YORKSHIRE. 



YORKSHIRE. 



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MUtfc xnilh mt, MM! forming the northern slope of the moit extensive 

 TalWv in Ku* Und. that of the Otue and Treat The high land ou the 

 eastern boundary of thi* valley, extending from the Tees to the 

 Humber, forms, at hae been previously stated, a bold coast-line, from 

 which, lu the northern part of the county, the turftoe rises, in aome 

 parte rery luddenly, to a great elevation. In the description of thin 

 raliry and iU boundaries In the ' Physical and Political Geography of 

 Oreat Britain,' in the ' Library of Useful Knowledge,' it is observed 

 that south of the ajstuary of the Tees we find the commencement of 

 the high lands which in some places stretch inwards to a distance of 

 from 80 to 80 miles from the coast in Barnaby Moor, which has an 

 deration of 784 feet ; in the trigonometrical station of Burl<>igh Moor ; 

 and, a little farther south, in the Ouisborough Hills. These high lands 

 run down to the Ma-ooast at Huntcliff, and also by the Kasington 

 Heights, about midway between the Tees and Whitby, where is a 

 trigonometrical station at an elevation of 681 feet, to Rocliff, or 

 RockUff, a little farther south. A small depression in the high moors, 

 opening to the sea at Whitby, carries off the drainage of the small 

 valley of the Esk, which runs'between the Guisborough Hills and the 

 derated Egton Moors, which lie south of it These form part of a 

 isrios of barren derations which extend from the bold and lofty coast 

 south of Whitby to within about 5 miles of Northallerton, a distance 

 of about 30 miles from the coast The whole tract of the Eastern 

 Moorlands, extending about 30 miles from east to west, nnd 15 miles 

 from north to south, is a wild and mountainous district, intersected 

 by numerous picturesque nnd fertile valleys. North of Northallerton, 

 whiTe the scarped extremity of the high lands turns eastward, it over- 

 looks the vale of Cleveland, which slopes down to the Tees. On the 

 various roads which intersect the district extensive and dreary wastes 

 present themselves, with no boundary but the horizon ; but towards 

 the northern and western escarpments of the moorlands there are some 

 very beautiful prospects. Among the most elevated points of this 

 mountainous region are the trigonometrical stations of Botton Head 

 (1485 feat), Looeehoe Hill (1404 feet), and Black Hambleton, on the 

 western escarpment (1246 feet). Another remarkable summit, which 

 is celebrated as a landmark, and as commanding a most extensive and 

 beautiful view, is the mountain called Koseberry Topping, the height 

 of which is given by Qreenough as 1102 feet, near the road from 

 Ouiaborough to Stokealey, on the northern escarpment of the high 

 lands. 



The valley of the Dcrwent, which descends from near the sea- 

 coast in the neighbourhood of Scarborough, and, inclining towards 

 the south-west, fulls into the valley of the Ouse, separates the Eastern 

 Moorlands from the Yorkshire Wolds, which form the continuation of 

 the high lands on the east side of the valley of the Ouse. The ascent 

 of the Wolds, except on their eastern side, is generally steep, but 

 they seldom rise to an elevation exceeding 600 feet, and they are 

 broken and divided by many deep winding valleys. Although their 

 southern extremity presents the finest prospects, there are many points 

 on the range from which beautiful views may be obtained of the Vale 

 of York, the low grounds between the Wolds and Spurn Head, and 

 the Vallry of the Derwent, beyond which the Eastern Moorlands rise 

 in the back ground. The peninsular district of Holderness is agree- 

 ably diversified in surface, especially towards the sea-coast, within a 

 short di-tance of which, close to the town of Hornsea, is the largest 

 lake of the county, called Hornsea Mere, about a mile and three 

 quarters long, and three quarters of a mile broad at the widest part. 

 The western side of Holderness is distinguished by a fenny district 

 known by the provincial name of ' The Care,' which extends nearly 

 20 miles from north to south, with an average breadth of about four 

 miles. As noticed in a previous column, considerable portions of land 

 have been reclaimed from the Humber, and among them may bo 

 named the Holderness drainage, comprising upwards of 11,000 acres, 

 the Beverley and Barmston drainage, anil the Keyingham drainage, 

 comprising about 6500 acres. In addition to the great extent of 

 fertile land added to the county by these and several other extensive 

 drainages, the high prices of agricultural produce in this country have 

 led to a great extension of cultivation on the Wolds, which, until 

 about the close of the 18th century, were little better than a large 

 rabbitr warren. 



On the western side of the great valley of the Ouse lie the Western 

 Moorlands of Yorkshire, the general elevation of which is much 

 greater than that of the Eastern Moorlands. These form part of the 

 irregular tract of high land called the Pennine Chain, which, extend- 

 ing southward to the Derbyshire and Staffordshire hills, forms the 

 great moorland district of England. The highest point of the Pen- 

 nine Chain is at Cross Fell, a few miles north-west of the north- 

 western angle of the county, where it joins Westmorland and 

 Durham, and approaches within 8 or 4 miles of Cumberland ; and 

 from a little south of this point, which has an elevation of 2901 feet, 

 is a ridge nearly coincident with the county boundary, with a steep 

 escarpment towards the esstern side of the valley of the Kden. South 

 of this point the Cumbrian Mountains join the western side of the 

 Tat Pennine rngs, the high lands of which, in its further progress 

 e sooth, sometimes cprcad out into extensive moors, some- 

 times present rounded mountain tops, and in other places consist of 

 confused heap of rocky mountains, interspersed with numerous 

 narrow valleys, which afford scenery of the most romantic and 



picturesque character. This portion of the range, which occupies 

 the north-western extremity of the West Riding, forms the western 

 portion of the wild district of Craven, and comprises, among its more 

 elevated summits, those of Wharnsidc, or Whernside, near the junc- 

 tion of the counties of York, Westmorland, and Lancashire, with an 

 elevation of 2884 feet, according to the Ordnance Survey ; Ingle- 

 borough, a little farther south, 2861 feet ; IVnyghent, or Pennigant, 

 rather more to the east, about 2'270 feet ; a second mountain, dis- 

 tinguished as the Great Wharnside, near Kettlewell, and still more to 

 the east, 2268 feet ; Bow Fell, near Sedbergh, a few miles north of 

 the first-mentioned Wharnside, 2911 feet high, an elevation consider- 

 ably greater than that of any other mountain in thU part of the 

 county ; and Cam Fell, between the two Wharnsides, 2245 feet high. 

 The valleys of this district, the most extensive of which are Ni.lcU-r- 

 dale, or Netherdole, the valley of the river Nidd, Wharfedalc, and 

 Airedale, are so well wooded, cultivated, and studded with villages, aa 

 to present a beautiful appearance from the adjacent heights ; and the 

 picturesque character of the district, the roads of which afford some 

 of the finest scenery in the country, is heightened by numerous small 

 lakes, one of the principal of which is Malham Water, or Mai ham 

 Tarn, 6 or 7 miles east by north of the town of Settle, which is about 

 a mile in diameter, and is situated upon the summit of an elevated 

 moor. Though the general direction of the great range of mountains 

 which occupies the western side of the county, and which is some- 

 times styled ' the back-bone of England,' is from north to south, it 

 does not consist of a single ridge, but rather of several ranges, which, 

 though very irregular in their disposition, mostly form small angles 

 with the main direction of the mountain-range, thereby forming 

 numerous long and narrow valleys, with a general direction from 

 north to south. This hilly district forms a kind of natural boundary 

 between Yorkshire and Lancashire, and presents great difficulties in 

 the construction of canals or railways, rendering necessary the execu- 

 tion of some extraordinary and costly works. 



The Valley of the Ouse, or the Vale of York, commences very near 

 the river Tees, on the northern boundary of the county, the basin of 

 that river being separated from that of the Wiske, one of the affluents 

 of the Ouse, by a narrow ridge of small elevation ; and, occupying the 

 centre of the county, it extends southward to its opposite boundary. 

 With the tributary valley of the Aire, which stretches westward about 

 as far as Halifax, the breadth of this valley is about 50 miles ; while 

 the Don, which joins the Aire near Snaith, drains a continuation of 

 the valley towards the south-west to the very extremity of the county, 

 between 30 and 40 miles from the confluence of the Ouse and Trent, 

 and about 45 miles in a direct line from York. The northern part of 

 this valley has a gentle slope towards the south, with the level surface 

 broken by several bold swells ; but south of the city of York the 

 surface sinks into a perfect flat, and is in several parts marshy, especi- 

 ally along the course of the Ouse. The monotony of the level is only 

 broken by low sandy hills, seldom rising to an elevation of more than 

 50 feet above the level of the sea, and which are found principally 

 near the course of the Don, in the vicinity of Snaith, Thorns, and 

 Doncaster ; and, owing to the extraordinary flatness of the country, 

 the rivers Ouse, Aire, and Don have frequently altered their course. 

 That portion of the valley which lies immediately about the lower 

 part of the Ouse, and between it and the Wolds which separate the 

 valley from the Holderness district, is called ' The Levels ; ' and though 

 fertile and pretty thickly inhabited, it is entirely flat. Farther south, 

 towards Sheffield, and on the western side of the valley, the surface 

 is diversified by the hills which gradually rise towards the mountain- 

 ous district. 



Hydrography and Communications. The description of the great 

 valley of the Ouse and its principal tributaries will give a general 

 idea of the position of the rivers of this county. The drainage of the 

 extensive tract which supplies the waters of the Ouse tends towards 

 the point where the Aire unites with the Ouse at Armin, about 20 

 miles S.S.E. in a straight line from the city of York, and to this point 

 converge a great number of small rivers, commencing in the south- 

 west with the Rother, which flows from the border of the county near 

 Kotherham, and embracing the numerous rivers which descend along 

 the valleys of the high lauds on the west of the county, and those 

 which flow through almost the whole of the western and northern 

 districts, as well as the drainage of the totally distinct hifjh lands on 

 the north-cast, which finds its way into the course of the Derwent 

 In the article TRENT AND HUMBER the leading features of the great 

 basin, of which this forms a part, are more fully described. It is 

 computed that the drainage of about seven-ninths of the total area of 

 Yorkshire, or about 4500 square miles, runs into the basin of the 

 Humber ; and, with the exception of the district between the Wolds 

 and the sea, the whole of this district pours its waters into the Ouse. 



The Ouse, which is sometimes called, to distinguish it from other 

 rivers of the same name, the Northern Ouse, is formed mainly by the 

 union of the Ure or Yore and the Swale. The total length of this 

 stream may be estimated at from 130 to 135 miles, whether we reckon 

 from the source of the Swale or from that of the Ure. 



The Ure rises in the high mountains at the western extremity of 

 the North Riding, near the border of Westmorland, and flows first 

 towards the south-east, and then eastward, near Hawes and Askrigg, 

 along Yoredale and Wensleydale to Middleham, receiving in its course 



