South Otterington

South Otterington is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the A167 road 5 miles (8 km) south of Northallerton and on the east bank of the River Wiske.

South Otterington
Approaching South Otterington from the east
South Otterington Location within North Yorkshire
Population	347 (2011 census)[1]
OS grid reference	SE374875
Civil parish	South Otterington
Unitary authority	North Yorkshire
Ceremonial county	North Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NORTHALLERTON
Postcode district	DL7
Police	North Yorkshire
Fire	North Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
UK Parliament	Thirsk and Malton
List of places UK England Yorkshire 54.282°N 1.427°W / 54.282; -1.427

History

Otterington Signal Box

Otterinctune in the Allerton hundred is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The manor was split between Egelfride and Haldor at the time of the Norman invasion and subsequently passed to the Crown.^[2]

Part of the manor was granted to Robert Brus, whose family held it until 1242 when it was granted to Byland Abbey who held it until the dissolution. Another part of the manor was granted to the Fossard family who held it until 1279 when it was passed to Richard Malbiche. At some point in the early 17th century, most of the lands of the manor were in the possession of the Talbot family of Thornton-le-Moor. The name is probably from Old English relating to a person named Otter and the suffix tun meaning settlement.^[3][4]

Otterington station on the North Eastern Railway mainline between Thirsk and Northallerton opened on 31 March 1841 and closed to passengers 15 September 1958 before final closure on 10 August 1964. The station was next to the road bridge over the lines.^[5][6] The former station building, signal box and other features are Grade II listed structures.^[7]

Governance

The village is in the Thirsk and Malton UK Parliament constituency. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Hambleton, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council.

Geography

The nearest settlements are Newby Wiske 0.5 miles (0.8 km) to the west and Thornton-le-Moor 1.1 miles (1.8 km) to the east. The village is located to the east of the River Wiske on the A167 road. Howe Beck flows through the north end of the village to join the River Wiske.^[8]

Demography

The 1881 UK Census recorded the population as 349.^[4] The 2001 UK Census recorded the population as 344, of which 269 were over the age of sixteen years and of those, 181 were in employment. There were 141 dwellings of which 85 were detached. The split of male to females was 47.4% and 52.6% respectively. The mean age of the population was 37.98 years old.^[9]

Transport

The East Coast Main Line passes to the east of the village.^[8] The former Otterington railway station, on Station Road, closed in 1958.

The North Yorkshire County Council bus service 153 runs 3 times daily from Northallerton to Thirsk via Thornton-le-Moor, South Otterington, Sandhutton and Carlton Miniott.^[10]

Education

A school was built in the village in 1856.^[4] A new building, South Otterington CE Primary School, was built in 1993 to accommodate an expansion in pupil numbers following the closure of the schools in nearby Newby Wiske and Thornton-le-Moor. It incorporates pre-school facilities.^[11]

Religion

St Andrew's Church, South Otterington

The village church, dedicated to St Andrew, is a Grade II Listed building built in 1847 by Anthony Salvin.^[12] It is on the site of an earlier Norman church.^[4]

Notable inhabitants

• Andy Preston, a former Mayor of Middlesbrough and hedge fund manager, has lived at Otterington Hall since at least 2007.^[13]