Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for AYTON

AYTON, two townships and a parish in Stokesley district, N. R. Yorkshire. The townships are distinguished from each other as Great and Little. Great Ayton lies on the river Leven, and on the Guisbrough railway, 3 miles NE of Stokesley; includes the hamlet of Langbaurgh; and has a post office under Northallerton, and a r. station. Acres, 3,146. Real property, £5,778. Pop., 1,450. Houses, 320. Little Ayton lies contiguous on the E, also on the river Leven; and includes the hamlet of Tunstall. Acres, 1,334. Real property, £1,100. Pop., 78. Houses, 14. The parish contains likewise the township of Nunthorpe. Acres, 5,890. Real property, £8,727. Pop., 1,688. Houses, 361. The property is subdivided. Freestone is quarried; and appearances of iron ore exist. An agricultural school and model farm were established at Ayton House by T. Richardson. Some of the inhabitants are employed in linen factories. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of York. Value, £82. Patron, the Rev. G. Marwood. The church is tolerable. The p. curacy of Nunthorpe is a separate charge. There are chapels for Independents, Methodists, and Quakers. A charity school, with £10 a year, was founded, under Rose-Topping hill, in 1704, by Michael Postgate; and here the celebrated navigator, Captain Cook, received part of his education. Other charities have £17.


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

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "two townships and a parish"   (ADL Feature Type: "countries, 4th order divisions")
Administrative units: Ayton CP/AP       Stokesley RegD/PLU       Yorkshire AncC
Place: Great Ayton

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