West Heslerton | |
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West Heslerton shown within North Yorkshire | |
Population | 409 (2011) |
OS grid reference | SE911759 |
Civil parish |
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District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | MALTON |
Postcode district | YO17 |
Police | North Yorkshire |
Fire | North Yorkshire |
Ambulance | Yorkshire |
EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
UK Parliament |
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West Heslerton is a small village in North Yorkshire, England, 6 miles (10 km) southeast of Pickering. The village lies within the historic county boundaries of the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The village is the site of one of Britain's largest archaeological excavations, that of a large settlement which seems to have been occupied for several centuries until about 800 AD. The settlement flourished during late Roman/early Anglo-Saxon times, but may have been occupied for a considerable length of time before the arrival of Romans in Britain. The site covers over 45 hectares and contains the traces of more than 200 buildings.
The village name is thought to be derived from the word "hazel" or "hazel enclosure".
The Yorkshire Wolds Way National Trail and the Centenary Way long distance footpaths runs just south of the village.
West Heslerton was served by Heslerton railway station on the York to Scarborough Line between 1845 and 1930.
The entire village was owned by the same family for over 150 years, until 2016, when the land and property remaining in Estate ownership was put up for sale for £20 million following the death of its last owner, Eve Dawnay, in 2010. Miss Dawnay was a great-granddaughter of William Henry Dawnay, 7th Viscount Downe and of Lt.-Col. Arthur de Vere Capell, Viscount Malden, son of the 6th Earl of Essex.