(Image: Brett Giroux/CAMERA CLUB)
Visitors passing through a tiny North Yorkshire village may know it for its ancient monuments and rural setting, but some may be less sure about how to pronounce its name.
Thornborough lies around seven miles from Bedale and about three miles from the A1(M).
The small village sits close to the B6267, surrounded by countryside between Bedale, Ripon and Masham.
But despite looking relatively straightforward on the page, Thornborough is one of those Yorkshire place names where the ending can catch visitors out.
It is pronounced: "THORN-buh-ruh."
Thornborough Henges
(Image: Brett Giroux/CAMERA CLUB)
The emphasis falls firmly on the first syllable, with "Thorn" sounding exactly as it does in the word for the sharp point found on a plant.
The "borough" ending is softened considerably, becoming something closer to "buh-ruh" rather than being pronounced as the full word "borough."
That means visitors are unlikely to hear locals carefully sounding out every letter.
Instead, the name rolls together quickly as "THORN-buh-ruh."
Just south and west of Thornborough are the Thornborough Henges, a group of huge prehistoric earthworks which have made the area one of North Yorkshire’s most important ancient landscapes.
The monuments form part of a wider complex of prehistoric sites in the area and are believed to date back thousands of years.
Their scale makes them particularly striking.
The three large circular henges sit across the landscape in an approximate line and provide evidence that this part of North Yorkshire was an important gathering or ceremonial place long before the modern village existed.
Thornborough itself does not appear in the Domesday Book.
The first known written record of the village name dates from 1198, when it was recorded as "Thornbergh."
The name is generally interpreted as meaning "thorn hill" or having a connection with a barrow or raised piece of land.
Its ending has roots in words used for hills or mounds, helping explain how the modern name of Thornborough developed.
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Thornborough once had closer access to the railway network when the Masham branch of the North Eastern Railway was operating.
Despite its small size, Thornborough has also developed a modern connection with Yorkshire food and drink.
Thornborough Cider is based in the village and produces cider using Yorkshire-grown apples.
The business began producing cider in 2010 and later planted its own five-acre orchard in Thornborough.
Its products have gone on to win awards, giving the village another claim to fame beyond its prehistoric landscape.