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Beggar's Bridge

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Beggar's Bridge is a packhorse bridge straddling the River Esk in Glaisdale, North Yorkshire, England. The bridge dates back to 1619 and was reputedly built by a former poor farm worker (Tom Ferris) who wanted to meet his love but could not due to the river being in flood. Having become rich working at sea, then becoming the mayor of Kingston upon Hull, Ferris built the bridge at that point when flooding prevented him crossing it years before. The structure is both a scheduled monument and a grade II* listed building.

Beggar's Bridge
An arched stone bridge, spanning a narrow body of still water, with trees on the far side of the river
Beggar's Bridge over the River Esk
Coordinates54°26′19″N 0°47′31″W / 54.43861°N 0.79194°W / 54.43861; -0.79194
OS grid referenceNZ784054
CrossesRiver Esk
LocaleGlaisdale, North Yorkshire
Other name(s)Ferris Bridge
Characteristics
Total length54 feet (16 m)
Width6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m)
History
Opened1619
Statistics
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated5 October 1969
Reference no.1148573
Location
Map

History

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The River Esk had five Medieval stone bridges crossing it; three in Danby, one in Sleights, and Beggar's Bridge in Glaisdale.[1] The Medieval bridge crossing at Glaisdale was replaced by the current bridge in 1619, but it incorporates some of the stone used in the previous bridge which had collapsed in 1577.[2][3] The bridge was built by Thomas Ferris, the son of a poor famer who lived on one side of the river, but the woman he loved (Agnes) lived on the other side, and she was the squire's daughter. The squire forbade them from marrying due to Ferris being poor, so Ferris resolved to make his fortune, which he did at sea, returning to marry Agnes, and then became the Lord Mayor of Kingston-upon-Hull.[4] The story is that on the night he left to go to sea, flooding prevented him from using the stepping stones to cross the river to say goodbye to Agnes, so when he had made his fortune, he built the bridge so that other lovers would not suffer as he and Agnes did.[5] However, it appears that Agnes died in 1618, so with the bridge being built later, some have suggested that it was a memorial to her rather than a crossing for others.[6][note 1]

The bridge consists of a single arch with a ribbed underside,[8] stretching 54 feet (16 m) over the Esk, with a maximum width of 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m).[9] The bridge has "unusually low parapets", and was the location of what has been termed a "bizarre accident".[10] At the end of the 19th century, a cart was being pulled by two horses, but on nearing the end of the bridge, one of the horses jumped over the side and was hanged by its own harness.[11] Not long after the bridge was finished, it was said to have been the site of a murder, and then haunting. A man killed his lover in a fit of rage and threw her body under the bridge, her headless body is rumoured to haunt the area.[12]

Beggar's Bridge is quite close to the formation of the railway line between Battersby and Whitby (the old Cleveland Railway which connected to the Whitby & Pickering Railway at Grosmont), and during the course of construction of the railway, serious consideration was given to removing Beggar's Bridge altogether.[13] The bridge lies near to the Coast to Coast Walk between St Bees and Robin Hood's Bay, with many walkers resting by the bridge.[14] The bridge carried an old track between Whitby, Glaisdale and Egton, which continued across the moors to Pickering.[15][16] The bridge was used as part of a packhorse route connecting Glaisdale with the high level road to Whitby (on the valley top to the north).[5] In July 2023, some of the stones of the bridge were incised to a depth of 1.5 inches (38 mm) with an angle-grinder in what the North York Moors National Park Authority described as "a crude act of heritage crime."[17] The bridge was formerly referred to as "Ferris Bridge" in honour of its builder, and besides being a scheduled monument, it was grade II* listed in 1969.[18][19][20]

A short dramatised film based on the folk story of Ferris, Agnes and the bridge was released in 2010.[21]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography states that "Thomas Ferries" married Alice Cowper of Hull in 1612, and after her death, Anne Thackray (also of Hull). It maintains that the notion of Ferries being married to Agnes is "...a romantic tale [that] seems to be without foundation."[7]

References

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  1. ^ Page, William (1968). The Victoria history of the county of York, North Riding, volume 2. London: Dawsons of Pall Mall for the University of London Institute of Historical Research. p. 349. ISBN 0712903100.
  2. ^ Darley, Karen (9 August 2023). "'Staggering act of vandalism': Damage to historic bridge 'beggars' belief". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Update on Beggar's Bridge, Glaisdale | NYMNP". northyorkmoors.org.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Countryman's Diary: Esk bridge is the stuff of legend". The Northern Echo. 17 November 2000. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b Hinchcliffe, Ernest (1994). A guide to the packhorse bridges of England. Milnthorpe: Cicerone. p. 71. ISBN 1852841435.
  6. ^ "Vandals attack historic Glaisdale Beggar's Bridge with power tool". BBC News. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  7. ^ Short, M. J. (23 September 2004). "Ferres, Thomas". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/66533. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  8. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (2002) [1966]. Yorkshire, the North Riding. London: Yale University Press. p. 171. ISBN 0300096658.
  9. ^ Hinchcliffe, Ernest (1994). A guide to the packhorse bridges of England. Milnthorpe: Cicerone. p. 70. ISBN 1852841435.
  10. ^ Mee, Arthur (1950) [1941]. Yorkshire, North Riding (6 ed.). London: Hodder & Stoughton. p. 92. OCLC 46765041.
  11. ^ Whitworth, Alan (1998). Esk Valley Railway: a travellers' guide ; a description of the history and topography of the line between Whitby and Middlesbrough. Barnsley: Wharncliffe Books. p. 44. ISBN 1871647495.
  12. ^ Atkinson, J. C. (1 December 1866). Hailstone, Edward (ed.). "Beggar's Bridge". Whitby Repository, or Album of Local Literature. 1 (6). Whitby: William King: 203. OCLC 931135468.
  13. ^ Hailstone, Edward, ed. (1 April 1867). "Bow Bridge". Whitby Repository, or Album of Local Literature. 1 (10). Whitby: William King: 362. OCLC 931135468.
  14. ^ "How Wainwright's Coast-to-Coast walk has stood the test of time". BBC News. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  15. ^ Whitworth, Alan (2011). In & around the North York Moors through time. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-4456-0599-9.
  16. ^ Robinson, R. A. (1991). The story of Danby. Danby: R. A. Robinson. p. 324. ISBN 0-9518352-0-3.
  17. ^ "Beggar's Bridge: Stonemason hired to repair Glaisdale landmark". BBC News. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  18. ^ Historic England. "Beggars [sic] Bridge over River Esk (Grade II*) (1148573)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  19. ^ Historic England. "Beggar's Bridge (1021022)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  20. ^ Jervoise, E. (1931). The ancient bridges of the North of England. London: The Architectural Press. p. 63. OCLC 221808532.
  21. ^ "Graduates film North Yorkshire legend in Glaisdale, near Whitby". Gazette & Herald. 12 August 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
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