About Sutton under Whitestonecliffe

Sutton, or Sutton under Whitestonecliffe, is named to distinguish it from several other villages named Sutton in Yorkshire alone.

It is situated on the main Thirsk to Helmsley Road (A170) 3.5 miles east of Thirsk and approximately one mile from the foot of the formidable Sutton Bank, whose craggy limestone rocks overlook the village.

Sutton is probably of Anglo-Saxon roots with the place name ending ‘ton’ meaning a farm or settlement. Its first written record is in the Doomsday book 1086, where it mentions a ‘priest’ and a ‘mill’ as existing here. The mill still remains, but neither the priest nor his Chapel in which he would officiate, continues. Situated in the centre of the ‘old’ village, the notable feature of the crab-mill is still to be seen. It was used for crushing crab apples to make cider vinegar, known locally as verjuice.

Sutton Hall, the former residence and property of the vicar of Felixkirk, is an imposing house of cut stone, consisting of a centre and side wings with spacious grounds. It now operates as a timeshare.

Today the parish of Sutton has a population of about 300 people with its own Parish Council, whose meetings and minutes are advertised on the central village notice board.

Sutton is a rural community surrounded by farms which specialise in dairy cattle, arable beef stock production, sheep and poultry. The village has its own oak furniture craftsman, Beaver furniture.

Sutton boasts various holiday cottages, bed and breakfast businesses and wig-wam holiday cabins located throughout the village.