WHATEVER happened to the fourth Kirkdale of the North York Moors? Until the 19th century, the North York Moors could boast four small valleys all named Kirkdale. Now there are three.

Perhaps the best known is Kirkdale near Kirkbymoorside. It boasts the wonderful pre-Reformation Minster of St Gregory dating to Anglo-Saxon times. The church bears an historic sundial above its south doorway whose carved lettering is difficult to read due to weathering of the stonework.

The inscription has been deciphered by experts and is said to read Orm, the son of Gamal, bought St Gregory’s minster when it was all broken and fallen, and he has let it be made new from the ground….in Edward’s days, the King, and Tosti’s days the Earl. That is c1060. Hawarth me wrought and Brand the priest/prior.

Clearly, there have been many changes to this church throughout its long Roman Catholic and Protestant history, the tower being added as late as 1827 with the chancel following in 1881.

Kirkdale Minster is not the only attraction. Just a few yards away is the renowned Kirkdale Cave, once home of exotic animals. Distinctive teeth marks on the bones suggested they had been gnawed by hyenas. The waters of Lake Pickering once lapped that cave entrance, all helping us to understand our landscape’s ancient history.

The second Kirkdale is known as Kirkdale Slack, slack being an old name for a small narrow valley. It lies north of Thornton Dale near Pickering and is a narrow valley with a footpath leading to Dalby Forest via the hamlet of Ellerburn. This Kirkdale lives up to its name by hosting the tiny 11th century church of St Hilda. Kirk, of course, is an old northern name for a church or chapel.

Along the A170 towards Scarborough, the third Kirkdale lies between Ebberston and Allerston. The dale heads towards the famous Scamridge Dykes and King Alfred’s Cave where a memorial to Alfred the Great was erected. As one would expect, there is a small ancient church here. Dedicated to St Mary, it probably dates from Norman times with many recent additions and alterations.

But with three Kirkdales on the southern edge of the North York Moors, what happened to the fourth? It is nowhere to be seen and modern maps don’t mention it. However, it was situated a mile or so west of Egton and was a small dale with an ancient church which stood on Kirk Cliff overlooking the River Esk and Stonegate Beck. That old church dates to the 12th century. Dedicated to St Hilda, it was renowned for its Norman pillars, wall paintings, timberwork and named pews destroyed during the Edwardian Visitations.

The trouble was it had served the noted Recusant district of Egton parish – Recusants were Roman Catholics and other non-conformists who refused to attend Church of England services. Due to the large population of Catholics and their stubborn refusal to conform to the new faith, this tiny valley of Kirkdale was renowned at Government level as a Bishopric of Papists. The Calendar of State Papers Domestic 1598-1601 defined it as being west of Egton, including Egton Banks, West Banks, Kirkdale Banks and Westonby, all named on Recusant Returns.

However, in later years when historians and writers came to visit this Kirkdale, it did not feature on the newly created Ordnance Survey maps. Surveying for these official state maps began in the early years of the 19th century and this particular sheet was printed between 1859 and 1861. The name Kirkdale has been omitted although some hamlets and other locations are included. So far as I can see, this Kirkdale does not appear on subsequent Ordnance Survey maps; in fact, it seems to have been airbrushed from English history. Locally, the area became known as Church Dale, although none of my maps records it by this name.

When I phoned Ordnance Survey at their head office and provided the necessary references, I was told that no records of the eradication of Egton’s Kirkdale remained because a Nazi bomb had destroyed the relevant records.

Fortunately, I discovered a privately produced hand-drawn map dated 1636 that was orientated with north at the foot instead of the top as in modern maps. Before realising that distinction, the map was difficult to understand, but it recorded this particular Kirkdale along with Kirkdale Banks, Kirk Cliff, Kirkdale Intake, Low Kirk Intake, two Kirke Fields, one Kirk Field, and the early church of St Hilda. This amazingly detailed map gives valuable support to historic documents including the Recusant Returns in which this Kirkdale strongly features. Incidentally, the map shows the then recently completed (1621) Beggar’s Bridge across the River Esk at Glaisdale; it was known as Ferry Brigg after its builder, Tom Ferris. But that’s another story.