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Great Ayton
Roseberry Topping
Great Ayton is a delightful village, best known for its most famous son, Captain James Cook, discoverer and explorer.
Cook was born on 27 October 1728 in Marton, near Middlesbrough, but his family moved to Great Ayton when he was eight and he spent the next eight years of his life here before moving on to Staithes, near the lovely fishing port and seaside resort of Whitby.
Great Ayton, with the River Leven running between High and Low Green, is part of the Captain Cook Heritage Trail. James Cook lived in Great Ayton and was educated at the local school before leaving for Staithes. The local school is now the Captain Cook Schoolroom Museum, one of the many interesting places to visit in Great Ayton and the surounding area.
“Few villages possess so many educational facilities as Great Ayton. In 1704, a small school-house was built by Michael Postgate; this was again rebuilt in 1785. It was in this humble seminary that Captain Cook received his school education, at the expense of Thomas Scottowe, Esq, for whom Cook's father was then hind or farm bailiff. This school was superseded by a handsome stone structure, built at the sole expense of G Marwood, Esq, of Busby Hall, in 1851, and was chiefly supported by that gentleman during his lifetime. It was originally known as Marwood's Grammar School, but is now a Public Elementary School in connection with the parish church. The British School was erected by subscription, in 1843, at a cost of £500, for the education of 50 boys and 50 girls. It receives £100 per annum, the dividends of four railway shares left by the late Mr Thomas Richardson for the education of poor children in Great Ayton, without respect to religions creed or persuasion, provided the school or schools be conducted on the system promoted by the British and Foreign School Society.”
from Bulmer's 1890 History, Topography & Directory of North Yorkshire.
If you would like to see more information about Captain Cook click here.
Roseberry Topping
Great Ayton lies at the foot of the Cleveland Hills and is a superb base for a walking holiday (you can join the 110 mile Cleveland Way from the village). Walkers and cyclists wishing to explore the area will find plenty of good quality accommodation in Great Ayton to use as a base for exploring the rich and varied countryside. The town is overlooked by Roseberry Topping (which may sound like a fruity dessert but is actually a hill of 320 metres with a very distinctive, er, topping) and Easby Moor (where you’ll find a monument to Cook) and which offer spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.
Great Ayton takes its name from Ea-tun the tun or farm on an 'ea' or river.
Roseberry Topping is the most prominent and well-known natural landmark in Cleveland and it has its fair share of folk-tales associated with it. It’s prominent position and distinctive shape make it clearly discernible across a wide area.
Long before radio weather reports, Roseberry Topping was used by sailors as an indicator that bad weather was on the way, as the following local proverb relates:
“When Roseberry Topping wears a cap,
Let Cleveland then beware of a clap!”
The word “topping” derives from the Viking term, “toppen” meaning hill (just as have a number of different words for hill - fell, upland, wold, mound, hillock, etc - the Vikings also had more than one word for “hill”). The Vikings originally called Roseberry Topping “Odins-Beorge” or Odin’s Hill - it may have been used as a site place of worship for Odin.
Gradually Odins-Beorge evolved via Othenberg, Ohenseberg, Ounsberry and Ouesberry. Association with the village then called Newton-under-Ouseberry at the foot of the hill led to the modern name Roseberry when the final 'R' of 'under' produced the initial letter. Terminology went through a tit-for-tat process - Newton under Ouseberry is now called Newton under Roseberry.
Click here for some superb pictures of Roseberry Topping, plus a lot of background information about the rocky outcrop. Pictures of Roseberry Topping by Peter Bottomley.
If all this talk of toppings is making you hungry then why not check out the range of great places to eat in Great Ayton and the local area.
