Yelling Village

Photos of Yelling in the last 100 years. What’s still the same and what’s changed. (Photos courtesy of Ouida Ascroft)

Hover over the image to read the caption.

A brief history of Yelling

An unusually named village (taken from the manorial family GILL or GELL) is in a woodland valley and has attractive thatched and half timbered dwellings, many of which are listed buildings (15) dating from the 16th Century.

The Church of the Holy Cross is in Norman style and has four bells in the Tower dating from 1666 to 1770.  Original seating was chairs and benches for 146 worshippers, now replaced by pews.  A plaque commemorating Rev. Henry Venn, who lived at the Old Rectory is over the pulpit.  Rev. Venn was a noted Evangelist who moved to Yelling from Huddersfield as a sick man and died in Clapham in 1797.  A sketch by Miss Venn in 1822 shows the church with a steeple.  The Baptist Chapel, built in 1850, was restored in 1883.

In 1868 the Board School, which is now the Village Hall, was built for 124 children from Yelling and Toseland, at a cost of £400.

1894 was the year the Parish Council was formed.  Minutes from this date still exist.  The village also supported six farmers, a carpenter and builder, two shopkeepers, a blacksmith, a boot and shoe maker, a saddle maker who was also the publican of the White Swan, and two carriers.  Today there are only two resident farmers and none of the other craftsmen exist. 

The population then was 316.  Population numbers have not varied greatly.  In 1901 – 242; 1931 – 220; 1971 – 298; 1991 – 278; today approx 260 in 122 dwellings.  In 1972 there were 84 houses in the village, 6 of which have been demolished.