 The B6164 road runs through the village between Knaresborough and Wetherby with a minor road heading south-west towards Spofforth.Along with neighbouring Kirk Deighton, the village is mentioned in the Domesday Book and its name derives from a mixture of Old English and Old Norse - "Kirkja dīc tūn" which means a church, a defensive trench or ditch and a farmstead or village.To the east of the village is Howe Hill, which is a former Motte-and-bailey castle from around the time of the Norman Conquest.