Rosedale is a valley located almost in the centre of the North York Moors national park in North Yorkshire, England. The nearest town is Kirkbymoorside, 7miles to the south. Rosedale is surrounded by moorland. To the north-west sits Blakey Ridge at over 1300feet above sea level. At Dale Head is the source of the River Seven, which flows down the valley to join the River Rye at Little Habton near Malton. At its southern end Rosedale is squeezed between Spaunton Moor and Hartoft Rigg, where the river flows out through Forestry Commission woodland before passing the village of Cropton to reach the plains of the Vale of Pickering.
The modern village of Rosedale Abbey, built around the site of a former Cistercian Priory is the main settlement in the valley.[1] There is also a small hamlet at Thorgill.
Few inhabitants of Rosedale work in farming. The majority of houses are bought as second homes and as such the permanent local population has been significantly reduced.
In mid-August, Rosedale Show is held at Rosedale Abbey and attracts some 5,000 people from all parts of Britain. The show dates back to 1871 and is one of the oldest in North Yorkshire.[2] [3]
The Frank Elgee memorial was erected in 1953 at Blakey Ridge on The North York Moors, overlooking Loose Howe at Rosedale Head.[4]
There was no mention of Rosedale in the Domesday Book of 1086 A.D. However the name Rozebi is shown in the paragraph for Pickering. The survey of English Place-Names records "Russedal(e)" in 1130, "Rossedal(e)" in 1186, "Rossdale" in 1328 and "Rosedale" and "Rosedall" in 1376.[5]
The toponym might be "Russi's valley"[5] or "Valley beside high but relatively level moorland promontory".
The name element dale is from Old Norse dalr or Middle English dale. The name element rose is from Brittonic rōs and might be a reference to Blakey Ridge that defines the west side of the dale.
Rosedale Head is at the top of the dale at the point where the River Seven rises from the ground. The surrounding moorland is typical of the heather moorland of the North York Moors National Park.[6] In the 18th century the moorland belonged to the Helmsley Estate.
Rosedale Head separates Rosedale from its neighbouring dales to the north, Westerdale, Danby Daleand Great Fryup dale.
Old Ralph and Young Ralph are probably the best known of the many wayside crosses found in the North York Moors National Park. The origin of the names Old Ralph and Young Ralph is not known, however the names might refer to members of the House of Neville:
Old Ralph cross is a monolithic wayside cross of hard gritstone that stands about 6 feet tall, possibly 11th century. The cross is a Grade II* listed building. The cross is located on Ledging Hill the highest point on Blakey Ridge (OS ref: NZ 674 019).[7]
Young Ralph cross is a wayside cross of hard gritstone that stands about 10 feet tall, possibly 11th century. The cross is located on Ledging Hill (OS ref: NZ 677 021). The distinctive profile of the cross is used as the emblem of the North York Moors National Park.
See main article: Ironstone mining in Rosedale. The extraction of ironstone probably began during the Roman period.
In the late 19th century the valley quickly became a major centre for iron-ore extraction.Mining took place from 1857[8] to 1928.[9] The ore was pre-processed by calcination, for which special kilns were built.[8]
The mines were served by the freight-only Rosedale Branch railway line that ran round the head of the valley, serving mine workings on either side, and across the moors to reach what is now the Esk Valley Line at Battersby Junction.[10] [11] The railway line closed in 1929 after the last of the calcine dust extracted from the kiln waste had been sold.[9]
Rosedale Chimney Bank, one of the steepest roads in the United Kingdom,[12] provides a popular entrance point into the valley. A row of disused kilns and a former Royal Observer Corps Underground Monitoring Post[13] are both situated yards from its summit.In the adjacent Farndale Valley wild daffodils bloom around Easter time.[14]
Historically the governance of Rosedale was split east–west by the River Seven. In the 19th century Rosedale East Side was in the parish of Middleton and the wapentake of Pickering – Lythe, while Rosedale West Side was in the parish of Lastingham and the wapentake of Ryedale.