Druids' Temple
| Ilton | |
|---|---|
 Ilton
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| Ilton shown within North Yorkshire | |
| Population | 70 |
| OS grid reference | SE191782 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | RIPON |
| Postcode district | HG4 |
| Dialling code | 01765 |
| Police | North Yorkshire |
| Fire | North Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
Ilton is a village in North Yorkshire, England, 3 miles south-west of the small town of Masham. It is the principal settlement in the civil parish of Ilton cum Pott, in Harrogate district. The parish includes Roundhill Reservoir. The population of the parish was estimated at 70 in 2013.
The name is recorded in the Domesday Book as Ilcheton, meaning "settlement of a man called Ylca".
In the Middle Ages Fountains Abbey held land in Ilton, and also had a grange at Pott. In the 16th century Sir Thomas Danby acquired the land at Pott, and in 1658 a later Sir Thomas Danby bought the Ilton land, which has since formed part of the Swinton estates.
Ilton was historically in Mashamshire, the large ancent parish of Masham, in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Ilton cum Pott became a separate civil parish in 1866. A large area of Masham Moor was added to the parish in 1934. In 1974 the parish was transferred to the new county of North Yorkshire.
Until 1974 Ilton was part of Masham Rural District (before 1934 Masham Urban District) in the North Riding of Yorkshire. It is now part of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire.
The parish of Ilton cum Pott now shares a grouped parish council, known as Fearby, Healey and District Parish Council, with Fearby and Healey.
Near the village is the Druids' Temple, a replica of Stonehenge built in about 1800 by William Danby of nearby Swinton Park. During a time of agricultural depression and high unemployment, Danby hired local men to construct a moderately large-scale replica of Stonehenge, working at a full shilling a day. The result is a folly of national reputation. He was less successful in hiring a silent druidic hermit to fulfill a seven-year contract, though several tried, for the promised annuity.
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Wikipedia