Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for BOROUGHBRIDGE

BOROUGHBRIDGE, a small town, a township-chapelry, and a subdistrict in the district of Knaresborough, W. R. Yorkshire. The town stands on the river Ure, and on a branch of the Northeastern railway, 6½ miles ESE of Ripon. It was formerly called Newborough, in contradistinction to the neighbouring small town of Aldborough; and it takes the latter part of its present name from a bridge built over the Ure at it soon after the Conquest, and now superseded by a modern bridge. A battle was fought in its vicinity, in 1322, between the forces of Edward II. and those of the Earl of Lancaster. Three rude monumental pillars, called the Devil's Arrows, somewhat obeliskal, and respectively 18,22, and 31 feet high, stand about ½ a mile to the south; and have been the subject of much discussion among antiquaries. A neat, fluted, Doric column, seemingly of the 14th century, stood in the market place; and a quondam mansion of the Tancreds is now an inn. The town has a post office‡ under York, a railway station, two banking offices, and two chief inns; and carries on some trade in hardware. It formerly had much business from traffic on the great North road; but has declined since the era of railways. A weekly market is held on Saturday; and fairs on 27 April, 22 June, 16 Aug., 23 Oct., and 13 Dec. The town was made a borough in the time of Mary, sending two members to parliament; but was disfranchised by the act of 1832.-The township or chapelry includes the town, is in the parish of Aldborough, and comprises 85 acres. Real property, £2,302. Pop., 909. Houses, 215. The property is subdivided. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Ripon. Value, £300.* Patron, the Vicar of Aldborough. The church is a substantial modern building, with a tower; and there are Baptist and Wesleyan chapels, a temperance hall, national schools, and charities £5.-The subdistrict comprises three parishes and part of a fourth. Pop., 5,061. Houses, 1,152.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a small town, a township-chapelry, and a subdistrict"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Knaresborough RegD/PLU       Yorkshire AncC
Place names: BOROUGHBRIDGE     |     NEWBOROUGH
Place: Boroughbridge

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