TheYorkshire Woldsare hills in the counties of theEast Riding of YorkshireandNorth Yorkshirein Northern England. They are the northernmostchalk hillsin the UK and within lies the northernmostchalk streamin Europe, theGypsey Race.[1]
| Yorkshire Wolds | |
|---|---|
 View fromYorkshire Wolds WaynearDriffield | |
| Highest point | |
| Coordinates | 54°00′22″N0°26′24″W/ 54.006°N 0.440°W |
| Geography | |
  Yorkshire Wolds The location of the Yorkshire Wolds in Northern England | |
| Location | Northern England |
On the western edge, the Wolds rise to anescarpmentwhich then drops sharply to theVale of York.The highest point on the escarpment isBishop Wilton Wold(also known as Garrowby Hill), which is 807 feet (246 m) above sea level. To the north, on the other side of theVale of Pickering,lie theNorth York Moors,and to the east the hills flatten into the plain ofHolderness.The hills are separated by manydry dales,formed during the lastice ageand where manyspringsrise.
The largest town in the Wolds isDriffield,with other places includingPocklington,ThixendaleandKilham,the original 'capital' of the Wolds. The highest village on the Yorkshire Wolds isFridaythorpeat 550 feet (170 m) above sea level. The market town ofBeverleylies on the eastern slopes, along with the village ofMolescroft.
On 8 October 2024,Natural Englandlaunched a statutory and public consultation for proposed plans to designate part of the Yorkshire Wolds as anArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty(AONB).[2]
Geology
editThe hills are formed from a series of pure marinelimestonesformed during theCretaceousperiod, known collectively as theChalk Group.The outcrop has the form of an arc running north from Ferriby on theHumberestuary west ofHullnorthwards past Market Weighton to the Malton area where it swings eastwards towards theNorth Seacoast betweenFileyandBridlington.Here the Chalk forms cliffs, most notably atSpeeton Cliffs,Bempton CliffsandFlamborough;Flamborough Headland is designated aHeritage Coast.To the south of theHumber Gap,where the chalk provides stable footings for theHumber Bridge,the same formations continue as theLincolnshire Wolds.The rock succession instratigraphic orderi.e. youngest/uppermost first, is this:
- White Chalk Subgroup
- Flamborough Chalk Formation
- Burnham Chalk formation
- Welton Chalk Formation
- Grey Chalk Subgroup
- Ferriby Chalk Formation
- Hunstanton Chalk Formation
The thin Hunstanton Chalk and Ferriby Chalk formations form the lower parts of the west and north facing Wolds scarp but it is the overlying Welton Chalk Formation which forms the greater part of these slopes. The Burnham Chalk and Flamborough Chalk formations characterise the incised plateau surface and easterly dip-slope down to the North Sea coast. In the north the Chalk rises above theSpeeton Clay Formationwhich underliesThe Carrsand above theAmpthill ClayandKimmeridge Clayof theVale of Pickering.Further south and particularly to the south of Market Weighton, the lowermost part of the scarp and the vale to the west is formed from a great variety ofJurassicage strata. Afaultwhich downthrows the rock strata to the west effectively truncates the Wolds atHunmanbyin the northeast, though the offset chalk outcrop continues east to the coast at Speeton Cliffs.[3][4]The numerousdry valleyscut into the dip-slope are typically floored byhead,locally derivedclay,silt,sandandgravel.Unlike surrounding areas, the Wolds are free from glacialtillas, other than along the coastal zone, the area was not inundated by ice during thelast ice age.[5]
Natural history
editMost of the area takes the form of an elevated, gently rolling plateau, cut by numerous deep, steep-sided, flat-bottomed valleys of glacial origin. The chalk formation of the hills provides exceptionally good drainage, with the result that most of these valleys are dry; indeed, surface water is quite scarce throughout the Wolds. Typically the valleys are hard to see from above, creating the visual impression that the landscape is much flatter than is actually the case. The unusual topography results in an "upside-down" farming system – livestock (mostly sheep and cows) graze the valleys, with the hills above used for crops.
Climate
editLocated in the northern part of England, UK, the Yorkshire Wolds have a temperate maritime climate which is dominated by the passage of mid latitude depressions. The weather is very changeable from day to day and the warming influence of theGulf Streammakes the region mild for its latitude. The higher ground of the Wolds results in their being slightly cooler than the surrounding lowland areas and drifting snow is a problem in winter. The average total annual rainfall is 729 mm (28.7 in) with rain falling on average 128 days of the year. January is usually the coldest month and December the wettest. The warmest month is August and the driest is February.[6][7]
Areas and notable settlements
edit
Northern Wolds and Flamborough Head
editThe Wolds reach the sea atFlamborough Head,where the chalk cliffs plunge over 430 feet (130 m) to the North Sea.[8]To the south ofFlamboroughlies the resort town ofBridlingtonand to the north the sheer cliffs atSpeetonoverlookFileyBay. Inland the high Wolds scarp overlooks theVale of Pickering.
The so-calledGreat Wold Valleytraverses the area. It is occupied by a small brook called theGypsey Race.This brook empties its waters into Bridlington Harbour. The valley of the Gypsey Race turns south and then east in two right angle bends, one atBurton Fleming,the other atRudston.In dry conditions the brook frequently dries up in parts of its course and re-emerges downstream.
Another notable feature of this area of the Wolds isDanes Dyke,a great ditch extending across Flamborough Head. The dyke consists of double ramparts, a ditch which is about 20 yards (18 m) wide and 20 feet (6 m) deep and a further rampart which rises to 18 feet (5 m) above ground level. The origin of this feature is obscure, although it is certainly not Danish.[9]
Bempton Cliffsis a seabird colony and anRSPBnature reserve. It is home to the only colony ofgannetsin mainland England, 10% of the UK's residentkittiwakes,and a colony of the locally endangeredAtlantic puffin.
Notable settlements include Flamborough village, North Landing and South Landing on Flamborough Headland. The village ofReightonwhich extends down the steep scarp face of the Wolds has many buildings made of the local chalk.Hunmanbywas once a large market town and its buildings are centred on the old triangular market place. A series of villages lies at the foot of the northern scarp of the Wolds each having a parish which contains an area of chalk hillside, fertile benches and marshy land on the Vale of Pickering. Fordon consists only of a few farms and a small church, some parts of which are of Norman construction. Wold Newton and Burton Fleming lie in the Great Wold Valley. A large round barrow calledWilly Howe(Howe,a topographic name fromMiddle English,originated with theOld Norsewordhaugrmeaning a small hill or a man-made mound or barrow.[10]) lies between Wold Newton and Thwing. AtRudstonBritain's tallest standing stone can be seen in the church yard.[11]Boynton Hall was the home ofWilliam Stricklandwho is reputed to have brought theturkeyto England.[11] On the Wold top there are many traces of pre-historic peoples such as the barrows at Willerby Wold and Sharpe Howes aboveFolkton.[9]
Driffield area
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On the seaward dip slope of the Wolds there is a series of villages extending from Bridlington to Driffield. These mark thespring lineand the natural boundary between the chalk Wolds and the clay ofHolderness.Driffieldlies central to the crescentic shape of the Wolds area and since all of the Wolds are within easy reach it has become an important market town and is known as the Capital of the Wolds.[9]
Villages of note include:Nafferton,which lies just off theA166 roadand is the site of a mill pond fed by springs,Wansfordto the south, lies on the Driffield canal and it has a church built by Sir TattonSykesin 1868. Close toRuston Parvais Danes Graves, an archaeological site consisting of some 500 small round barrows marking Iron Age burials at least one of which yielded a corpse buried with a chariot and harness.[9]Burton Agnescontains the ruins of a manor house dating from 1170 AD and a hall and gatehouse of the Elizabethan period.Kilhamwas a prosperous market town in the Medieval period but was replaced by Driffield in the 19th century as the Capital of the Wolds. In this area there is a long continuity of settlement with an Iron Age cemetery, the Roman road now known asWoldgateand an Anglian cemetery all in close proximity.Sledmerevillage has a uniformity of aspect which reveals its history as an 'estate' village. Close by isSledmere House,the home of theSykes familysince the 18th century.[12]
Southern Wolds
editIn the south the Wolds are at their narrowest. Here they lie between the plain ofHoldernessto the east and theVale of Yorkto the west. The Humber Estuary cuts through the chalk formation leaving the Yorkshire Wolds to the north and theLincolnshire Woldsto the south. In Roman times the estuary was crossed by a ford.[9]TheHumber Bridgenow spans the estuary. This area has fine agricultural land and many villages, notable amongst which are:Walkingtonwith its village pond and church of All Hallows:Bishop Burtonwhich lies in a green hollow and has 19th century whitewashed cottages close to a village green with a large pond:Cherry Burtonsits in a shallow valley in the shadow of the St Michael's and All Angels Church:Skidbywhich has an intact working windmill dating from 1821 which is now an agricultural museum.[11]North Newbaldis sited in a narrow valley on the western scarp of the Wolds and has a famous cruciform Norman church dedicated to St Nicholas.[9]Beverleysits in the north-eastern corner of the Southern Wolds, with the common grazing lands of Swinemoor and the Figham Pastures being where the hills terminate, where extensivewetlandsexist. The town is also home to theBeverley Minsterwhich was founded, along withBeverley Grammar School,the oldestgrammar schoolin theBritish Isles,bySt John of Beverleyin 700 AD.[13]Beverley has been asanctuary townsince 978 AD, whenKing Athelstanvisited the tomb of St John inSt Mary's Church.[14]
The village ofBrantinghamis home toHull Ionians,aRugby Unionteam who play in theNorthern 1 league,the third tier of English Rugby Union. Beverley is home to bothBeverley RUFC(who play in the Yorkshire Division One, the seventh tier of English Rugby Union) and Beverley Town Cricket Club (who play in theYorkshire Premier League North Premier Division,the highest level of recreational cricket possible in England and Wales).
Central Wolds
editThe western scarp of the Wolds reaches is highest point atGarrowby Hill.Wooded dales occur along the scarp with small becks flowing down to the Vale of York below. The market towns ofPocklingtonandMarket Weightonare sited between the wolds and the vale. Large parks and houses lie along the scarp from Garrowby Hall to Kilnwick Percy, Warter Priory and Londesborough Hall.Millingtonis situated within Millington Dale and the road leading along the brow of the dale is particularly scenic.[12]The village ofKiplingcotesis the location for the annualKiplingcotes Derbyhorse race, said to be the oldest horse race in England.[15]The 499th event took place on 15 March 2018 but was reduced to a horse being led round the course.[16]
Western Wolds
editFrom Garrowby Hill northwards to Ganton the high scarp of the Wolds swings in a crescent to overlook the Vales of York and Pickering. Villages tend to be clustered along the scarp foot or in the upper part of the Great Wold Valley.Rillingtonis a village with a stream passing through and a nearby park at Scampston. Between the villages ofWest KnaptonandEast Knaptonthere is a hall and park, while south-east of the villages in Knapton Wood isStaple Howe,anIron Agesite.[9]The twin villages of East andWest Heslertonlie further along the A64 road. West Heslerton is a well known archaeological site, with artefacts from several eras having been recovered.[17]Wharram Percyis one of the most notable deserted village sites in the UK.[9][18]
History and archaeology
editThe Wolds area is rich in archaeological remains. There is a profusion of Neolithic, Bronze Age and Romano-British sites extending across the entire Yorkshire Wolds area.[19] The availability of fertile chalk soils, good grazing and the light tree cover along with stone suitable for making tools made this area attractive to early Neolithic settlers.[19] Along with Wessex and Orkney, the Yorkshire Wolds is a key area for studying the development of theNeolithicperiod in the British Isles as it became a major focus for settlement in this era. Isolated farms rather than settlements of any size appear to have been the normal dwelling types however few have been located with any certainty and most evidence is of funerary sites and ritual monuments. Recently excavated long barrows atFordonon Willerby Wold and at Kilham have beencarbon datedto around 3700 BC. A well-known round barrow of this period is the monumentalDuggleby Howe,at the western end of the Great Wolds Valley, partially excavated in 1890 by J.R. Mortimer. A henge monument of the Neolithic has been identified at Maidens Grave Rudston and the Rudston Monolith has also been assigned to this period. An extensive Neolithic ritual complex, the main elements of which are four largecursusmonuments and a henge, is situated near the eastern end of theGreat Wold Valley.
More than 1,400Bronze Ageround barrows, comprising one or more burials and accompanied by items of grave goods, are known to exist on the Yorkshire Wolds. They occur either in isolation or, more commonly, grouped together to form cemeteries. Many of these sites, although they have been reduced in size by repeated ploughing, still form upstanding and, in some cases, prominent features in the present-day landscape.[19][20]
The Romans arrived in this area around 71 AD.[21]From a base atBroughon the north bank of the Humber they established a road network with one branch towardsYorkand another toMalton,both crossing the Wolds area. The settlements of the native Parisi were little disturbed by the Roman occupiers at first, but in later years they became Romanised, adopting the Roman material culture. There are villa sites on the Wolds at Rudston, Harpham, Brantingham, Welton and Wharram-le-Street.[19]
Walkington Wold,near the village ofWalkingtonin the southern area of the Wolds, is the site of an Anglo-Saxon execution cemetery, the only known example from northern England. [22]
Culture and media
editThe writerWinifred Holtbywho was born atRudstonlived in the area[12]and described the Wolds as "fold upon fold of the encircling hills, piled rich and golden."
The Yorkshire Wolds Versatile Brass[23]performs in local venues in the Yorkshire Wolds region.
David Hockneyhas featured the Yorkshire Wolds in many of his paintings that were shown at the Royal Academy in the exhibition 'A Bigger Picture' in the spring of 2012.[24]
Yorkshire Wolds Way,a two-part BBC television documentary, first broadcast in January 2017, features a journey along the Yorkshire Wolds Way.[25]
Wolds Way
editOne of nineNational Trailsin England, theYorkshire Wolds Wayis along-distance footpathwhich runs the length of the wolds from theHumber BridgeatHessletoFileyon the coast.[21]It is managed byNatural England.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Mitchinson, James, ed. (22 June 2023). "Strategy to protect chalk streams".The Yorkshire Post.p. 14.ISSN0963-1496.
- ^
This article incorporates text published under the BritishOpen Government Licence:"Have your say about new Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty".Natural England.8 October 2024.
- ^"Scarborough, England and Wales Sheet 54, Solid and Drift geology, 1:50000 Provisional Series".Maps Portal.British Geological Survey.Retrieved18 July2020.
- ^"Flamborough and Bridlington Sheet 55/65, Solid and Drift Edition, 1:50000 Series".Maps Portal.British Geological Survey.Retrieved18 July2020.
- ^"Geoindex Onshore".British Geological Survey.Retrieved18 July2020.
- ^"UK climate and weather statistics".Met Office. Crown Copyright.Retrieved20 January2008.
- ^"UK climate and weather statistics".Visit Yorkshire. Archived fromthe originalon 31 October 2007.Retrieved20 January2008.
- ^"Flamborough Head and Bempton Cliffs"(PDF).Environment Agency. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 29 February 2012.Retrieved2 December2013.
- ^abcdefghWaites, Bryan (1984).Exploring the Yorkshire Wolds.Clapham (via Lancaster): The Dalesman Publishing Company Ltd.ISBN978-0-85206-752-9.
- ^Old Norse Online Base Form Dictionary(Jonathan Slocum and Todd B. Krause. The College of Liberal Arts at UT Austin)
- ^abc Mee, Arthur (1964).The Kings England. Yorkshire-East Riding.London: Hodder and Stoughton.
- ^abc Wright, Geoffrey N. (1976).Yorkshire. The East Riding.London: Batsford Ltd.ISBN978-0-7134-3102-5.
- ^"Beverley Minster".Beverley Minster.Retrieved22 January2023.
- ^"Sanctuary Project".Beverley Minster.Retrieved22 January2023.
- ^Westley, Colin (2004–2008)."A Brief History".Retrieved31 March2008.
- ^"Famous Kiplingcotes Derby is abandoned due to waterlogged course".Pocklington News.14 March 2018.Retrieved15 March2018.
- ^Powlesland, Dominic J (1999)."The West Heslerton Assessment".The Landscape Research Centre.Retrieved20 January2008.
- ^"Wharram Percy Deserted Medieval Village".English Heritage.Retrieved20 January2008.
- ^abcd"The History and Archaeology of The Yorkshire Wolds".Retrieved12 January2007.
- ^Hayton, Richard; Brannan, Andre (2006)."Iron Age Cart/Chariot Burials".Yorkshire History.Retrieved20 January2008.
- ^abRatcliffe, Roger (1992).Wolds Way.National Trail Guides (1992 ed.). London: Aurum Press Ltd in association with Ordnance Survey and Countryside Commission.ISBN978-1-85410-189-1.
- ^Buckberry, J. L.;Hadley, D.(2007)."An Anglo-Saxon execution cemetery at Walkington Wold, Yorkshire".Oxford Journal of Archaeology.26(3): 309–329.doi:10.1111/j.1468-0092.2007.00287.x.hdl:10454/677.Retrieved21 April2008.
- ^"Yorkshire Wolds Versatile Brass".Retrieved10 August2009.
- ^"Unofficial Hockney Trail".Retrieved15 June2012.
- ^"New BBC Programme Yorkshire Wolds Way".Retrieved16 January2017.
Further reading
edit- Clensy, David (2007).Walking The Wolds Way.Lulu.ISBN978-1-4303-1019-8.
External links
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