Reeth | |
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Reeth as seen from Grinton Lodge Youth Hostel |
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Reeth shown within North Yorkshire | |
Population | 724 |
OS grid reference | SE037991 |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | RICHMOND |
Postcode district | DL11 |
Dialling code | 01748 |
Police | North Yorkshire |
Fire | North Yorkshire |
Ambulance | Yorkshire |
EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
UK Parliament | |
Reeth is a village about 11 miles west of Richmond in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England, located within the civil parish of Reeth, Fremington and Healaugh. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is considered to be the principal settlement of upper Swaledale.
In Saxon times, Reeth was only a settlement on the forest edge, but by the time of the Norman conquest it had grown sufficiently in importance to be noted in the Domesday Book. Later it became a centre for hand-knitting and the local lead industry was controlled from here, but it was always a market centre for the local farming community.
The origin of the name Reeth is unclear. It is possibly derived from the Germanic for 'place by the stream'. While this claim can neither be confirmed nor denied, Reeth could also have been derived from the Cumbric rith (cf. ryd in Modern Welsh, rys in Cornish ) meaning 'Ford'. Both would make sense as Reeth is located near two shallow rivers.
On 5 July 2014, the Tour de France Stage 1 from Leeds to Harrogate passed through the village.
The village lies within the Richmond (Yorks) parliamentary constituency, which has been represented since 2015 by Conservative Rishi Sunak, who took over from retiring fellow Tory William Hague. It also lies within the Upper Dales electoral division of North Yorkshire County Council and the Reeth and Arkengarthdale ward of Richmondshire District Council.