Archives from 1808 record that the "north-riding of York-shire" had once consisted of "fifty-one lordships" owned by Robert the Bruce. During the English Civil War, the North Riding predominantly supported the royalist cause, while other areas of Yorkshire tended to support the parliamentarians.
Governance and administration
The County of York, North Riding administrative county was formed in 1889. In 1894 it was divided into municipal boroughs, urban districts and rural districts under the Local Government Act 1894. Middlesbrough had already been incorporated as a municipal borough in 1853 and formed a county borough, exempt from county council control, from 1889. Richmond and Scarborough had been incorporated as municipal boroughs in 1835, with Thornaby-on-Tees added in 1892. The urban districts in 1894 were Eston, Guisborough, Hinderwell, Kirkleatham, Kirklington cum Upsland, Loftus, Malton, Masham, Northallerton, Pickering, Redcar, Saltburn and Marske by the Sea, Scalby, Skelton and Brotton and Whitby. In 1922 Redcar was incorporated as a borough. The rural districts in 1894 were Aysgarth, Bedale, Croft, Easingwold, Flaxton, Guisborough, Helmsley, Kirkby Moorside, Leyburn, Malton, Masham, Middlesbrough, Northallerton, Pickering, Reeth, Richmond, Scarborough, Startforth, Stokesley, Thirsk, Wath and Whitby. County Review Orders reduced the number of urban and rural districts in the county:
A new Saltburn and Marske by the Sea urban district was formed from Saltburn by the Sea urban district and part of Guisborough rural district. the remainder of Guisborough RD passed to Loftus urban district and Whitby rural district in 1932
Kirklington cum Upsland urban district was absorbed by Bedale rural district in 1934
Masham urban district was redesignated as Masham rural district in 1934
In 1968 a new county borough of Teesside was created, taking in Middlesbrough and parts of the administrative counties of Durham and North Riding. From the North Riding came the boroughs of Redcar and Thornaby-on-Tees, the urban district of Eston, and part of Stokesley rural district. The entirety of Teesside, including the parts north of the River Tees historically in Durham, was associated with the North Riding for lieutenancy and other purposes. In 1974 the North Riding was abolished as both an administrative county and a Lieutenancy. The majority of its former area became part of the new non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire, which also includes much of the northern rural part of the West Riding as well as the northern and western fringes of the traditional East Riding. Middlesbrough and Redcar became part of Cleveland and along with the City of York are now in independent unitary authorities which became part of North Yorkshire for ceremonial purposes. The Startforth Rural District was transferred to County Durham, becoming part of the Teesdale district, which was subsequently abolished in 2009. The North Riding is now represented in the districts of Hambleton, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough, Middlesbrough, and Redcar and Cleveland, and parts in Harrogate district, Stockton-on-Tees and County Durham. The principal towns are Middlesbrough, Redcar, Whitby, Scarborough and Northallerton.
On three occasions a re-use of the name of the North Riding for local government purposes has been considered. During the 1990s UK local government reform, the Banham Commission suggested uniting Richmondshire, Hambleton, Ryedale and Scarborough districts in a new unitary authority called North Riding of Yorkshire. Later, the government proposed renaming the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire the North Riding of Yorkshire. This was deemed inappropriate and rejected, after a "chorus of disapprobation". During a further local government review in the 2000s as part of the preparations for the regional assembly referendums, a unitary authority with the name North Riding of Yorkshire, consisting of Richmondshire, Hambleton, Ryedale and Scarborough was again suggested. However, the Commission withdrew this in favour or two unitary authorities, one for Hambleton and Richmondshire, the other for Ryedale and Scarborough.
Ancient divisions
Unlike most counties in England, which were divided anciently into hundreds, Yorkshire was divided first into three ridings and then into numerous wapentakes within each riding. Within the North Riding of Yorkshire there were thirteen wapentakes in total, as follows:
