Riccall
| Riccall | |
|---|---|
 St Mary's Church, Riccall |
|
 Riccall
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| Riccall shown within North Yorkshire | |
| Population | 2,332 |
| OS grid reference | SE620376 |
| • London | 165 mi (266 km) S |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | YORK |
| Postcode district | YO19 |
| Police | North Yorkshire |
| Fire | North Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament | |
Riccall is a village and civil parish situated in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England, lying 3.5 miles (6 km) to the north of Selby and 9 miles (14 km) south of York. It is historically part of the East Riding of Yorkshire. According to the 2011 census the parish had a total population of 2,332.
Riccall is a major part of the electoral ward called Riccall with Escrick. The total population of this ward at the 2011 census was 1,312.
The settlement of Riccall lies on the Humberhead Levels. At the end of the last ice age about 10,000 years ago Riccall lay underneath the very large Glacial Lake Humber. This gives the area its characteristic light sandy soil. Riccall is the starting point of the ten kilometre Cycle the Solar System route which follows the Selby−York cycle track finishing in Dringhouses, York. The cycle track used to form the old route of the East Coast Main Line via Selby, and Riccall station served the village until 1964.
Homo sapiens first arrived in Great Britain around 12,000 years ago as the earth was warming before the beginning of the Holocene era. It is not known when Man first arrived in the area, however there is evidence that the Humberhead Levels have been settled for several thousand years, and that the drier northern area where Riccall is situated was settled before the Roman era.
The village was the site of an Anglo-Saxon settlement and there is evidence of a Saxon church on the site of the current St Mary’s. The early settlers most likely chose the site because of two geographical factors: the area forms a slightly raised plateau above a flood plain; it is near the Ouse.
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Wikipedia