The civil parish includes Raydale, and a large area of moorland south of the village.

Towards the end of the twelfth century, a dispute arose between the Abbot of Jervaulx and Ranulph, son of Robert Fitz Randolph, over the building of more houses in the village.

The lords of Middleham had not held the office of Forester since 1280, when Peter of Savoy, Earl of Richmond, had distributed land in the manor to tenants to hold.

The Neville family were also lords of Middleham at the time and followed its descent until 1628 when it was granted to the City of London.

The City sold it in 1663 to eleven of the principal inhabitants, who held the manor in trust for the freeholders.

The highest point in the parish is the peak on Cragdale Moor between Middle Tongue Tarn and Hunters Hole at 2,110 feet (640 metres).

An equestrian centre offering riding lessons and local trekking can be found a short distance away at Gill Edge.

[12] Pupils can receive secondary education at The Wensleydale School and Sixth Form in Leyburn.

The authority is an independent, public body within the local government structure, created by the Environment Act (1995).

The horn is still located at the Rose and Crown public house and is sounded every night at 10 pm from the Feast of Holy Rood (27 September) to Shrove Tuesday.

The present Bainbridge Quaker Meeting House was built in 1841 to replace a cottage bought in 1668.