People have been in Langstrothdale for a long time as can be seen in the Bronze Age stone circle, just half a mile away on the Yockenthwaite path. There’s also an ancient settlement about 1,600 feet up the fell  behind Deepdale where you can find the Chieftain’s Chair where legend has it this chair carved in to the rock was used by said Chieftain to survey the valley. Personally I think it’s the chance remains from quarrying but go with whatever suits you best. The Romans passed nearby but it’s hard to imagine the valley had any interest to them. The Roman road crosses the Hawes road at the top on its way over Cam Fell.

 

The longer term settlement of the valley probably started when the Danes arrived from the East, from Lancashire. Rather than the more outrageous raping, pillaging and badly behaved Vikings of legend, these were the more peaceful farming types. Each group would pick a site with enough room and hence the even spacing of the valley settlements – Oughtershaw, Beckermonds, Deepdale, Yockenthwaite, Raisgill and Hubberholme. The Danes were quite pleasant, much as they are today, and their settlement and integration is widely seen as trouble free.

 

The next major change came with the Norman invasion. The North was as usual divided up between the incoming hierarchy and the church and this area ended up in the hands Riveaux Abbey. In the 13th Century it was simply swapped with the Percy dynasty for Littondale. It became known as Langstrothdale Chase, denoting a minor hunting forest and at this time the valley would have been well-wooded. The villagers would have stayed in situ but undoubtedly been subjected to the punitive forest law. Oddly enough the Vikings behaved better.

 

Buckden developed as the administrative centre for the area and specifically for the forest, with the foresters residing there, maintaining the forest and its laws. The church at Hubberholme as we see it now was begun around 1200 as a forest church, where the hunters would offer prayers before heading out for a bit of sport. Whatever you do, visit the church. It’s absolutely stunning and also has one of only two Rood Lofts left in Yorkshire.

 

We are too high up the valley to see the impact of the Black Death, but if you head south past Kettlewell and towards Grassington the ridges clearly seen in the fields indicate the extent of the open field arable system which all but collapsed as some 30% of the population died. The impact reverberated through the centuries. Due to population loss, much of the land re-wilded with the result that wolves once more became a problem. Imagine, in hard winters, when you could here the wolves howling on the fells as they moved down looking for prey. There were professional wolf-catchers in Wensleydale well into the 14th Century so it’s not as far away as you might imagine.

 

The break up of the monasteries resulted in all the artisan skills required for these great buildings and estates, notably the stone masons, moving out through the Dales and probably paving the way for the revolution in stone building that began in the early 17th Century and reached a frenzy of activity at the end of that century as farmers became more prosperous. Our farm dates from the beginning of this era.

 

Throughout this time the fortunes of Deepdale improved considerably, beginning in the late 15th Century when there were 13 dwellings with some 60 people.

 

With the advent of pack horse, then coach travel, Deepdale ended up on one of the major cross country routes from Lancaster to York, and in the 18th Century was a major stopping off point and even had its own pub! The road crosses Can Fell to the west and up past Cray providing a great deal of passing trade.

 

The Enclosure Acts, mainly of the late 18th / early 19th Century, created most of the walls in the Dales and just about all the very straight ones you see are of this period. The barns are largely of this time and were primarily used for keeping cows over winter, back in the days before such buildings were centralised on the farm unit as transporting hay and feed became easier with the advent of the tractor. Interestingly, the exact size of the area for the cows (the byre) was actually defined in Roman times and has never changed.

 

The old stone pack horse bridge at the bottom of the track was unfortunately replaced in 1907. I have finally tracked down old photos of it and can safely say that the new bridge is not an improvement.

 

And now, Deepdale consists of just three farms. This one is now just the house and garden and all land is farmed by David and Nigel, the father and son who live in the two other farms. David lives directly behind Low House and Nigel over at the other farm. They still follow the ancient rhythms of the countryside and there is very little that we would call modern about being a hill farmer. It’s a world away from most of our lives and despite the advent of modern technology has changed little in hundreds of years.

 

They have some 1,000 sheep and 50 cattle at peak times. Dairy farming was stopped once the regulations regarding water supply came in and this existence is largely supported by grants for maintaining the environment.

 

The two other farms and all the land are actually owned by the grandson of a successful Bradford lawyer who represented many of the 19th Century Bradford mill owners. Apparently this chap is in his 80s and lives in Surrey. The general opinion is that the farms will pass to the National Trust soon. My guess is they’re not a great investment these days!