Wass, North Yorkshire
Wass is a village in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England within the North York Moors National Park. A short distance from the village lie the ruins of Byland Abbey. Despite the small size of the village there is a pub, the Stapylton Arms. It is nestled at the foot of Wass Bank and has beautiful views of the surrounding countryside.
The toponym probably means "fords", from Middle English wathes and ultimately from Old Norse vath. The village lies at the junction of several small streams.
To the east of Wass village lies Wass Grange, in which building the monks of Byland Abbey stored their grain before the dissolution of the monasteries. On 21 May 2009 the nuns of Stanbrook Abbey in Worcestershire, numbering 28 professed nuns and two postulants, re-established themselves in a purpose-built convent designed to the highest environmental standards in the neighbourhood of Wass.
