Its name comes from the Scandinavian personal name Úlfr, while skelf may be an Old English word meaning "a flat area" (a cognate of shelf),[2] although it could be from the Old Scandinavian equivalent, 'skialf'[3] as in several other English place names, e.g. Hunshelf, Wadshelf.[3] In this geographical context 'skelf' would mean 'bank' (of the river). The settlement was recorded in the Domesday Book as Oleschel and Oleslec.[4][2]
It is served by Ulleskelf railway station, operated by Northern. It has one public house (the Ulleskelf Arms) and one shop (Post Office/general store). The 2011 UK Census recorded the population of the parish as 980.[1]
Ulleskelf village hall was previously the Church of England) church of St Saviour.[6] The Methodist church is still in use.
"Mind Games", an episode of TV detective series A Touch of Frost, was filmed in the village in 2008.[7]
Governance
Ulleskelf is the most populous village in the electoral ward called Saxton and Ulleskelf. The ward's population at the 2011 census was 2,341.[8]
^ abEkwall (1960). Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names. p. 409.
^Speight, Harry (1902). Lower Wharfedale. Being a complete account of the history, antiquities and scenery of the picturesque valley of the Wharfe, from Cawood to Arthington. London: E Stock. pp. 204–205. OCLC7225986.
^Chrystal, Paul; Sunderland, Mark (15 November 2010). Tadcaster Through Time (illustrated ed.). Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN9781445631271. Retrieved 12 September 2021.