SLEIGHTS is said by many to be the largest village in England. I can't vouch for the truth of this, but as a well-travelled person across this country, it is certainly the biggest I know of.
As a community Sleights has been around since before the Doomsday Book. Prehistoric man found the district congenial, and settled on the heights erecting stone circles in the early Bronze Age (1600-1000 BC) – the Bridestones – where religious and ceremonial scenes took place. Later than the period of the Bridestones, remains of a Roman-British settlement were found on the present site of the 'River Gardens' in 1933. In the years following 1933 until 1945 a number of industrial hearths were found in the yard of Carr End Farm on the opposite side of the road. These too, were associated with Stone Age man and Roman-British settlements.
It is from the nature of the ground, and later habitation, that the place-names of the district have come. Briggswath dates back to an early period in the history of the locality. Its earthworks, field names, hut sites, and such like suggest that it was a place of some importance in the days of the ancient Britons. It stands at the junction of three ridges from Sleights, Ugglebarnby and Aislaby, which may have some bearing on the explanation of an Oxford Don who asserts that the name Sleights means 'ridge', while Briggswath means 'bridge over the ford'.
Interestingly, Sleights is one of the few places not mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086. Today, the parish is more properly called Eskdaleside-cum-Ugglebarnby, but is more commonly known as Sleights, taking its name from the principal village, while Ugglebarnby locally is thought of as separate, with its own history and identity. Until just after 1880, Eskdaleside and Ugglebarnby were separate townships in the parish of Whitby and Liberty of Whitby Strand. At the time of the Normans, Eskdaleside took its title from Eskdale Hall, the principal manor house.
It was during the early years of the parish, while still a manor, that we first hear of a mill at Sleights. This was a water-driven corn mill later known as Groves Mill and stood on the banks of the river Esk just above the new road bridge. It is recorded that the mill burnt down at the end of the 19th century, although it had not been in use for some considerable time previously. It is also said that the Salmon Heck was destroyed at the time of the mill fire.
Regarding this Salmon Heck, and the present Salmon 'Leap'; following the passing of the Salmon Fishing Act in 1861, because the pond behind the weir was not classed as a fish-mill dam but a fish-weir, having become lapsed due to the mill closure, there must be a gap made in it, one-tenth of the width of the river, and so it came to pass that in time when the present weir was constructed, a Salmon Leap was installed to enable fish to pass upstream to their breeding grounds in the upper reaches of the Esk.
In 1347 Robert de Vesci (Vassey] and Alice his wife, lessees of Eskdale Hall, were sued by the Abbot of Whitby for destroying a hall, a chamber and outbuildings including cow-house at Sleights and cutting and selling timber including 400 ash and oak trees – which goes some way to illustrate how much of the district was covered with woodland at that time.
John Yeoman founded the Eskdaleside Alum Works in 1764 and it continued as an industry of some importance until about 1809, when the discovery of valuable ironstone seams and its subsequent mining in later years, the alum manufacturing was discontinued.
Today, as in yesteryears, the parish of Sleights abounds with foot-paths, bridle ways and old tracks. Possibly the most famous of the ancient track ways is Featherbed Lane, mentioned as early as 1190 and known at one period as Strait Lane. The former name may be an attempt at Yorkshire humour, or perhaps a corruption of an older word now lost. Whatever, this lane is an excellent example of a packhorse road and starts at Briggswath where it possibly ran in a line with the ancient ford that crossed the river here. During the reign of King James I, Featherbed Lane was licensed as a King's Highway and was said to be 'the narrowest high-road in England.' Near the start of Featherbed Lane stands the Toll Bar (now a hairdressers). This was one of three Toll Bars erected by Act of Parliament in 1763 on the first turnpike road constructed in the district in 1759. This turnpike ran from Whitby along the Carrs, called at one time the Queen's High Street, via Sleights to within two miles of Saltergate, and was the first metalled road from Whitby to the hinterland.
With the turnpike road came highwaymen and the coach carrying the mail was stopped and robbed three times near Sleights between the years 1763 and 1775. Indeed, journeys along these turnpike routes were considered so dangerous that passengers were advised to write their last will and testament before setting off on journeys.
Placed as it is, it soon became evident that Sleights, and in particular, Briggswath, must be served by a series of bridges if it was to grow and prosper. An early wooden bridge was replaced by stone. A bridge was destroyed here by flood in 1720 and was the second bridge on the site. A temporary bridge was erected and stood for a number of years. This was replaced another stone bridge built at the time the turnpike road was constructed to Saltergate. The building of that bridge was a very arduous task, and took several years to complete, and caused the death of the contractor through an accident. Sadly, this bridge, once described as 'beautiful', was destroyed by the flood of 1930 when the present road bridge over the Esk was put up.
The earliest reference to parochial arrangements in Sleights, concerns the small church known as Eskdale Chapel. First mentioned as early as the 13th century, the chapel, some portion of the ruins of which are still standing and popularly known as the 'Hermitage', was used as a place of worship until the year 1767, when leave was granted by the Archbishop of York to erect a new chapel on the present site of St John's church in which the actor Ian Carmichael was married. An incident involving the monk of the 'hermitage' gave rise to the famous annual Penny Hedge ceremony in Whitby.
Sleights is perhaps more favoured than some villages and hamlets around Whitby in its architecture, and while our manorial landlords were absentee landlords and as a consequence there is no grand stately mansion or baronial hall in the neighbourhood, there are, nevertheless, not a few country houses in pleasant surroundings with both architectural quality and history. There is also a quantity of fine vernacular architecture in the village itself – and the former Parsonage House on Coach Road, built for the curate, is not without merit.
In the 19th century came the introduction of the railway at Sleights, and the village grew in size at a dramatic rate. What had been up to then a rural backwater, suddenly acquired industry and along with the new industries, an increase in population. With coming of the railway the parish was soon linked into a national network with all its advantages and disadvantages – the age of progress and prosperity had arrived! An increase in population brought about its own demands, and it was soon evident that numerous facilities were required such as a school and chapel. The National School, situated toward the top of the village, was erected in 1834, enlarged in 1885. The schoolmaster between 1877 and 1882 was John Ingram, who proved to be an unpopular Headmaster. Indeed, in 1880 there was a court case brought against him for an assault on a pupil.
In the last fifty years there has possibly been more change than in any other period. There was the arrival of the Council Estate c1966, whose numbers and architecture began to alter the face of Sleights. At Briggswath, the last five years have seen perhaps the most change than at any other time since the beginning of the 20th century when the ironstone works closed causing a decline in the hamlet, the Carrs was transformed from a cart track to a tarmacadam road. Here, at the bottom of Carr Hill, which before the main road and high-rise bridge was opened in 1937, was the main access from Whitby to Sleights and the moor, Persimmons have erected a fine new housing estate which is a credit to the district. This has effectively tripled the number of residents hereabouts; perhaps a change for the better, bringing new life and forming a new chapter in the history of a fine old village.

Alan Whitworth