Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for YORKSHIRE

YORKSHIRE, a maritime county in the N of England; much the largest of the English counties; exceeding by 397,930 acres the conjoint areas of the two next largest counties, Lincoln and Devon. It is bounded, on the NW, by Westmoreland; on the N, by Durham; on the NE and the E, by the North sea; on the S, by Lincolnshire, Notts, and Derbyshire; on the SW, by Cheshire; on the W, by Lancashire. Its boundary with Durham is the river Tees; with most of Lincolnshire, the river Humber; with most of Lancashire and Westmoreland, a lofty mountain watershed. Its outline is that of an irregular quadrangle. Its greatest length, from E to W, is 105 miles; its greatest breadth, from N to S, is 90 miles; its circuit is about 400 miles,-of which 120 are coast; and its area is 3,830,567 acres. The NE coast, from the Tees to Flamborough head, is rocky and bold, rising into cliffs of various altitude up to 800 feet. The interior thence westward to a great central vale extending southward from the Tees to the head of the Humber, is partly tableau, partly a series of vales, partly successive ranges of hills, and partly a great aggregate of elevated moorland. The E coast, all southward from the vicinity of Flamborough head, is low and flat; and very much of it has suffered considerable denudation by the sea. The interior thence westward, to the width of from 10 to 20 miles, continues to be low and flat; and it then rises into a broad long range of wolds, extending southward to the vicinity of the Humber, and separating the low eastern tract from the great central valley. The W half of the county is exceedingly diversified; forms, onward to Leyburn, Otley, Bradford, and Sheffield, a rich diversity of vales, rising-grounds, and hills; exhibits, thence to the W boundary, increasing boldness of feature, with massive mountains and soaring summits; and possesses a vast aggregate, or even a general prevalence, of highly picturesque scenery. A considerable section in the NW ranks with the Lake region of Westmoreland and Cumberland , in attractions of mingled beauty, romance, and sublimity; and the highest mountains there rise to altitudes of from 2,361 to 2,600 feet above sea-level.

The chief rivers are the Tees, the Esk, the Hull, the Swale, the Wiske, the Yare, the Ouse, the Nidd, the Foss, the Wharfe, the Derwent, the Aire, the Calder, and the Don. Igneous rocks are very sparce. Stratified rocks, with only one or two slight exceptions, form the entire county; and, in a general view, have their axis of elevation, nearly coincident with most of the W boundary, and inclined thence to the eastward. Magnesian limestone forms a considerable tract in the NW, between Giggleswick and Kettlewell, and a narrow belt along the W side of the great central valley, all south-ward from the vicinity of Bedale. Yaredale rocks, or upper limestone shales, form two large tracts to the N and to the S of the NW magnesian limestone tract. Millstone grit forms an extensive region in all the W, at the extreme N to the extreme S, comparatively narrow in the N, but exp and ing to great width as it approaches and crosses the valley of the Wharfe. Coal measures form a great tract around Bradford, Leeds, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Pontefract, and Sheffield; and extend continuously into Derbyshire and Notts. Trias rocks form all the great central valley, from the Tees continuously southward into Notts and Lincolnshire; and , though with varying breadth of belt, are uniformly new red or Bunter sandstone along the W side of the valley, and new red or Keuper marl and sandstone along the E side. Lias rocks form a considerable belt along nearly all the E side of the trias rocks, from the mouth of the Tees, curvingly southward, with slight interruption, all the way to the Humber. Lower oolite rocks, variously inferior oolite, Bath oolite, forest marble, and cornbrash, form a great tract in the NE, contiguous to the lias, and from within a few miles of Northallerton east-ward to the sea. Middle oolite rocks, variously Oxford clay, coral rag, and calcareous grit, form a tract immediately S of the lower oolite, from the vicinity of Boltby to the sea. Upper oolite rocks, variously Kimmeridge clay and Portland limestone and sandstone, form a smaller tract immediately S of the middle oolite, from the vicinity of Helmsley, along the valley of the Derwent, and eastward to Filey bay. Upper greensand and gault rocks form a narrow belt along all the N and W sides of the wolds. Chalk rocks form all the wolds themselves; and go to the sea at Flamborough head, and to the Humber between North Ferriby and Hull. Deposits of sand, gravel, and clay, chiefly alluvial, from river or from lake, form all the low flat tract in the SE. The coal measures, viewed in their extension into Derbyshire and Notts, have an extreme length of fully 65 miles,-an extreme breadth of 23 miles; contain upwards of 30 seams of coal, varying from 6 inches to 11 feet in thickness, and aggregately 78 feet thick; include 14 workable beds, aggregately 51¼ feet thick; include numerous alternations of grit and argillaceous strata, some of them containing ironstone; and in their entire mass, exceed 3,000 feet in depth. The number of collieries in Yorkshire, in 1859, was 333; and the output of coal from them, in that year, was 8,357,100 tons. Ironstone abounds also in the NE: and is largely worked both there and in the SW. The number of iron works, in 1859, was 13 in the West Riding, 9 in the North Riding; the number of furnaces, 34 in the West Riding, 30 in the North Riding; the produce of iron ore 84,950 tons in the West Riding, 216,127 tons in the North Riding; but the working of iron, since that year, has very greatly increased. Lead mines are in Swaledale and the neighbouring valleys; copper ores are partially found; and alum mines are on the NE coast. Marbles of various kinds abound in the NW; and some of quality suited for ornamental purposes were recently ascertained to cover an area of about 10 square miles, with a thickness of about 30 feet. Limestone of ordinary qualities, for agriculturaland for building purposes, is exceedingly plentiful; and excellent building-stone of other descriptions also abounds. Very valuable mineral waters are in various parts; and those of Harrogate and Scarborough have long been famous.

The soils vary exceedingly, according to the rocks, the altitude, and the cultivation. Those of the mountain tracts, in general, are so thin and poor as to be available only for pasture; those of the W valleys vary from peat earth to deep strong clay or loam; those of the great central valley are very diversified, but aggregately have great fertility; those of the lower grounds of the NE are mostly either a fine red s and or a rich friable clay; those of the wolds are chiefly a light loam, mixed with gravel; and those of the low flat country in the SE are principally strong alluvium. Agriculture, regarded in the aggregate, is in a medium condition, not so advanced as in Northumberland and Lincolnshire. Many tracts, including nearly all the upland s, are entirely pastoral; and so many portions of even the low tracts are devoted to grazing, that the county, as a whole, is productive far more of live stock than of grain. Farms, in general, are small, and let at high rents, and from year to year. Cattle include many cross breeds, and large numbers of short-horns, but are mostly of the long-horned breed. Sheep also are of different breeds; and they are computed to amount to about 1,200,000, yielding annually about 28,000 packs of wool. Horses for ordinary draught are bred in great numbers, and are in such repute that dealers from all parts of the kindom frequent the local fairs to buy them; carriage horses, of highly esteemed character, are bred in Cleveland; and many of the most noted race-horses have been bred and trained in the county. The productive industry of the registration county, at the census of 1861, employed 118,754 males and 39,187 females in agriculture; 5,709 m. and 95 f. in horticultnre; 762 m. in arboriculture; 37,784 m. and 9 f. in mining; 3,743 m. and 136 f. on coal; 17,139 m. and 73 f. on stone and clay; 2,485 m. and 568 f. on earthen-ware; 1,743 m. and 66 f. on glass; 37,452 m. and 453 f. on iron and steel; 3,832 m. and 670 f. on brass and other mixed metals; 235 m. and 81 f. on lead and antimony; 1,411 m. and 13 f. on tin and quicksilver; 85 m. and 1 f. on copper; 1,884 m. and 601 f. on gold, silver, and precious stones; 5,247 m. and 46 f. on wood; 235 m. and 11 f. on bark; 892 m. and 26 f. on cane, rush, and straw; 1,111 m. and 246 f. on gums and resins; 1,834 m. and 844 f. on paper; 949 m. and 570 f. on hair; 3,738 m. and 67 f. on skins and feathers; 2,133 m. and 159 f. on bones, horn, ivory, whalebone, gut, and grease; 9,856 m. and 3,792 f. on animal food; 7,876 m. and 1,950 f. on vegetable food; 13,202 m. and 2,493 f. on drinks and stimulants; 101,458 m. and 80,049 f. on woollen and worsted; 26,434 m. and 28,525 f. on cotton and flax; 1,430 m. and 1,407 f. on silk; 4,910 m. and 1,408 f. on mixtures of wool, cotton, flax, and silk; 1,641 m. and 408 f. on hemp and other fibrous materials; 34,916 m. and 50,038 f. on dress: 2,712 m. and 160 f. on chemicals; 4,432 m. and 15 f. on implements; 33,934 m. and 1,779 f. on machines and tools; 4,638 m. and 530 f. on furniture; 1,350 m. and 7 f. on carriages; 1,366 m. and 21 f. on harness; and 1,564 m. and 45 f. on surgical instruments, philosophical instruments, and watches. Railways, canals, and roads, are profusely plentiful in all the populous parts, and penetrate sufficiently the upland regions; while the railways and the canals are almost crowded in the centres of mining and manufacture.

The county is divided into York City, the East Riding, the North Riding, and the West Riding. The word riding is a corruption of the Saxon treding or trithing, signifying "third." The East Riding comprises 768,419 acres; is divided into the boroughs of Beverley and Hull, and the wapentakes of Buckrose, Dickering, Harthill, Holderness, Howdenshire, and Ouse and Derwent; contains 184 parishes, part of another parish, 6 extra-parochial tracts, and 7 towns, with each more than 2,000 inhabitants; is governed by a lord lieutenant and custos, a high sheriff, about 55 deputy-lieutenants, and about 120 magistrates; sends two members to parliament from each of its two boroughs, and two from the rest of its area; had, in 1864, inclusive of the boroughs, a police force of 237 men, at an annual cost of £18,528; and has a county house of correction at Beverley, and a town jail at Hull. The North Riding comprises 1,350,121 acres; is divided into the boroughs of Middlesborough, Richmond, and Scarborough, the liberties of Langbaurgh and Whitby-Strand, and the wapentakes of Allertonshire, Birdforth, Bulmer, Gilling, Hallikeld, Hang, Pickering-Lythe, and Ryedale; contains 193 parishes, parts of 2 other parishes, 2 extra-parochial tracts, and 9 towns with each more than 2,000 inhabitants; is governed by a lord lientenant and custos, a high sheriff, about 50 deputy-lieutenants, and about 180 magistrates; sends nine members to parliament from Middlesborough, Malton, Northallerton, Richmond, Scarborough, Thirsk, and Whitby, and two from the rest of its area; had, in 1864, inclusive of its boroughs, a police force of 180 men, at an annual cost of £14,180; and has a county house of correction at North-allerton, and borough jails at Richmond and Scarborough. The West Riding comprises 1,709,307 acres; is divided into the boroughs of Bradford, Dewsbury, Doncaster, Halifax, Leeds, Pontefract, Ripon, Sheffield, and Wakefield, and the wapentakes of Agbrigg and Morley, Ainsty, Barkston-Ash, Claro, Osgoldcross, Skyrack, Staincliffe and Ewecross, Staincross, and Strafforth and Pickhill; contains 194 parishes, parts of 6 other parishes, 9 extra-parochial tracts, and 31 towns with each more than 2,000 inhabitants; is governed by a lord lieutenant and custos, a high sheriff, about 150 deputy-lieutenants, and about 400 magistrates; was divided, in 1867, for parliamentary representation, into three sections, Northern, Mid, and Southern; sends seventeen members to parliament from Bradford, Dewsbury, Halifax, Huddersfield, Knaresborough, Leeds, Pontefract, Ripon, Sheffield, and Wakefield, and six from the rest of its area; had, in 1864, inclusive of its boroughs, a police force of 1,320 men, at an annual cost of £90,786; and has a large jailand a seat of assizes at Leeds, a county house of correction at Wakefield, a county court debtors' jail at Halifax, and a liberty jailand house of correction at Ripon. The chief seats in the county include 34 of noblemen and 29 of baronets, and amount altogether to about 500. Electors of the East Riding, exclusive of the boroughs, in 1863, 5,559,-in 1865, 7,400; of the North Riding, in 1863, 9,539,-in 1865, 15,438; of the West Riding, in 1863, 18,056,-in 1865, 40,695. Real property, in 1815, £4,753,496; in 1843, £7,495,029; in 1860, £9,620,962, -of which £38,808 were in quarries, £328,929 in mines, £145,482 in ironworks, £211 in fisheries, £102,463 in canals, £532,647 in railways, and £97,596 in gasworks. Pop. of the East Riding, in 1801, 111,192; in 1821, 154,643; in 1841, 194,936; in 1861, 240,227. Inhabited houses, 49,109: uninhabited, 2,633; building, 267. Pop. of the North Riding in 1801, 158,927: in 1821, 188,178: in 1841, 204,701; in 1861, 245,154. Inhabited houses, 50,178; uninhabited, 3,024; building, 379. Pop. of the West Riding, in 1801, 572,168; in 1821, 809,363; in 1841, 1,163,580; in 1861, 1,507,796. Inhabited houses, 315,722; uninhabited, 18,885; building, 1,946. The total pop. of the county includes also the pop. of York City.

The registration East Riding gives off 101,056 acres to the North Riding; takes in 63,552 acres from the North Riding, the West Riding, and York City; comprises altogether 730,915 acres; and is divided into the districts of York, Pocklington, Howden, Beverley, Sculcoates, Hull, Patrington, Skirlaugh, Driffield, and Bridlington. Pop. in 1851, 251,493; in 1861, 274,425. Inhabited houses, 55,926; uninhabited, 2,958; building 295. Poor rates in 1863, £96,822. Marriages in 1866, 2,836,-of which 634 were not according to the rites of the Established Church; births, 9,988,-of which 716 were illegitimate; deaths, 6,305,-of which 2,481 were at ages tuder 5 years, and 150 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 25,308; births, 88,654; deaths, 58,436. The registration North Riding acquired 2,779 acres from Durham, under the act of 1844 for consolidating detached parts of counties; gives off 197,684 acres to the East Riding, the West Riding, and Durham: takes in 86,424 acres from the East Riding; comprises altogether 1,236,082 acres; and is divided into the districts of Scarborough, Malton, Easingwold, Thirsk, Helmsley, Pickering, Whitby, Guisbrough, Stokesley, Northallerton, Bedale, Leyburn, Askrigg, Reeth, and Richmond. Pop. in 1851, 193,405; in 1861, 211,109. Inhabited houses, 44,020; uninhabited, 2,647; building, 263. Poor rates in 1863, £81,943. Marriages in 1866, 1,744,-of which 349 were not according to the rites of the Established Church; births, 7,585,-of which 676 were illegitimate; deaths, 4,562,-of which 1,619 were at ages under 5 years, and 183 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 15,123; births, 66,162; deaths, 39,170. The West Riding gives off 117,810 acres to the East Riding, Lancashire, and Notts; takes in 97,423 acres from the North Riding, Lancashire, Notts, and Lincolnshire; comprises altogether 1,687,639 acres; and is divided into the districts of Sedbergh, Settle, Skipton, Pateley-Bridge, Ripon, Great Ouseburn, Knaresborough, Wetherby, Kirk-Deighton, Otley, Wharfedale, Keighley, Todmorden, Saddleworth, Huddersfield, Halifax, Bradford, Hunslet, Leeds, Dewsbury, Wakefield, Pontefract, Hansworth, Barnsley, Wortley, Ecclesall-Bierlow, Sheffield, R other ham, Doncaster, Thorne, Goole, Selby, and Tadcaster. Pop. in 1851, 1,344,149; in 1861, 1,530,007. Inhabited houses, 320,478; uninhabited, 19,041; building, 2,057. Poor rates in 1863, £520,364. Marriages in 1866, 16,230,-of which 3,440 were not according to the rites of the Established Church; births, 64,276,-of which 4,048 were illegitimate; deaths, 43,889,-of which 20,133 were at ages under 5 years, and 526 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 128,178: births, 540,623; deaths, 341,707.

The places of worship in York city are noticed in our article on York.-The places of worship in the political East Riding in 1851, were 235 of the Church of England, with 64,135 sittings; 1 of United Presbyterians, with 600 s.; 34 of Independents, with 12,009 s.; 14 of Baptists, with 3,200 s.; 3 of Quakers, with 661 s.; 2 of Unitarians, with 520 s.; 223 of Wesleyans, with 39,360 s.; 3 of New Connexion Methodists, with 1,160 s.; 134 of Primitive Methodists, with 16,136 s.; 1 of the Wesleyan Association, with 68 s.; 1 of Wesleyan Reformers, with 1,000 s.; 1 of Brethren, with 710 s.; 4 of isolated congregations, with 734 s.; 3 of Latter Day Saints, with 500 s.; 10 of Roman Catholics, with 1,626 s.; and 1 of Jews, with 95 s. The schools were 235 public day-schools, with 17,003 scholars; 546 private day-schools, with 12,041 s.; 318 Sunday schools, with 23,267 s.; and 11 evening schools for adults, with 134 s.-The places of worship in the political North Riding in 1851 were 301 of the Church of England , with 79,740 sittings; 1 of United Presbyterians, with 450 s.; 48 of Independents, with 10,235 s.; 13 of Baptists, with 3,086 s.; 17 of Quakers, with 3,984 s.; 3 of Unitarians, with 610 s.; 304 of Wesleyans, with 46,898 s.; 110 of Primitive Methodists, with 12,691 s.; 6 of the Wesleyan Association, with 1,485 s.; 5 of Wesleyan Reformers, with 572 s.; 1 of S and emanians, with 180 s.; 2 of Brethren, with 150 s.; 10 of isolated congregations, with 981 s.; and 22 of Roman Catholics, with 4,016 s. The schools were 339 public day-schools, with 18,701 scholars; 455 private day-schools, with 10,807 s.; 452 Sunday schools, with 26,412 s.; and 10 evening schools for adults, with 102 s. -The places of worship in the political West Riding in 1851 were 583 of the Church of England , with 276,910 sittings; 1 of English Presbyterians, with 100 s.; 1 of United Presbyterians, with 639 s.; 158 of Independents, with 72,157 s.; 99 of Baptists, with 38,113 s.; 35 of Quakers, with 9,693 s.; 6 of Moravians, with 2,206 s.: 17 of Unitarians, with 5,302 s.; 646 of Wesleyans, with 173,926 s.; 70 of New Connexion Methodists, with 19,811 s.; 231 of Primitive Methodists, with 37,143 s.; 44 of the Wesleyan Association, with 12,522 s.; 69 of Wesleyan Reformers, with 7,666 s.; 5 of the New Church, with 1,829 s.; 14 of Brethren, with 1,742 s.; 34 of isolated congregations, with 4,069 s.; 1 of the Catholic and Apostolic Church, with 320 s.; 8 of Latter Day Saints, with 1,280 s.; 31 of Roman Catholics, with 8,846 s.; and 3 of Jews, with 640 s. The schools were 980 public day-schools, with 101,616 scholars; 2,035 private day-schools, with 60,680 s.; 1,692 Sunday schools, with 224,018 s.; and 237 evening schools for adults, with 7,826 s.

The territory now forming Yorkshire was inhabited by the ancient British Brigantes; was included by the Romans in their Maxima Cæsariensis; was included in the Saxon Deira and Northumbria; passed, about 827, to the West Saxons; was overrun by the Danes in 867, and at various subsequent periods till 1066; suffered much devastation in resistance to William the Conqueror; was known at Domesday as Eurewicscire, but then included parts of Lancashire, Westmoreland , and Cumberland; was the scene of various important struggles, and of the battles of Wakefield and Towton, in the wars of the Roses; figured greatly, in 1536, in the "Pilgrimage of Grace;'' was the theatre of many struggles, and of the decisive battle of Marston-Moor in the civil wars of Charles I.; and witnessed many other important events, which have been noticed in our accounts of York and of the other ancient towns.-Druidical stones, logan-stones, tumuli, and other ancient British antiquities, are in various places. Roman stations were at York, Tadcaster, Castleford, Doncaster, Aldborough, Catterick-Bridge, Malton, and Flamborough. Watling-street, Ermine-street, Ryknield-street, and other Roman roads have left either vestiges or memorials. Roman camps are numerous; Saxon and Danish monuments, chiefly mounds, are in various places; and Norman remains are plentiful. Ruins of old castles are in 20 places-Old monastic ruins are at 18 places; old cathedrals are at York and Ripon; and interesting old churches, many of them wholly or partly Norman, are in 32 places.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a maritime county"   (ADL Feature Type: "countries, 2nd order divisions")
Administrative units: Yorkshire AncC
Place names: EUREWICSCIRE     |     YORKSHIRE
Place: Yorkshire

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