The story that the name Pateley comes from “pate” meaning badger in Yorkshire dialect is incorrect. In fact, Pateley comes from Old English pæð, lēah meaning “clearing near the paths” (whether “pate” was ever used locally as a word for badger is not clear).
The first written mention of Pateley was 1175. You will find many different spellings in historic sources (standardisation in spelling is fairly recent, it was a lot more flexible in the past!). The bridge part of the name comes much later, with the earliest mention of a bridge being 1320. Before there was a bridge, Pateley may simply have been a ford across the Nidd.
Pateley Bridge is technically a market town, although sadly no regular market takes place anymore. A “Market and Fair Charter” was granted to then Archbishop of York, William de Melton, in 1320 by King Edward II. As well as a weekly market, a 5-day fair was also held in September. Pateley Bridge hosts the last agricultural show of the season in September, around the time of the original annual fair. Nidderdale Show is sometimes still referred to as “Pateley Feast”. Show Day has recently moved from the third Monday in September to the Sunday, following a change in 2022 to accommodate the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Recorded in the Domesday Book, the Old English name beofor, lēah means “Forest-glade frequented by beavers”. After the Norman conquest, the lands were sold to Fountains Abbey, who established a grange. Following the dissolution, part of the Bewerley estate passed to the Yorke family who continued to own it for 250 years. Bewerley Grange Chapel dates back to the period Marmaduke Huby was Abbot of Fountains Abbey, between 1495 and 1526.
The villages of Wath and Ramsgill trace their history back many hundreds of years. The name “Wath” comes from Old Norse vað, meaning “ford”. In later centuries, the ford was replaced by a stone bridge. Part of Wath was owned by Fountains Abbey during the Middle Ages, including Sigsworth Grange. Wath’s Methodist Church is a Grade II listed building, dating to 1859. Ramsgill’s current churchyard contains the remains of the original Mediaeval chapel (Grade II listed).
Further up, at the top of the Dale, are the villages of Lofthouse and Middlesmoor. The name “Lofthouse” is another placename of Old Norse origin, lopt hús means “loft chamber” (i.e the houses with lofts).
It’s likely there has been a church at Middlesmoor since Anglo-Saxon times. The current church holds a stone cross inscribed “Cross of St Ceadda” (St. Chad) which has been dated to the Anglo-Saxon period. St. Chad’s was designed by William Henry Crossland, built around 1864/5 to replace the 14th-century church.
The village of Glasshouses was first recorded in 1387. The Grade II listed twine mill continued to be used for commercial units until quite recently, when it became apartments and holiday lets. The mill pond remains, and while it no longer powers a waterwheel it is used for recreation by the local outdoor centre and scout groups.
The village of Wilsill appears in the Domesday Book. The name means “Wifel’s nook of land”, the first part probably being a personal name. Smelthouses, as you might imagine, was named for a smelting mill, which seems to have fallen out of use before the dissolution of Fountains Abbey.
