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The History of Kettlewell Village - Arthur Raistrick
Roads
Can we say anything of the roads at that time?
There was a road by which Fountains Abbey servants came from Kilnsey Grange to Kettlewell. This used the wooden bridge over the Skirfare built and granted to Fountains Abbey in 1190, then came along the west side of the Wharfe to a ford, crossed to the east side and is now represented by Hawkswick Head Lane. In 1457 John Benson was paid 2s. 8d. for repairing this bridge. This entered the village by the church yard and Kettlewell Bridge. The road to Coverham and Middleham left the north end of the village street and continued along the Cam road across Top Mere, then on a line of the present Coverdale road.
Another very old road crosses through the village. This is an ancient track coming from Settle by Arncliffe, then over the fell as a bridle way to Kettlewell. Until 1605 this track crossed the river by a ford near the stepping stones, and went up the north side of the village crofts to the end of the street, and there joined the Coverham road. An alternative way however kept to the south bank of Kettlewell beck right past the village, then climbed the fell, the first part being the present Whernside Turf Road but soon turning sharply south east across Langliffe as Eisdon's road, to Conistone Out Moor and Mossdale. It continues as Sandgate and down the Stean Becks to Middlesmoor and Ramsgill. Its destination was the great market at Kirkby Malzeard, thus connecting two very important markets, Settle and Kirkby Malzeard by way of the intermediate Kettlewell market.
Both these roads were very busy and important.
The present road up Cam Gill by Park Rash is a newer one. In 1410 a licence was given by letters Patent, to Ralph, Earl of Westmorland, to crenelate (put minor defence battlements on) his house or hunting lodge, and to make a park of 300 acres, with a strong wall round it. This was the beginning of Scale Park which a little later included East Scale Park, and so completely straddled the Cam Gill valley. The Ta Dyke, the enormous Brigantian ditch, banks and rocky scar prepared about 69 AD as a defence against a Roman penetration into Wensleydale by way of Coverdale, which stretches for more than a mile along the crest of the valley, also added to the difficulties and prevented a road by that valley. The Cam Head road goes round the north end of Ta Dyke and Scale Park. It was not until the forfeiture of the Neville properties in 1565 that a road across the Scale Park could be made, and it was still some years before this was attempted.
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