Gayles, North Yorkshire

Gayles is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. Gayles is established in the district ward of Gilling West. This small village consists of 80 households, with a total population (including Kirby Hill) of 180 according to the 2011 UK census. The area also includes two farms by the names of Gayles Hall Farm and Slip Farm. The village is roughly 10 miles (16 km) west of Darlington. In 1870–72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Gayles as follows:

GAYLES, a township in Kirkby Ravensworth parish, N. R. Yorkshire; 5 miles NW by N of Richmond, North Yorkshire. Acres, 2,467. Real Property , £2,160. Pop., 197. Houses, 45.

1. History

The name Gayles derives from the Old Norse geils meaning 'the narrow ravines'. Gayles, Dalton, Kirkby-on-the-hill, New Forest, Newsham, Ravensworth and Whashton are the townships that compose the Kirkby Ravensworth Parish. Kirkby Ravensworth was historically situated in the North Riding of Yorkshire, and has been a part of North Yorkshire since 1974. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Richmondshire, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. According to the UK census data, the population of Gayles has declined from 224 in 1811, to 180 in 2011. On 19 December 1951 the Gayles Hall (grid reference NZ1221207138) was registered as a grade II British listed building with the Richmondshire District Council having local authority. The Duchess Dowager of Northumberland is the most extensive owner, and also lady of the manor, but the Rev. John Shaw and Miss E. Hind have estates here, besides whom there are several small freeholders. The village is situated on the Barnard Castle and Richmond road, and is distant about eight miles from the former place, and five from the latter. Gayles Hall was long the seat of a branch of the Wycliffe family, but is now occupied by a farmer.

1. Geography

The village is 242 miles (389 km) from London and 21 miles (34 km) from the county town of Northallerton. The closest settlements are Kirby Hill, Dalton and Ravensworth. Other local villages are Newsham, East Layton, West Layton, Gilling West and Hartforth. Gayles is 505 feet (154 m) above sea level. Gayles is approximately 2 miles (3 km) south of the A66 major road which runs from east of Middlesbrough to Workington in Cumbria. Gayles has one minor road running straight through the centre of the village, the Slip Inn Bank. Gayles is situated 4.8 miles from Greta Bridge, 6 miles from Richmond, 8.7 miles from Scotch Corner and 8.4 miles from Barnard Castle.

1. Demographics


1. = Population =

The first recorded census of Gayles was registered in 1881 with a population of 125. This census continued to be carried out every ten years up to 1961 with statistics on total population, population change and a male to female ratio. There are no census records for 1941 owing to the Second World War. In 1931, Gayles population was at an all-time low of 90 people. There was no great change in the population from 1881 to 1961, with the largest range in population being 38. From 1961 the census data began gathering information from some places by wards and no longer by parishes. The 2011 census data shows a population of 180, with a male to female ratio split 51 per cent to 49 per cent respectively. The census data shows that 52.2 per cent of Gayles' population are aged 30–59 years old and the mean age of the area is 43.4. Out of 180 people, 166 were born in England.

1. = Occupation =

The 1881 census data provides information into which employment category the population fall into. Sixty-two of the population of 110 were employed. The data shows that 19 of the 27 employed males worked in agriculture, while the other working males were spread out in categories including domestic services, catering and professionals in gentrification. In contrast, 12 females work in domestic services and 15 females work in occupations that cannot be specified. According to the 2011 census 104 people out of 180 are employed, 53 of which are males and 51 females. Human, health and social work activities and agriculture are the two main industries in Gayles dominating 27.9 per cent of occupational share.

1. Land use


1. = Housing =

Gayles has been described as a hamlet or isolated settlement in an accessible inhabitant countryside. Housing in Gayles is typically detached and semi-detached, with an average asking house price £198, 143. Housing ownership is typically owner occupied and private rental. There is a total of 80 households in Gayles, 40 per cent of which are owned outright, with 79 per cent of the total households maintaining central heating. 13.8 per cent of the total population of Gayles are over 65 living in a one-person household. With 99 per cent of the population of Gayles 16 and over in these households speaking English or Welsh as their main language.

1. See also

Listed buildings in Gayles, North Yorkshire

1. References


1. External links

Media related to Gayles at Wikimedia Commons

Nearby Places View Menu

Dalton Mill

Dalton Mill is a historic watermill in Dalton, a village near Richmond, North Yorkshire, in England. A watermill was recorded on Dalton Beck in the village in 1251, and the current building is probably on the same site. The mill was rebuilt in the early 18th century, with an overshot waterwheel. An extension was added to the front later in the century, to serve as the miller's house. The building was raised to three storeys in the mid 19th century, and the thatched roof was replaced with tile and slate in the 20th century. The mill ceased milling corn in the 1920s; the machinery was then removed, and the building was converted into a private house. The building was grade II listed in 1987. The mill is built of stone with quoins and roofs of pantile and stone slate. The mill has three storeys, the house at right angles has two storeys, and in the angle is an extension. The windows in the house are sashes, some of them horizontally-sliding “Yorkshire Sliders”. Inside the house is an inglenook fireplace, a millstone which has been set into the first floor, part of a sack hoist, and an early board door on the ground floor which was originally external. The last miller to operate Dalton Mill was Isaac Rutter. His initials can be found chiselled into stonework at the rear entrance door. Dalton Mill was purchased by the present owners in 1993.

Historic Site Landmark

Dalton, west North Yorkshire

Dalton is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire in England. Dalton is situated about six miles north-west of Richmond and about five miles south-east of Barnard Castle, close to the A66 trans-Pennine trunk road. It was listed in the Domesday Book. The Dalton parish boundary includes the village itself as well the houses at Dalton Heights (off the road to Newsham) plus numerous surrounding farms. The population of the parish was 147 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 181 at the 2011 Census. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Richmondshire, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. Dalton includes a farming community, both arable and stock, and is sited on a stream or beck which is a tributary of the River Swale. The Dalton & Gayles Village Hall, which is shared with the neighbouring village of Gayles, is located in Dalton; there is also St James' Church, Dalton, an Anglican chapel built in 1897. The name Dalton comes from Old English and means farmstead or village in a valley. To the South of Dalton there are the remains of a camp called ‘Castle Steads’, and further south there is a block of stone called ‘Stone Man’ which used to be a landmark, until the stones were taken away to make fences. A mile south-east of the Stone Man, a stone chest was found which had a ‘kale pot’, said to have contained money. Dalton Hall, north-west of the village, dates from the 15th century. Dalton Mill was built in the early 18th century and operated until the 1920s. In 1835, an allowance of £40 was given to the schoolmaster by the Kirby-Ravensworth hospital for the education of the poor children. By 1890, there was a mixed school attended by 50 students.

Landmark Neighbourhood

St James' Church, Dalton

St James' Church is an Anglican church in Dalton, a village near Richmond, North Yorkshire, in England. Dalton has lain in the parish of St Peter and St Felix's Church, Kirkby Ravensworth, since the Medieval period. A chapel of ease was first constructed in the village in 1846, at a cost of £298. By the 1890s, a larger building was needed, and one was designed by W. S. Hicke, capable of seating 120 worshippers. It was completed in 1899, at a total cost of £900. It is described by Norman Butcher as "a somewhat plain building". The building is in the Decorated Gothic style, and is built of stone. It has a combined nave and chancel, and there is a bellcote above the east end, housing a single bell.

Church Landmark

Ravensworth Castle (North Yorkshire)

Ravensworth Castle is a ruined 14th-century castle in the village of Ravensworth, North Yorkshire, England. It has been designated a Grade I listed building by English Heritage.

Castle Historic Site