Littondale is a dale in the former Craven District of the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire, England. It comprises the main settlements of Hawkswick, Arncliffe, Litton, Foxup and Halton Gill, and farmhouses that date from the 17th century. The main waterway in the dale is the River Skirfare which is fed by many small gills and becks.
The dale, first recorded by name as Littundale in 1198, is one of the few dales named from its main settlement rather than its river (Wensleydale is the best known example).[1] Historically the dale was also known as Amerdale.[2] The village of Arncliffe was the original setting for the TV series Emmerdale, which is believed to take its name from Amerdale.[3]
- ^ Smith, A. H. (1961). The Place-names of the West Riding of Yorkshire. Vol. 6. Cambridge University Press. p. 126.
- ^ Whitaker, Thomas Dunham (1805). History and Antiquities of the Deanery of Craven. p. 421.
- ^ "Guide to Littondale". Yorkshire Dales Online. Retrieved 4 June 2020.