Beggars Bridge

Beggars Bridge is a 17th century packhorse bridge which spans the River Esk at Glaisdale in North Yorkshire. Although it's humble in size, it's huge in local folklore, so pull up a chair and I'll tell you a story straight out of Jane Austen's repertoire.

Beggars Bridge was built in 1619 and earned its name from the romantic legend of a beggar lad who built it for love. Originally it was called Ferris' Bridge, after the bloke who paid for it - Thomas Ferris, a one-time poor farm worker's son, turned wealthy merchant.

Anyway back to the story. We're headed to North Yorkshire in the early 1600s and a young Richard Skelton (as the legend dubs our hero, though historians note his real name was likely Tom Ferris - no idea why the name change) is a poor farmer's son from Egton, just across the river.

Now Dickie is hopelessly head-over-heels for a local lass named Agnes, the beautiful daughter of the local squire, but her posh dad is not having it. The squire basically took one look at Richard's threadbare wallet and said, “Not a chance, lad,” dismissing him as nothing more than a beggar.

Determined to prove himself worthy, Richard decides to seek his fortune the old-fashioned way, by heading off to sea. In those days, riches could be made in far-off lands. Agnes and Richard began meeting in secret, planning their future, but when the time came for Richard to depart on his seafaring adventure, the River Esk had other plans.

On the very night he was meant to steal a goodbye kiss from Agnes, a storm swelled the river into a flood, making the crossing impossible.

In that emotional moment, soaked and swearing at the river, Richard made a vow - one day, he'd build a bridge right there so no other poor souls would endure the same fate. With that promise, off he went to sea and he actually did make his fortune sailing around the Caribbean and beyond. We're not sure exactly what he did, maybe merchant trading, treasure hunting or a bit of swashbuckling.

By the time he returned to Yorkshire years later, he was richer than a squire and even become Sheriff of Hull by 1614 then the Lord Mayor in 1620!

The best part? He never forgot about Agnes. As the legend goes, Richard did reunite with his sweetheart and finally earned the blessing of her chastened dad. The two were married, and true to his promise, Richard built the bridge in Glaisdale so that no lovers would ever be kept apart by the Esk again.

Apparently the initials TF are carved into it, but we didn't see it when we were there.

Some historical spoilsports point out that Agnes may have actually died in 1618, right before the bridge was finished, suggesting Richard built it as a memorial.

The bridge itself is a classic packhorse bridge, a narrow, humped crossing just wide enough for horses laden with goods. According to the information board there are a number of other bridges along the River Esk, so will have to seek them out on our next visit.