In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Leyburn like this:
LEYBURN, a village, a township, a sub-district, and a district in N. R. Yorkshire. The village stands on the N side of Wensleydale, at the terminus of the Northallerton and Leyburn railway, 7½ miles SSW of Richmond; consists chiefly of one spacious street or oblong of well built houses; is situated amid beautiful scenery; offers facilities to tourists for exploring the picturesque country around it; is a seat of petty sessions and county courts, and a polling-place; and has a post office‡ under Bedale, a railway station, a banking office, five chief inns, a town hall, gas-works, a chapel of ease, a Wesleyan chapel, a Roman Catholic chapel, national and Roman Catholic schools, a subscription library, a dispensary, and charities £32. ...
The town hall was built in 1856, at a cost of £2,000; and is a large and heavy yet good edifice. A weekly market is held on Friday; and fairs for cattle and sheep, on the second Friday of Feb., May, Oct., and Dec. Leyburn Shawl, on the W side of the town, is a high natural terrace, about a mile long; affords a delightful walk; was much improved in 18 46; and commands extensive and romantic views. The township is in Wensley parish, and comprises 2,407 acres. Real property, £5,234. Pop., 886. Houses, 169. The manor belongs to Lord Bolton. The district workhouse stands a short way from the village; is an old building; and, at the census of 1861, had 38 ininates.—The sub-district contains the parishes of Wensley, Fingliall, Thornton-Steward, Haukswell, and Spennithorne, and four townships of Patrick-Brompton parish, three of Thornton-Watlass, one of Hornby, and one of Bedale. Acres, 41,847. Pop., 5,875. Houses, 1,187.—The district comprehends also the sub-district of Middleman, containing the parishes of Middleham, Coverhiam, East Witton, and West Witton, and four townships of Masham. Acres of the district, 84,918. Poorrates in 1863, £4,015. Pop. in 1851,10,057; in 1861, 10,105. Houses, 2,101. Marriages in 1863,72; births, 299,-of which 31 were illegitimate; deaths, 184,-of which 54 were at ages under 5 years, and 9 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60,589; births, 2,986; deaths, 1,667. The places of worship, in 1851, were 19 of the Church of England, with 3,331 sittings; 4 of Independents, with 520 s.; 24 of Wesleyans, with 2,560 s.; 10 of Primitive Methodists, with 430 s.; and 1 of Roman Catholics, with 300 s. The schools were 20 public day schools, with 780 scholars; 23 private day schools, with 458 s.; 25 Sunday schools, with 1,213 s.; and 1 evening school for adults, with 2 s.
Leyburn through time
Leyburn is now part of Richmondshire district. Click here for graphs and data of how Richmondshire has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Leyburn itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Leyburn, in Richmondshire and North Riding | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/13306
Date accessed: 24th April 2024
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