Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England; it is known for its racecourse and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby.

[6][7] Thirsk is mentioned twice in the 1086 Domesday Book as Tresche, in the Yarlestre wapentake, a village with ten households.

At the time of the Norman invasion the manor was split between Orm and Thor, local Anglo-Saxon landowners.

It is not mentioned in the Domesday Book and an exact date is not recorded for construction, but it was known to be completely destroyed by 1176 following an uprising against Henry II.

[citation needed] After the War of the Roses, Henry VII raised taxes, and that caused uprisings in the north.

This led to the murder of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, either on The Little Green, where he was sent to collect taxes, or in nearby South Kilvington.

[14] With no direct succession, the daughter of Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, who had married into the Berkeley family, inherited the manor.

In that year, it was sold by James, Earl of Derby to Ralph Bell of Sowerby, "whose descendants thereafter held the manor".

[9][10][16] Thirsk Hall in Kirkgate is a grade II* listed three-storey town house built in 1720 and extended in 1770 by York architect John Carr.

[17] A 1767 Act of Parliament[18] provided for building a navigable waterway to the town from the River Swale along Cod Beck.

[20] A rail crash occurred at Manor House signal box on 2 November 1892, on the North Eastern Railway about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Thirsk railway station, when an express train collided with the back of a goods train, both heading south in fog.

[25] The constituency of Thirsk and Malton was originally created for the 1885 General Elections by the Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885, and existed until 1983.

The religious composition of the town was 71.7% Christian, 27.4% None or no religion stated, 0.3% Muslim, 0.2% Buddhist, 0.1% Hindu, 0.1% Jewish and 0.0% Sikh.

[39] The town had a reputation for its leather tanning and saddlery trade, but by the 19th century was better known for the production of agricultural implements.

[10] Thirsk Museum is operated by a team of volunteers in the house where Thomas Lord was born[40] and is now home to Busby's stoop chair.

The on-screen thieves were all residents of the town or surrounding area, and the crime's location was Marage Road.

[citation needed] The town is served by these local newspapers: Thirsk railway station is 22.25 miles (36 km) north of York on the East Coast Main Line and situated 1.5 miles (2 km) from the centre of Thirsk, in Carlton Miniott.

[citation needed] Bus services for York, Ripon, Northallerton and local villages stop in Thirsk market place.

The current primary school was opened in 1979 with an extension added in 1991 to house extra classrooms, nursery section and medical facilities.

[10] Thirsk Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue consisting of a left handed oval of about one mile and two furlongs.

[citation needed] Thirsk RUFC is a Rugby Union Club which competes in the Yorkshire Division 4 North West league.