Coverdale Parish »
Coverham
Coverdale is one of the most beautiful, but relatively one of the more isolated of the Yorkshire Dales. Coverham at the eastern end of the dale is dominated by Middleham Moor, Penhill and Flamstone Pin. The minor road continues from Coverham, through the length of the dale, to Park Rash Pass and Kettlewell. It is increasingly used by tourists, but in 1823 it was a “track” used by the “drovers” on their way from County Durham to West Yorkshire via Skipton.
This small hamlet of Coverham dominates the entrance to Coverdale and is reached by the road across Middleham Moor and by the narrow Braithwaite Lane from East Witton. The Abbey on this beautiful but remote site “was founded by Ralph, son of Robert, Lord of Middleham, about the fourteenth year of King John”. Little remains of the building and the ruins are scattered about in Coverdale. However the church, built alongside the Abbey, is a fine example dedicated to the Holy Trinity. In 1823 the patron was the Reverend S. Hardcastle, the incumbent was the Reverend William Otter and the officiating curate, the Reverend James Law.
Today the church is maintained by the Churches Conservation Trust, but it may be used for baptisms, marriages and funerals, and for two or three main services each year. The cemetery is still available and is well maintained by the tiny community. Nearby the cheese factory was established almost a century ago, but is now a derelict eyesore at the entrance to Coverdale and the National Park. In contrast, the recently opened Forbidden Corner Grotto illustrates the popularity of the dale for tourists.
In 1823 Coverham was a small, thriving community. Mrs. Lister, a “gentlewoman” lived at Coverham Abbey House. There were four racehorse trainers. Robert Johnson was a jockey; Stephen Buck, a corn miller; Thomas Thompson, a farmer, David Raw the Parish Clerk and William Robinson was a victualler, living in Coverham Lane. The long established racing stables at Coverham still enjoy a national reputation and resultant prosperity.
In 1823 Coverham itself plus the nearby settlement of Agglethorpe had a population of one hundred and thirty one. Little and West Scrafton supported one hundred and forty six people, presumably served by the church at Coverham, travelling to worship by horse and trap or on foot! At the end of the twentieth century the car, of course, predominates, often causing congestion and danger on the narrow twisting roads built for the “drovers” and local horse drawn traffic. One can only speculate about the future of Coverham in the next century.
Ken Stott