^^~|JLTHOUGH  the  valley  of  the  Skirfare,  or  "deep  fork  of
Amerdale"  as  poetically  described  by  Wordsworth,*  is
not  properly  in  Wharfedale,  yet  it  holds  such  close
relationship  with  the  history  and  scenery  of  the
romantic  Upper  Wharfe  that  some  notice  of  it  will
naturally  be  expected  in  this  work.  The  whole  of  the  valley  was
within  the  Percy  fee,  and  Richard  de  Percy  gave  the  village  of
Litton  and  Littondale  to  the  monks  of  Fountains,  as  described  by
the  boundaries,  and  Alice,  his  relict,  quitclaimed  the  same,  as  did
John,  son  of  Oliver  de  Deyncourt  and  Agnes,  his  wife,  which  was
confirmed  by  Henry  IIL

In  1294  Henry  de  Percy  confirmed  to  the  Abbot  and  Convent
every  grant  made  by  his  ancestors,  for  which  recognizance  the  said
Abbot  and  Convent  of  Fountains  gave  to  the  said  Henry  de  Percy
and  his  heirs,  all  kinds  of  wild  beasts  and  dirds  of  prey  in  this  dale,
and  his  chief  Forester  was  to  have  the  care  of  them.  The  mention
of  "  birds  of  prey  "  leaves  very  little  room  to  doubt  that  the  eagle,
merlin,  and  peregrine  falcon  were  at  that  time  common  residents  in
Littondale,  and  it  is  more  than  probable  that  ArnclifFe,  the  capital
village  in  the  dale  and  head  of  an  extensive  parish,  derives  its  name
from  the  Anglo-Saxon  eatji^  an  eagle,  and  clyf  a  cliff,  in  allusion  to
the  high  rocks  in  this  neighbourhood,  anciently  the  haunt  and
resting-place  of  these  birds.  Eagles  have  not  bred  in  Upper
Wharfedale  within  living  recollection,  but  in  the  adjoining  county  of
Westmorland  and  in  Cumberland  they  were  not  uncommon  down  to
the  end  of  last  century.  The  old  churchwardens*  accounts  for
Crosthwaite,  for  example,  contain  many  entries  of  payments  made  for
the  capture  and  slaughter  of  eagles  down  to  1765,  while  in  1796-7
the  white-tailed  eagle  bred  near  Keswick.  More  recently  a  pair  of
golden-eagles  were  observed  for  about  three  months  during  the  year

*  Dr.  Whitaker  states,  but  without  authority,  that  Amerdale  was  the  more  ancient
and  original  name  of  this  valley.  But  Litton  is  a  place  of  Anglo-Saxon  antiquity  and
probably  existed  as  a  Saxon  setUement  before  the  parish  of  Amcliffe  was  formed  or
Amerdale  was  heard  of.  In  a  charter  of  Adelixa  de  Romelli,  ca  1150,  Lang^troth  in
••Allerdale"  is  mentioned,  apparently  the  same.
