Skelton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York, in North Yorkshire, England. It is north-north-west of the city of York, west of Haxby, and on the east bank of the River Ouse. Skelton was in the ancient royal Forest of Galtres and covers . Skelton was made a conservation area in 1973. The village name probably began as the Anglo-Saxon 'Shelfton'—'the settlement on high ground'—becoming the present 'Skelton' under the invading Danes. The village, along with nearby Overton, is mentioned in the Domesday Book. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,640, reducing to 1,549 at the 2011 census. The village was historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. It was then a part of the district of Ryedale in North Yorkshire from 1974 until 1996. Since 1996 it has been part of the City of York unitary authority. History Skelton is mentioned in the Domesday Book, but its name indicates Anglo-Saxon and Danish influences. Skelton Grange was built by the Place family originally in the 18th century and rebuilt after fire in 1866. 'The Grange' was finally sold in 1981 due to a lack of funds for upkeep. It was demolished by a local property developer for a large housing development on the site. The York Corporation bought Fairfield House on the opposite side of the main road in 1918 and opened it as a tuberculosis sanatorium in the following year. It is now a hotel. (A tuberculosis dispensary was also opened in Castlegate in the City of York, in 1913, but no longer exists.) Governance Skelton is part of the Unitary Authority of the City of York Council. As of 2010 the Ward of Skelton, Rawcliffe and Clifton Without is represented by councillors Richard Moore and Irene Waudby of the local Liberal Democratic Party and by Joe Watt of the local Conservative Party. Skelton Parish Council is elected by the residents of the parish to administer local matters and consists of nine councillors. Skelton is within the UK Parliamentary Constituency of York Outer and until January 2020 it also fell within the boundaries of the Yorkshire and the Humber European Parliament constituency. Demography In 1890 its population was recorded as 313. By 1901 the village was recorded as comprising 2473 acres with a population of 270 having varied over the previous hundred years