Ripley

Village in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Nidd, 5 km/3 mi from Harrogate. Ripley Castle dates from the 16th century, but was largely rebuilt in 1780; Oliver Cromwell stayed there after the Battle of Marston Moor. Ripley has a 14th-century church.

Ripley

Town in Derbyshire, England, 16 km/10 mi northeast of Derby; population (2001) 8,500. It has coal mines, iron foundries, boiler works, dye works, and textile and lace factories.

Ripley

Town in Chautauqua County, west New York; population (1990) 3,000. It is situated on Lake Erie, 45 km/28 mi northwest of Jamestown, on the Pennsylvania state line. Before waiting-period laws were passed, Ripley was the fast-marriage capital of the state. There are vineyards and beaches in this rural community.

Ripley

Small town in Brown County, southwest Ohio; population (1990) 1,800. It is situated on the Ohio River and the Kentucky state border, 68 km/42 mi southeast of Cincinnati. It is a distribution point for tobacco. Corn and hogs are also raised in the area. Ripley is the site of the Rankin House, a station on the Underground Railroad (a network for escaped slaves) that has been turned into a state memorial. After the Civil War a number of freed slaves settled here.