic England. "Church of All Saints (1148444)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  4. C. Hibbert, Cavaliers and Roundheads (1993), pp.237–238; V. Wedgwood, The King's War (1983 edition), p.504
  5. Historic England. "Battle of Sherburn in Elmet (1121106)". PastScape. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  6. "Squires Cafe-Bar". Retrieved 7 October 2017.
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