Newton was an established community when King
William's commissioners arrived to record details for the Domesday Book nine hundred years
ago. Its inhabitants had the good sense to build their homes above the flood plain, whilst
making use of the river for transport. The nearby Forest of Galtres would offer more
shelter from the north and east winds than the village enjoys today.
The church tower dates from the early 12th century, and it is probable that the large
blocks of pinkish-grey sandstone of which it was built came downstream from Nidderdale,
just as the red bricks for the Methodist chapel were delivered by barges to the loading
stage behind the Dawnay Arms earlier this century.
In 1849 the Dawnays at Beningbrough Hall rebuilt the church, crowning the old tower with a
new limestone spire which can be seen from Brimham Rocks, twenty miles away. Thirty years
later, the population reached its peak of 850, far greater than it is today despite recent
housing developments. The estate provided employment for many families, who had the
opportunity to buy the houses and farms in which they lived when the Hall was sold in
1916.
Since the arrival of the National Trust in Beningbrough Hall, the village is on the
tourist map and visitors approach the Hall along the avenue, which is a lovely sight when
the white cherry blossom is on the trees in spring.
The village has a fine sports field and a Parish Hall that is well used for a variety of
activities. Until 1996 the traditional Whitsuntide feast had been held annually, and
people came from far and wide to enjoy the entertainment on the Green and along the grass
verges lining the avenue. The river played its part too; competing teams of rafts launched
upstream at Linton lock fought to arrive at the finishing post below the church, their
crews drenched to the skin and exhausted.