Yielding, or Yelden (St. Mary)
YIELDING, or Yelden (St. Mary), a parish, in
the hundred of Stodden, union and county of Bedford, 4¾ miles (E.) from Higham-Ferrers; containing
320 inhabitants. This parish, in the Domesday survey
called Ewelden, comprises 1912 acres, of which 836 are
arable, 800 meadow and pasture, 10 woodland, and 177
common, roads, and waste. Many of the women and
children are employed in lace-making. The living is a
rectory, valued in the king's books at £13. 13. 4.; net
income, £317; patron and incumbent, the Rev. E. S.
Bunting. The church is an ancient structure, and contains an interesting monument, but without inscription.
There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. The moated
site of an old baronial castle is still preserved.
Yockleton
YOCKLETON, a township, in the parish of Westbury, union of Atcham, hundred of Ford, S. division
of Salop, 6 miles (W. by S.) from Shrewsbury. The
tithes have been commuted for £175. 9. 6., of which
£36. 8. 6. are payable to the impropriators.
Yokefleet, county York.—See Yorkfleet.
YOKEFLEET, county York.—See Yorkfleet.
York
YORK, a city and county
of itself, having exclusive
jurisdiction, and the head of
a union, locally in the E.
riding of York, of which it
is the capital, 193 miles (N.
N. W.) from London; containing 28,842 inhabitants.
The origin of this ancient
city, which in Nenuius' catalogue is called Caer Ebrauc,
is involved in obscurity. According to Llwyd, the learned
Welsh antiquary, it is identified with the city termed by
the Britons Caer Effioc, and, among the towns mentioned by Ptolemy, with the Eboracum of the Romans.
The latter name is probably a modification of the former,
adopted when the place became the station of the sixth
legion, sent into Britain by the Emperor Adrian. The
early importance of the city must unquestionably be
attributed to the Romans, who had a colony here, and
who made this the metropolis of their empire in Britain.
Adrian fixed his principal station in the city, in the year
124, while engaged in restraining the incursions of the
northern hordes. In the reign of Commodus, the Caledonians having made a successful irruption into Britain,
attacked and routed the Roman army, and laid waste
the open country as far as York; but Marcellus Ulpius,
who had been sent over from Rome, aided by the ninth
legion, at that time stationed in the city, quickly routed
them, and drove them back within their own territory.
The Emperor Severus, in the fourteenth year of his reign,
finding that the city of York was besieged by the northern Britons, came over into Britain, with his sons
Caracalla and Geta, and a numerous army, attended
by his whole court. The besiegers, on his approach,
retired towards the north, and intrenched themselves
behind the ramparts which his predecessor Adrian had
constructed, to defend the inhabitants from assaults.
The emperor, desiring his son Geta to administer justice
in the city during his absence, advanced with Caracalla
to give to the Britons battle, and, though from age and
infirmity obliged to be carried in a litter, routed them
with great slaughter. Then leaving Caracalla to complete his victory, and, as is commonly supposed, to
superintend the erection of the strong wall of stone
nearly 80 miles in length, which he ordered to be built
near the rampart of earth raised by Adrian, as a more
effectual barrier against incursions, he returned to York,
where he spent the remainder of his days. The Caledonians again taking up arms, Severus sent out his legions
with instructions to give no quarter, but to put men,
women, and children indiscriminately to the sword.

Arms.
During this period the city was in its highest degree
of splendour. The residence of the court, and the resort
of numerous tributary kings and foreign ambassadors,
conferred upon it a distinction almost unsurpassed
among the cities of the world, and obtained for it the
appellation of a second Rome, to which city, in these
respects more than in any resemblance of design, it
might not unaptly be compared. Severus died in his palace
here in 212, and his funeral obsequies were performed
with great solemnity on the west side of the city, near
Acomb: in the immediate vicinity of the spot are three
natural sand-hills, called Severus' Hills, upon which the
ceremony is supposed to have been performed. His
remains were deposited in a costly urn, and sent to
Rome, where they were placed in the sepulchre of his
ancestors. Constantius Chlorus, another of the Roman
emperors, who resided for some time in Britain, died also
in this city, in 307. His son, Constantine the Great, who
at the time of his father's death was at York, was proclaimed emperor by the army. Of the grandeur of the
city during its occupation by the Romans, numerous
vestiges have been discovered; and various remains of
Roman architecture have been found. Among these,
the principal are, a polygonal tower, with the south wall
of the Mint yard; an inscription to the tutelar genius
of the place; an altar dedicated to the household and
other gods by Ælius Marcianus; and a cemetery without Micklegate Bar, in which many urns, containing
ashes and burnt bones, have been dug up.
After the departure of the Romans from Britain, the
city suffered greatly from the depredations of the Scots
and Picts, by whom it was frequently assailed; and
upon the arrival of the Saxons it experienced considerable devastation in the wars which arose between the
Britons and their new allies, during the establishment of
the heptarchy; and in the mutual wars of the several
monarchs for the extension of their territories. By the
Saxons the city was called Euro wic, Euore wic, or Eofor
wic, all descriptive of its situation on the river Ouse,
which, according to Leland, was at that time termed the
Eure; and from these Saxon appellations its present
name is most probably contracted. Edwin, King of
Northumbria, made this place the metropolis of his
kingdom, and upon his conversion to Christianity,
soon after his marriage with Ethelburga, daughter of
Ethelbert, King of Kent, in 624, erected it into an archiepiscopal see, of which he appointed Paulinus, Ethelburga's confessor, primate. This monarch founded a
church, which he dedicated to St. Peter; and his example
in embracing the Christian faith was followed by vast
numbers of his subjects, who, under the influence of
Paulinus' ministry, were converted to Christianity. On
the death of Edwin, who was killed in battle in 633,
while resisting an attack of the Britons under Cadwallo,
assisted by Penda, King of Mercia, the city suffered
severely from the ravages of the confederated armies,
who devastated it with fire and sword, and massacred
the inhabitants. Ethelburga fled into Kent, accompanied by Paulinus; and the newly-erected church,
which was scarcely finished, lay neglected for some
time, till it was restored by Oswald, Edwin's successor,
who, collecting a small army, after a sanguinary conflict
slew Cadwallo and the chief of his officers, and regained
possession of his territories.
Upon the union of the several kingdoms of the heptarchy, York again became a place of importance, and
in the ninth century was the seat of commerce and of
literature, as far as they then prevailed in the country.
During the Danish incursions it was reduced to ashes,
and having been rebuilt, finally became one of the principal settlements of those rapacious invaders, the Danes,
who kept possession of it till Atheistan demolished the
castle which they had erected for their defence. In the
peaceful times that followed, the city gradually recovered,
and continued to flourish till the Conquest, at which
time, according to the Norman survey, it contained six
shires, exclusively of the archbishop's: one of these lay
waste in consequence of the demolition of the castles; in
the other five were 1428 houses, and in the archbishop's
200 houses. William the Conqueror placed strong garrisions in the two castles which remained, partly to overawe the inhabitants, and partly to protect the city from
the attempts of the Saxon nobility, who, refusing to submit to his government, had gone over into Denmark to
incite Sweyn, king of that country, to invade Britain
for the recovery of a throne which had descended to
him from his ancestors. In 1069, Sweyn sent his two
sons, Harold and Canute, with 240 ships and a numerous
army; and these chiefs arriving in the Humber, disembarked their forces and advanced to York, laying
waste the country through which they marched. On
approaching the city they were joined by Edgar Atheling,
who, with a large number of the English exiles, had
arrived from Scotland for the same purpose. The garrison, to prevent them from fortifying themselves in
the suburbs, set fire to the houses; but the wind being
high, the flames communicated to the city, and during
the consternation of the inhabitants, the enemy entered
and made themselves masters of it. The successful
Danes then proceeded northward, and after subduing
the greater part of Northumberland, finding their further
progress arrested by the severity of the winter, returned
to York, where they took up their quarters. William
was unable, from the inclemency of the weather, to
bring an army against them till the spring, when he
encamped near the confluence of the rivers Humber and
Trent, and, after a severe and obstinate battle, obtained a
triumphant victory. Harold and Canute escaped, with a
few of their principal officers, to their ships; and Edgar
Atheling, with great difficulty, effected his retreat into
Scotland. William, attributing the first success of the
Danes to the treachery of the citizens, took signal vengeance on them, burnt the city, and laid waste the neighbouring country, which, from the Humber to the Tyne,
remained for several years in a state of desolation.
From this signal calamity, however, York gradually
recovered in the two succeeding reigns. Archbishop
Thomas repaired the cathedral, for temporary use, by
covering the remaining walls with a roof; and afterwards, finding that they had been essentially injured by
the fire, he pulled them down and rebuilt the church.
Though continually exposed to the assaults of the Scots,
the city continued progressively to advance in importance; and in 1088, a splendid monastery for monks of
the Benedictine order was erected, and dedicated to St.
Mary, of which William Rufus laid the first stone. In
the reign of Stephen, the city was almost entirely consumed by an accidental fire, which is stated to have destroyed the cathedral, the monastery, with some other
religious houses, and 39 parish churches. In 1138,
David, King of Scotland, whom Matilda had engaged in
her interest by a promise of ceding to him the county
of Northumberland, laid siege to York; but Archbishop
Thurstan, though at that time confined to his bed by
illness, assembled the nobility and gentry, who, under
the conduct of Ralph, Bishop of Durham, his deputy,
advanced against the Scottish king, and put him to flight
with considerable loss. In the reign of Henry II., one
of the first meetings distinguished in history by the
name of Parliament was held here in 1169, at which
William, King of Scotland, accompanied by all his
barons, abbots, and prelates, attended, and did homage
to Henry in the cathedral, acknowledging him and
his successors as his superior lords. In the reign of
Richard I., a general massacre of the Jews took place
here, under circumstances of peculiar atrocity. The
fury of the populace had first been excited against them
for mingling with the crowd at the king's coronation in
London; and in spite of a proclamation in their favour
by the king, the same spirit of persecution manifested
itself in many of the large towns, especially in York,
where numerous victims, having taken refuge in the
castle, after defending it for some time against their
assailants, perished by their own hands, first putting
their wives and children to death. In 1221, Alexander,
King of Scotland, who the year before had met Henry III.
at York, had another interview with that monarch here,
when he espoused the Lady Joan, sister of the king;
and at the same time Hubert de Berg married the Lady
Margaret, sister of Alexander: these marriages were
both solemnized in the city, in presence of the king.
In 1237, Cardinal Otto, the pope's legate, negotiated a
peace between the Kings of England and Scotland, who
met here for that purpose; and in 1252, Alexander III.,
King of Scotland, came to York, attended by a large
retinue of his nobility, and celebrated his marriage with
Margaret, daughter of Henry III. Upon this occasion
considerable festivities took place; the Scottish king,
with his retinue, was lodged in a separate part of the
city, appropriated to his use, and he and twenty of his
attendants received the honour of knighthood.
In the reign of Edward I., a parliament was held here,
which was attended by most of the barons and principal
nobility; the great charter, with the charter of forests,
was renewed with much solemnity, and the Bishop of
Carlisle pronounced a curse upon all who should attempt
to violate it. The Scottish lords, who were summoned
to attend this parliament, not making their appearance,
the English lords decreed that an army should be sent,
under the command of the Earl of Surrey, to relieve
Roxburgh, which the Scots were at that time besieging.
After the battle of Bannockburn, in 1315, Edward II.
came to York, and held a council, in which it was decreed to dispatch a force for the defence of Berwick,
then threatened with siege by Robert Bruce. In 1322,
the Earl of Hereford, who, with the Earl of Lancaster,
had rebelled against the king, having been killed at
Boroughbridge by Adam de Hercla, who had been sent
against him, his body was conveyed to York, where also
many of his partisans were hanged, drawn, and quartered. On the suppression of this rebellion, which had
been excited to free the kingdom from the influence of
the De Spencers, the king held a parliament in the city,
in which the decree made in the preceding year at London, for alienating their estates was reversed, and the
elder Spencer created Earl of Winchester. At this parliament the several ordinances enacted at different times
were examined, and such of them as were confirmed
were, by the king's command, directed to be called statutes; the clergy of the province of York granted the
king a subsidy of fourpence in each mark, and Edward,.
the king's son, was created Prince of Wales and Duke
of Aquitaine. After the breaking up of the parliament,
Aymer de Valence was arrested, on his return, by order
of the king, and brought back into the city, on a charge
of having secretly abetted the barons in their rebellion,
and of having contributed to excite the late disturbances;
but upon the intercession of several noblemen, he was
released, on payment of a fine, and taking an oath of
fidelity and allegiance to the king. This monarch, having
collected an army to oppose Robert Bruce, who was
then desolating the English border, was surprised by
the enemy, and with difficulty escaped into the city.
Early in the reign of Edward III., the Scots having
raised three armies to lay waste the English border, and
take possession of the adjoining counties, the king collected an army, with which he marched to York, where
he was soon after joined by Lord John Beaumont, of
Hainault, with a considerable body of forces. Being
informed of these preparations, the Scots sent ambassadors to York, to negotiate a treaty of peace; but the
overture was not successful. Edward advanced against
them with his army, and, inclosing them in Stanhope
Park, in the county of Durham, had nearly made them
prisoners; but by the treachery of Roger Mortimer,
who opened a road for their escape, they withdrew their
forces, and Sir William Douglas assaulting Edward's
camp by night, nearly succeeded in killing the king: on
the failure of his attempt, the Scots, after doing what
mischief they could, retreated within their own territories. Beaumont, upon receiving an ample reward for
his services, returned to his own dominions; and a marriage was soon after negotiated between his niece and
the king, which was solemnized at York, in 1327.
After the battle of Halidown Hill, in 1333, Edward retired to York, where he held a parliament, in which
Edward Balliol, whose cause he had embraced in opposition to David Bruce, was summoned to attend him;
but Balliol, having sent messengers to excuse his attendance, afterwards met the king at Newcastle. In 1335,
Edward took up his residence in the monastery of the
Holy Trinity in the city, and held a council, in which
the Bishop of Durham, then chancellor, resigned the
great seal, which the king immediately delivered to the
Archbishop of Canterbury, who took the usual oaths of
office in the presence of the council, and on the same
day proceeded to the church of the Blessed Mary, where
he affixed it to several deeds.
Richard II., while on his expedition against the Scots,
in 1385, passed some time in the city; which he also
visited in 1389, in order to adjust some differences that
had arisen between the ecclesiastical and civil authorities.
On the latter occasion the monarch took his own sword
from his side, and presented it to William de Selby, the
mayor, to be borne in all public processions before him
and his successors, whom he dignified with the title of
Lord Mayor. This title has been ever since retained,
and is possessed by no other city, except London and
Dublin. In the nineteenth year of his reign, Richard
erected the city into a county of itself, and appointed
two sheriffs, in lieu of the three bailiffs that previously
formed a part of the corporation; he presented the
first mace to the city, and a cap of maintenance to the
sword-bearer. During this reign, Edmund Langley. fifth
son of Edward III., was created the first Duke of York.
Iu the time of Henry IV., the Earl of Northumberland
and Lord Bardolph, who after the defeat of an insurrection against that monarch, headed by the Earl of
Nottingham and the Archbishop of York, had retired
into Scotland, raised some forces in that country, and
made an irruption into the northern part of the kingdom. Sir Thomas Rokesby, however, sheriff of Yorkshire, having levied some forces, defeated them in a battle
in which both the noblemen were slain; and the king,
marching into York, found several of the earl's adherents in the city, of whom some were ransomed and
others punished. The earl's head was severed from his
body, and being sent to London was fixed upon the
bridge.
During the war between the houses of York and Lancaster, the city was occasionally connected with the contending parties, and though not actually a seat of war,
several battles took place in the neighbourhood. In the
reign of Henry VI., Edward, Duke of York, who had
raised an army in support of his claim to the throne,
was killed in the battle of Wakefield, and his body being
afterwards found among the slain, the head was struck
off by order of Queen Margaret, and fixed upon the gate
of York, with a paper crown upon it, in derision of his
pretended title. In 1461, soon after the assumption of
the regal power by Edward IV., Queen Margaret having
levied an army of 60,000 men, made another effort to
regain the throne, and advancing towards York, was met
by Edward and the Earl of Warwick with 40,000 men,
at Towton, when a sanguinary battle ensued, in which
36,776 men are said to have been slain. During the
engagement, Henry and Margaret remained in the city
of York; on hearing of the total defeat of their army,
they fled with great precipitation into Scotland. After
the restoration of Henry VI., Edward IV. landed at
Ravenspur, in Yorkshire, in 1471, and proceeded to
York without opposition. On his arrival he hesitated
to enter the gates, for fear of treachery; but being informed by the mayor and citizens that, provided he
sought only to recover his dukedom of York, and not to
lay his hand upon the crown, he might enter with safety,
he took up his abode here, after swearing to a priest
who met him on his entrance, to treat the citizens with
courtesy, and to be faithful and obedient to the king.
Having remained for some time, he left a garrison in the
city and marched towards London. Meeting with the
army of the Earl of Warwick, near Barnet, a sanguinary
battle took place, in which the earl, his brother, and
several of his principal officers, were slain; and Edward,
after this victory, was peaceably established on the
throne. Richard III. arrived at York in the year 1483,
and, it is said, was crowned with great solemnity and
pomp in the cathedral, by Archbishop Rotherham. In
the year 1503, Margaret, daughter of Henry VII., visited
the city, in which she remained for some days.
In the time of Henry VIII., the art of printing was
first established in York, by Hugo Goes, the son of an
ingenious printer at Antwerp. At the period of the
dissolution of monasteries, during this reign, the city
contained (besides the cathedral) forty-one parochial
churches, seventeen chapels, sixteen hospitals, and nine
religious houses, including the monastery of St. Mary:
with the suppression of the monasteries, ten parochial
churches were demolished, and their revenues and materials appropriated to secular uses. In consequence of
these proceedings, the insurrection called the Pilgrimage
of Grace originated in Yorkshire, and in a short time
40,000 men, headed by Robert Aske, and attended by
priests with sacred banners, took possession of the city
and of Hull. The Duke of Norfolk being sent against
them, they were ultimately dispersed; their principal
leaders were taken and executed, and Aske was brought
to York, where he was hanged upon Clifford's Tower.
After the suppression of this insurrection, Henry made
a tour through the county, on the border of which he
was met by 200 of the principal gentry, with 4000
yeomanry on horseback, who made their submission to
the king, by Sir Matthew Bowes, their speaker, and
presented him with £900. On his advance towards the
city from Barnsdale, the abbot of York, attended by
300 priests, went out to meet him, and presented him
with £600; and on his entering it, the lord mayor, with
the mayors of Newcastle and Hull, who had repaired to
York to meet the king, received him with great pomp
and ceremony, and in token of their submission presented him with £100 each. Henry remained at York
for twelve days; he established here a president and
council, under the great seal of oyer and terminer, and
after making several other arrangements, departed for
Hull, where he threw up some new fortifications.
During the reign of Elizabeth, an insurrection to restore the Roman Catholic religion was headed by Thomas
Percy, Earl of Northumberland, and Charles Neville,
Earl of Westmorland; on the failure of which, Simon
Digby, of Askew, and John Fulthorpe, of Iselbeck, Esqrs.,
who had been made prisoners, were taken from York
Castle to Knavesmire, where they were executed. The
Earl of Westmorland escaped out of the country, but
the Earl of Northumberland, being taken prisoner, and
attainted by parliament, was beheaded at York, and his
head placed on the Micklegate Bar. James I. resided
for some time at the manor palace in the city. In 1633,
Charles I. visited York; in 1639, he held a council at
the palace, and made the city the chief rendezvous of
the troops destined to march against the Scottish rebels.
During his visit, the king, who was then 39 years of
age, ordered the Bishops of Ely and Winchester to wash
the feet of 39 beggars, first in warm water, and afterwards with wine, which ceremony was performed in the
south aisle of the cathedral: the king afterwards gave
to each poor man a purse containing 39 silver pence,
several articles of wearing apparel, and a quantity of
wine and provisions. Before leaving the city, he dined
with the lord mayor and corporation, and expressed his
satisfaction at the hospitality with which he had been
entertained, by conferring the honour of knighthood on
the mayor and recorder. While Charles remained here,
the Scots demanded an audience to express their grievances, and ultimately succeeded in obtaining a treaty of
peace; after which the king disbanded his army, and returned to London.
Previously to the commencement of the Parliamentary
War, the king, to avoid the importunity of the parliament, who petitioned for the exclusive control of the
militia, and for other privileges, removed to York, and
was received by the inhabitants with every demonstration of loyalty and affection. The parliament soon after
appointed a commission to reside in the city, to
strengthen their party, and watch the king's movements; and on their passing an ordinance for embodying the militia, the king ordered his friends to meet him
in the city, whither he directed the several courts to be
in future adjourned. The Lord-Keeper Littleton, being
ordered by the parliament not to issue the writs, apparently obeyed; but on the first opportunity made his
escape to York, and bringing with him the seal, joined
the royal party; for which he was afterwards proclaimed
by the parliament a traitor and a felon. On May 27th,
1642, the king issued a proclamation, dated from his
court at York, appointing a public meeting of the nobility
and gentry of the neighbourhood, to be held at Heworth
Moor, on the 3rd of June. This meeting was attended
by more than 70,000 persons, who, on his Majesty's
approach, accompanied by his son Prince Charles, and
150 knights in complete armour, and attended with a
guard of 800 infantry, greeted him with the loudest
acclamations. The king, in a short address, explained
the particulars of the situation in which he was placed,
and thanking them for their assurances of attachment,
returned to the city. At length, after keeping his court
here for more than five months, during which time every
attempt at negotiation failed, he advanced to Nottingham, and there erected his standard. In 1644, the parliamentary army, under Sir Thomas Fairfax, the Earl of
Leven, and the Earl of Manchester, besieged the city,
then held by the Marquess of Newcastle; but hearing
that Prince Rupert was approaching with an army to
its relief, they raised the siege, and encamped on
Marston-Moor, about six miles from York, where they
awaited the arrival of the royalists. The armies, which
were nearly equal in number, each consisting of about
25,000 men, met on July 2nd, when, after a long and
sanguinary engagement, the royalists were defeated: the
parliamentarians, on this signal victory, returned to
the siege of York, which, having held out nearly four
months, surrendered upon honourable terms. On Jan.
1st, 1645, the great convoy, under the conduct of Gen.
Skipton, arrived at York with the sum of £200,000,
which, according to treaty, had been paid to the Scots
for surrendering up the person of the unfortunate
monarch. After the Restoration, Charles II. was proclaimed here with triumphant rejoicings.
York was connected with several of the proceedings
which led to the Revolution of 1688. James II. attempted to introduce the Roman Catholic religion into
the city, and for this purpose converted one of the
large rooms in the manor palace into a chapel, in which
the service was performed according to the Romish
ritual. This attempt, together with some arbitrary proceedings on the part of the court, gave great offence to
the citizens; and in a general meeting appointed to vote
a loyal address to the king, on the rumoured landing of
the Prince of Orange, they resolved to add to their address a petition for a free parliament, and redress of
grievances. On November 19th, the Duke of Newcastle,
lord-lieutenant of the county, arrived in the city to preside at a county meeting in James's favour; but finding
that several of the deputy-lieutenants had joined with
the citizens in their petition, he retired the next day in
disgust. The meeting took place in the guildhall, where
a petition was framed in addition to an address; but
during the proceedings, a rumour being raised of an
insurrection of the papists, the party rushed from the
hall, and, headed by some gentlemen on horseback, advanced towards the troops of militia, at that time on
parade, crying out "A free parliament, the Protestant
religion, and No Popery." The militia immediately
joined them, and having secured the governor and the
few regular troops then in the city, they placed guards
at the several entrances leading into the town. On the
following day they summoned a public meeting, passed
resolutions, and issued a declaration explanatory of their
proceedings. On the 24th they attacked, plundered,
and destroyed the houses belonging to the principal
Roman Catholics in the city, together with their chapels;
and on December 14th, a congratulatory address was
voted by the lord mayor and corporation to the Prince
of Orange, who, and his consort, were proclaimed on
February 17th by the title of King William and Queen
Mary. During the rebellion in 1745, the inhabitants
raised four companies of infantry, called the York Blues,
for the protection of the city. In 1789, their Royal
Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York
visited the races, on the conclusion of which they entered Earl Fitzwilliam's carriage, and were drawn into
the city by the populace, who took the horses from the
carriage.
On February 2nd, 1829, the inhabitants were greatly
alarmed by the appearance of smoke issuing from the
roof of the cathedral, and, on inspection, had the mortification to find that the choir of that splendid structure
was in flames. Every possible assistance was immediately obtained; but the beautiful tabernacle-work, the
roof, and every thing combustible in that part of the
church were destroyed, and several of the piers and
much of the finer masonry materially injured. This
lamentable event, which was regarded as a national
calamity, was the work of a lunatic, who had secreted
himself in the cathedral, after the performance of the
evening service, and, under the influence of a fanatical
delusion, set fire to the pile. Within a very short time,
however, a sum of £50,000 was subscribed, principally
within the county, and a large quantity of well-seasoned
timber, of the value of £5000, was contributed by government from the royal dockyards, for the restoration
of the building. Another, but accidental fire, broke out
on the 20th May, 1840, which, within an hour, reduced
the belfry to a mere shell, destroyed the roof of the
nave, and caused other damage to the edifice; but these
injuries, also, were soon afterwards repaired.
The City is pleasantly situated on the bank of the
river Ouse, near its confluence with the Foss, and is
nearly three miles in circumference. It is almost surrounded with walls, generally supposed to have been
raised by the Romans, and restored in the reign of Edward I., but which were much damaged during the parliamentary war, and remained in a dilapidated state till
1831, when the walls on the south side of the river were
repaired by subscription, and the walk along the top
restored, forming at present a beautiful promenade.
They are defended by four ancient gates, constituting
the principal entrances, namely, Mick-legate Bar, to the
south-west; Bootham Bar, to the north-west; Monk
Bar, to the north-east; and Walmgate Bar, to the southeast. Terminating that part of the wall which extends
from Walmgate Bar to the edge of the marsh formed by
the waters of the Foss and other smaller streams, is the
Red Tower, built of brick; the inner face of this part
of the wall presents a series of arches, and the same is
seen in other parts. In 1840, Walmgate Bar and Barbican were restored, at the expense of the corporation;
and in 1842, the restoration of the walls between Walmgate and Fishergate, was completed by a public subscription, to which the corporation liberally contributed.
Besides these chief gates, there were five posterns, or
smaller entrances, which took their names from the
streets and parts of the city to which they led, being
severally called North-street, Skeldergate, Castlegate,
Fishergate, and Layerthorpe posterns; but, with the exception of Fishergate postern, these have been removed.
Of the several bridges, the principal, over the Ouse, was
begun in 1810, and completed in 1820, at an expense of
£80,000; it is a handsome and substantial structure of
three arches, of freestone. A stone bridge was erected
across the Foss, in 1811; and over the same river are
four other bridges, affording communication with the
suburbs. In 1847, an act was obtained for building a
bridge over the Ouse, and for improving certain thoroughfares. The city has of late years undergone considerable improvement under a body of local commissioners; it is well paved, and lighted with gas. In 1846,
an act was passed for a better supply of water.
It is progressively increasing in size. In the adjacent
township of Fulford, a row of very superior buildings,
called New Walk Terrace, has been erected, separated
by a drain only from the city liberty; and in all probability the city will ere long extend itself at many points
into the township. On the north-west, the continuous
buildings stretch out of the borough a considerable distance into the township of Clifton, while on the northeast they nearly extend into the township of Heworth.
Heworth Moor was inclosed in 1817, since which period
a great number of substantial and excellent houses have
been built in that neighbourhood, along the Malton road;
and many market-gardens are cultivated in this thriving
and populous district. Interspersed throughout the
vicinity generally are numerous mansions of persons in
affluent circumstances, which, with their gardens and
pleasure-grounds, contribute materially to enrich the
scenery. Of the castle, erected by William the Conqueror, there remains the mount, thrown up with prodigious labour, on which is an old circular building
called Clifford's Tower, apparently the keep, which was
reduced to its present ruinous condition, by an accidental fire in the year 1685. The ancient fortress,
after it was dismantled by Cromwell, continued in a dilapidated state for several years; its site is now occupied by the county prison. The cavalry barracks, about
a mile south-west of the city, were erected in 1796, at
an expense of £30,000, including the purchase of
twelve acres of ground for parade, and for performing the different evolutions. The buildings are handsome and commodious, and include arrangements for
three field-officers, five captains, nine subalterns, and
240 non-commissioned officers and privates, with stabling for the requisite number of horses.
The Subscription Library was established in 1794, and
contains a well-assorted collection in every department
of literature, at present exceeding 16,000 volumes. A
handsome building was erected for it in 1811, but this
is now occupied by the Yorkshire Insurance Office and
a subscription newsroom, the library having been removed to another building belonging to the corporation
in St. Leonard's place. There are three other subscription newsrooms, all of which are well supported. The
Philosophical Society was instituted in 1822, and in 1826
obtained from the crown a grant of three acres of
land, part of the site of the venerable abbey of St.
Mary, for the erection of a suitable building and the
establishment of a botanic garden. Among other subjects it embraces the geology, natural history, and
antiquities of the county. Its meetings are held, and
the museum deposited, in a commodious building
erected by voluntary subscription of the members,
assisted by the noblemen and gentlemen of the county;
the edifice is in the Grecian style, of the Doric order,
and the garden is ornamented with shrubberies, pleasuregrounds, and plantations. The Yorkshire Central Agricultural Association was formed in 1832, under the
auspices of the Earl of Harewood.
The Theatre was erected in 1769, and in 1822 was considerably enlarged, greatly improved, and elegantly fitted
up. It is opened by the York company of comedians,
in the first week in March, and continues open till the
first week in May; the company also perform during
the assizes and the race week. Concerts and Assemblies
are held periodically duriug the winter season, in a suite
of rooms in Blake-street, erected after a design by Lord
Burlington, in 1730, upon a scale of sumptuous magnificence, unparalleled in any town in the kingdom. An
elegant vestibule leads into the principal room, which
is 112 feet in length, 40 feet wide, and 40 feet in height,
ornamented in the lower part with a range of Corinthian
columns and an enriched cornice, from which rises a
series of the Composite order, surmounted by an appropriate cornice, and decorated with wreaths of fruit and
foliage. This room is lighted by thirteen brilliant chandeliers suspended from the ceiling, each of which consists of eighteen branches. On the right of the large
room is a smaller, for subscription assemblies, of which
there are generally six or seven, and subscription concerts, of which there are generally four, during the
season; exclusively of benefit concerts, and the assize
and race balls, held in the larger room. The smaller
room, which is 66 feet in length, and 22 feet wide, is
elegantly fitted up, and the ceiling richly ornamented.
There are other apartments and ante-rooms, forming altogether a splendid suite. The new concert-rooms, adjoining the assembly-rooms, were erected in 1824, at an
expense of £9400, from the profits of the York musical
festivals, and were opened to the public in 1828; the
principal room is 92 feet long, 60 feet wide, and 45
feet high, and will afford accommodation for 1800 persons. The Musical Festivals have been liberally patronised, not only by the nobility and gentry resident in the
county, but by families of the highest distinction in
every portion of the kingdom. The nave of the cathedral is fitted up on these occasions for the performance of sacred music; the orchestra combines the
talents of the metropolis with the professional skill of
every other part of the country, and the performances
rank among the most profitable and attractive of these
periodical festivals. Miscellaneous concerts are held
in the large concert-rooms, during the period of the
festival; and the proceeds, after deducting the expenses,
are appropriated to the York county hospital, and the
general infirmaries of Hull, Leeds, and Sheffield. The
Races take place in May and August, upon Knavesmire,
about a mile from the town, on the road to Tadcaster:
the grand stand, erected by subscription in 1754, is
nearly 300 feet in length, with a balustrade projecting
in front, supported on a rustic arcade. At Lendal tower,
adjoining the water-works, is an establishment of hot,
cold, tepid, and vapour baths.
The city is not much distinguished either for its commerce or manufactures; the trade principally arises
from the supply of the inhabitants and the numerous
opulent families in the neighbourhood. Several linen
factories have been established, but they are not carried
on to any great extent; the manufacture of glass was
introduced in 1797, and is conducted upon a moderate
scale. Carpets, worsted-lace for liveries, gloves, and
combs, are made; and there are some chemical laboratories and iron-foundries. The river Ouse is navigable
as far as the bridge, for vessels of 80 tons' burthen; and
ships of 150 tons trade with London: the trustees for
the Ouse have expended large sums in improving the
navigation, and steamers now ply between York and
Hull at any time of the tide. Great quantities of coal
are brought hither in barges of 30 or 40 tons' burthen;
and from the junction of the Foss with the Ouse is a
navigable communication to the parish of Sheriff-Hutton,
in the North riding. The York and North-Midland
railway, proceeding southward, crosses the Leeds and
Selby line, and unites it with the city. The Newcastle
railway also commences at York, running northward,
and crossing the Ouse at Poppleton by a viaduct 300
feet long; it is remarkably straight and level. A railway was opened to Scarborough in July 1845. In 1846
an act was passed for a direct railway to-London, 186
miles in length, exclusive of branches; and in the same
year three other acts were passed, viz.: one for a railway
to Knaresborough; another for a railway, 31 miles long,
to Beverley, there to join the Hull and Bridlington line;
and the third for a direct railway between York and
Leeds. The construction of these lines will probably
add greatly to the commerce of the city.
The market-days are Thursday and Saturday; the
latter, which is the principal, is for corn. Fairs for
cattle and horses, at which very large quantities of livestock are disposed of, are held every fortnight, and on
Whit-Monday, St. Peter's day, Lammas-day, and some
other festivals, in a spacious market-place without the
city walls, near Walmgate Bar, in the construction of
which, and in the erection of a handsome inn contiguous
to it, the corporation expended upwards of £10,000. A
fair for leather takes place every month; a fair for wool
on Peaseholm Green every Thursday, from Lady-day to
Michaelmas, which is well attended; a fair for flax on
the Saturdays before Michaelmas, Martinmas, Christmas, Lady-day, St. Peter's day, Lammas-day, and WhitMonday; and a large horse-fair, without Micklegate
Bar, in the week next before Christmas. In the session
of 1833, an act was obtained for improving and enlarging
the market-places in the city, and rendering the approaches to them more commodious; also for regulating
and maintaining the several markets and fairs held
within the city and its suburbs.
The earliest charter bestowed upon the inhabitants was
that by Henry II., confirming all the liberties they held
in the time of Henry I. Richard I., in the 1st year of
his reign, granted them an exemption from toll and all
customs in England and Normandy; and King John, in
the first of his reign, gave them a charter ratifying all
former privileges, and conferring the city on the inhabitants, subject to a fee-farm rent of £160, payable halfyearly into the treasury. Confirmatory charters were also
granted by Henry III., Edward II. and III., and Richard
II., which last monarch, by a second charter, erected
the city, with the district adjoining it, into a county of
itself, dignified the mayor with the title of Lord, and
in lieu of the three bailiffs, appointed two sheriffs.
Charters were subsequently obtained from Henry VI.,
Edward IV., Henry VII., Elizabeth, and Charles I. and
II. The present corporation consists of a lord mayor,
12 aldermen, and 36 councillors, appointed under the act
5th and 6th of William IV., cap. 76; the city, formerly
including only four, is now divided into six wards, and
the number of magistrates is fifteen. The freedom is
inherited by all the sons of freemen on their coming of
age, and acquired by apprenticeship to a resident freeman. The city first exercised the elective franchise in
the 49th of Henry III., since which time it has regularly
returned two members to parliament; the right of election was extended in 1832, to the £10 householders of
an enlarged district, which contains 2805 acres: the
sheriff is the returning officer. Courts of assize for the
city and county of the city are opened by the judges on
the Northern circuit, under a separate commission, on
the same day as the assizes for the county; at these
courts, which are held in the guildhall, the lord mayor
takes the chair in presence of the judge, who sits on his
right hand. Courts of quarter-session are held before
the recorder, for all offences not capital. The lord mayor
and one of the justices hold a petty-session twice in the
week; and a court of record, that exists by prescription,
for the recovery of debts to any amount, is held weekly
before the recorder. To the corporation belongs the
conservancy of the rivers Aire, Derwent, Don, Ouse,
Wharfe, and some parts of the Humber.

Corporation Seal.
Obverse.
Reverse.
The mansion-house, erected in the year 1726, for the
residence of the chief magistrate, is a stately edifice, containing a splendid suite of apartments, and a large collection of well-painted portraits. Among the portraits
are those of William III.; George II.; George IV.,
when Prince of Wales, presented by his royal highness
to the corporation, in 1811; Lord Dundas, painted by
Jackson, in 1822; Lord Bingley; Sir William Mordaunt Milner, Bart.; and Sir John Lister Kayc, Bart.
The guildhall is a handsome structure in the later English style, erected in 1446; it is appropriated to the use
of the courts, and for the transaction of corporate affairs
and the election of members and officers of the corporation. The council-chamber, adjoining the guildhall, was
erected in 1819, when the buildings anciently used for
that purpose, and situated on the old bridge over the
Ouse, were taken down; the upper room is assigned to
the meetings of the mayor, aldermen, and councillors,
and the lower to various public purposes. The Merchants' Hall is in Fossgate, and the Merchant Tailors'
Hall in Aldwark; these are almost the only remains of
the numerous guilds formerly incorporated for the regulation of the trade. A common gaol for the city and
county of the city was erected in 1807, at the joint expense of the city and the district then called the Ainsty,
the former contributing three-fifths, and the latter twofifths. It is a substantial stone building, consisting of
three stories, surmounted by a cupola and vane; and is
now considered the house of correction for the city, the
county gaol in the castle being used as the common
gaoL The house of correction for the city and county
of the city, erected in 1814, at the expense of the city
and Ainsty, has been taken down by the York and NorthMidland Railway Company.
The general assizes for the county, and the election of
knights of the shire for the North Riding, take place in
the city. The powers of the county debt-court of York,
established in 1847, extend over the registration-district
of York. The site of the ancient castle, which, on its
being dismantled after the parliamentary war, was converted into a prison, is at present occupied by the county
hall and common gaol, forming three sides of a quadrangle, near the confluence of the Ouse and the Foss,
now approached by a gateway and porter's-lodge in the
new wall, fronting Tower-street, and near the northwestern side of Clifford's Tower. The county hall, which
occupies the western range, is a handsome structure in
the Grecian style, erected in 1777. with a noble portico
of six lofty columns of the Ionic order, above which are
the queen's arms, a figure of Justice, and other emblematical ornameuts. The hall is 150 feet long, and 45
feet wide; at one end is the crown bar, and at the other
the court of nisi prius, each lighted by an elegant dome,
supported on twelve pillars of the Corinthian order.
On the east side of the quadrangle are the apartments
of the clerks of assize, the office of the court of record,
the indictment office, hospital rooms, and cells for female
prisoners; this range, which is 150 feet in length, is
fronted with a colonnade of the Ionic order. The old
coxinty gaol occupies the south side of the quadrangle.
In 1836 a very large addition, called the New Works,
was completed, at an expense of £203,530, including a
massive boundary wall, 32 feet high, with pierced battlements, recessed gateway, and projecting towers. The
new prison, which stands on the north-east side of
Clifford's Tower, comprises four radiating double wings,
with eight airing-yards; and in the centre is the governor's house, which commands inspection over the whole.
The buildings are fire-proof, being constructed entirely
of stone and wrought-iron.
The city was constituted an archiepiscopal see by
Edwin, King of Northumbria, who, on his conversion
to Christianity, erected a church here, which he dedicated to St. Peter, and made Paulinus, the confessor of
his queen Ethelburga, first archbishop. After the death
of Edwin, who was killed in battle, Paulinus was compelled to abandon the province to the fury of the Britons under Cadwallo, and, accompanied by Ethelburga,
found an asylum in the kingdom of Kent. During
his absence the newly-founded establishment fell into
decay, but it was restored
by Oswald, the successor of
Edwin, who, after a successful battle with the Britons,
expelled them from the city,
and recovered possession of
his capital. Paulinus, dying
in Kent, was succeeded in
the government of the see
and province by Cedda, who
held it till the return of
Wilfrid from France, whither he had been sent for
consecration, and where he remained for three years.
The establishment, under Wilfrid and his successors,
remained upon its original foundation till after the
Conquest, when Thomas, chaplain to William the Conqueror, being made archbishop, constituted the several dignitaries and prebendaries, and established the
first regular chapter. After frequent disputes for precedency with the Archbishop of Canterbury, which were
carried on for many years with the greatest animosity,
it was ultimately decided in favour of Canterbury, the
archbishop of that see being styled Primate of all England, as a superior designation to that of the Archbishop
of York, who has the title of Primate of England.

Arms of the See.
The Archbishop of York, who is also lord high almoner to the queen, takes precedency of all dukes who
are not of the blood royal, and of all the chief officers of
state, with the exception of the lord high chancellor.
He places the crown on the head of the queen consort
at coronations; and, in the county of Northumberland,
has the power and privileges of a prince palatine: he
was formerly styled Metropolitan of Scotland. The province of York comprises the sees of York, Carlisle,
Chester, Durham, Sodor and Man, Ripon, and Manchester: the diocese of York extends over the county of
York, except such parts as have been included in the
new diocese of Ripon. The ecclesiastical establishment
consists of an archbishop, dean, chancellor, precentor,
sub-dean, succentor, three archdeacons, four canons residentiary, twenty-four prebendaries, a chancellor of the
diocese, a subchanter and four other minor canons,
seven lay clerks, six choristers, an organist, and other
officers. The Archbishop has the patronage of the archdeaconries, the chancellorships, precentorship, and prebends; the Dean and Chapter have the patronage of the
minor canonries. The treasurership, erected in the year
1090, was dissolved and made a lay fee by King Edward
VI., as were also the prebends of Wilton and Newthorpe,
annexed thereto.
The Cathedral, originally founded by Edwin, after
having been frequently demolished and restored, was
destroyed by an accidental fire in 1137. It remained
in a desolate state for some time, till Archbishop Roger
in 1171 rebuilt the choir, and Walter de Gray in the
reign of Henry III. built the south transept. In the
beginning of the reign of Edward I., John le Romaine,
treasurer of the church, built the north transept and a
central tower; and in 1291, his son of the same name,
who was made archbishop, laid the foundation of the
nave, which forty years afterwards was completed by
Archbishop William de Melton, who also built the west
front and the two western towers. Arch bishop Thoresby,
in 1361, rebuilt the choir in a style better adapted to
the character of the nave, to which it was before greatly
inferior; in 1370, the central tower was taken down,
and in the course of eight years completely rebuilt. The
whole edifice at present displays a regular series of the
richest and purest specimens of the various styles of
English architecture, with some remains of the Norman,
of which the only portion now entire is the crypt, under
the eastern part of the church. The distant view of this
magnificent pile, towering above the churches and other
buildings of the city, and equally unrivalled in the magnitude of its dimensions and the richness of its embellishment, is strikingly impressive. The cathedral is a
cruciform structure, with the addition of two lateral projections between the central tower and the east end,
which are called the light transepts. It is 524½ feet in
length from east to west, and 222 in breadth along the
principal transepts.
The West front, which is divided into three compartments by richly-panelled buttresses of four stages, terminating in boldly crocketed finials, is almost covered
with a profusion of the most varied sculpture, comprising
numerous canopied niches with statues. The central
compartment contains the principal entrance, a beautiful
pointed and richly-moulded arch, supported on a series
of slender clustered columns, surmounted by a straight
angular canopy with crocketed pinnacles, and ornamented with niches, in which are statues of the Archbishops Melton, Percy, and Vavasour. The arch is divided, by a slender clustered pillar in the centre, into
two smaller cinquefoiled arches, forming a double doorway, and having the spandril decorated with a circular
window of elegant tracery. On each side of the principal entrance are two series of trefoiled arches, with
feathered canopies, terminating in crocketed finials; and
above it is the beautiful west window, of eight lights, enriched with tracery, and surmounted by an acutely angular canopy and parapet, behind which is seen the gable
of the roof of the nave. The entrances to the aisles are
through plainer arches, above which are windows of
three lights, with tracery, surmounted by canopies similar
to that over the west window. The western towers,
which are uniform and of graceful elevation, are strengthened with double buttresses at the angles, highly enriched with canopies and pinnacles at the offsets, and
which, after diminishing in four successive stages, die
away under the cornice that is carried round the upper
part of the towers. The North and South sides of the
cathedral have buttresses terminating in pinnacles, and
a delicately pierced parapet is continued round the walls
of the nave: the transepts, which are in the early English style, are nearly similar in design, though differing
in the minuter details. The Central tower, which rises
to the height of 213 feet, is a massive square structure,
relieved on each of its faces by two large windows of
three lights, separated and bounded at each side by enriched buttresses, terminating in crocketed finials; the
arch of the windows is surmounted by a canopy, and the
summit of the tower is wreathed with a pierced and embattled parapet. The East front, which is one of the
finest compositions extant, is divided into three compartments by four octangular buttresses, terminating in
crocketed pinnacles, and ornamented with niches. In
these niches are, a figure of an archbishop seated, holding in his left hand the model of a church, and having
the right hand raised; a statue of Vavasour, in tolerable
preservation; and one, much mutilated, said to be of
Lord Percy. The magnificent window, filled with intricate tracery, is surmounted by an enriched ogee canopy,
above which is some highly elaborate and beautiful
tabernacle-work, and in the centre, a square turret, with
a crocketed finial.
On entering the cathedral from the west end, the
vastness of its dimensions, the justness of its proportions, and the simplicity and beauty of the arrangement, produce an intense impression of grandeur and
magnificence. The Nave is separated from the aisles by
long ranges of finely clustered columns, of which the
central shafts rise to the roof, which is plainly groined,
and the others support a series of gracefully pointed
arches, in the decorated style, chastely and appropriately
enriched. The triforium consists of openings of five
lofty narrow trefoiled arches, with acute angular canopies. The clerestory is a noble range of windows,
divided by slender mullions into five lights, having in
the crown of the arch a circular light, with geometrical
tracery of beautiful design: the aisles are lighted by an
elegant range of windows of three lights, with quatrefoiled circles and tracery; and the walls below them are
decorated with panels and tracery, and with canopied
niches having crocketed pinnacles. At the eastern extremity of the nave is the lantern tower, supported on
four lofty clustered columns and finely pointed arches.
Its windows diffuse a pleasing light over the transepts
and eastern portion of the nave; and when viewed
from this point, the nave derives increased effect from
the great west window, filled with tracery of the most
delicate and beautiful character. The Transepts, in the
early English style, are dissimilar only in the minuter
details and the arrangement of the ends. The choir is
separated from the nave by a splendid stone Screen,
sustaining the organ, and divided into fifteen compartments containing a series of canopied niches, in which
are placed, on elegant pedestals, statues of the kings of
England, from William the Conqueror to Henry VI.
Nearly in the centre is the doorway leading into the
choir, an obtuse arch supported on slender clustered
columns, with an ogee canopy, terminated with a crocketed finial. Above the niches in which are the statues
of the kings, are narrow shrines, richly canopied, and
containing smaller statues, and above them a series of
angels; the whole surmounted with bands of tracery,
and adorned with the most elaborate sculpture.
The Choir, whose roof is loftier and more intricately
groined than that of the nave, is a fine specimen of
the later style of English architecture. The magnificent
east window, of nine lights, occupies almost the whole
of the east end, and is embellished with nearly 200 subjects from sacred history. The upper section of the
window is occupied with tracery, elaborately wrought
into a series of canopies, running up to the crown of the
arch, and containing projecting busts; the outer border
is enriched with small tabernacles, containing half-length
figures. Behind the altar, to which is an ascent of fifteen steps, and separating it from the Lady chapel, is a
beautiful stone screen, divided into compartments by
slender panelled buttresses terminating with crocketed
pinnacles. Each compartment contains, in the lower
division, a triple shrine of niches; and in the upper, an
open arch, formed by slender mullions into three divisions, surmounted by a square head, of which the spandrils are pierced in quatrefoil circles: above these is a
delicate open embattled parapet. The intervals of this
exquisitely wrought screen have been filled with plateglass, affording a view of the eastern portion of the choir,
and of the magnificent east window. On each side of the
choir, and on each side of the entrance under the organ,
are the prebendal stalls, of oak richly carved, surmounted
with canopies of tabernacle-work: at the east end are
the bishop's throne and the pulpit, opposite to each
other, both elaborately ornamented; and in the centre is
the desk for the vicars choral, inclosed with tabernaclework, on the north side of which is a brass eagle on a
pedestal. The pavement of the choir and nave has been
beautifully relaid in mosaic. The Lady chapel is perfectly similar to the choir, of which it is only a continuation; and contains some beautiful monuments. Beneath the altar is the Norman crypt, with low massive
circular columns with varied capitals, supporting a plainly
groined roof; it was built with the materials of Archbishop Thomas' church, by Archbishop Thoresby.
On the south side of the choir are three chapels, or
rather vestries, in which are several ancient chests. In
the inner vestry, or council-chamber, is a large press,
containing many of the records of the church, and a large
horn of ivory presented by Ulphus, Prince of West
Deira, with all his revenues, to the cathedral, and which,
after having been lost and stripped of its gold ornaments,
was restored to the church by Henry, Lord Fairfax.
The lands that are held by this horn are situated a little
eastward of the city, and are of great value. Here is
also preserved a large and elegant bowl, edged with silver
doubly gilt, and standing upon three silver feet, originally presented by Archbishop Scroope, in 1398, to the
company of cordwainers of the city. Among the other
curiosities are, a state canopy of gold tissue, given by
the citizens in honour of James I., on his first visit to
York; and a superb pastoral staff of silver, about seven
feet long, with the figure of the Virgin and the Infant
placed under the crook, given by Catherine of Portugal,
Queen Dowager of England, to her confessor, on his
being appointed to the archbishopric by James II., in
the year 1689, and said to have been wrested from him
by the Earl of Darnley, when he went in procession to
the minster, and deposited in the care of the Dean and
Chapter, in whose possession it has remained ever since.
An antique chair, thought to be coeval with the cathedral, and in which several of the kings of England have
been crowned, is placed within the altar rails when the
archbishop officiates. The great bell, put up in 1845,
weighs above twelve tons; it is 7 feet 7 inches in height,
and 8 feet 4 inches in diameter.
The monument of Archbishop Walter de Grey, the
tomb of Archbishop Godfrey, the monument of Archbishop Henry Bowett, and of Archbishop Thomas Savage,
are highly worthy of notice. There are also several
large stone coffins, some recumbent figures of knights,
and numerous tombs of other archbishops, of which that
of Archbishop Roger is the most ancient. In the north
aisle of the choir is a recumbent figure in alabaster,
commonly, but erroneously, said to be that of Prince
William de Hatfield, second son of Edward III., under
a rich and beautiful canopy; and in the north transept
is the tomb of John Haxby, treasurer of the church, on
which, according to ancient usage, payments of money
for the church estate are still occasionally made. Among
the other monuments and tombs in various parts of the
church, are those of Sir William Ingram, Knt., commissary of the prerogative court; Charles Howard, Earl
of Carlisle; Frances Cecil, Countess of Cumberland; a
statue of William Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, son of
the minister of Charles I.; and a monument to William
Burgh, LL.D., on which is an emblematical figure of
Faith, finely sculptured by Westmacott.
From the north transept a passage leads to the Chapterhouse, a highly enriched octagonal structure in the decorated English style, with a lofty and elaborately groined
roof of wood, without a central pier, profusely ornamented with sculpture in various devices. Seven sides
of the octagon are occupied by large windows of elegant
tracery, embellished with shields of armorial-bearings;
below the windows are forty-four stalls of rich tabernaclework, of Petworth marble. The eighth side is solid, and
has tracery corresponding with the windows. The arch
forming the doorway is divided into two trefoiled arches
by a clustered column in the centre, above which is a
statue of the Virgin with the Infant in her arms, enshrined in a canopied niche. The vestibule is also
of beautiful design. The building now used for the
Library, once a chapel belonging to the archiepiscopal
palace, is situated a short distance north-west of the
cathedral, and having undergone complete repair, exhibits a good specimen of early Anglo-Norman architecture; it contains a valuable collection of works on
theology and general literature. The recent removal of
ancient buildings on the north of the cathedral has disclosed a series of very beautiful Norman arches, which
formed part of the palace, and which, though greatly
mutilated, are peculiarly fine in their details.
|
| PARISHES IN THE CITY. |
| PARISHES. |
LIVINGS. |
Value in the King's books. |
Present Net Income. |
PATRONS. |
Population. |
|
|
£ |
s. |
d. |
£ |
|
|
|
| All Saints, North-Street |
Discharged Rectory |
4 |
7 |
11 |
120 |
The Crown |
1199 |
| All Saints, Pavement, with |
united |
Discharged Rectory |
5 |
16 |
10½ |
100 |
The Crown |
417 |
| St. Peter the Little |
Discharged Vicarage |
573 |
| St. Crux |
|
Discharged Rectory |
6 |
16 |
6 |
100 |
The Crown |
910 |
| St. Cuthbert, with |
united |
Discharged Rectory |
5 |
10 |
10 |
233 |
The Crown |
1233 |
| St. Helen on the Walls, and All Saints in Peaseholm |
Discharged Rectory |
444 |
| Discharged Rectory |
373 |
| St. Denis in Walmgate, with |
united |
Discharged Rectory |
4 |
0 |
10 |
150 |
The Crown and G. Palmer, Esq., alternately |
1314 |
| St. George |
Discharged Rectory |
1024 |
| St. Helen, Stonegate |
|
Discharged Vicarage |
4 |
5 |
5 |
103 |
The Crown |
607 |
| St. John at Ousebridge-end |
|
Perpetual Curacy |
209 |
The Dean and Chapter |
1026 |
| St. Lawrence, with |
united |
Discharged Vicarage |
5 |
10 |
0 |
83 |
The Dean and Chapter, the appropriatoes |
182 |
| St. Nicholas |
182 |
| St. Margaret, Walmgate, with |
united |
Discharged Rectory |
4 |
9 |
9½ |
124 |
The Crown |
1207 |
| St. Peter-le-Willows |
Discharged Rectory |
497 |
| St. Martin, Coney-street |
|
Discharged Vicarage |
4 |
0 |
0 |
100 |
The Dean and Chapter |
513 |
| St. Martin, Micklegate, with |
united |
Discharged Rectory |
5 |
16 |
3 |
243 |
Trustees of H. Willoughby, Esq., and others |
554 |
| St. Gregory |
Discharged Vicarage |
| St. Mary Bishopshill Senior |
|
Discharged Rectory |
5 |
0 |
10 |
226 |
The Crown |
1302 |
| St. Mary Bishopshill Junior |
|
Discharged Vicarage |
10 |
0 |
0 |
157 |
The Dean and Chapter, the appropriators |
2464 |
| St. Mary, Castlegate |
|
Discharged Rectory |
2 |
8 |
6½ |
120 |
The Crown |
952 |
| St. Michael-le-Belfry, with |
united |
Perpetual Curacy |
|
150 |
The Dean and Chapter, the appropriators |
1637 |
| St. Wilfred |
Discharged Rectory |
2 |
0 |
10 |
356 |
| St. Michael, Spurrier-gate, or Ouse-bridge |
|
Discharged Rectory |
8 |
12 |
1 |
91 |
The Crown |
499 |
| St. Olave, with |
united |
Perpetual Curacy |
|
138 |
Earl de Gray |
1580 |
| St. Giles |
|
|
|
|
|
1393 |
| St. Sampson |
|
Perpetual Curacy |
|
109 |
The Subchanter and Vicars-Choral |
761 |
| St. Saviour, with |
united |
Discharged Rectory |
5 |
6 |
8 |
173 |
The Crown |
2305 |
| St. Andrew |
|
|
|
|
318 |
| Holy Trinity, or Christ-church, King's-ct. |
|
Discharged Rectory |
8 |
0 |
0 |
87 |
Master of Wells Hospital, the impropriator |
685 |
| Holy Trinity, Micklegate |
|
Discharged Vicarage |
|
93 |
The Crown |
1455 |
| Holy Trinity, Goodrangate, with |
united |
Discharged Rectory |
|
150 |
The Archbishop |
551 |
| St. John Delpike, and |
Discharged Rectory |
|
|
|
351 |
| St. Maurice without Monkbar |
Discharged Vicarage |
12 |
4 |
9½ |
|
1477 |
The churches are in general in the later English
style, but several of them contain portions in the Norman and early English styles. That of All Saints on
the Pavement is said to have been built on the site and
with the ruins of the Roman Eboracum; it has an octagonal lantern-tower with large windows of elegant tracery, in which was formerly a lamp to guide travellers
across the forest of Galtres. The chancel was taken
down, in 1782, for the enlargement of the market place,
but since the removal of the market the site has been
added to the cemetery. The church of All Saints in
North-street contains some old stained glass in the windows, and in the south wall the mutilated remains of a
Roman sepulchral monument. The church of St. Crux
has a square tower of brick, surmounted by a dome, and
declining considerably from a perpendicular line. St.
Cuthbert's church is a neat edifice in the later style, with
some ancient portions: the windows were formerly embellished with stained glass, of which portions are remaining. Near the site many curious antiquities have
been found, consisting of urns, pateræ, and part of the
foundation of an apparently Roman building. The
church of St. Denis in Walmgate, originally a spacious
structure, has been much reduced by taking down the
western part, which, from the insecurity of the foundation, was giving way; the spire, also, which was perforated by a ball during the parliamentary war, has been
replaced with a square tower of indifferent character.
Little now remains of the original architecture, except
the entrance door, which belonged to an ancient porch
that has been removed. In the interior are, a mural
tablet with a female figure in the attitude of prayer,
erected to Mrs. Dorothy Hughes; and an elegant marble
monument to Robert Welbourne Hotham, Esq., sheriff
of York in 1801: in the north aisle is a sepulchral
chapel of the earls of Northumberland, in which Earl
Henry, who fell at the battle of Towton-Field, was interred.
St. Helen's church, supposed to have been originally
a temple of Diana, was rebuilt in the reign of Mary, and
the ground of the churchyard, which had risen to an
enormous height, was levelled and marked out as the
site of St. Helen's square. The present structure, which
has an elegant octagonal tower, has been much modernised, and most of the painted glass has been removed.
Near the entrance is a Norman font, lined with lead,
and ornamented with antique sculpture. There are
several monuments, including two mural tablets to the
memory of Barbara and Elizabeth Davyes, maiden sisters, who died in 1765 and 1767, each 98 years of age.
The steeple of St. John's church was blown down in
1551, and has not been rebuilt; the edifice contains a
monument to Sir Richard York, Knt., lord mayor of the
city in 1469: the churchyard has been much curtailed
by the improvement near Ouse-bridge. St. Lawrence's
church was nearly destroyed during the siege of York,
by the parliamentarian forces, and lay in ruins till 1669,
when it was repaired; it consists only of a nave, with a
square embattled tower. Over the altar is a large handsome window with some remains of stained glass; and
the building contains some neat marble tablets to members of the Yarburgh family. The porch has been removed, but at the entrance is a fine Norman arch, with
three mouldings ornamented with flowers; in the north
wall of the church is a large gritstone, supposed to have
been a Roman altar, and in the churchyard wall are two
antique statues.
The church of St. Margaret in Walmgate is an old
building of brick, with a steeple of the same material.
Its only interesting feature is a Norman porch, removed
from the dissolved hospital of St. Nicholas: at the entrance is a semicircular arch, resting on single columns,
and having four mouldings ornamented alternately with
the signs of the zodiac, emblematical representations of
the seasons, and grotesque figures. This edifice has
been repaired, and a gallery erected. The church of St.
Martin in Micklegate is a neat ancient structure, with a
steeple built in 1677; the windows contain portions of
beautiful stained glass, and in the exterior of the church
walls, and in the walls of the churchyard, are some remains of mutilated Roman sculpture. The church of
St. Martin the Bishop, in Coney-street, is an elegant
structure in the later English style, with a square embattled tower; the interior is spacious, and appropriately arranged. Among the monuments are, one to Sir
William Sheffield and his lady, with busts and the family
arms; a plain marble tablet to Elizabeth, wife of Robert
Porteus; and another of Beilby Porteus, Bishop of
London. The church of St. Mary Bishopshill Senior contains portions in the early and decorated English styles,
of which the details are very good. That of St. Mary
Bishopshill Junior has a Norman tower, and some piers
and arches in the early English style, with portions of a
later date. The church of St. Mary-in-Castlegate has a
very handsome and lofty spire, and contains several old
monumental inscriptions. In digging a grave in this
church a copper plate was found, which had been fastened inside the coffin of a priest who was executed for
the plot of 1680. St. Maurice's church is a very ancient
structure; the interior has been repaired, and modernised. The church of St. Michael-le-Belfry is a spacious
and elegant edifice in the later English style, erected on
the site of a more ancient church, which was taken
down in 1535; the interior is handsomely arranged,
with the exception of the altar, which is of the Corinthian
order, and consequently inappropriate to the general
character of the building. St. Michael's in Spurrier-gate
is a very old structure; the west end is built of gritstone, in large masses.
St. Olave's church, adjoining the ruins of St. Mary's
abbey, and a very ancient edifice, was destroyed during
the siege of York, by the parliamentarian forces, who
used the roof as a platform for their cannon; it was
rebuilt in 1722, with stone taken from the abbey. The
interior is neatly arranged; the east window contains
excellent stained glass, and there are some mural tablets.
The church of St. Sampson is in the later English style,
with a square embattled tower, on the west side of which
is a sculptured figure of the tutelar saint, and on which
may be perceived its perforation by a cannon-ball during
the siege of the city. There were formerly three chantry
chapels in this church. Most of the painted glass has
been removed from the windows, and the monumental
inscriptions have been defaced St. Saviour's is an ancient structure, with a handsome tower surmounted by
a wooden cross: the interior is very neat; the windows
contain considerable portions of stained glass, and there
are several old monuments.
The church of Holy Trinity in Micklegate is principally
in the Norman style, with portions of a later date; the
tower preserves its original Norman character, but the
church has been greatly mutilated. It belonged to the
priory of the Holy Trinity, of which some ruined arches
may be traced, and a gateway is still remaining in good
preservation. The church of Holy Trinity in Goodramgate had three chantry chapels: over the altar is a fine
window, containing beautiful specimens of stained glass;
there are also some very old monumental inscriptions.
The church of Holy Trinity (in Kings-court), usually
called Christ-church, is an ancient edifice, to which there
is a descent of several steps; it was considerably reduced at the east end in 1830, in order to widen Colliergate, and was then repewed. The Roman palace was
situated near this church, on the side of which is a
ditch still called King's ditch, that is supposed to have
bounded the demesne. Besides the several churchyards, a public cemetery has been established on the
Fulford road, comprising 8½ acres, beautifully laid out
and inclosed at a cost of about £6000. There are
places of worship for the Society of Friends, Independents, Primitive and Association Methodists, Wesleyans, and English Presbyterians; also two Roman Catholic chapels.
The Free Grammar school in the Cathedral Close was
erected in 1546, and endowed with £12 per annum by
Robert Holgate, Archbishop of York. Another free
grammar school was founded by charter of Philip and
Mary, and endowed by the Dean and Chapter with
the lands of St. Mary's hospital in the Horsefair,
which was originally established in 1330, by Robert de
Pykering, Dean of York, and the site and revenue of
which, on its suppression, were granted to that body. The
Blue-coat school for boys, held in an ancient building on
Peaseholm Green, called St. Anthony's Hall; and the
Grey-coat school for girls, for which an appropriate
building was erected near Monkgate Bar, were established
by the mayor and corporation, in 1705. They are supported by subscription, and the interest of donations
vested in the funds, among which was a legacy of
£4000 by Thomas Wilkinson, Esq., alderman, in 1820.
A school was instituted in 1773, by William Haughton,
who bequeathed £1300 for its erection and endowment,
and £290 more, after the demise of certain annuitants,
for the instruction of children belonging to the parish
of St. Crux, near the church of which a commodious
school-house has been erected; the income is about
£180 per annum. The same benefactor left £500,
directing the interest to be appropriated to the payment
of the rents of widows in that parish; and £1000 to
be lent without interest to 40 tradesmen; but this latter
sum has been reduced to £232 by litigation, to establish
the will of the testator. The Collegiate School, opened
in February 1838, is a spacious and handsome building,
in a healthy situation, without the walls of the city, and
comprises a central hall, class-rooms, library, and boarding-house; it provides a systematic course of education
for the sons of gentlemen, designed for the universities
and for the learned professions. A school for the Blind
was instituted in 1836, in memory of the late William
Wilberforce, by subscription and donations. The Training-school, completed in 1846, in Lord-Mayor's Walk,
for the dioceses of York and Ripon, cost several thousand
pounds.
St. Catherine's hospital, formerly a house for the reception of poor pilgrims, has been converted into an almshouse. St. Thomas hospital, without Micklegate Bar,
was originally founded for the fraternity of Corpus
Christi: after its dissolution, it was repaired in 1787.
and endowed with a portion of £2137 stock, by William
Luntley, glover; with £25 per annum by Lady Conyngham; and with £100 by John Hartley. Trinity hospital
was established in 1373, by John de Rawcliffe, for a
priest, five brethren, and five sisters: the Merchants'
Company, upon its dissolution in the reign of Edward VI.,
having obtained possession of the building, re-endowed
it for ten aged persons of both sexes. The hospital
founded by Sir Thomas Walter in 1612, and endowed by
him with £3 per annum for a reader, and £2 per annum
each to ten aged persons, has been reduced, there being
at present only seven inmates. An hospital was founded
by Alderman Agar, who settled upon it a rent-charge
on lands now held by Lord Middleton, for six aged
widows. The hospital at Bootham was founded in 1640,
by Sir Arthur Ingram, alderman, who assigned to it £5
per annum each for ten aged women, and twenty nobles
to a chaplain; the buildings consist of ten neat cottages,
containing two rooms each, with a chapel in the centre.
Anne Middleton, in 1655, bequeathed £2000 for the erection and endowment of an hospital for twenty widows of
freemen, which bequest was augmented by a legacy of
£200 from Thomas Norfolk, in 1780, and a donation of
£100 from Jonathan Gray, in 1830. This hospital,
situated in Skeldergate, was entirely rebuilt by the corporation, in 1829, at an expense of nearly £2000. The
hospital in Castlegate was founded in 1692, by Sir Henry
Thomson, for the support of six poor men: the original
endowment, which produces an annual rental of £81,
was augmented by bequests from Thomas Norfolk and
John Girdler. An hospital was founded early in the last
century, by Percival Winterskelf, who endowed it for six
aged persons. Lady Hewley's hospital, at St. Saviour's
gate, founded in 1708, comprises ten houses, for aged
women. The hospital near Foss Bridge was founded by
Mrs. Dorothy Wilson, who endowed it with land, for ten
aged women; it was rebuilt a second time in 1812:
a salary of £20 per annum is paid to a schoolmaster for
teaching twenty boys. An hospital was established in
1717, by Dr. Colton and his wife, who endowed it with
land, for eight aged women. Near Marygate is the Old
Maids' hospital, founded in 1725, by Miss Mary Wandesford, who assigned to it an estate at Brompton-uponSwale, near Richmond, a mortgage of £1200, and £1200
South Sea stock, for ten maiden gentlewomen, members
of the Church of England, and a reader. Mason's hospital was instituted in 1732, by Mrs. Mason, who endowed it for six aged widows. An almshouse in St.
Denis lane, instituted by the Company of Cordwainers,
having fallen into a state of dilapidation and decay, was
rebuilt by Mr. Hornby at his own cost, for four decayed
members of that fraternity.
The County Hospital originated in 1740, by the benevolence of Lady Hastings, who bequeathed £500 for the
relief of the diseased poor of the county; other donations and subscriptions being subsequently obtained,
the present edifice, in Monkgate, was soon afterwards
erected. The City Dispensary, in New-street, for which
a commodious building was erected in 1828, administers
extensive relief, and is liberally supported by subscription. The Lunatic Asylum, without Bootham Bar, was
established in 1774, and has received great additions;
it is a commodious edifice, surrounded with gardens and
pleasure-grounds. About, a mile from York, near the
village of Heslington, is a similar institution, called The
Retreat, opened in 1796, and which owes its foundation
to the exertions of William Tuke, who, impressed with
the belief that the then general treatment of persons of
unsound mind was ill-adapted to the two great objects
of cure and alleviation, induced the Society of Friends,
of which he was a member, to engage in his experiment
of pursuing a mild and persuasive system. The grounds
attached are extensive, and appropriately laid out; the
building, erected at an expense of £12,000, has been
materially enlarged, and now forms a handsome quadrangular range. Among the most munificent benefactors to the poor of the city have been, the Countess
Dowager of Conyngham, who bequeathed £20,000 for
charitable purposes; and Mr. John Allen, who, with
several other sums, bequeathed £140 per annum for the
erection and endowment of an hospital for twelve
aged men, who receive each £12 per annum. The
late Dr. Beckwith, who bequeathed his ample fortune
in aid of the several charities and public institutions of
York, left to the Philosophical Society £10,000; to the
Wilberforce School for the Blind, £5000; to the Dean
and Chapter, for a new peal of bells, and the remainder
to repair the chapter-house, £5000; for the foundation
of a penitentiary, £5000; to the dispensary, £2000;
the Blue-coat boys' school, £2000; the Grey-coat girls'
school, £2000; St. Thomas' hospital, £2000; making,
with other bequests, above £40,000. The union of
York comprises 79 parishes or places, of which 31 are
in the city, 14 in the East, 19 in the North, and 15 in
the West, riding; altogether containing a population
of 37,779.
Near the city are the beautiful ruins of the venerable
abbey of St. Mary, founded in 1088 by William Rufus,
who laid the first stone of the building, and amply endowed it for monks of the Benedictine order. It flourished till the Dissolution, at which time its revenue was
£2085. 1. 5. Among other ancient remains is the crypt of
St. Leonard's hospital, originally founded in the reign of
William the Conqueror, and dedicated to St. Peter previously to the erection of a church in it (by King Stephen)
dedicated to St. Leonard, by which name it was afterwards distinguished. At the Dissolution its revenue was
estimated at £500. 11. 1.
Among the eminent natives have been, Constantine
the Great, the first Roman emperor that embraced
Christianity; Flaccus Albinus Alcuinus, pupil of Bede;
Waltheof, Earl of Northumberland, son of the gallant
Siward; and Thomas Morton, successively Bishop of
Chester, of Lichfield and Coventry, and of Durham.
Of those of more recent date may be noticed, Gent, an
eminent printer; Swinburn, a distinguished lawyer and
civilian; and Flaxman, the celebrated sculptor. York
gave the title of Duke to Prince Frederick, second son of
King George III.
Yorkfleet
YORKFLEET, a township, in the parish and union
of Howden, wapentake of Howdenshire, E. riding of
York, 6¼ miles (S. E. by E.) from Howden; containing
206 inhabitants. It comprises about 1000 acres, including an allotment of Bishopsoil and Walling fen.
The village is pleasantly seated on the north bank of
the river Ouse, immediately opposite to the village of
Qusefleet. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Yorkshire
YORKSHIRE, a maritime county, and by far the
largest county in England, bounded on the south by the
Humber, and the counties of Lincoln, Nottingham, and
Derby; on the south-west, for a short distance, by the
county of Chester; on the west by Lancashire; on the
north-west by Westmorland; on the north by Durham;
and on the north-east by the North Sea. It extends
from 53° 19' to 54° 40' (N. Lat.), and from 10' (E. Lon.)
to 2° 40' (W. Lon.), and includes an area of 3,815,040
acres, or nearly 5961 square miles. The whole county
contains 316,096 inhabited houses, 23,522 uninhabited,
and 3079 in course of erection; and the population
amounts to 1,591,480, of whom 788,793 are males, and
802,687 females. Of this population, there are in the
East riding 96,018 males and 98,918 females; in the
North riding, 100,482 males and 103,640 females; and
in the West riding, 578,894 males and 584,686 females.
The remainder are in the city of York.
The ancient British inhabitants of this part were the
Brigantes, the most numerous and powerful of all the
tribes that shared in the possession of Britain before its
conquest by the Romans. The latter succeeded in subjugating the Brigantes about the year 71, after defeating
them in several sanguinary battles, and ravaging the
whole of their territory. The Caledonians having overrun a great part of the country north of the Humber,
the Emperor Adrian arrived in Britain, in the year 120,
to oppose them in person, and fixed his residence at
Eboracum; on his approach the invaders retired, and the
emperor, having made provisions for the future security
of the province, soon returned to Rome. But no sooner
had he departed than the Caledonians renewed their
predatory inroads, which became more frequent and extensive, until, in the reign of Antoninus Pius, the Brigantes at the same time attempting to throw off the
Roman yoke, that emperor sent Lollius Urbicus with
strong reinforcements to suppress the commotions. This
commander, having first reduced the revolted Brigantes,
drove the Caledonians into the highlands of Scotland,
and thus restored tranquillity. The northerns, however,
renewing their irruptions, in the year 207 the Emperor
Severus came over with a numerous army, and immediately advanced to York, thence marched northward, and
expelled them. The barbarians again renewed their incursions, about the year 364, but were at length repelled
by the Roman general Theodosius, in 368.
In the latter period of the Roman empire in Britain,
the territory at present contained in Yorkshire was included in the division called Maxima Cæsariensis. After
the accession of Honorius, one of the sons of Theodosius,
to the empire of the West, in 393, the invasions of the
Picts and Scots became incessant; and when the Romans,
about the year 410, abandoned Britain in order to defend
their continental dominions, the Romanized Britons fell
into a state of anarchy, amidst which it is only known
of Yorkshire, that it formed the greater part of a British
kingdom named Diefyr, or Deira, the conquest of which
by the Saxon chieftains was not completed until after a
lapse of 111 years from the first arrival of Hengist in
Kent. Bernicia, situated to the north of the Roman
wall, having been subjugated by Ida about the year 547,
Ella, another Saxon leader, about 560, penetrated southward from that territory, and effected the conquest of
Deira. These two kingdoms, at different times forming
one sovereignty, derived, from their situation north of
the Humber, the name of Northumbria. In the beginning of the 9th century, the victorious Egbert made
Northumbria a tributary kingdom, shortly after which
it was seized upon by the Danes, who were the principal
occupants of it until its final subjugation by Edred in
951. It was subsequently governed by a succession of
earls or viceroys, who, like the ancient kings, had their
residence at York.
The county is in the dioceses of York and Ripon, in
the province of York, and forms the archdeaconries of
York, the East Riding, Cleveland, Craven, and Richmond: the number of parishes is 604. The grand
civil and military division of Yorkshire is into three
ridings, West, North, and East, the term riding being
corrupted from trithing, a third part. The West Riding
comprises the wapentakes of Agbrigg (Upper and Lower),
Barkstone-Ash (Upper and Lower), Claro (Upper and
Lower), Morley, Osgoldcross (Upper and Lower), Skyrack (Upper and Lower), Staincliffe and Ewcross (East
and West), Staincross, and Strafforth and Tickhill (North
and South), with the liberty of Ripon and soke of Doncaster. By the act 5th and 6th of William IV., cap. 76,
the ainsty of York, also, was annexed as a wapentake to
the West Riding. The North Riding is divided into the
wapentakes of Allertonshire, Birdforth, Bulmer, GillingEast, Gilling-West, Hallikeld, Hang-East, Hang-West,
and Ryedale, also Pickering Lythe, and the liberties of
Langbaurgh and Whitby-Strand; and the East Riding
into the wapentakes of Buckrose, Dickering, Harthill
(Bainton-Beacon, Holme-Beacon, Hunsley-Beacon, and
Wilton-Beacon, divisions), Holderness (Middle, North,
and South), Howdenshire, and Ouse and Derwent;
besides which it comprehends the borough and liberties
of Beverley, and the county of the town of Hull. Yorkshire contains the city of York; the borough, market,
and sea port towns of Hull, Scarborough, and Whitby;
the borough and market-towns of Beverley, Bradford,
Doncaster, Halifax, Huddersfield, Knaresborough, Leeds,
Malton, Northallerton, Pontefract, Richmond, Ripon,
Sheffield, Thirsk, and Wakefield; the market and seaport towns of Bridlington and Goole; and the markettowns of Askrigg, Barnsley, Bawtry, Bedale, Bingley,
Boroughbridge, South Cave, Dewsbury, Guisborough,
Hawes, Hedon, Helmsley, Howden, Keighley, KirkbyMoorside, Leyburn, Market-Weighton, Masham, Middlesbrough, Otley, Patrington, Penistone, Pickering,
Pocklington, Reeth, Rotherham, Sedbergh, Selby, Settle,
Sherburn, Skipton, Stokesley, Tadcaster, Thome, Wetherby, and Yarm.
On the disfranchisement of the Cornish borough of
Grampound, the privilege of returning to parliament
two additional members was granted to this large and
populous county, which accordingly then sent four; and
under the act passed to amend the representation in the
2nd of William IV., two more were added, making two
for each Riding. Two citizens are returned for the city
of York; and two burgesses for each of the boroughs,
except Northallerton and Thirsk, which, under the act
of the 2nd of William IV., were deprived of one; and
except also Huddersfield, Wakefield, and Whitby, which
are empowered to send only one each. The shire is included in the Northern circuit; the assizes are held at
York, where is the county gaol. The quarter-sessions
for the West Riding are held as follows: the Easter
sessions at Pontefract; the Midsummer quarter-sessions
at Skipton, whence they are adjourned to Bradford, and
thence to Rotherham; the Michaelmas quarter-sessions
at Knaresborough, whence they are adjourned to Leeds,
and thence to Sheffield; and the Christmas quartersessions at Wetherby, Wakefield, and Doncaster. On
the termination of each session there is an adjournment
to Wakefield for the purpose of inspecting the prison,
which generally takes place within a month or six weeks
after that time. In pursuance of an act passed in the
year 1704, the office for the registration of deeds, conveyances, and wills, relating to property within the West
Riding, was established at Wakefield, where also are
kept the records of the sessions. The quarter-sessions
for the North and East Ridings are held respectively at
Northallerton and Beverley, in each of which towns are
also offices for the registration of all deeds relating to
landed property within those ridings.
The West Riding, which, whether considered with
regard to its extent and population, or to its trade and
manufactures, is by far the most important, is bounded
on the north by the North Riding; on the east by the
river Ouse, to its junction with the Trent; and on the
south and west, by the arbitrary limits of the county.
Its greatest length, from east to west, is 95 miles; its
extreme breadth, from north to south, 48 miles; and
its circumference about 320 miles, including an area of
2450 square miles, or 1,568,000 acres. The surface of
this portion of Yorkshire is much diversified, but may
be divided into three large districts, gradually varying
from a level and marshy to a rocky and mountainous
region. The flat and marshy district, forming part of
the extensive Vale of York, lies along the borders of the
Ouse, and in most places extends westward as far as
within three or four miles of an imaginary line drawn
from Doncaster to Sherburn. Its general level is broken
only by low sandy hills, which occur in the vicinities of
Snaith, Thome, and Doncaster, and the altitude of which
is seldom more than 50 feet above the level of the sea;
so that the great rivers Ouse, Aire, and Don, which
traverse this extensive tract, have often changed their
channels. The middle parts of the Riding, as far westward as Sheffield, Bradford, and Otley, contain a variety
of beautiful scenery, formed chiefly by noble hills of
gentle ascent. Further westward the country becomes
rugged and mountainous, scarcely any thing being seen
beyond Sheffield, in that direction, but high black moors,
which, running north-westward, join the lofty hills of
Blackstone Edge, on the border of Lancashire. The
north-western portion of the Riding, forming the western
part of Craven, presents a confused heap of rocks and
mountains, among which Pennygant, Wharnside, and
Ingleborough are particularly conspicuous. The last of
these, nearly in the centre of Ewcross, is one of the
most majestic mountains in the country, rising to an
elevation of 2360 feet from a base nearly 10 miles in
diameter. The general appearance of this part is rugged,
and the scenery barren, with little wood. The deanery
of Craven, comprising East and West Staincliffe, part
of Ewcross, and the Upper division of Skyrack, contains
little arable land, being one wide expanse of luxuriant
verdure, interspersed with tracts of wood, in which the
prevailing timber is ash of spontaneous and stately
growth, and abounding with beautifully diversified
scenery in the vales of the Wharfe, the Aire, and the
Ribble, whose sources are within its limits.
The North Riding, the next most extensive division,
is bounded on the north by the river Tees; on the northeast and east by the ocean; on the south-east by the
rivers Hertford and Derwent, which separate it from
the East Riding; on the south by the river Ouse and
the West Riding; and on the west by the county of
Westmorland. Its greatest length is 83 miles, from east
to west; its extreme breadth, 47 miles, from north to
south; and it comprises an area of 1,311,187 acres, or
about 2048 square miles. The face of the country along
the coast, from Scarborough nearly to the Tees, is bold
and hilly, the cliffs overhanging the beach being generally from 60 or 70 to 150 feet high; while Stoupe Brow,
vulgarly "Stow Brow," about seven miles to the south
of Whitby, rises to the stupendous height of 893 feet.
From the ordinary elevation of the cliff the ground rises,
in most places very rapidly, to the height of 300 or 400
feet; and the maritime tract thus formed, comprising
about 64,920 acres, is tolerably productive. A little
further inland, successive hills, rising one above another,
form the elevated tract of the Eastern Moorlands. This
wild and mountainous district, which occupies a space
about 30 miles in length from east to west, and 15 in
breadth from north to south, is intersected by numerous beautiful and fertile dales, some of which are rather
extensive; but, rising to the height of more than 1000
feet, the general aspect of the tract is bleak and dreary,
and the whole is destitute of wood, excepting only a few
dwarfish trees among the scattered habitations in the
valleys. On the roads leading from Whitby to Guisborough, Stokesley, and Pickering, at the distance of a
few miles, commence dreary wastes, bounded only by
the horizon. Some of the hills, however, near the edges
of this rugged and mountainous region, command magnificent prospects. But the most remarkable object in
the topography of these wilds is the singular peaked
mountain called Rosebury-Topping, situated near the
village of Newton, about a mile eastward of the road
from Guisborough to Stokesley, and rising 1488 feet
above the level of the sea: the view from its summit is
celebrated for its great variety. The total extent of the
Eastern Moorland district is 298,625 acres.
The Vale of Cleveland, situated to the north-west of
these mountains, is a fruitful tract bordering on the
river Tees, in the lower part of its course. In this county
it comprises an area of 70,444 acres, under good cultivation, and lightly marked with gentle eminences. The
extensive Vale of York is considered by Mr. Tuke,
author of the General View of the Agriculture of the
North Riding, drawn up for the consideration of the
Board of Agriculture, to reach from the border of the
Tees to the southern confines of the county, the northern
portion of it only being in the North Riding. This
northern part, bounded by the Eastern and the Western
Moorlands, has a gentle slope from the river Tees, southward, as far as York, where it sinks into a perfect fiat.
Its ordinarily level surface, however, is broken by several
bold swells; and on the east it is separated from Ryedale
by a range of hills called by Mr. Marshall, in his Rural
Economy of Yorkshire, the Howardian Hills. This part
of the vale, together with the hills, comprises an extent
of 456,386 acres, of which about 15,000 are uncultivated.
Ryedale (so called from its being traversed by the river
Rye), and the East and West Marshes, form an extensive level, situated between the Eastern Moorlands and
the river Derwent, and containing 103,872 acres, of
which about 3000 are waste. The surface of its lower
parts is flat, but towards the north it rises with a gentle
ascent for three or four miles towards the foot of the
moors; its lower levels are also broken by several
isolated swells of considerable extent and elevation.
The Marshes are separated from Ryedale by the Pickering beck. The Western Moorlands, occupying the rest
of the North Riding, west of the Vale of York, and of
far greater elevation than the Eastern Moorlands, resemble in general character the mountainous parts of
Craven, and are, like them, intersected by numerous
fertile dales. Their total extent is 316,940 acres.
The East Riding is bounded on the north and northwest by the little river Hertford, and by the Derwent as
far down as the vicinity of Stamford Bridge, where an
irregular boundary line commences, which joins the
Ouse, about a mile below York: from this point it is
bounded, on the west and south-west, by the Ouse. On
the south it is washed by the Humber, and on the east
by the North Sea. Its greatest length is 52 miles, from
south-east to north-west; its extreme breadth is 42
miles, from south-west to north-east; and it includes
an area of 819,193 acres, or nearly 1280 square miles.
This division is far less conspicuously marked with the
bolder features of nature than the other parts of the
county. It may be distinguished into three districts,
viz., the Wolds, and two level tracts, one of which lies
to the east, the other to the west and north, of that
elevated region. The Wolds are a magnificent assemblage of lofty chalk hills, extending from the banks of
the Humber in the vicinity of Hessle, in a northern
direction, to the neighbourhood of Malton on the Derwent, whence they range eastward, within a few miles
of the course of that river, to the coast. They form the
lofty promontory of Flamborough Head, and, near the
villages of Flamborough, Bempton, and Specton, rise in
cliffs to the height of 100, and in some places of 150 feet.
The surface of the Wolds is for the most part divided
into numerous extensive swells, by deep, narrow, and
winding valleys; and occupies an extent of about 400,000
acres. Their eastern side, at Bridlington, sinks into a
perfect flat, which continues for eight or nine miles
southward. At the distance of about seven miles southward of Bridlington, begins the wapentake of Holderness, the eastern part of which, towards the sea-coast,
is a finely varied country, containing Hornsea Mere, the
largest lake in the county, being about a mile and threequarters long, and three-quarters of a mile across in the
broadest part. The western edge of the wapentake is a
fenny tract about four miles in breadth, and extending
nearly 20 miles in length, southward to the Humber:
the fenny lands are provincially called "Cars." The
southern part of Holderness also falls into marshes,
bordering on the Humber; and the county terminates
south-eastward in the long low promontory of Spurnhead,
the Ocellum Promontorium of Ptolemy. The Humber is
known to have made considerable encroachments in
former ages on the shores of Holderness; but in later
times it has gradually receded from very extensive tracts.
About the commencement of the reign of Charles I., an
island, since called Sunk Island, began to appear in the
Humber, nearly opposite Patrington. At first a few
acres only were left dry at low water; but, as it increased in extent every year, it was at last embanked,
and converted into pasture-ground; successive embankments were made, and large tracts each time secured, so
that, at the present period, it comprises about 4700 acres
of fertile land, and towards the west end is separated
from the Holderness marshes only by a ditch a few feet
broad. It is held on lease from the crown. The Holderness marshes have also been increased by the retiring
of the Humber; and a large tract of land, called "Cherrycob Sands," which was left dry, and embanked in the
same manner as Sunk Island, is particularly worthy of
notice. The third natural division of the East Riding,
which extends from the western foot of the Wolds to the
boundary of the West Riding, is commonly called The
Levels, and, though generally fertile, and interspersed
with villages, is every where uninteresting.
One of the most important agricultural improvements
in the county is the drainage of the cars and marshes of
the East Riding, together with those in the North Riding,
bordering on the course of the Derwent. The Holderness Drainage lies chiefly adjoining to and on the eastern
side of the river Hull; it extends from north to south
about eleven miles, and contains 11,211 acres. In 1762,
an act of parliament was obtained for draining this level,
much of which before that period was of small value,
being usually covered with water for above half the year.
The Beverley and Barmston Drainage, executed under the
provisions of an act passed about the year 1792, lies
parallel to the last, but on the opposite side of the river
Hull, extending from the sea-shore at Barmston, a few
miles south of Bridlington, along the course of that river
nearly to Hull, a distance of about twenty-four miles.
Its northern part contains more than 2000 acres, and
has an outfall into the sea at Barmston; whilst the southern division, extending southward from Foston, contains
upwards of 10,000 acres, and has its outlet into the river
Hull at a place called Wincolmlee. The Keyingham
Drainage, lying between Sunk Island and the main
land, was originally completed under an act passed in
1722. A new act was obtained in 1802, under which the
course of the drainage in some parts was altered, and
an additional quantity of land included, making a total
of 5500 acres. The management is vested in three
commissioners, and on a vacancy occurring by death or
resignation, another commissioner is elected by the
proprietors. The Hertford and Derwent Drainage contains upwards of 10,500 acres, of which 4500 are in the
East, and the remainder in the North, Riding. The act
for this was obtained in the year 1800, and its execution
was vested in three directors and three commissioners.
The directors have power to levy an annual assessment,
not exceeding an average of three shillings per acre, for
the purpose of maintaining and repairing the existing
works and drains, and of making such new works as
may, from time to time, become necessary. Spalding
Moor and Walling Fen, lying westward of the southern
part of the Wolds, were drained, allotted, and inclosed,
about seventy years since.
Every kind of agricultural crop is cultivated in
the county; and the systems of tillage, owing to the
diversity of soils and situations, are extremely various.
Wheat is grown to a great extent on all the lower and
more fertile lands; and no district in the north of
England, in proportion to its size, is considered to produce so much of it, or of so good a quality, as Cleveland, whence large quantities are shipped to the southern
coast of England, and much is conveyed to Thirsk and
Leyburn, where it is bought up for the manufacturing
districts. Rye is sometimes sown on the lighter soils,
more particularly of the North Riding, where wheat is
not unfrequently mixed with it: of this mixture, provincially called "meslin," the common household bread
of that portion of the county is chiefly made. The
quantity of land annually sown with Barley is no where
remarkably great, except on the Wolds, the soil of which
is peculiarly adapted to its culture: in the North Riding,
in Ryedale and the dales of the Eastern Moorlands, are
occasionally seen plots of the species provincially called
big, which is six-rowed barley; and of bear, four-rowed.
Besides being occasionally grown in other places, Oats
are very much cultivated in all the arable parts of the
North Riding, more particularly in Ryedale, which is as
remarkable for the quantity and excellent quality of its
oats, as Cleveland is for its wheat: two crops are here
always taken in succession, and frequently three. In
the western parts of the West Riding, too, this corn is
the prevailing crop; and oaten bread is in common use
in the manufacturing districts. Considerable quantities
of Flax are grown in the West Riding, in the neighbourhood of Selby; in the East Riding, about Howden and
on the eastern bank of the Derwent; and in the North
Riding, a small quantity in Ryedale, and a few other
situations. Woad, for dyeing, is cultivated near Selby,
among red clover. In the vicinity of York, Mustard is
a valuable article of cultivation; and fields of it are occasionally to be seen in different places in the northern
and eastern parts of the county: that which is grown
near York is prepared for use in mills at that city, and
afterwards sold as Durham mustard. The wapentake of
Barkstone-Ash, in the eastern part of the West Riding,
is distinguished for an extensive growth of Teasel, which
is also occasionally cultivated to a small extent in other
places having a strong soil: it is purchased by the clothdressers, for the purpose of raising the nap on cloth,
before it undergoes the operation of shearing. Sainfoin
is grown in different situations.
The grass-lands are very extensive, for, besides the
tracts included with the arable districts, the productive
parts of the western side of the county are kept almost
exclusively in grass, and from Ripley to its western extremity the whole country is employed in grazing; while
corn, and that almost entirely oats, is raised only in
very small quantities on the inferior moorish soils. The
old pasture lands, forming by far the greater portion of
the lands in grass, have remained in that state from
time immemorial, and in the West Riding are frequently
mown, producing hay held in great esteem. Some of
them are, nevertheless, of a very mean quality, and,
especially in the North Riding, are often covered with
thistles, ant-hills, and occasionally furze: in the dales
of the Western Moorlands, however, remarkable attention is paid to the meadows. The extent of natural
meadow, namely, such as derives the whole, or the greater
part, of its fertility from the overflow of rivers, is not
very great: many of the old fields of this kind in the
Vale of York and in Ryedale have been constantly mown
for ages, and are still highly productive. The East
Riding contains the smallest quantity of grass-land; its
sheep pastures on the Wolds, for which it was formerly
so distinguished, having been mostly brought under various courses of tillage. On the banks of the Derwent,
above Malton, and again at Cottingwith, it contains low
tracts of marshy meadows, occasionally overflowed by
that river, and producing abundant crops of coarse
flaggy hay, of which that obtained from the last-mentioned district is of a peculiarly nutritive quality. The
whole of the West Riding is an eminent grazing district, where cattle and sheep of all kinds are fattened to
great perfection, chiefly to supply the manufacturing
parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire. For this purpose,
great numbers of lean cattle and sheep are brought from
Scotland and the northern counties contiguous to Yorkshire. It has also numerous small dairies, for the supply of its own manufacturing towns and those of Lancashire with butter; and some large dairies in the vicinity
of the large towns, to which the milk is principally sold.
In the North Riding, the pastures are for the most part
appropriated to the dairy; though grazing is also practised in some parts of it, more particularly in the Vale
of York: the butter produced in this riding is chiefly
packed in firkins, and sold to factors, who ship it for
the London and other markets. In the East Riding,
grazing and fattening, also stall-feeding, are practised
to a very considerable extent.
A great deal of oak and ash timber is produced in
the West Riding, and great attention is paid to the management of the woods; the timber meets with a ready
sale in the ship-building and manufacturing towns, and
much is also used in the mines and collieries. The extent of the woodlands in the North Riding is estimated
at about 25,000 acres, dispersed in all quarters, the
Moorland and Cleveland having the smallest proportion:
this division yields also a considerable quantity of timber
in its hedge-rows, particularly in the Vale of York, on
the Howardian hills, and in Ryedale. The spontaneous
produce of the best woodlands, is oak, ash, and broadleaved or wych elm; of those in mountainous situations,
chiefly birch and alder; and the produce of the hedgerows, various kinds of trees, for the most part of artificial plantation. In this riding it is the custom to sell
the falls of wood to professed wood-buyers, who cut up
the trees on the spot, according to the purposes for
which the different parts of them are best calculated:
the ports of Scarborough and Whitby consume most of
the ship timber, excepting only such as grows towards
its western extremity. The oak-timber grown in the
greater part of the riding, though not large, is extremely hard and durable. The only peculiar application of the ash-timber, which grows abundantly and in
great perfection, is in the manufacture of butter-firkins,
in which it is chiefly consumed. Plantations have been
made on the sides and summits of several of the Moorland and other barren hills, chiefly of Scotch fir, larch,
and spruce. The East Riding is little remarkable for its
timber. The natural woods are almost confined to the
levels between the rivers Ouse and Derwent and the
Wolds, where are also abundance of timber-trees in the
hedge-rows of old inclosures: the only woods to the
east of the Wolds are those of Rise and Burton-Constable. The fine elevations of the Wolds have been
ornamented in different parts by plantations of Scotch
and spruce firs, larch, beech, ash, &c, to the amount of
several thousand acres; and various plantations have
been made in the low country to the west of them.
The wastes, about the end of the last century, were
calculated in the whole at 849,272 acres, but the amount
has, since that period, been lessened by numerous inclosure acts, obtained both for the detached wastes and for
parts of the Moorlands. The surface of some of the
higher hills in the Eastern Moorlands is entirely covered
with large freestones; while upon others are beds of peat
bog, in many places very deep, frequently not passable,
and never without danger: these are invariably overgrown with ling, in some parts mixed with bent and
rushes. Near the old inclosures are considerable tracts
of loamy and sandy soils, producing furze, fern (here
called "brackens"), thistles, and coarse grass, with but
little ling; but wherever ling is the chief produce, the
soil is invariably black moor or peat. The subsoils of
these extensive wastes are various. In some places a
yellowish, in others a reddish, clay occurs. A loose freestone rubble, resting either upon a freestone rock or upon
clay, is also very common; and in different other places
is found a rotten earth of peaty quality (which produces
very luxuriant ling, bent, and rushes), a hard cemented
reddish sand, or a grey sand. The basis of the whole is
freestone. The Hamilton hills, forming the western end
of these wastes, have generally a fine loamy soil on a
limestone rock, which produces great quantities of coarse
grass and bent, in some places intermixed with ling,
more particularly towards the south-western parts of
them. The mountains of the western side of the county
differ materially in their produce from the Eastern Moorlands. Some, instead of black ling, are covered with a
fine sweet grass; others with extensive tracts of bent;
and though the higher parts produce ling, it is generally
mixed with a large proportion of grass, bent, or rushes.
The soil on the lower parts is a fine loam, in many places
rather stiff, resting upon a hard blue limestone. The
bent generally covers a strong soil lying upon a gritstone
or freestone rock; the black ling, a reddish peat upon a
red subsoil, or, in many places, a loose grit rubble, beneath which is a gritstone rock.
Some of the lower tracts of the Eastern moors, the
lower parts of the Western moors in general, and in certain instances the higher parts of the latter, are stinted
pastures during the summer; and those who have the
limited right in summer, have a right in winter of turning upon them whatever quantity of stock they choose.
These pastures are chiefly stocked with young cattle,
horses, and such sheep as are intended to be sold off the
same year. The remainder of the moors is common
without stint, and is stocked for the most part with
sheep, though a small, hardy, and very strong kind of
horse is also bred and reared upon the Western Moorlands, and chiefly sold to the manufacturing parts of the
West Riding and of Lancashire. The Moorland sheep
are remarkable for their wretched appearance and great
activity; they are wholly supported on these mountain
wastes, and their mutton is of a particularly fine quality.
The wastes of the East Riding consist chiefly of low,
sandy, barren, and moory tracts lying between the Wolds
and the rivers Ouse and Derwent; their principal natural
produce is short heath.
To the geologist Yorkshire affords interesting fields
of study. All its strata, with slight variations, dip eastward, those which appear at its western extremities
being of the oldest formation. The mineral productions are various and important, and have given rise,
and afford support, to some of its principal manufactures; they consist chiefly of coal, iron, lead, stone of
various qualities, and alum. The best coal is obtained
in the West Riding, which comprises one of the most
valuable and extensive coal-fields in the kingdom. This
coal district is bounded on the east by a narrow range of
magnesian limestone, extending from Tickhill northward by Doncaster, Ferrybridge, Wetherby, Knaresborough, and Ripon; and consists of a great number of
alternations of sandstone, clay, shale, coal, and ironstone, which form the substrata of the most populous
parts of the riding. Its surface is characterized by successive parallel ranges of high ground, extending from
north to south: the ascent to these hills on their western
sides is abrupt, while on the east they decline more
gradually, each one to the foot of the next range, under
which its strata dip. Next to the magnesian limestone
and its subjacent sand, proceeding westward, appear,
first, the blue shale and thin coal of the Vale of Went,
and then the grit-freestone of Ackworth and Kirby,
beneath which is found the swift-burning coal of Wragby,
Shafton, Crofton, and other places in the great clay district of the Dearne below Barnsley, and of the Calder
below Wakefield. These various measures rest upon
the grit-freestone of Rotherham, Barnsley, Newmiller
Dam, and East Ardsley, through which pits are sunk
near Barnsley to several thick seams of hard furnacecoal, one of them as much as ten feet thick. The next
great sandstone stratum forms high ground, and frequently projects beyond the general range into detached
hills; it occurs near Sheffield, Wentworth Park, and
Bretton Park, and forms the elevated land of Horbury
and Dewsbury, and of Middleton near Leeds. Beneath
it are found valuable beds of ironstone, which are worked
at Rotherham, Haigh-bridge, Low Moor, and several
other places, where an abundance of muscle shells is
found in contact with them. Contiguous to this ironstone are several strata of excellent coal. Next in the
series lies the sandstone of Wortley-Chapel, Silkstone,
Elmley, and Whitley-hall, with the valuable bituminous
coal of Silkstone and Flockton, the best seams of the
whole formation. This rock, entering the West Riding
from Derbyshire, and passing by Sheffield, Penistone,
Huddersfield, Elland Edge, and the Clayton heights,
afterwards takes its course parallel with the river Aire,
by Idle and Chapel-Allerton, towards the magnesian
limestone. In this part of the coal district, near Sheffield, Bradford, and Leeds, is dug the galliard stone, so
much in request for making and mending roads. The
coal-mines are most numerous in the tract between
Leeds and Wakefield, and in the neighbourhoods of
Bradford, Barnsley, and Sheffield.
Characterised by its irregular texture, its numerous
quartz pebbles, and its frequently craggy surface, the millstone-grit, with soft alternations both above and below
it, occupies the wide and barren moors to the west of
Sheffield, Penistone, Huddersfield, Bradford, Otley,
Harrogate, Ripley, and Masham. In the numerous alternations of this stone, thin seams of coal frequently
occur, which in certain situations are worked with advantage. Of the millstone-grit, an excellent and almost
imperishable building-stone, great quantities are sent
down the rivers Don and Aire. Wharnside, Ingleborough, Pennygant, and other lofty mountains on the
western boundary of the county, are crowned with coalmeasures, but their base consists wholly of limestone.
The principal lead-mines in the West Riding are at
Grassington, about ten miles west of Pateley-Bridge, in
a limestone tract which occupies also a great part of
Craven; but here the ores are far less abundant than in
the vales of the Nid and the Wharfe. Howgill Fells, on
the western boundary of the county, consist of the kind
of slate called by geologists greywacke.
In the North Riding, seams of an inferior kind of
coal, which is heavy, sulphureous, and burns entirely
away to white ashes, are wrought in different parts of
both the Eastern and Western Moorlands, at Gilling
Moor on the Howardian hills, and in the Vale of York,
between Easingwould and Thirsk. Cleveland and the
coast of this riding abound, in all their hills, with inexhaustible beds of aluminous strata; and extensive works
for the manufacture of alum are established in the
vicinity of Whitby, where the art is stated to have been
first introduced from Italy, in the year 1595. Alum is
also found, but not worked, in the Eastern Moorlands
and in the vicinity of Bradford. In the Western Moorlands are many Lead mines, some of which have been,
and others still are, very valuable: these are situated
in Swaledale, Arkendale, and the neighbouring valleys:
their annual produce is estimated at 6000 tons, of which
one-half is yielded by the mines of Swaledale. Veins of
Copper have been discovered at Richmond and Middleton-Tyas, at which latter place the metal was worked
about the middle of the last century; copper pyrites is
procured in considerable quantities in all the alummines, and copperas was formerly extracted from it.
Great quantities of Ironstone are found in Bilsdale,
Bransdale, and Rosedale, in the Eastern Moorlands,
where iron seems to have been extensively manufactured
in ancient times; but Ayton is the only place where
forges have been erected at a modern period, and these
are now abandoned. The iron-ore found in the northern
parts of the Eastern Moorlands is sometimes in detached pieces, but more frequently in regular strata,
from six to fourteen inches thick, dipping towards
the south. In the neighbourhood of Whitby, some of
these beds are wrought, and their produce carried to
the works in the north, where the ore is of great use in
fluxing the more obdurate ores there obtained.
Freestone, or gritstone, of an excellent quality for
building, is found in many parts of this riding, particularly on Gatherly Moor near Richmond, at Renton near
Boroughbridge, in the neighbourhood of Whitby, in all
parts of the Eastern Moorlands, of which it forms the
chief basis, and in many parts of the Western. Nor is
Limestone less abundant. The Western Moorlands in a
great measure consist of it; the Hamilton and Howardian hills, almost entirely; and a narrow ridge, producing lime of a peculiarly excellent quality for agricultural
purposes, extends for at least thirty miles along the
southern edge of the Eastern Moorlands. Various
isolated masses are also found in different situations.
In Coverdale, one of the smaller valleys of the Western
Moorlands, and at Pen-hill, between this and Wensleydale, a kind of Flagstone, used for covering roofs, is
dug; and in Swaledale a kind of purple Slate, resembling that of Westmorland, but thicker and coarser, the
use of which extends little beyond the spot where it is
produced. Marble of various kinds, some much resembling that worked in Derbyshire, and some, in closeness of texture and distinctness of colours, superior to
it, is found in many parts of the calcareous hills of the
Western Moorlands; but it is only used for burning
into lime, or mending roads. Some of the limestone on
the northern margin of Ryedale also greatly resembles
the marble of Derbyshire, and is susceptible of nearly
an equal polish. In the vicinity of the small river
Greta, and in other places in the north-western extremity of the county, large blocks of a light-red Granite
are found scattered over the surface, and in some places
a light-grey kind of the same stone. Gypsum, or alabaster, is found in the North Riding portion of the Vale
of York, and in some parts of the levels in the East and
West Ridings. Near Thornton-bridge, on the Swale,
where it is worked for the use of plasterers, it lies in
strata several feet thick, and in some places not more
than four feet from the surface.
The principal mineral productions of the East Riding are, the chalk of the Wolds, which is occasionally
used in building, and frequently for burning into lime;
and the coarse hard limestone of the vale of Derwent,
which is of little value either for building or burning.
The springs in the chalk are remarkably powerful, and
many of them breaking out through the gravel at the
eastern foot of the Wolds, combine to form the river
Hull. In the gravel beds resting on the chalk, to the
east of where this substance appears next the surface,
very perfect remains of large animals are found: vertebræ, eighteen feet in length, and from eight to ten
inches in diameter, have here been exhumed; as are
frequently teeth, measuring from eight to ten inches in
circumference. Great quantities of remarkable crystals
of gypsum selenites and prismaticum are discovered in a
bed of clay at Knapton.
The strata of the West Riding contain few fossil remains
except at Bradford, where, in a stratum of sandstone,
are found beautiful impressions of euphorbium, bamboo
cane, and other tropical productions. At a little distance from Knaresborough exists a bed of strontian
earth, which is very rare in this kingdom. Various remarkable petrifactions of animals have been discovered
in the alum rocks in the vicinity of Whitby, in the
North Riding; as also cornua ammonis, or snake-stones.
Some of the strata in the same neighbourhood contain petrified cockle, oyster, and scallop shells, jet, and
petrified wood; also trochitæ, or "thunderbolts," as they
are vulgarly called, which are singular conical stones,
from half an inch to an inch and a half in diameter at
the base, and from two to five or six inches long.
The Manufactures, the most valuable and extensive
of which are confined to the West Riding, are of the
highest degree of importance to the kingdom, as well as
to the multitudes to whom they afford subsistence.
The two distinguishing manufactures are those of woollen goods and cutlery: the seat of the former is the district including the towns of Leeds, Halifax, Huddersfield, Bradford, and Wakefield; and that of the latter,
Sheffield and its vicinity. The principal inducement
for the establishment of these great works in the situations which they now occupy, was the plentiful supply of water and fuel for giving motion to machinery,
and for the various other purposes of their several departments. The river Aire is the eastern boundary of
the clothing district, which extends over the county
thence to the mountain ridge bordering on Lancashire.
The bulk of the woollen manufactures consisted formerly of the coarser kinds of cloth; but at present
"Yorkshire cloth" no longer conveys the exclusive idea
of inferiority, as the manufacturers now produce also
great quantities of black and blue superfine cloths of
distinguished merit. Until of late years, when numerous extensive factories have been erected (in which the
whole process of making cloth, from the first breaking
of the wool to the finishing of the piece ready for the
consumer, is completed), the first stages of the manufacture were carried on in villages and hamlets, where
the wool underwent the respective operations of spinning, weaving, and fulling. This is now only partially
the case; the cloth from these scattered establishments
is sent in its unfinished state to the cloth-halls in the
towns, where it is sold to merchants, who have it dressed
under their own direction. Besides broad and narrow
cloths of various qualities, serges, and kerseymeres, the
woollen manufactures of the West Riding include great
quantities of ladies' cloths, such as pelisse-cloths and
shawls; stuff goods of various kinds; camlets, shalloons, tammies, duroys, everlastings, calimancoes, moreens, shags, baize, &c. Carpets much resembling
those of Scotland are manufactured on a very extensive
scale at Dewsbury, where is one of the largest factories
for this article, and for woollen cloths and blankets, in
the kingdom. Several factories have been established
for spinning flax for canvass, linen, sacking-thread, &c.;
an extensive branch of the Manchester cotton trade is
also carried on, and at Barnsley the manufacture of
linen prevails. There is a considerable trade in the
spinning of worsted-yarn, and the manufacture of wool
cards and combs. The Leeds pottery enjoys a good reputation both in the British dominions and in foreign
countries: the wholesale tobacco trade is likewise pursued to a great extent in that town, where are mills for
preparing the raw material. Sheffield has, from a remote period, been famous for its manufacture of cutlery,
which, however, was of very small extent until the early
part of the 17th century, when it began gradually to
increase. There are also several foundries for iron, brass,
and Britannia metal; and extensive works for refining
steel: the iron-works at Rotherham are particularly
celebrated, and produce all kinds of articles in cast-iron,
and much wrought-iron, in bars, sheets, and rods, together with tinned plates and steel. At Sheffield is also a
minor manufacture of hair-seating, with a more considerable one of carpets.
In the dales of the Eastern Moorlands, and in Cleveland, some coarse linens are manufactured by the small
farmers; and at Crathorne in Cleveland, and various
places near the Hamilton hills, are bleaching establishments. The dales of the Western Moorlands have long
been famous for their manufacture of knit worsted and
yarn stockings; but this has been, in a great measure,
superseded by the spinning of worsted for the manufactures of the West Riding. Cotton-mills have been
erected in Wensleydale, at Easingwould, and at Masham;
at the last place is also a worsted-mill, and in its vicinity
shalloons and shags are produced to a small extent.
York and the East Riding have various isolated manufactures, which are mentioned under the heads of the
places where they are carried on. In the vicinities of
York and Hull a kind of coarse earthenware is made,
as are bricks and tiles; and on Walling Fen, near
Howden, great quantities of white bricks are made from
a blue clay found there, which are exported in different
directions, being in great demand for superior buildings,
on account of their beauty of colour, accuracy of form,
and durability. Almost every town in the North Riding,
and many in the other parts of the county, have tanners
and tawers, who manufacture the hides and skins produced in their respective neighbourhoods. To this
enumeration of manufactures may be added ship-building, which is carried on to a considerable extent at Hull
and Whitby, and in a minor degree at Scarborough and
Thorne. At the three first-mentioned places are manufactures of sailcloth and cordage.
The chief port of the county is Hull, which may be
deemed the fourth in England. Besides this, it possesses, of a smaller class, the ports of York, Selby, Goole,
Thome, Bridlington, Scarborough, and Whitby. The
commerce is of a very extensive and diversified character: the foreign and coasting trade is centred in
the above-mentioned ports, more particularly in that
of Hull, through which is poured an immense quantity
of manufactured goods, coal, stone, &c., from the West
Riding, and of cotton-twist and manufactured cottons
from Lancashire. Hull and Whitby share in the Greenland fishery; and their imports of timber, deals, hemp,
flax, &c., from the Baltic, are very considerable. The
internal commerce of the West Riding is extensive, and
is greatly faciliated by an excellent system of artificial
navigation. Corn is exported from Hull, Bridlington,
and Scarborough, to London, and the collieries of the
north; and from the principal markets of the East and
North Ridings, great quantities of grain are sent by
water-carriage into the western division of the county,
from which the East Riding receives in return coal,
lime, flagstones, bricks and tiles, and sundry other articles. A large quantity of hams and bacon is sent from
the eastern parts of Yorkshire to the metropolis and
other populous districts of the kingdom.
The principal Rivers are, the Northern Ouse (so called
to distinguish it from the Ouse of Buckinghamshire),
the Swale, the Ure, the Wharfe, the Derwent, the Aire,
the Calder, the Don, the Hull, the Tees, and the Esk;
all of which, except the two last, pour their waters
through the great estuary of the Humber. The Humber
is navigable up to Hull for ships of the largest burthen;
the Ouse up to the newly-formed port of Goole, for
vessels drawing not more than sixteen feet of water, and
to York, for vessels of 140 tons' burthen. Above that
city the Ouse is navigable for barges of 30 tons, as
also is the Ure past Boroughbridge to Ripon, and the
Swale for a very few miles: the spring tides would turn
the current of the Ouse to a little above York, were
they not obstructed by locks about four miles below
the city. The Wharfe is navigable as far as Tadcaster. The Derwent is navigable for vessels of 25 tons'
burthen to Malton, above which town the navigation has
been continued to Yeddingham Bridge, a further distance of about nine miles. The Aire becomes navigable
at Leeds, and a few miles lower, near Castleford, is
joined by the Calder, which is navigable up to SalterHebble, near Halifax. The Don having been joined by
the powerful stream of the Rother, unites with the Ouse
at Goole; the lower part of its channel, from the vicinity of Snaith, is artificial, and usually called the Dutch
river. In 1751, this river was made navigable to Tinsley,
three miles below Sheffield, and under the provisions of
an act of parliament passed in 1815, the navigation has
been continued by a cut, called the Tinsley canal, to
Sheffield. The Hull falls into the Humber at the town
of Hull, where its mouth forms a secure but narrow
haven: this river is navigable to Frodingham Bridge,
several miles above Beverley (with which town it communicates by means of a short cut), whence the navigation is continued by a canal to Driffield. Another canal
extends eastward from the river Hull to Leven, a length
of about three miles. The Tees is navigable for vessels of
60 tons to a short distance above Yarm, where the spring
tides rise about seven feet: below Stockton it spreads
into the fine estuary of Redcar, three miles broad.
The Canals are nearly all within the limits of the
West Riding. Under this head, however, may be classed
the small navigable river Foss, the channel of which is
believed to have been originally formed by the Romans,
to effect the drainage of an extensive level tract lying
between the Ouse and the Howardian hills. It rises
near the western extremity of these hills, and thence
takes first a south-eastern, and then a southern, course
to the Ouse, at York. The navigation was made perfect
from York to Sheriff-Hutton, a distance of about fourteen miles, under the provisions of an act of parliament
passed in the year 1793. Market-Weighton and Hedon,
which are both situated in the East Riding, and are considerable markets for corn, have each the advantage of a
navigable canal to the Humber. The canals of the West
Riding, in alphabetical order, are as follows. The
Barnsley canal commences in the navigable channel of
the river Calder, a little below Wakefield, and, taking a
southern direction, unites with the Dearne and Dove
canal near Barnsley. Its length is only fifteen miles,
but it is of great importance, as forming part of the line
from Sheffield to Barnsley, Wakefield, Leeds, Huddersfield, Manchester, and Liverpool. The Bradford canal,
which is three miles in length, commences in the Leeds
and Liverpool canal at Windhill, in the parish of Idle,
and terminates at Bradford, where extensive tramways
connect it with the collieries and iron-works of LowMoor and Bowling. The Dearne and Dove canal commences in a side cut from the river Don, between Swinton and Mexborough, and, passing north-westward,
terminates in the Barnsley canal, at Eyming's Wood,
after a course of nine miles. Together with the Barnsley canal, it forms a line connecting the navigable channel of the Don with that of the Calder. From the newlyformed commercial docks at Goole a canal passes westward to the river Aire, at Ferrybridge, and thus completes the water communication between that rising
port and the manufacturing districts of the West Riding,
together with the counties of Lancaster, Chester, and
Stafford. The Huddersfield canal, nineteen miles and a
half long, commences in Sir John Ramsden's canal, on
the southern side of that town, and, proceeding westward, passes near Saddleworth, through the range of
mountains on the borders of Yorkshire and Lancashire,
by one of the largest tunnels in the kingdom, being
nearly three miles and a half in length. It terminates
in the latter county in the Manchester, Ashton, and Oldham canal. The Leeds and Liverpool canal enters this
county from Colne in Lancashire, whence it proceeds
by Skipton, Keighley, and Bingley, and across the
river Aire, near Shipley, to Leeds, where it terminates
in the Aire navigation. This extensive and important
canal connects the port of Liverpool with the large
manufacturing town of Leeds, and forms part of a line
of water communication between Liverpool and Hull.
The Ramsden canal, four miles in length, commences
in the Calder and Hebble navigation at Cooper's-Bridge,
and terminates in the Huddersfield canal at the King's
Mills, near Huddersfield; thus completing, in conjunction with the Huddersfield canal, the important line of
water communication between Manchester and the great
manufacturing towns of Yorkshire. The Rochdale canal,
entering from Rochdale in Lancashire, terminates in the
Calder and Hebble navigation at Sowerby-Bridge, two
miles from Halifax. The Stainforth and Keadby canal,
partly in this county and partly in the Isle of Axholme,
in Lincolnshire, branches from the Don navigation at
Fishlake, near Stainforth, and, passing by Thome, terminates in the Trent at Keadby, after a course of fifteen
miles.
Of the railways, the Leeds and Selby line was one of
the first commenced; it is connected with the Hull and
Selby railway, and from Hull a line runs to Beverley and
Bridlington. The Manchester and Leeds railway enters
the county at Langfield, and passing near Halifax,
Dewsbury, and Wakefield, joins the Midland and the
York and North-Midland railways near Normanton, and
thence proceeds to Leeds. A short railway has been
formed between Sheffield and Rotherham, which is connected with the Midland railway close to the latter town.
The Midland line enters the county to the south of
Rotherham, and runs northward, east of Barnsley, as
far as Normanton. The York and North-Midland railway commences at the city, and proceeds to the river
Wharfe, over which it is carried by a bridge 274 feet in
length; then, after passing through a tunnel, it crosses
the river Aire by a bridge of three arches, and joins the
Midland line near Normanton. The Manchester and
Sheffield railway enters the county between two branches
of the river Don, west of Penistone, and passing close to
the north of that town, proceeds to Sheffield. The
Whitby and Pickering railway connects these towns, thus
establishing a communication for the transport of the
produce of the latter to the sea. Another great undertaking is the York and Newcastle railway, which proceeds
nearly in a straight line north-west-by-west from York
to the vicinity of Darlington, in Durham, and in its
course passes close to the towns of Thirsk and Northallerton. It has a branch to Richmond. The Leeds and
Bradford railway connects those two important towns,
and has an extension to Bingley, Keighley, Skipton, and
Colne, the last place being in Lancashire. The York
and Scarborough railway passes by the town of Malton,
near which it forms a junction with the Whitby and
Pickering line; a branch leaves it near Scarborough, for
Filey and Bridlington. There is also a railway between
Middlesbrough and Redcar, at the mouth of the Tees.
Besides the great station of Eboracum, at York, the
chief seat of the Roman power in Britain, this county
contained also, in the West Riding, the stations of
Isurium, at Aldborough; Legiolum, a little below the
junction of the rivers Aire and Calder; Danum, at
Doncaster; Olicana, at Ilkley; Cambodunum, at Slack,
near Halifax; and Calcaria, at Tadcaster. In the North
Riding were Cataractonium, at Catterick; and Derventio,
at Stamford-Bridge, or at Alby, a mile further northward; and in the East Riding, Delgovitia, at Londesborough; and Prcetorium, at Patrington. The most
durable of the works of this people were the roads they
constructed in order to facilitate the communication
between their military stations; several of these traversed
Yorkshire in different directions, the common centre from
which they diverged being Eboracum. The great road
since called the Watling-street, which ran the whole
length of England, from the coast of Kent to the wall of
Severus, enters from Nottinghamshire in the vicinity of
Bawtry, and passes through Doncaster, Barnsdale, Pontefract Park, Castleford, Tadcaster, York, Aldborough,
and Catterick, into the county of Durham at PierseBridge. Another military road entered from Manchester, and passed through the vicinity of Halifax, by Wakefield, to the Watling street. A similar road, from Chesterfield, on the north-western confines of Derbyshire,
passed by Sheffield, Barnsley, Hemsworth, and Ackworth, to the Watling-street, at or near Pontefract.
A vicinal way also appears to have passed through Pontefract, in a southern direction, to the villages of Darrington, WTentbridge, Smeaton, Campsall, and Hatfield.
From York a Roman road ran to Malton, and seems to
have there divided into two branches, one, now commonly
called Wades Causeway, leading to Dunsley bay, in the
neighbourhood of Whitby; the other to Scarborough
and Filey. Another road passed from York, by Stamford-Bridge, Fridaythorpe, and Sledmere, across the
Wolds, to Bridlington bay, called by Ptolemy Gabrantovicorum Sinus Portvosus, or Salutaris. Further south
was a Roman road from York, by Stamford-Bridge and
Londesborough, to Patrington. From Londesborough,
a branch of this, formerly styled Humber-street, passed
in a straight line southward to the village of Brough on
the Humber.
The most remarkable antiquities are the remains of
castles and religious edifices; but there are also several
specimens of military and other works of a more remote
period. The three gigantic obelisks of single stones,
vulgarly called The Devil's Arrows, situated near Boroughbridge, are by some thought to be Druidical, and
by others of Roman origin. Traces of Roman encampments are found in several places, and the remains of
Roman roads are more particularly conspicuous on the
Eastern Moorlands, where the ancient road from Malton
to Dunsley bay, now called Wade's Causeway, is in excellent preservation, being twelve feet broad, in some places
raised more than three feet above the surface, and paved
with flint pebbles; and on the Wolds, where the Roman road from York to Bridlington bay may be traced
for many miles. The only remains of Roman structures
now to be seen in York, the site of the ancient Eboracum, are the polygonal tower and the south wall of the
Mint yard. A vast variety of Roman antiquities has at
different times been found in York and its vicinity, such
as altars, sepulchral and other urns, sarcophagi, coins,
signets (both cameos and intaglios), fibulæ, &c.; and
Roman urns, coins, &c, have been discovered in several
other situations near the stations and roads of that
people. Many tumuli are discernible in various parts
of the county, particularly on the Wolds; and besides
the Roman encampments, others of the Saxons and the
Danes may be traced in the North and West Ridings.
The remarkable assemblage of rocks called Bramham
Crags, about nine miles north-west of Ripon, are supposed, from the marks of rude sculpture which some of
them exhibit, to have been a Druidical temple.
The number of Religious houses was about 106, including seven alien priories. The ruins of several of
them are amongst the most beautiful and picturesque in
the kingdom. The principal ruins of abbeys are those
of St. Mary's at York; of Fountains, Kirkstall, Roche,
and Selby, in the West Riding; and Byland, Rivaulx,
Easby, Eggleston, and Whitby, in the North Riding:
and of priories, those of Bolton and Knaresborough, in
the West Riding; of Guisborough, Mountgrace, and
Wykeham, in the North Riding; and Bridlington,
Kirkham, and Watton, in the East Riding. The most
distinguished remains of ancient Fortresses, besides Clifford's Tower at York, are those at Cawood, Conisbrough,
Harewood, Knaresborough, Pontefract, Great Sandall,
Skipton, and Tickhill, in the West Riding; at Helmsley,
Malton, Mulgrave, Pickering, Richmond, Scarborough,
Sheriff-Hutton, and Skelton, in the North Riding; and
at Wressell, in the East Riding. The most remarkable
old Mansions are, Temple-Newsom, near Leeds; and
Gilling-Castle, near Helmsley, formerly the seat of the
ancient family of Fairfax. Several others in different
parts of the county are now occupied as farmhouses.
Yorkshire contains a great number of elegant seats of
more modern erection, belonging to the nobility and
gentry who possess estates within its limits: some of
those particularly worthy of mention in the West Riding
are, Wentworth House, Wentworth Castle or Stambrough Hall, Methley Park, Thundercliffe Grange, Sandbeck Park, Newby Hall, Harewood House, Scarthingwell Hall, Allerton-Mauleverer, and Bishopthorpe, near
York, the archiepiscopal palace; in the North Riding,
Hornby Castle, Stanwick, Castle-Howard, and Mulgrave
Castle; and in the East Riding, Londesborough.
The chalybeate and sulphureous springs of Harrogate,
discovered in 1571, are of great celebrity, and have
rendered that once obscure hamlet one of the principal
watering-places in the north of England. Askerne,
about eight miles north of Doncaster, has of late years
become much noted for its medicinal waters, which
resemble those of Harrogate, both in smell and taste,
but differ from them in their mode of operation. The
chalybeate and saline springs of Scarborough, discovered
early in the 17th century, have long been celebrated.
In 1822, a mineral spring was discovered a mile southeast of Guisborough, which is greatly resorted to by
persons labouring under different complaints; the waters
are diuretic. There are, besides, mineral springs of
various qualities at Aldfield, Boston, Gilthwaite, Horley
Green, Ilkley, and Knaresborough, in the West Riding;
and a chalybeate spring at Bridlington Quay, on the
coast of the East Riding. At Knaresborough is the celebrated dropping and petrifying well; and at the bottom
of Giggleswick Scar, near the village of Giggleswick,
is a spring which ebbs and flows at irregular periods.
On the Wolds, and near Cottingham on their eastern
side, are periodical springs, which sometimes emit very
powerful streams of water for a few months successively,
and then become dry for years. Some of the most remarkable Waterfalls are, Thornton Force, formed by a
small stream which is driven down a precipice about 30
yards in height, situated near the village of Ingleton, in
the West Riding, and in the vicinity of Thornton Scar,
a tremendous cliff about 300 feet in height; the cataract
of Malham Cove, which is 300 feet high; Aysgarth
Force; Hardrow Fall; High Force or Fall, on the Tees;
Mallin Spout; Egton; and Mossdale Fall. Among the
natural curiosities of the county must also be enumerated
its caves. The principal of these, situated among the
Craven mountains, are Yorclas Cave, in a mountain
called Greg-roof, and Weather cote Cave, both of them in
the vicinity of Ingleton, and in the latter of which is a
cataract of twenty yards' fall; Hurtle-pot and Ginglepot,
near the head of the subterranean river Wease, or Greta;
and Donk Cave, near the foot of Ingleborough. At the
foot of the mountain Pennigant, in the same neighbourhood, are two frightful orifices, called Hulpit and Huntpit Holes, through each of which runs a brook, passing
underground for about a mile, and then emerging, one
at Dowgill Scar, and the other at Bransil-head.
Youlgrave (All Saints)
YOULGRAVE (All Saints), a parish, partly in the
hundred of Wirksworth, and partly in that of High
Peak, union of Bakewell, N. division of the county of
Derby; containing, with the chapelries of Birchover,
Elton, Stanton, and Winster, and the township of Middleton with Smerril, 3727 inhabitants, of whom 1060
are in Youlgrave township, 4 miles (S. by W.) from
Bakewell. Here are numerous lead-mines, which, though
formerly more productive than at present, are still in
active operation; and stone of good quality for building,
and for walls for fencing, is extensively quarried: various
fossils are found in the quarries. About a mile southwest of the church is a handsome stone mansion, erected
in 1844, by Thomas Bateman, Esq., and containing
a variety of antiquities. The scenery is mountainous
and romantic. The living is a discharged vicarage,
valued in the king's books at £9. 4. 7.; net income,
£220; patron and impropriator, the Duke of Devonshire. The tithes were commuted for land and a money
payment in 1815; the glebe comprises 100 acres, with
a house. The church is a very handsome structure,
partly Norman, and partly in the later English style,
and contains several ancient monuments. There are
chapels at Winster, Elton, Birchover, and Stanton; also
places of worship for Calvinists, Primitive Methodists,
and Wesleyans.
Youlthorpe, with Gowthorpe
YOULTHORPE, with Gowthorpe, a township, in
the parish of Bishop-Wilton, union of Pocklington,
Wilton-Beacon division of the wapentake of Harthill,
E. riding of York, 5¼ miles (N. W. by N.) from Pocklington; containing 102 inhabitants. The township
comprises by computation 1350 acres: its small village
is situated on a bold eminence. The tithes of Youlthorpe
were commuted for land in 1769, and the small tithes of
Gowthorpe in 1810.
Youlton
YOULTON, a township, in the parish of Alne,
union of Easingwould, wapentake of Bulmer, N.
riding of York, 6½ miles (S. S. W.) from Easingwould;
containing 74 inhabitants. It comprises by computation
1000 acres, of which the manorial rights belong to
University College, Oxford: the hamlet is much scattered. James I. halted at a house here on his route
from Scotland.
Yoxford (St. Peter)
YOXFORD (St. Peter), a parish, in the union and
hundred of Blything, E. division of Suffolk, 23½
miles (N. E.) from Ipswich; containing 1251 inhabitants.
It comprises 2681 acres. The village is situated in a
remarkably pleasant and genteel neighbourhood, on
the road from Ipswich to Yarmouth, and consists principally of one well-built street of modern houses, with
two commodious inns. Cockfield Hall, the seat of Sir
Charles Blois, Bart., is a handsome mansion of the time
of James I. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £5. 14. 2.; patron and incumbent, the Rev.
Robert Firmin; impropriators, the Earl of Stradbroke
and Sir C. Blois. The great tithes have been commuted
for £284, and the vicarial for £194; the glebe contains
5 acres. The church has been lately enlarged by subscription, aided by a grant of £140 from the Incorporated
Society; it contains some good monuments.
Yoxhall (St. Peter)
YOXHALL (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of
Lichfield, N. division of the hundred of Offlow and
of the county of Stafford, 7½ miles (N. N. E.) from
Lichfield; containing 1535 inhabitants, and comprising
by measurement 4795 acres. It includes within its
limits the hamlets of Hadley-End, one mile south-west;
Longcroft, three-quarters of a mile east; Morry, one
mile west; Olive-Green, one mile and a half west; and
Woodhouses, about half a mile east, from the village
of Yoxhall. The village is pleasantly situated on the
road from Buxton to Bath, about a mile from the river
Trent. The weaving of tape affords employment to 150
persons, many of whom are children. Fairs are held
for cattle on the 12th of February and 19th of October.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£17. 6. 8., and in the gift of Lord Leigh: the tithes
have been commuted for £290, and the glebe comprises
193 acres. The church exhibits various styles, from the
Norman to the later English. There are a place of
worship for Primitive Methodists, and a Roman Catholic
chapel; also a school founded in 1695 by Thomas Taylor, and endowed with various bequests producing about
£20 per annum. The parish possesses about twentyfour acres of town-lands, let for upwards of £50 a year,
and which have been regularly applied by the parochial
authorities, for the benefit of Yoxhall, for more than two
centuries: there are likewise church lands comprising
10a. 3r. 2p. In levelling a piece of ground, about forty
vessels containing ashes and human bones, were taken
up, some years since.