“Home On The Moor”

Moorsholm sits on the edge of the North York Moors and is just a few miles from the North Sea.
The name derives from the Viking name which literally means “Home on the Moor” and the local pronunciation is Moors-hum. It was documented in the Mediaeval census, the Domesday book
( 1085 - 1086 ) . It would have been built with a conventional layout based on Tofts, which is the old Scandinavian word for homestead, with rows of houses built around a green. Behind the houses would have been a strip of land opening on to the fields. The Church, which was the main building and focal point of the village, would have been at the centre.

Being near the North Sea meant that the local area was always under threat of possible attack from invaders across the North Sea from the Vikings onwards. Nearby Loftus and Skelton had fortified houses and Skelton its castle. Modern day and welcome  “invaders” are of course local visitors, walkers and tourists.

The nearest town is Guisborough, an historic market town dominated by an Augustinian Priory founded in 1119 by Robert du Brus II. The town has a traditional street market during the week and on a Saturday. Farmers and other specialist markets are held throughout the year.

To the south is Whitby the famous fishing port and very popular tourist destination. Over the years its fame has been enhanced by the Victorian photographer Frank Meadow Sutcliffe, whose sepia photographs must adorn thousands of homes throughout the world.

Some of the finest stretches of the Yorkshire Coast are also in easy reach as are the Yorkshire Dales, Yorkshire Wolds and of course the North York Moors.