Greenhow Botton

Midnight Corner is rumored to have derived its name from the fact that it faces north, and during winter, it never receives sunlight. Midnight Farm is located on the extreme left and barely visible due to the haze. It’s unclear which name came first, Midnight Corner or as Midnight Farm. Midnight Corner doesn’t appear on any maps. Instead, the area is referred to as Greenhow Botton or Burton, with the latter being the name on the oldest Ordnance Survey map.

‘Botton‘ comes from the Old Norse word ‘botn‘ which means a bottom or depth, like the “innermost recesses of a sea or of dale“¹Proceedings of Cleveland Naturalists’ Field Club 1905-06. Page 3. Available online at http://barlow.me.uk/clevelandnats/1905_6_.pdf. Greenhow is a township of the Ingleby parish, but it isn’t mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Ingleby, on the other hand, occurs as Englebi, Badresbi, and Camisdale in the soke of Stokesley.

Camisdale means “the valley beside a crest or ridge,” which does seem to refer to Greenhow Botton. However, 19th-century local historian John Ord believed that Camisdale was actually Commondale²Wilson, Carol M. “Westerdale: the origins and development of a medieval settlement”. Pages 3,5. ISBN 978-0-9565779-2-4 2013. The green “houe,” or small round hill, is thought to be How Hill, a small glacial mound³Proceedings of Cleveland Naturalists’ Field Club 1905-06. Page 3. Available online at http://barlow.me.uk/clevelandnats/1905_6_.pdf.

If a 19th century scheme to build the Ingleby, Bilsdale and Helmsley Railway had come to fruition, the scene would be drastically different today⁴Ingleby, Bilsdale and Helmsley Railway. ‘Local History Articles’, Bilsdale.org.uk <http://www.bilsdale.org.uk/history/article/75/> [accessed 19 April 2023]. Even though the railway would probably not have survived Dr. Beeching’s cuts, the lasting impact would be visible in the form of a scar up the valley leading to a tunnel underneath the location where I am standing.

• 1
  Proceedings of Cleveland Naturalists’ Field Club 1905-06. Page 3. Available online at http://barlow.me.uk/clevelandnats/1905_6_.pdf
• 2
  Wilson, Carol M. “Westerdale: the origins and development of a medieval settlement”. Pages 3,5. ISBN 978-0-9565779-2-4 2013
• 3
  Proceedings of Cleveland Naturalists’ Field Club 1905-06. Page 3. Available online at http://barlow.me.uk/clevelandnats/1905_6_.pdf
• 4
  Ingleby, Bilsdale and Helmsley Railway. ‘Local History Articles’, Bilsdale.org.uk <http://www.bilsdale.org.uk/history/article/75/> [accessed 19 April 2023]