Editing Boroughbridge (section)

==History==
===Toponymy===
The origin of the name 'Boroughbridge' lies in its location relative to Aldborough, the principal settlement during the Roman period and known as [[Isurium Brigantum]]. [[Dere Street]], the [[Roman road]] heading north from York, originally crossed the [[River Ure]] just north of Aldborough, but at an unknown date the road was diverted to cross the river at Boroughbridge. The place was first mentioned in 1155 in the [[Latin]] form ''pontem de Burgo'' and by 1298 in the English form ''Burghbrig'' ('the bridge near Burgh or Aldborough').<ref>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=A.&nbsp;H.|author-link=Albert Hugh Smith|title=The Place-names of the West Riding of Yorkshire|volume=5|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1961|page=81}}</ref> A new town grew up at the bridge and the Old Town became known as the 'Ald-Borough'.

===Early===
[[File:Devils Arrows - geograph.org.uk - 346.jpg|thumb|[[Devil's Arrows]]|left]]
A line of three [[menhir]]s, or standing stones, known as the [[Devil's Arrows]], believed to have been erected in the [[Bronze Age]], can be found on the outskirts of Boroughbridge, by the side of the A1. The tallest stone is {{convert|22|ft}} tall. The stones are of millstone grit, probably quarried from [[Plompton]], the closest source of this material. The stones stand on an almost north–south alignment, with the central stone slightly offset. The first reference to the stones is from the journal of a fisherman, Peter Frankck, who visited Boroughbridge in 1694 and claims he saw seven stones. The antiquarian [[John Leland (antiquary)|John Leyland]] saw four stones, which is the verifiable number. The absent fourth stone stood close to the central stone and was dug out and broken up, allegedly by treasure hunters. Most of it was used to build Peg Bridge, which crosses the [[River Tutt]] as it enters the town. According to tradition the top of the fourth stone was to be found in the grounds of Aldborough Hall, which stands between Boroughbridge and Aldborough.<ref>Richmondshire and the Vale Of Mowbray, Edmund Bogg, Published by Elliot Stock 1908, Vol. 1 pp.&nbsp;8–12</ref>
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===Medieval===
Boroughbridge was not mentioned in [[Domesday Book]] of 1086, but was later described as part of the manor of Aldborough. In 1229 Boroughbridge, as part of the manor of Aldborough, was granted to [[Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent|Hubert de Burgh]], but was forfeited a few years later by his son, who fought against the king at the [[Battle of Evesham]] in 1265. It then remained a [[royal manor]] until [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] granted it to several citizens of London.<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911|inline=1 |wstitle=Boroughbridge |volume=4 |page=273}}</ref>

[[St James' Church, Boroughbridge]] originated as a Norman [[chapel-of-ease]] to [[St Andrew's Church, Aldborough]], but was rebuilt on a new site in 1852.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Canfield |first1=C. P. |title=BOROUGHBRIDGE, St. James |url=http://www.english-church-architecture.net/n%20york%20b/boroughbridge/boroughbridge.htm |website=English Church Architecture |access-date=29 March 2024 |archive-date=3 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203164307/http://www.english-church-architecture.net/n%20york%20b/boroughbridge/boroughbridge.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>  The [[Borough Bridge]] was in existence in the 12th century, and the current structure dates from 1562.<ref>{{cite web |title=Borough Bridge |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/education/educational-images/borough-bridge-boroughbridge-7128 |website=Historic England Archive |publisher=Historic England |access-date=31 March 2024 |archive-date=31 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331005412/https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/education/educational-images/borough-bridge-boroughbridge-7128 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1318 Boroughbridge was devastated by the Scots under [[James Douglas, Lord of Douglas|Sir James Douglas]] following the [[Capture of Berwick (1318)|Capture of Berwick upon Tweed]].

In 1322 the [[Battle of Boroughbridge]] took place as [[Edward II of England|King Edward II]] overpowered [[Thomas of Lancaster|Thomas, Earl of Lancaster]], bringing about the end of Edward II's retaliation against those who had opposed him in the [[Despenser War]] of 1321–22.  The [[Battle Cross, Boroughbridge|Battle Cross]], commemorating the event, was erected in the market square, but was moved to Aldborough in 1852.<ref name="nhle">{{NHLE |desc=Village Cross |num=1150095 |access-date=31 March 2024 }}</ref>

===Modern===
From medieval times Boroughbridge was part of the parish of Aldborough in the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]]. In 1553 it became a [[Boroughbridge (UK Parliament constituency)|parliamentary borough]], electing two [[Member of Parliament|Members of Parliament]] to the [[unreformed House of Commons]]. It had a [[burgage]] franchise, meaning that the right to vote was tied to ownership of certain of property in the borough and had fewer than 100 qualified voters by the time it was abolished in the [[Reform Act 1832|Reform Act of 1832]]. It was a [[pocket borough]] under the control of the [[Duke of Newcastle|Dukes of Newcastle]]. [[Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton|Augustus FitzRoy]], who was [[Prime Minister of the UK|Prime Minister]] as the 3rd [[Duke of Grafton]], was elected MP for Boroughbridge in 1756 but never sat for the borough, preferring to represent [[Bury St Edmunds]], where he had also been elected.

Boroughbridge was an important stage for [[stagecoach]]es because of its position on the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|Great North Road]] midway between London and Edinburgh. An advertisement in the ''[[Edinburgh Courant]]'' for 1754 reads: 
{{blockquote|The Edinburgh Stage-coach, for the better accommodation of passengers, will be altered to a New Genteel Two-end Glass Coach Machine, being on steel springs, exceeding light and easy, to go in ten days in Summer and twelve in Winter; to set out the first Tuesday in March, and continue it, from Hosea Eastgate's, the Coach and Horses, in Dean-Street, [[Soho, London]]; and from John Somerville's, in the [[Canongate]], [[Edinburgh]], every other Tuesday, and meet at Burrow-Bridge on Saturday night, and set out from thence on Monday morning, and get to London and Edinburgh on Friday. In Winter, to set out from London to Edinburgh every other (alternate) Monday morning, and to go to Burrowbridge on Saturday night; and to set out from thence on Monday morning, and get to London and Edinburgh on Saturday night. Passengers to pay as usual. Performed, if God permits, by your dutiful servant HOSEA EASTGATE.}}

Boroughbridge became a separate civil parish in 1866. In 1938 the civil parish absorbed the parishes of Aldborough and Minskip.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10399750/relationships |title=Vision of Britain website |access-date=6 September 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304091436/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10399750/relationships |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
In 1945 the bridge carrying the A1 road over the River Ure collapsed under the weight of a heavy vehicle carrying an 80-ton [[steel mill]] roll housing from [[Sheffield]] to [[Falkirk]]. The incident interrupted the main transport route for a short time and the army installed a [[Bailey bridge]] until repairs were completed.

In 1974 Boroughbridge was transferred from the West Riding to the new county of North Yorkshire. It was part of the [[Borough of Harrogate]] between 1974 and 2023.

In 2011 the town's sewage works, which serves a population of ten thousand, was upgraded, with the old bar screens, which had reached the end of their working life, being replaced with modern wire-mesh drum screens able to screen out an increasingly large amount of undesirable waste and also filter grit and fat, thus decreasing the load on the plant.  They were designed to meet the plant's stringent outfall requirements as set out by the Environment Agency. The settling and humus tanks were also upgraded from old manual sludging under hydrostatic head to circular tanks fitted with scrapers to desludge the tanks automatically.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yorkshire Water starts £500K sewage works improvements |url=https://www.waterbriefing.org/home/company-news/item/4425-yorkshire-water-starts-£500k-sewage-works-improvements |access-date=1 April 2019 |work=Water Briefing |date=15 July 2011}}</ref>