Yorkshire Village History: Farming, Industry and Places We Have Walked
Updated: Oct 23
Yorkshire villages have different histories. Some grew from farming and market routes, while others were transformed by mining and industry. A few disappeared almost entirely. Lyn and I have explored villages across the county on our own GPS-recorded walks, so this article links to real places rather than a generic list.
Villages Shaped by Farming
Many Yorkshire villages developed around fields, churches, estate land and routes linking local markets. Rivers mattered for both trade and transport. The streets and surviving buildings give clues to how each settlement grew.
Our recorded Cawood Circular Walk explores a historic village beside the River Ouse near Selby. Our Hooton Pagnell Circular Walk is another way to see the countryside around an established South Yorkshire village.
Villages Changed by Industry
Coal mining, textile production and transport brought different kinds of work to Yorkshire's settlements. Homes, roads and community life changed alongside those industries. That history remains part of the landscape even after mines and mills have closed.
Altofts near Normanton is one such place. Our 4.07mi Altofts Circular Walk explores the setting of this former mining village near the Calder Valley.
Wharram Percy: A Village Left Behind
Not every medieval settlement survived. Wharram Percy in the Yorkshire Wolds became deserted as farming and land ownership changed. The earthworks of former houses and the ruined church are still visible. English Heritage has investigated the site over many years.
Lyn and I walked the area on our 4.79mi Wharram Percy Circular Walk. For the historical evidence, read English Heritage's Wharram Percy history.
Explore Yorkshire Villages Yourself
The Komoot map at the top of each of our recorded walking articles shows the actual route. The descriptions are there to explain the scenery and local interest, not to duplicate the directions.
Browse Yorkshire Walks, West Yorkshire Walks, South Yorkshire Walks and East Yorkshire Walks for more original routes.
Written by Michael and Lyn for The White Shire.
What I like is that these are walks someone actually did with a spin shark casino GPS rather than a list copied from a guidebook, because the difference shows the moment you try to follow one. Wharram Percy is the one that would get me out there, since the earthworks of a village that emptied out centuries ago are far more affecting than a nicely preserved one. The link between vanished mills and the roads still running through a place is the sort of thing I'd never notice driving through.