Village of the Week: The hamlet that is home to the Yorkshire Pudding Throwing Championships

Running through it and forming the major road network connection is the A19 which runs from the outer edge of York city centre and almost as far as Middlesbrough.

Crawling away from this major artery though are narrow, winding country lanes which immediately land you from commuter territory to the countryside.

As you meander away from Thirsk and head even further north there are some lovely little hidden villages Thornton-le-Street, Thornton-Le-Moor and my absolute favourite, Thornton-le-Beans.

Its charming name comes from a common meaning for Thornton, which is a farm with thorn bushes, but the farm had beans grown on it - hence Thornton-le-Beans.

Apparently, the American-born author, Bill Bryson said in his 1995 book Notes From a Small Island that he wants to be buried in Thornton-le-Beans, due to the oddness of the name.

He wrote the book after having taken a trip around Great Britain before moving back to America.

He had lived at Kirby Malham in the Yorkshire Dales for a spell too.

Anyway, digressing back to Thirsk and villages, there is also a hamlet called Borrowby.

This is another of the villages that lies a little way off the beaten track and out towards those sprawling hills.

The population of Borrowby is said to be around 386 - but that includes the parish of Leake, which in itself is another story.

Leake had 10 residents in 2010 and seeing as it is less than a hundred, parish information is now with Borrowby.

The settlement was mentioned in the Domesday Book and the name comes from and Old English meaning that is drip or leake in relation to it being near water.

Leake Hall is a grade II listed house which dates from the 17th century and is now a farmhouse while the grade I listed St Mary’s Church dates from Norman times.

Borrowby itself has Danish origins and is also referred to in the Domesday Book.

It is likely that Borrowby hasn’t changed a huge amount in terms of layout. Of course there will be more houses now than there were but the main street through the village and the few lanes off it will be the same.

If you notice, a lot of the houses are set up a small banking off the main street and are a mix of cottages, former farmhouses or farm buildings with builds that have been added in the gaps over the years.

There is a village hall, a parish council and a pub.

Other than that there used to be a Primitive Methodist Church and a Methodist Chapel but that too now has closed.

In its application in seeking permission from the Synod to cease worship at Borrowby Methodist Chapel, which dated back to early 1800s at least, it said the membership has declined over the years due to deaths and that of the five remaining members, three had dementia and were no longer able to attend worship.

It was recommended that worship for the remaining members was transferred to Thornton-le-Beans after members had leafletted the locals in the village to invite them to harvest and Christmas Services as well as putting up posters on notice-boards and in the parish magazine and that investigations be made into the viability and logistics of selling the building.

There is a pub at the heart of the village too.

The Wheatsheaf has been there since the 17th century bringing people together and is still going strong as a village local. The list of Christmas and New Year events just gone is testament to that.

Then there is the village’s other tradition - Borrowby Show.

It has been going for some 73 years and is a highlight of the summer calendar.

Up until Covid the show had been held on a Wednesday but after a forced break due to the pandemic the show returned with a new look and some new faces.

Last year’s show was held again on a Saturday and it really boosted numbers that had been falling over the previous few years.

More than 40 years ago, dairy farmer Stephen Hogg found himself on the committee at the age of 17 because he used to help out as a kid and his dad was on the committee.

He has been secretary for the sheep classes since 2009 and 2022 saw sheep classes being bigger than ever.

“We are seriously punching above our weight for a small agricultural show”, he told the Yorkshire Post.

It shows that while many things in the world move on, some things remain a constant - and that is Yorkshire’s agricultural way of life and connection.

Stephen has another wonderful memory that would leave a city dweller aghast but will make your country man smile wryly.

“While we were at Borrowby Farm the cows had to walk through the village and that was starting to cause problems for those who had moved into the village. One chap had just tarmacked his drive and they walked over it. Unfortunately, he hadn’t shut his gate. Others had planted pansies and as the cows walked passed they would take a big mouthful and tidy them all up.”

Borrowby is also responsible for a quirky competition you probably won’t find anywhere else.

Borrowby Show also introduced in 2022 the Yorkshire Pudding Throwing Championships.

The concept is simple - the winner is whoever can throw it the farthest. Went down a storm apparently.