Kirby Sigston

History

The settlement is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as having 75 ploughlands, and its name derives from a combination of the Old Norse * Kirkju-býr* (a village with a church) and Sigges tūn (Sigge's farmstead or settlement).

During the 14th century, the parish was part of a huge deer park and hunting area on the eastern side of what is now known as the Vale of Mowbray. A deserted medieval village (DMV) lies to the south of the church.

The village has never had a shop, post office or pub, and its school, which opened in 1846 and would teach around 35 pupils, closed in 1944.

From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Hambleton, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council.

Places of interest

To the north is the site of Sigston Castle, a 14th-century quadrangular castle, surrounded by a now largely dry moat. South of Sigston Castle, near the grade II listed Manor House, is St Lawrence's church. The church is largely Norman but the tower was renovated in the 18th century. The grade I listed church is decorated with carvings of dragons, which Pevsner states show the Danish influence in the area.

Population

The population taken at the 2011 Census was fewer than 100, so details are included in the civil parish of Winton, Stank and Hallikeld. North Yorkshire County Council estimated the population of the village in 2015 to be 100 people, an increase of ten since the 2011 census.

Notable residents

The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Conservative MP for Richmond and Northallerton, Rishi Sunak, currently lives in Kirby Sigston as his constituency home.

In popular culture

Kirby Sigston is referred to in The Mountain Goats' song "Going to Kirby Sigston".

References

References

1. "Genuki: Kirby Sigston, Yorkshire (North Riding)".
2. "History of Kirby Sigston, in Hambleton and the North Riding {{!}} Map and description".
3. "Parishes: Kirkby Sigston {{!}} British History Online".
4. (2015). "Northallerton & Thirsk". Ordnance Survey.
5. (1960). "The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names". Oxford University Press.
6. (2015). "National Character Area Profile 24: Vale of Mowbray.". Natural England.
7. "Beresford's Lost Villages :: Site detail :: Sigston, Kirby".
8. (8 June 2004). "Golden anniversary can put Sigston on the map". The Northern Echo.
9. {{NHLE
10. (1995). "English castles : a guide by counties". Boydell Press.
11. {{NHLE
12. "St Lawrence - Kirby Sigston".
13. {{NHLE
14. (2002). "Yorkshire, the North Riding". Yale University Press.
15. "Winton, Stank and Hallikeld Parish".
16. (December 2016). "2015 Population Estimates Parishes".
17. (31 October 2017). "Residents celebrate anniversary of vital village hall refurbishment". The Northern Echo.
18. (27 August 2007). "US band helps put North Yorkshire village on the map". The Northern Echo.