The 10 "Villages" Bigger Than Yorkshire's Smallest City

Can a village have more people than a city? In Yorkshire, the answer might surprise you.

Ripon, with its magnificent cathedral and market square, proudly holds the title of Yorkshire's smallest city. With a population of just 15,922, it's one of the smallest cities in all of England. But here's a curious fact that challenges our assumptions about what makes a place a "village" versus a "city": there are 10 settlements classified as villages in Yorkshire with larger populations than Ripon.

Before you start questioning everything you know about British geography, there's an important distinction to understand - and it reveals as much about England's complex administrative history as it does about Yorkshire's unique character.

The City That Isn't About Size

First, let's talk about Ripon. Why is it a city at all with fewer than 16,000 residents?

The answer lies in history, not demographics. Ripon earned its city status not through population growth, but through its magnificent cathedral, founded in 672 AD by Saint Wilfrid. In England, city status has traditionally been granted by royal charter, often to places with cathedrals or significant historical importance. Size is secondary.

For comparison, Yorkshire's other cities show the full spectrum:

• Leeds: 536,280 people
• Sheffield: 518,090 people
• Bradford: 294,400 people
• York: 208,400 people
• Doncaster: 109,805 people
• Wakefield: 99,251 people
• Hull: approximately 260,000 people
• Ripon: 15,922 people

Ripon stands alone at the bottom of this list - but it's no less a city for it.

The Villages That Are Bigger (Sort Of)

According to our analysis of Yorkshire's geographical data, 10 "villages" have populations exceeding Ripon's. But before we reveal them, we need to understand a crucial distinction that explains these surprising numbers.

The Parish Problem

In England, there's often a significant difference between:

1. The settlement - the actual built-up village or town center where people live
2. The civil parish - the administrative area that may include the main settlement plus surrounding hamlets, farms, and countryside

When you see a village with a population of 20,000+, you're almost always looking at the civil parish figure, not the actual village settlement.

Take Kirkburton as a perfect example:

• The village of Kirkburton itself: 4,299 people (2011 census)
• Kirkburton civil parish: 26,439 people

Why the massive difference? Because Kirkburton civil parish includes not just Kirkburton village, but also Highburton, Thunder Bridge, Thorncliffe, Storthes Hall, Linfit, and several other hamlets spread across the countryside southeast of Huddersfield.

With that context in mind, let's explore the "big ten."

The 10 Larger-Than-Ripon "Villages"

1. Farnley - 24,213 people

Farnley presents an interesting case right off the bat. While classified in official records as a "village," Farnley is actually a suburb of Leeds, fully absorbed into the city's urban sprawl. It lies southwest of Leeds city centre and has been part of the Leeds urban area for over a century.

Why does it maintain "village" status? Historical classification. When the boundaries were drawn, Farnley retained its village designation despite becoming an integral part of Leeds.

2. Kirkburton - 23,986 people (parish)

Located 5 miles southeast of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, Kirkburton is the textbook example of the parish versus settlement distinction. The civil parish spreads across a large rural area, encompassing multiple villages and hamlets. The actual village of Kirkburton - with its beautiful All Hallows' Church and historic market cross - is home to just 4,299 people.

Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Kirkburton has managed to maintain its village character despite the proximity to Huddersfield's urban sprawl.

3. Acomb - 22,215 people

Acomb sits just 1.5 miles west of York city centre, and like Farnley, it's essentially a suburb that has been absorbed into the larger city. The difference? Acomb retains its identity as a civil parish within the City of York unitary authority.

Walk through Acomb today and you'll find a thriving suburban community with shops, schools, and housing estates - but technically, it remains classified as a village. The population figure represents the entire civil parish area.

4. Liversedge - 19,420 people

Liversedge grew as an industrial textile village during the Yorkshire wool boom. Unlike some entries on this list, Liversedge genuinely feels like a large village rather than a suburb, maintaining a distinct identity separate from nearby Huddersfield and Bradford.

The name comes from Old English, meaning "Leofhere's edge" - the edge of someone's land. Today, it's known for its rugby league team, the Liversedge Rams, and its proud industrial heritage in West Yorkshire.

5. Almondbury - 18,346 people (parish)

Perched on a hill overlooking Huddersfield, Almondbury is another civil parish case. The parish encompasses several settlements on the southern edge of Huddersfield, though Almondbury village itself is considerably smaller.

The village is historically significant - its name appears in the Domesday Book, and it hosts an Iron Age hill fort at Castle Hill, which dominates the local landscape and offers stunning views across West Yorkshire.

6. Thornton - 17,276 people

Thornton, northwest of Bradford, is famous as the birthplace of the Brontë sisters - Charlotte, Emily, and Anne. The village has been absorbed into Bradford's urban area but maintains its distinct character and literary heritage.

The Thornton Viaduct, a magnificent feat of Victorian engineering, still carries trains across the village - a reminder of Yorkshire's industrial past.

7. Cottingham - 17,263 people

Cottingham often claims to be "England's largest village" - and unlike some entries on this list, it's a genuine large village rather than a civil parish amalgamation or suburb. Sitting just north of Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Cottingham has resisted town status and takes pride in its village identity.

The village is home to part of the University of Hull campus and boasts a historic market town feel with Georgian and Victorian architecture lining its streets.

8. Denby Dale - 16,632 people (parish)

Denby Dale civil parish covers a large rural area in the Dearne Valley, encompassing several settlements. The village itself is famous for its tradition of baking giant pies to celebrate significant national events - a tradition dating back to 1788.

The most recent Denby Dale pie was baked in 2000 to celebrate the millennium, weighing over 12 tonnes and feeding around 10,000 people!

9. Birstall - 16,298 people

Birstall is the birthplace of Joseph Priestley, the 18th-century theologian, chemist, and philosopher who discovered oxygen. Today, a statue in the village commemorates this famous son.

The village has grown significantly but maintains a distinct identity separate from nearby Batley, Leeds, and Huddersfield. Its position in the Spen Valley gives it a strong local character.

10. Queensbury - 16,273 people

Just barely squeaking past Ripon in population, Queensbury sits on high ground between Bradford and Halifax. The village developed rapidly during the Industrial Revolution, becoming a centre for textile production.

At 1,150 feet above sea level, Queensbury is one of the highest villages in England and is known locally as "the top of the world."

What Does It All Mean?

So what's the real story here? Are these villages genuinely bigger than Yorkshire's smallest city?

The honest answer: It depends on how you count.

If you're comparing civil parish populations to Ripon's city population, then yes - these 10 administrative areas have more people than Ripon. But if you're comparing actual settlement populations - the real, built-up areas where people live in concentrated communities - most of these "villages" are either:

1. Suburbs absorbed into larger cities (Farnley, Acomb, Thornton)
2. Civil parishes encompassing multiple settlements (Kirkburton, Almondbury, Denby Dale)
3. Genuine large villages that have grown significantly (Cottingham, Liversedge)

The real lesson? British geography is wonderfully complicated, shaped by centuries of history, royal charters, administrative reorganizations, and local pride. A "city" isn't defined by population but by historical status. A "village" might actually be a suburb, a parish, or genuinely a very large village that's simply never sought town status.

And Ripon? It remains proudly Yorkshire's smallest city - a title it's held for centuries, and one that will never be measured by population alone.

Yorkshire's City Status: A Quick History

For context, here's why Yorkshire's eight cities are cities:

• York: Ancient city, cathedral, historical capital of the North
• Leeds & Bradford: Granted city status 1893 for industrial significance
• Sheffield: City status 1893, industrial powerhouse
• Hull: Royal charter 1299, major port
• Ripon: Cathedral city, charter granted 1886
• Wakefield: Cathedral city, granted 1888
• Doncaster: Granted city status 2022 for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

Population was never the primary criterion. History, cathedrals, and royal favour determined city status - which is why Ripon, with its stunning cathedral and 1,300 years of history, will always be a city, regardless of how many large villages surround it.

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Featured image: Ripon Cathedral | Image: Yorkshire.com

Data sources: Population figures from Wikidata and 2011 Census data. Place classifications from UK Ordnance Survey and local authority records.