History
Many thanks to Dr. Colin Hayfield, from whom much of this information was gleaned. Please blame the transcription, not the source if there are any factual errors
Prehistory
There is evidence of activity in the area in the Mesolithic (10,000-7,000 years ago) and Neolithic (7,000-5,000 years ago) periods. The forests in around valleys were cleared certainly by 3500BC. Sources of water would have been of critical importance to man because the naturally well draining chalk landscape and lack of rivers would otherwise limit the area's habitability. The pond at Vessey Pasture was clearly important in the Stone Age, as significant amounts of worked flint have been found there.
Into the Bronze Age (from about 3000 BC) there is evidence of people living in the area for at least part of the year. There are a number of round barrows from the period, though they are not very visible nowadays.
Later, towards the Iron Age, linear earthworks began to be constructed. These demonstrate that the idea of territory was developing, and the earthworks were used to demarcate areas of land. There are numbers of barrows across the top of the scarp looking down into the Vale of York. Houses are known to have existed at Wharram Percy in about 100BC.
The Romans
By Roman times, the landscape was fairly similar to today. The main centres of dwelling and farms were established. Many existing tracks and roads were in the same position as today. Some Roman pottery has been found in Thixendale, but little is known of the state of the village at that time. There was, however, a Roman village less than a mile away at Raisthorpe.
Mediaeval
The landscape changed a lot in the 9th-10th centuries. Settlement became concentrated in villages and landholdings were reorganised into neat patterns. New field systems were in place before the Norman conquest. Fields were laid out in a ridge and furrow arrangement, and every villager had a number of strips spread around the available land. Thixendale parish became the largest of the five townships under Wharram Percy.
There are references in 1440 to a chapel dedicated to St. Stephen serving Thixendale and Raisthorpe. Its location is not known, but may have been at the west end because of references to 'Chapel Garth' in 1573. The main church was still at Wharram Percy, so the chapel appears to be for the use of the elderly and infirm. Declining congregations Wharram Percy resulted in the chapel's closure in 1546.
Much of the land came into the ownership of the church. St. Mary's Abbey in York, and Kirkham Abbey owned large areas. Eventually two thirds of Thixendale was owned by the church. The church wanted to consolidate the strips to build up blocks of land for sheep. This tended to squeeze out the villagers and resulted in large monastic sheepwalks.
With the dissolution of the monasteries, all of the land was grabbed by the crown, which then proceeded to sell it off. Speculators bought land and split it up for sale in smaller portions.
17th/18th Century
During the 17th century, much of these lands were consolidated into large estates. This had the effect of depopulating the villages and the lands were grassed over for sheep. The disappearance of the village at Raisthorpe is a good example of this.
In time, sheep became less profitable. There were failed attempts at ploughing the land, but bad land management led to disuse.
Also see 'Thixendale under the Sledmere Estate'.
18th/19th Century
Thixendale had survived previous enclosures, and retained its land strip system.
Between 1786 and 1795, Sir Christopher Sykes started buying land property by property. Along with the properties went the strips of land. He created farms of between 500 and 1000 acres, notably Thixendale Grange, Manor Farm, Gills Farm and Gritts Farm. Along with the farms, came the farmsteads, built from 1843 onwards.
Agriculture was developed by securing sources of water in dew ponds and improving the fertility of the soil by using manure from cattle. The cattle were held in high barns through the winter and sold in the spring.
Labourers were needed for the agriculture. Older workers were found in the villages, and younger lads were hired by the year.
The Sykes estate were responsible for much of the existing buildings in Thixendale, including Diamond cottages, the church and the school. In part, this was a way of 'showing-off' the wealth of the estate. Only the best architects and workmanship was permitted.
Also see 'Thixendale under the Sledmere Estate'.
This map from 1793 
shows the following:
 | (1) Marshall's Garth occupied the land from the junction near 'Round-the-Bend' through where Beamer View and Newcote are now. |
| (2) Court Garth occupied the land that is now mainly Chapel Farm. |
| (3) There is a lane between (1) and (2), called Water Lane, leading to (4) below. |
| (4) Marshall's Allotment - a small triangle of land to the south of (1) and the west of (2) |
| (5) Brigham's Garth - now the site of the Cross Keys. |
| (6) Brigham's Allotment - roughly where Jay-Jay is now |
| (7) Thomas Harrison's Garth - between Cottage Farm and Manor farm. |
| The spring and pond can be seen towards Manor Farm. |
| A building is shown opposite 'Round-the-Bend' |
| What is now October Barn seems to be shown. |
| All of the existing roads were already in place. |
This map from 1816 
shows the following:
| Marshall's Garth appears to have grown by taking over Court Garth and Water Lane. |
| October Barn appears more clearly. There appears to be a road between it and the Huggate hill. |
In 1837, John Jewison of Raisthorpe built a terrace of 8 brick cottages between the Cross Keys and what is now the cricket pitch. These became known as Jewison's row. They were built to house farm labourers.
A Methodist chapel was built at the east of the village in 1837. Some information courtesy of Christopher Dent:
"My father was Superintendent Minister of the Pocklington Circuit of the Methodist Church in the 1960s. The circuit at that time had 28 chapels and Thixendale was probably the most inaccessible, certainly in winter. As far as I can remember, the Thixendale Chapel had only one member, Mrs Sarah Welburn, whose details I have found on the website under the Coates family. Sarah faithfully maintained the life of the chapel for many years. Many of the chapels, like Thixendale, had a very small membership. My father organised a circuit rally each quarter gathering in the members from across the circuit. A special bus was sent out around the circuit, but Sarah Welburn was fetched by car during the afternoon and had tea with us in the Manse in Pocklington before the evening service. It was like an outing to the metropolis for her."
Manor Farm was built in 1843.
In 1849 a schoolroom next to what is now Cottage Farm was licensed for 'C of E' services. It can be seen as the single-story building in these two photos: photo 1(1900), photo 2 (1904).
This map from 1851 
shows the following:
| The Cross Keys is clearly identified. |
| The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel is shown. |
| Manor Farm is shown. |
| The Smithy is shown opposite Cottage farm. |
| The schoolroom is shown. |
The new church, St. Mary's was built in 1870.
A church drum and fife band formed in 1888. This became a brass band in 1890.
Diamond Cottages were built just before the end of the century, and were named after Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
20th Century
This map from 1910 
shows the village very much as it is today. In particular note the following:
| The school, church and vicarage appear. |
| Diamond Cottages appear. |
| Beamer View cottages appear. |
The sale of the Village - 1919
Parts of the village were sold from the Sykes' Sledmere estate in 1919. A catalogue detailing the sale exists, and has been uploaded on to this web site. This has been provided by Mr M. Thornton (michael@thornton1.freeserve.co.uk), whose father and grandfather both worked for the Wood family at Gills farm until his father moved to Thornholme to work for another Wood family member. To see the catalogue, click here.
The sale of the Village - 1941
Further parts of the village of Thixendale were sold as part of the sale of outlying portions of the Sledmere Estate in 1941. We are very grateful to Mr S.Lyus for providing us with a copy of the original sale catalogue. This is a fascinating document, including details on the buildings, inhabitants, acreage and rents at that time.
To see the catalogue, click here.
Home Guard 1940
This this photograph is thought to have been taken in 1940. John Brayshaw, with the help of his father (Albert Brayshaw in the photo, now in his mid 90’s), and Roy Jefferson believe they have managed to correctly name most if not all of the participants.
Back Row from Left to Right: David Hepton – Will Lacy - ? Reeves – Dick Hood – Tom Jefferson – Jack Bradley - ? Reeves – Bill Bradley
Front Row from Left to Right: Albert Brayshaw – Harry (Ken) Coates – Bill Peckitt – Everatt Hall – Jack Robson – Rob Midgley
Snippets
Old Sabres found in Wolds Shed
Two 18th century cavalry sabres have been unearthed by a Thixendale blacksmith while he was cleaning out a farm outbuilding. Harry Coates discovered the sabres inside a battered tea chest in a building he was cleaning out for a friend. They have been preserved in excellent condition by their scabbards, which we encrusted in rust. The sabres are believed to be of the type used by light cavalry troupers between 1796 and 1820. If this is so, then it is highly likely that the sabres belonged to troupers in the Yorkshire and Wolds Yeomanry, mustered by Sir Christopher Sykes of Sledmere. Investigations since the discovery of the two sabres been unable to trace the exact owners of the weapons. (source L.Boyes)
William Hunter of Thixendale
In October 1619 Robert Hunter, Katherine and their daughter Susanna Hunter all died in Huggate. In Katherine's Will she leaves her two sons, William age 8yrs and Robert age 18mnths to their Grandfather William Hunter of Thixendale. Their daughter Elizabeth age 12yrs went to life with her Uncle William Ostiby (Oxtoby) in Tibthorpe. I presume that William Hunter was involved in farming in Thixendale, but the Parish Records have not stood the passage of time very well!. I visited your beautiful but remote village on a rainy summer day and can only imagine what it must have been like back in 1619 for two orphaned boys arriving there.
Wesleyan Methodist Chapel
(Thanks to Robin Cundell)
Thomas Cundill (born 1829 in Kenneythorpe, died 1896 and listed in the 1881 census) was a prominent Methodist. After attending a prayer meeting in June 1893, he went to get his horse out of the stable to return to 'the grange' where he farmed. The horse suddenly started to bite and kick him. Several men nearby went to his aid preventing fatal injuries but he was badly cut and bruised.
His son (also Thomas Cundell born 1858 in Pocklington) was also a strict methodist and took over the grange in 1897 after his fathers death.
Climpson / Langridge / Scutt family
(Thanks to Barbara Bennett)
My late uncle, Stan Climpson who is buried in Thixendale Churchyard, and my auntie Gladys Climpson or Gladys Hirst, (she used to be known as Babs), they had a daughter Wendy who used to work at the Castle Museum in York, and a son called Boy, who married a lady called Betty, they were married in Acomb, which is where Babs and Stan lived before they came to Thixendale, they used to run the Cross Keys Pub, I think in the late 50`s/early 60`s, the highlight of the year then, it seemed to be, when the Morris Men used to come and dance outside the pub.
My auntie Haidee Langridge and my Nana Anna Scutt, used to live at the cottage next door but one, called "Round the Bend", and we have fond memories of holidays there from Liverpool.
Uncle Stan and Auntie Babs used to let a fellow called Don (I don`t know his surname) keep his caravan at the bottom of the garden, I think he worked for the Forestry Commission, but I don`t know where he worked. I also remember a lady called Mrs Reeve who worked at the pub as a cleaner, and I remember meeting her grand-daughter Susan when I went to stay there one time.