It is the principal settlement in the civil parish of Ilton cum Pott, in the former Harrogate district.

[3] Although Ilton and Pott were detached from each other, they formed a single township in Mashamshire, the large ancient parish of Masham, in the North Riding of Yorkshire.

[5] Near the village is the Druids' Temple, a replica of Stonehenge built in about 1800 by William Danby of nearby Swinton Park.

[6] During a time of agricultural depression and high unemployment, Danby hired local men to construct a moderately large-scale replica of Stonehenge, working at a full shilling a day.

He was less successful in hiring a silent druidic hermit to fulfill a seven-year contract, though several tried, for the promised annuity.