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York is in the centre of the Vale of York. Immediately to the North, South, East and West of York are very flat, very arable lands. Like a golf hole surrounded by bunkers, York itself is surrounded by a number of ridges of small hills called a Terminal Moraine The quality of the soil is as a direct consequence of the ice age, where glacial deposits made the soil very fertile. The ice age was also responsible for the creation of the Terminal Moraines.
The map below shows a number of Terminal Moraines around York. The most interesting one for this study is the Terminal Moraine that follows the route South West from York along the A64/Tadcaster Road and stretches as far as Bilborough. Motorists will be unaware of these small hills as they have gentle gradients and are only 20 to 25 metres high. However unfit cyclists like myself are very aware of these hills.
The Terminal Moraine is a ridge of hills that can offer views on both sides. A good example of this is the roundabout between the A1237 and A64 (which was built on the Terminal Moraine) just North West of Copmanthorpe. The picture below shows the view facing North East towards the city of York. The York Minster can be seen on the horizon (on the left-hand side). The high quality of the soil and the flatness of the earth means that this soil is turned over to arable land with only a few trees marking the edges of the fields.
Facing South on the junction of the A1237 and A64 roundabout, on a clear day, you get the majestic monstrosities of Drax, Eggborough and Ferrybridge Power Station marking the heart of the Yorkshire coalfield.
The other major feature of the natural landscape is the two rivers, the river Ouse and the river Foss which meet at York. This not only provides a vital ingredient for the sustenance of life but is also a very vital transport route. The rivers played a major role in the success of York up to the Middle Ages. The Romans and Vikings both believed that river transport was quicker and safer than road transport - hence the emergence of major cities on rivers.
The village of Copmanthorpe lies 4 miles South West of York, in England. The history of Copmanthorpe as described in the following Web Pages shows how events happening within York and sometimes in England have shaped this village. As many of the clues for the function of the village of Copmanthorpe draw from major events happening within England, then such clues may equally apply to other English villages.
As we have seen on the previous page, the landscape around York is mainly flat but dominated by small ridges of hills called Terminal Moraines one of which extends from the centre of York to Bilborough The Landscape of Copmanthorpe is split into two. The North of the village is hilly as part of the Terminal Moraine encompasses this area. The centre and South by contrast is very flat.
Contrast the hilly Pike Hills Estate in the North with the very flat St Giles Estate just South of the village. The rooftops clearly show the line of descent of the Terminal Moraine down St Nicholas Road. Indeed St Nicholas Road and Pike Hills Mount are one of the highest points around Copmanthorpe.
The soil around Copmanthorpe (as with the Vale of York itself) is also high quality, arable soil. However, there is an anomaly here - Askham Bogs just North of Copmanthorpe is a peat bog.
The oldest part of the village of Copmanthorpe is the Roman road that runs along Top Lane and into Colton Lane and is part of the route between Roman York (Eboracum) and Roman Tadcaster (Calcaria). So it is worth mentioning a little of the Roman history of York.