Bedale is a market town and also civil parish in the area of Hambleton, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is positioned 34 miles (55 kilometres) north of Leeds, 26 miles (42 kilometres) south-west of Middlesbrough and 7 miles (11 km) south-west of the county town of Northallerton. It was initially in Richmondshire as well as noted in the Domesday Book as part of Catterick wapentake, which was likewise called Hangshire (so called from Hang Bank in Finghall as well as due to the many gallows used to carry out looting Scots); it was divided once again as well as Bedale continued to be in East Hang. Bedale Beck is a tributary of the River Swale, which develops one of the Yorkshire Dales, with its predominance of agriculture as well as its relevant tiny standard trades, although tourism is significantly vital. An electoral ward of the very same name exists, which ward consists of Aiskew parish and had a complete population of 4,601 at the 2011 Census. In October 2018 the community was twinned with Azay-sur-Cher, a town in the Loire Valley in France.