1S17 



YORKSHIRE. 



YORKSHIRE. 



1213 



Divisions for Ecclttiaitical and Legal Purpose*. Yorkshire is in the 

 archiepiscopal province of York. The county is divided between the 

 dioceses of York and Ripon, which are subdivided as follows : The 

 diocese of York consist* of the archdeaconry of York, or the West 

 Riding, containing the deaneries of the city of York and Ainsty, and 

 of Doncaster ; the archdeaconry of the East Riding, containing the 

 deaneries of Buckrose, Dickering, Harthill and Hull, of South Holder- 

 new, and of North Holderuess; and the archdeaconry of Cleveland, 

 containing the deaneries of Bulmer, Cleveland, and Ridall. The 

 diocese of Ripon consists of the archdeaconry of Craven, containing 

 the deaneries of Craveu and of Pontefract ; and the archdeaconry of 

 Richmond, containing the deaneries of Boroughbridge, Richmond, 

 Ripon, Catterick, and Clapham. 



Yorkshire is in the northern circuit, and the assizes are held at 

 York. The quarter sessions for the city are held at York, those for 

 the East Riding at Beverley, those for the North Riding at Northal- 

 lerton, and those for the West Riding at Pontefract, Skipton, Brad- 

 ford, Rotherham, Knaresborough, Leeds, Doncaster, Wakefield, and 

 Sheffield. County courts are held at Barnsley, Beverley. Boston, 

 Bradford, Bridlington, Dewsbury, Doncaster, Great Driffield, Easing- 

 wold, Qoole, Halifax, Hedon, Helmsley, Holmfirth, Howden, Hudders- 

 field, Keighley, Kingston-upon-Hull. Knaresborough, Leeds, Leyburn, 

 New Malton, Northallerton, Otley, Pocklington, Pontefract, Richmond, 

 Ripon, Rotherham, Snddleworth, Scarborough, Selby, Settle, Sheffield, 

 Skipton, Stokesley, Thirsk, Thome, Wakefield, Whitby, and York. 

 In our notice of PicKERiao it is erroneously stated that a county 

 court is held in that town. The county jail is at York, the house of 

 correction for the North Riding at Northallerton, that for the East 

 Riding at Beverley, and that for the West Riding at Wakefield ; and 

 there are other prisons at York, Richmond, Beverley, Hull, Leeds, 

 Bradford, Knaresborough, Ripon, Pontefract, Rotherham, Doncaster, 

 Halifax, Sheffield, and Rotbwell. A new lunatic asylum for the East 

 and North Riding', capable of containg 320 patients, has been recently 

 erected at Clifton near York, at a cost of about 50,000*. The lunatic 

 asylum for the West Riding is at Wakefield. For poor-law purposes 

 the three Ridings are treated as distinct counties. By the Poor-Law 

 Commissioners the East Riding is divided into 10 Poor-Law Unions : 

 Beverley, Bridlington, Driffield, Howden, Kingston upon-Hull, 

 Patrington, Pocklington, Sculcoates, Skirlaugh, and York. These 

 unions include 870 parishes and townships, with an area of 714,661 

 acres, and a population in 1851 of 250,463. The North Riding is 

 divided into 16 unions : Bainbridge, Bedale, Easingwold, Quisborough, 

 Helmsley Blackmoor, Kirkby Moorsidt, Leyburn, Malton, Northaller- 

 ton, Pickering, Reeth, Richmond, Scarborough, Stokeiley, Think, and 

 Whitby. These unions include 485 parishes and townships, with an 

 area of 1.218,180 acres, and a population in 1851 of 195,735. The 

 West Riding is divided into 80 unions : Barnsley, Barwick, North 

 Bierley, I'.radford, Carlton, Dewsbury, Doncaster, Kcclesall Bierlow, 

 Qoole, Halifax, Hemsworth, Huddersfield, Krigbley, Knaresborough, 

 Leeds, Ouseburn, Pateley Bridge, Penistonc, Great Preston, Ripon, 

 Rotherham, Saddlewortb, Sedbergli, Selby, Settle, Sheffield, Skipton, 

 Thorne, Wakefield, and Wortley. These unions include 642 parishes 

 and townships, with an area of 1,602,584 acres, and a population in 

 1851 of 1,237,675. 



Each of the three Ridings of Yorkshire has a distinct lord-lieutenant 

 The county of York anciently sent two members to parliament, but 

 this number wan increased to four before the pasting of the Reform 

 Act, by the addition of two members taken from the disfranchised 

 borough of Qrainpound, in Cornwall. Under the Reform Act each of 

 the three Ridings has the right of electing two members, those for 

 the North Riding being elected at York, those for the West Riding 

 at Wakefirld, and thote for the East Riding at Beverley. The same 

 Act disfranchised the boroughs of Aldborough, Boroughbridge, and 

 Hedon ; reduced Thirsk and Northallerton from two members each 

 to one each ; gave one member each to Huddersfield, Wakefield, and 

 Whitby; and two each to Bradford, Halifax, Leeds, and Sheffield. 

 The places which formerly sent members, and retained two each 

 under the Reform Bill, are Bevcrley, Hull, Knaresborougb, New 

 Malton, Pontefract, Richmond, Ripon, Scarborough, and York. The 

 total number of members returned from the county prior to the 

 Reform Act was 32 ; the number abolished by that Act was 8, and 

 the number added 13; thus making the present number of repre- 

 sentatives 37. 



l/utory cmd Antiquities. At the time of the invasion of Britain by 

 C. Julius Omar, this part of the island, together with the neighbour- 

 ing oountie*, was inhabited by the Brigantes. The Roman power was 

 not established in this district until the reign of the Emperor Vespa- 

 sian, when, about the year A.D. 71, the Brigantes were subdued by 

 Petilius Cereali*. Nearly half a century later, about the year 120, 

 the Emperor Hadrian formed a wall or rampart of earth across the 

 island from Solway Frith to the German Ocean, and subsequently 

 took up hi* residence for a time at Eboracum, now the city of York. 

 Aft*/- Hadrian left, the Brigantes attempted to throw off the Roman 

 yoke ; but the next remarkable event in the history of Yorkshire is 

 the visit of the Emperor Septimius Severus, who, about the year 206 

 or 807, came over in person, and after proceedings of which a brief 

 aooount u given under BRITANNIA, died about the yeac210 or 211, at 

 York. The Emperor Constantius Chlorus resided for a considerable 



OBOO. DIT. VOL. IT. 



time at York, and died there in 306 or 307 ; and his son Constantinus, 

 commonly called Constantino the Great, was proclaimed emperor at 

 that city by the soldiery. 



Being chosen by the Romans as an occasional residence and a centre 

 of government, York and the surrounding country were supplied with 

 many marks of their power and skill. They bestowed great attention 

 upon the public roads. The Watling-street entered the county from 

 Nottinghamshire near Bawtry, and, according to Baiues, " it has been 

 traced by Doncaster, over Scausby and Pigburn Leas to Barusdale, 

 through Poutefract to Castleford, a little below the junction of the 

 Aire and Calder, from which point the road was conducted by Tad- 

 caster to York." Another military road led from Mancuuium, now 

 Manchester, to York, and passing by Stainland, about 5 miles S. from 

 Halifax, and Almondbury, about 2 miles S.E. from Huddersfield, 

 crossed the Calder about a mile below Dewsbury, and proceeded along 

 the line of the present turnpike-road to Wakefield, whence it continued 

 in the direction of the present road about half way to Pontefract, and 

 then, turning to the left, joined the military way from Doncaster 

 to York. The Romans had numerous other roads of minor import- 

 ance in the county. Traces of Roman encampments, as well as of 

 Saxon and Danish encampments, may be found in several parts of the 

 county ; and Roman antiquities have been discovered in many places, 

 especially in York and its vicinity. The Wolds contain many tumuli ; 

 and of the other prehistoric antiquities may be mentioned a curious 

 assemblage of rocks called Bramham Crags, about 9 miles N.W. from 

 Ripon, which from indications of rude sculpture have been by many 

 supposed to have been a Druidical temple ; and three gigantic obelisks 

 or single stones, called the Devil's Arrows, noticed under BOROUGH- 

 BRIDGE. The principal Roman stations were at Eboracum, now York ; 

 Catarracton, or Cataractonium, now Catterick ; Cambodunutn, at 

 Slack ; Isurium, at Aldborough ; Legiolum, a little below the junction 

 of the Aire and Calder; Danum, at Doncaster; Olicana, or Alicaua, at 

 Ilkley ; C'alcaria, at Tadcaster ; Derveutio, near Stamford Bridge ; 

 Delgovitia, near Londesborough ; and Prsetorium, at Flamborough. 



Yorkshire formed part of the British kingdom of Deifyr, or Ueira. 

 The boundaries of the Saxon and subsequently the D.mUh kingdom 

 of Northumbria, in which Deira was included, varied frequently with 

 the fortunes of war, but it generally included the greater part of 

 Yorkshire. Of the history of the kingdom of Northumbria, and the 

 varying governments of its principal divisions, Bryneicli, or Bernicia, 

 in the north, and Deifyr, or Deira, the southern or Yorkshire division 

 of the kingdom, au account is given under NORTHUMBERLAND. 

 Christianity appears to have been introduced into Yorkshire about 

 the year 628, during the reign of Edwin, king of Northumbria. The 

 history of this district down to the time of Harold, the last of the 

 Anglo-Saxon kings, is noticed in the article NORTHUMBERLAND. Of 

 the events which followed Harold's victory at Hastings, so far at they 

 relate to this county, some particulars are stated under YORK. In the 

 Domesday Survey, Yorkshire is called Eurewickecire, and appears then 

 to have comprehended very nearly its present limits. 



In the year 1138, during the reign of Stephen, the north of England, 

 as far as York, was invaded and ravaged by David, king of Scotland, who 

 was defeated near Northallerton, at the famous battle of tho Standard. 

 Piers Gaveston, the favourite of Edward If., was taken prisoner in 

 Scarborough Castle, by the earls of Pembroke and Warren. In 1318 the 

 northern part of the county was ravaged by the Scotch under Douglas. 

 In the following year another invasion of the Scotch, under the Earl of 

 Murr .y, advanced as far as York, and set fire to the suburbs, an indignity 

 which so roused the Archbishop of York, that he, accompanied by 

 the Bishop of Ely and a great number of clergymen, collected an 

 army of about 10,000 men, and pursued Murray as far as Myton on 

 the river Swale, about 12 miles from York, where a battle was fought, 

 in which the English were routed. Shortly after, in 1321, Thomas, 

 earl of Lancaster, leader of the barons, was defeated and taken prisoner 

 at Boroughbridge ; and he, with several of his party, was shortly 

 afterwards beheaded at Pontefract. In 1347, David Bruce devastated 

 the country as far as York, but was defeated by the Kiiji-h under 

 Queen Philippa, at Neville's Cross, near Durham. Yorkshire formed 

 the scene of many interesting events during tho struggle between 

 Richard II. and Bolingbroke, afterwards Henry IV. Richard II., after 

 bis deposition, was confined, successively, in the castles of Leeds, 

 Knaresborough, and Pontefract. In 1405 one of the conspiracies 

 formed for the purpose of deposing Henry IV., by Percy, earl of 

 Northumberland, Mowbray, earl marshal, and several other northern 

 barons, and headed by Scroop, archbishop of York, was defeated by 

 some of the leaders being drawn into a conference, and taken prisoners, 

 and beheaded. Percy escaped on this occasion, but in February, 1408, 

 being again in arms, he was defeated and slain at the battle of Bram- 

 ham Moor, near Tadcaster, by Sir Thomas Rokesby, then sheriff of 

 Yorkshire. During the long war between the houses of York and 

 Lancaster thia county was the scene of several remarkable events, 

 among which was the defeat of Richard, duke of York, by the army 

 of Queen Margaret, in 1460, at the battle of Wakefield, in which he 

 lost his life. In the battle of Towton, when Richard's son, Edward IV., 

 defeated the forces of Henry VI., the total number slain is reported 

 to have been 36,776, including many leaders of distinction. Events 

 having turned in favour of Henry, Edward fled to Holland in 1470 ; 

 but in March of the following year he returned to England, landed at 



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