A CHAT with a stranger while gazing across the incredible views of the Dales from Sutton Bank Top reinforced my belief that some Southerners have very little idea of what lies north of Watford Gap.

The chatty fellow told me he had just driven down Swaledale via Richmond and was heading for Scarborough along the A170. Quite casually, he told me that until that journey he’d had no idea there was a place called Richmond in Yorkshire. His knowledge of Richmond was limited to a town of that name in Surrey with its own Richmond Hill and historic links with royalty which included the death of Elizabeth I in a local palace built by Henry VII.

I explained to him that Henry VII had formerly been Earl of Richmond in Yorkshire and that the Yorkshire Richmond was daddy of all the Richmonds around the world which, I believe, number about 40.

My affable companion then asked if I knew anything about the tall and curious pointed obelisk of stone that stands in Richmond market place.

At a casual glance, it appears to have no particular purpose, but I was happy to oblige. The obelisk replaced an earlier market cross. The original cross indicated the site from where butter and cheese was sold in earlier markets. Sellers would establish their stalls nearby and potential buyers would gather to examine the wares and hopefully buy some. Many similar markets in other towns had separate cheese, butter, fish or bread crosses, many of which have disappeared. In Richmond’s case, two crosses had earlier been combined, i.e. the cheese cross and the butter cross.

In 1771, that old market cross had been replaced by the current obelisk, which was originally built over a new reservoir that supplied Richmond’s population with drinking water. It held 12,000 gallons. Earlier, the people had access via a postern gate to the grounds of the Franciscan Friary (Grey Friars) just outside the town from where they could obtain fresh water.

From the date of their arrival in 1258, the monks also supplied fresh fruit from their orchards. Fresh water from the hills, medieval wells and springs was channelled through hollow elm branches into that reservoir beneath the site of the old market cross. Its construction made it unnecessary to rely upon the ruined Friary for fresh water, but around 1749 those wooden pipes were replaced with lead.

Another reservoir was built at Westfields to cater for the increased demand, with a further one constructed in 1837 at Colesgarth to cope with a rapidly increasing population.

There is no doubt the Franciscan monks, or Grey Friars as they were known, were a huge asset to Richmond. Their name came from the colour of their habits, although those of modern Franciscans are brown.

Today there are three separate Franciscan orders around the world. They were founded by St Francis of Assisi in 1209, more than 800 years ago, and their mission was to preach the gospel whilst living in extreme poverty. In addition, they cared for the sick, the poor and disabled. The first Franciscans to arrive in England landed in 1224 and quickly founded 65 houses here.

One was the Friary at Richmond, established just outside the town boundary in 1258. The 750th anniversary of its foundation was celebrated locally in 2008 but one interesting aspect of the monks’ work was that they took a major role in civic matters. Renowned for their honesty, they were put in charge of the affairs of the town hall with some members adopting the Rule and Habit of the monks although never ordained. This led to the foundation of an organisation called The Guild of St John the Baptist, comprising men and women who worked within the civic system.

In Richmond’s case, the town hall occupies the site of that former guild hall. Evidence of the monks’ earlier work and times in Richmond are remembered in names such as Friar’s Wynd, but the former site of their Roman Catholic monastery, destroyed as a consequence of the Protestant Reformation, now provides a place of solitude, recreation and rest for the people of Richmond. In their own way, therefore, the monks are still helping the people of Richmond to cope with the stresses of daily life.

It is thought the land around Grey Friar’s Tower is the country’s only pre-Reformation religious site that is virtually undeveloped within a town centre. The man whose money enabled the friars to build their monastery in Richmond was Ranulph (Ralph) FitzRandal and although his remains are buried at Coverham Abbey, his heart was encased in a lead casket and interred within the chancel of Grey Friars Church at Richmond.

The occasional confusion between the Yorkshire Richmond and its southern namesake sometimes manifests itself in the story of the romance that led to the famous song Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill. There is a Richmond Hill near the southern town and its summit offers extensive views of the River Thames while providing the point of entry to Richmond Park.

This comprises more than 2,400 acres, which is open to the public, with walks and horse-riding on open heath-land, among herds of deer and plantations of shrubs. Not surprisingly, some people believe it was the source of Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill.

The folk of Yorkshire’s Richmond strongly reject such claims while presenting evidence of the fact that the lass in question, Frances I’Anson, lived at Hill House in Frenchgate, Richmond. Her beauty and personality had a great impact upon the Irish songwriter, Leonard MacNally, and he honoured Frances by composing his famous song, first performed publicly in 1789. MacNally married Frances in 1787 but sadly she died in childbirth at the early age of 29. “Lass” by the way, is a northern word for girl.

The origin of the name “Richmond” has produced several theories. One is that it dates from Norman times, the French translation meaning “strong hill”, which may be a reference to the mighty castle. It is claimed that when Earl Alan Rufus began his construction of the castle in 1071, he named it Richemond after a castle of that name in Brittany. Another theory is that it comes from Ricesmund, meaning a hill of rule or government.

One of several folk tales of Richmond claims that King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table lie sleeping in vaults at the castle, awaiting their call to save England.

But it’s nothing but a tale, isn’t it?