Market Weighton Parish

MARKET WEIGHTON, a parish in the wapentake of Harthill, and liberty of St. Peter's; 7 miles from Pocklington, 8 from South Cave, 10 from Beverley, 12 from Howden, 21 from Selby, 19 from York, and from London 188. Pop. 1724.

This is a small brisk market town. The market, which is held on Wednesday, is extremely well attended. This is also a great corn market, where some thousands of quarters are weekly disposed of by sample. The trade of this town and neighbourhood is considerably increased by means of a navigable canal to the Humber. The patronage of the church is in the Prebend of Weighton. This ancient edifice (see Churches for photograph) had formerly a wooden spire, which has been taken down, and a more permanent one substituted for it; and the church, which has been beautified within, is now furnished with an additional gallery, and a number of commodious pews. There are here also chapels for the Methodists, the Independents, and the Primitive Methodists. There is here a place called ARRAS, and a tradition prevails, which is, however, supported by no authentive documents, that a great battle was fought on this spot, with bows and arrows, from which it is supposed to derive its name, and a considerable number of instruments of war have, unquestionably, been dug up out of the earth here. There is in Market Weighton a free grammar school, of which the Rev. T. Mitchell is the master. William Bradley the Yorkshire giant, was born here, whose height was seven feet eight inches; he died in 1820.

Market-Weighton, situated at the western foot of the Wolds, on the road between Beverley and York, does not contain any thing particular either to interest the antiquary or the tourist; although it had for a number of years attracted the notice of most antiquaries, as the Roman "delgovitia", till Drake, in his Eboracum, p. 31, assigned that station to Londesbrough, 2½ miles north of Market-Weighton, where it has remained undisturbed ever since. The town has of late years improved its building; and a navigable canal brought from the Humber to within two miles of the place, has tended much towards the improvement of the trade of the town and neighbourhood.