Sutton-on-the-Forest is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. It is north of York and south-east of Easingwold. History The village is mentioned three times in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Sudtune in the Bulford hundred. At the time of the Norman invasion the land was split between the manors of Easingwold and Caldenesche. Therefore, there were several lordships including Earl Morcar, Gospatric, son of Arnketil, Uthred, Egelfride and Ligulf. Afterweards, all the land was claimed by the Crown. During the reign of Henry I, some land was granted to Bertram de Bulmer of Sheriff Hutton and the lands then passed through the descent of the Nevill family. In the 15th century a settlement was made between the Nevill's and Lord Fauconberg to whom the manor passed. The land then passed to Richard, Earl of Warwick until 1471 when it became forfeit and granted to Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later to be King Richard III. Upon taking the throne the lands were maintained by royal bailiffs. In 1629, the manor was sold to the citizens of London while its status was decided. By 1649 the manor was granted to Lord Fauconberg of Newburgh whose family held it up to the 18th century when it was acquired by the Harland family. In 1863 the manor passed to Admiral Duncombe who had married into the family. From 1738 until 1759, the novelist Laurence Sterne was the Anglican vicar of Sutton. He retired from active ministry to pursue his literary career in 1759, writing the first two volumes of his novel Tristram Shandy while living in the village. The origin of the name is derived from the combination of the Old English words "sud" and "tun", which combined mean "South Farm". The suffix relates to the village's location in the ancient Royal Forest of Galtres. From 1941 to 1946, the RAF operated an airfield on the outskirts of the village. It was part of 4 Group, Bomber Command and originally had RAF Squadrons, but then transferred the site to bombers from the RCAF. Governance The village lies within the Thirsk and Malton UK Parliament constituency. It is within the Stillington electoral division of North Yorkshire and the Huby and Sutton District ward of Hambleton District Council within which it lies. Geography The nearest settlements are Huby to the north west and Stillington to the north. The