Until 1974 the village lay in the historic county boundaries of the East Riding of Yorkshire and from 1974 until 2023 was part of the Borough of Scarborough.

[3] To the south are the Wolds and further north, across the Carrs and up the hills at the other side of the Vale is Scarborough, beyond which to the north-west are the Yorkshire Moors.

This tumulus has now been identified as one of a network that acted as a guide through the maze of hills and valleys that make up the Dales which would have been heavily forested at the time.

Its natural state today would be as marsh land but it was drained in the 19th century to make room for agriculture.

Not much is known of this stage as subsequent building works have destroyed any archaeology; however, the regular finds of Roman artefacts such as coins and arrow heads indicate a substantial presence.