Welcome to Snape Local History Group

About Snape

The village of Snape in North Yorkshire stands 2 miles to the south of Bedale and 3 miles west of the A1. 

With a population of about 350, the village has numerous historical associations including: 

• The site of a Roman Villa
• The connection at Snape Castle with Middleham Castle and  of the mother and the wife of Richard III.
• The Nevilles of Raby Castle and the Cecils of Burghley House were the aristocratic owners through ascendancy and marriage of the estates of Snape for over 500 years from the 1300s to the 1800s.
• The residency of Catherine Parr before her marriage to Henry VIII.
• Involvement in the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536.
• Prior to the mid 19th century Snape was a centre for the woolcombing trade.
• Most of Snape (along with much of Well and part of Thornton Watlass) was once part of the Thorp Perrow Estate.
• St. Mary's Chapel in Snape Castle formally became a place of Anglican Worship following the 1926 Sale of the Thorp Perrow estate.
• The Thorp Perrow estate lies just to the north of the village and boasts a fine arboretum.

Our Aims

Snape Local History Group was formed in January 1985 by members of the community to research the history of the village and Parish (including the village of WELL), both past and present. The Group is keen to invite the help of people who have information about the villages and/or the inhabitants and to share with others the historical information we have gathered over the years. additional text