Birkin

Birkin is a village and civil parish in the south-west of the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. It is north of the River Aire, near Beal, North Yorkshire. The closest town is Knottingley, in West Yorkshire, 4 miles (6 km) to the south-west. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 146, falling to 141 at the census 2011.[1]

For other uses, see Birkin (disambiguation).

Birkin

Main street, Birkin
Birkin
Location within North Yorkshire
Population141 
OS grid referenceSE530268
Civil parish
  • Birkin
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townKNOTTINGLEY
Postcode districtWF11
PoliceNorth Yorkshire
FireNorth Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire

It was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1974.[2]

History
St Mary's Church, Birkin

Birkin is recorded in the Domesday Book as 'Birchinge', this and the present name indicate that the village was first established in a heavily wooded area of birch trees.[3] The village church of St Mary's is a Grade I listed building[4] and the village was the birthplace of the political philosopher Thomas Hill Green in 1836.

The Tour de Yorkshire passed through Birkin on the second stage (Otley to Doncaster) of the 2016 race.[5]

Birkin has two lakes east of the village that are used for public fishing. There is also a tea room.[6]

St Mary's Church

St Mary's Church is located at the southern end of Birkin and dates from around 1150.[7] Descriptions of it refer to a number of monuments including a cartouche for the Thornton family, successive generations of which were rectors during the 17th century,[8] and an 18th-century wall monument dedicated to the wife of a rector with an inscription by the Poet Laureate William Whitehead.[9] Thomas Hill Green's father was the rector of St Mary's in the 1830s.[10]

In 2008 it was reported that the church had been damaged after the roof was targeted by lead thieves.[11]

References
  1. "Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  2. "History of Birkin, in Selby and West Riding | Map and description". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  3. Turner, Joseph Horsfall (1901). "Yorkshire place names, as recorded in the Yorkshire Domenday book, 1086..." pp. 63, 243. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  4. Historic England. "Church of St Mary (1316671)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  5. "Tour de Yorkshire 2016". Welcome to Yorkshire. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  6. Birkin Fisheries. Retrieved 22 February 2020
  7. "St Mary, Birkin". The Church of England. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  8. Kelly, E. R., ed. (1881). "Kelly's Directory of West Riding of Yorkshire, 1881. (Part 1)". London: Kelly & Co. pp. 82–83. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  9. "'Birkenshaw - Birmingham', in A Topographical Dictionary of England, ed. Samuel Lewis (London, 1848), pp. 255-263". British History Online. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  10. Tyler, Colin (7 June 2011). "Thomas Hill Green". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  11. "Fears over future for historic church after spate of thefts". Yorkshire Post. 7 March 2008. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
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