Boroughbridge

History

The origin of the name 'Boroughbridge' lies in its location relative to Aldborough, the principal settlement during the Roman period and known as Isurium Brigantum. Dere Street, the Roman road heading north from York, originally crossed the River Ure just north of Aldborough, but at an unknown date the road was diverted to cross the river at Boroughbridge. The place was first mentioned in 1155 in the Latin form pontem de Burgo and by 1298 in the English form Burghbrig ('the bridge near Burgh or Aldborough'). A new town grew up at the bridge and the Old Town became known as the 'Ald-Borough'. A line of three menhirs, or standing stones, known as the Devil's Arrows, believed to have been erected in the Bronze Age, can be found on the outskirts of Boroughbridge, by the side of the A1. The tallest stone is tall. The stones are of millstone grit, quarried from Brimham Rocks, about to the west. The stones stand on an almost north–south alignment, with the central stone slightly offset. The first reference to the stones is from the journal of a fisherman, Peter Frankck, who visited Boroughbridge in 1694 and claims he saw seven stones. The antiquarian John Leyland saw four stones, which is the verifiable number. The absent fourth stone stood close to the central stone and was allegedly dug out and broken up by treasure hunters. According to tradition most of it was used to build Peg Bridge, which crosses the River Tutt as it enters the town, and the top of it was to be found in the grounds of Aldborough Hall, which stands between Boroughbridge and Aldborough . However, a 2026 study found that the Battle Cross at Aldborough has the same geological fingerprint as the surviving Arrows, supporting its identification as the repurposed fourth stone. Boroughbridge was not…

Most-observed species

• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,687
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,234
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,844
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,822
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,676
• Black-headed Gull

  Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,620
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,596
• Graylag Goose

  Anser anser (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,596

Most recent

• M 3.4 — 2025-12-03
  0 km ESE of Carnforth, United Kingdom
• M 2.8 — 2020-01-23
  1 km NW of Stockton-on-Tees, United Kingdom
• M 3.6 — 2011-01-03
  5 km S of Masham, United Kingdom
• M 3 — 2009-04-11
  5 km ENE of Goxhill, United Kingdom
• M 2.5 — 2007-08-10
  2 km SW of Failsworth, United Kingdom
• M 3 — 2004-07-05
  5 km WNW of Lund, United Kingdom