between 203 and 367; most were employed in servicing the large houses and in agriculture. In 1951 the population was still only about 481 but then expanded rapidly. In 2001 the population stood at 1,640. Economy The village was primarily agricultural in nature, but is now mostly residential with a small commercial district to the south west of the village. Local Services consist of a post office and general store, one public house and one social club, and a doctor's surgery. Geography The old village centre stands on a deposit of boulder clay, taking this part to a height some 25 metres above sea level, 10 metres more than the remainder of the village which is on strong clay, resting on gravel and sand. Within the settlement are several ponds, indicating a high water-table. The flora and fauna was documented in two surveys, one in 1956 and then in 1971. In and around the village the surveys identified 100 species of bird, 328 species of trees and plants, 8 different ferns, 31 different types of moss, 9 fungi and amphibians including frogs, toads, the warty or crested newt and the smooth newt. Also recorded were 21 species of mammals including the whiskered bat and the long-eared bat. The bats and the crested newts in the village are protected species. In the village open spaces have been cared for by the Parish Council and local volunteer groups and include The Green, Crooking Green, Orchard Field, The Pasture, Skelton Pond, the open spaces at Sycamore Close and Brecksfield. The long, narrow plot boundaries extending back from the older houses are an example of the typical medieval pattern of 'toft and croft' agriculture. Transport The main road which runs to the west of the village (from York towards Thirsk) was a turnpike and then in the last century became a major trunk route the A19. There were attempts to turnpike the York-Northallerton road that passed through Skelton in 1749, but these failed. The scheme was revived in 1752 when the York Corporation sought that no gate should be nearer to York than the north end of Skelton, and that the section of the road nearer York should be repaired first. The Turnpike Trust was established in 1753. The trust was renewed in 1778, 1794, 1808, 1830, and by the Continuance Acts until 1874. The village is served by four bus services as part