THE antiquary John Leland described Masham in the early 16th Century as being “a praty quik market town and a faire chirch”.

It is beside the River Ure in lower Wensleydale and today it is famed for its two breweries run by the Theakston family. In Leland’s day, it was famed for its sheep, which prospered in the fields around since their introduction in Anglo- Saxon times. One of the reasons Masham has such a distinctively large market place is that it was here that the weekly sheep market was held.

Masham’s name has a rather peculiar pronouncement, as there is no “sh” sound in the middle.

It was originally Maessa’s ham – the residence of an Anglo-Saxon landowner called Maessa more than 1,000 years ago – and so it is pronounced Massem.

And, of course, Masham is famed for being peculier.

In medieval times, the Archbishop of York seemed not to want the bother of travelling up to Wensleydale to oversee affairs so he decreed that Masham was “a peculier” – a place that ran its own court and council and looked after itself. Old Peculier is now the name of Theakston’s most famous beer.

All of these pictures come from The Northern Echo’s archives. If you have any comments, memories or information concerning them, we’d love to hear from you.

The Northern Echo:

SPANNING THE URE: Masham bridge, here in 1966, was built in 1754, although there has been a crossing to the north of the town since time immemorial

The Northern Echo:

BARGAIN BUY: When do you think a portion of fish cost one shilling and a portion of chips 7d? Those were the prices at this Masham fish and chip shop in August 1966