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Beverley, Yorkshire, England. Geographical and Historical information from 1868.

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BEVERLEY:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1868.

"BEVERLEY, a parish, and a market town, municipal and parliamentary borough, and capital of the East Riding of the county of York; comprising the parishes of St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Nicholas, and St. John, it is is 29 miles to the E. of York, and 183 miles from London by road, or about 224 miles by railway. It is a station on the Scarborough, Bridlington, and Hull section of the North-Eastern railway. It is the head of a liberty, with separate jurisdiction, though locally situated in the wapentake of Harthill. Beverley is a place of great antiquity, but little is certainly known of its origin and early history. Its name, slightly modified from the Saxon Beverloga, signifies "lake of beavers," and contains an intimation of the condition of the surrounding country at the period of its origin. A large tract of flat country to the north of the Humber consisted chiefly of marshes, and was liable to frequent inundations. A great number of lakes were thus formed, the existence of which is testified still by many local names of towns which have the ending "sea." Beavers are said to have frequented in large numbers the river Hull, which runs through the district. The tribe called the Brigantes were the early occupants of the territory lying between the Tyne and the Humber. The town owed its origin to John, Archbishop of York, who founded a church here, probably about the commencement of the 8th century. It was dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and was converted by the founder into a monastery. His last days were passed in it, and on his death he was canonized. The buildings were nearly destroyed by the Danes about the year 870. Great privileges and endowments were granted to the monks and the townsmen by Athelstan, on his return from his expedition against the Scots; his success in this expedition he attributed to St. John of Beverley, under whose standard he had marched. He made the church collegiate, and conferred on it the privilege of sanctuary. A "fridstool," or chair of peace, was placed near the altar; and four crosses, erected on the four principal approaches to the town, marked the limits of the sanctuary, which extended for a mile round from the church. The relics of the saint were enshrined, and were annually visited by crowds of pilgrims. A painting in the minster church represents the giving of the charter by Athelstan to St. John of Beverley, with the words,

      "Als fre make I the,
As hart may thynk or eyh may see."

The territories of the saint were specially exempted from the severe sentence denounced and executed by the Conqueror against this northern district after the revolt of the inhabitants. Beverley was several times visited by Edward I., and, in 1399, by Henry IV. During the civil war of the 17th century the town was first in the possession of the king, and afterwards of the parliament. The arrest of Sir John Hotham, as a traitor, took place here. The town of Beverley stands at the foot of the Welds, a mile from the west bank of the river Hull, with which it is connected by Beverley Beck, a canal constructed in 1727. The town extends above a mile in length, having several good streets and a spacious market-place. The streets are well-paved and clean, and contain many good houses. Of the five ancient gate-houses only one remains, that on the north side of the town, in which quarter are many handsome buildings. Beverley appears to have been at one time a seat of the cloth manufacture. The present trade is chiefly in corn, coals, malt, and leather. Shipbuilding and tanning are rather extensively carried on; and there are steam saw-mills, two foundries, and a whiting manufactory. In the centre of the market-place is an octangular cross, supported on pillars. The town contains a guildhall, sessions-house, house of correction, register office, and savings-bank. Beverley received its first charter of incorporation from Queen Elizabeth. The freemen have the privilege of exemption from toll and custom in all parts of England, and the right of pasture on three neighbouring commons, comprising about 1,200 acres of land. The borough includes the four parishes of St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Nicholas, and St. John; the first three forming the old borough, and the last comprising the liberties or townships of Molescroft, Storkhill with Sandholme, Thearne, Tickton with Hull Bridge, Weel, and Woodmansey with Beverley Park. Part of the parish of St. John is in the wapentake of Holderness. Under the Reform Act the borough is divided into two wards, and the government is vested in a mayor, 6 aldermen, and 18 councillors, with the style of the "mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough of Beverley." It has regularly returned two members to parliament since the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The mayor is the returning officer. The revenue of the borough, which comprises 9,160 acres, is about £2,040, and the number of inhabited houses within the limits of the municipality, 2,178, with a population of 9,654; while the parliamentary borough comprises 2,423 houses, with a population of 10,901. The four parishes of Beverley are reduced to two, St. Martin's being united with St. John's, and St. Nicholas' with St. Mary's. The living of St. John's is a perpetual curacy of the value of £188, in the patronage of Simeon's Trustees. That of St. Mary's is a vicarage* with the rectory of St. Nicholas, of the value of £289, in the patronage of the lord chancellor. Both livings are in the diocese of York. The churches of St. Martin and St. Nicholas have long ceased to exist. The church of St. John, formerly the conventual church, and collegiate, is still called the Minster, and is the great architectural ornament of the town. It is a noble structure in the form of a cross, with two fine towers at the west end, and exhibits in its various parts the early English, the decorated, and the perpendicular styles. It has been twice restored, once in 1717, and again about 1816-1820; on the latter occasion under the direction of Mr. Comins. The length of the building is 334 feet, its breadth 64 feet; the length of the transepts is 167 feet; the height of the towers nearly 200 feet. In the purity, beauty, and accuracy of its architecture it is considered to rival the finest of the cathedrals. The west front, all panelled, is a singularly perfect and harmonious example of the perpendicular style. The great east window, of stained glass, copied, it is said, from that of York Minster, is adorned with scenes from the lives of Christ and his apostles, and some eminent saints of the Church. There is a porch of great beauty, with a panelled front, on the north side of the church. The choir, which is in the decorated style, contains above 40 stalls, a fine altar, and a screen of most rich and elaborate workmanship. Near the altar is the fine monument known as the Percy Shrine. It is a canopied tomb, an exquisite work in the decorated style, and was erected in memory of Henry Percy, fourth Earl of Northumberland, who died in 1489. There is a fine altar tomb, with the effigy of a priest (also a Percy), in the north transept. Not far off stands the ancient "fridstool," which is formed of one block of stone. This fine church is kept in repair by means of funds specially granted or bequeathed for that purpose. St. Mary's church is also a handsome and interesting structure, cruciform, with a very fine embattled tower rising from the centre. It is in various styles, chiefly Norman and early English, and contains an octagonal font adorned with elegant sculpture, and bearing an inscription with the date 1530. The chancel has a groined ceiling, the panels of which contain portraits of the kings of England, mythical and historical. On a pillar in the pave are sculptured the figures of five minstrels, in memory of a company of minstrels of Beverley. There are many monuments in this church. Besides the two parish churches, there is a chapel dedicated to St. John, the living of which, value £120, is in the gift of the trustees. The Independents, Wesleyans, Baptists, Primitive Methodists, and the Society of Friends have places of worship here. The charitable institutions and endowments of Beverley are important and considerable, producing, exclusive of the minster lands, about £2,260 per annum. The value of the minster lands is about £1,900 a year. Here is a grammar school, founded at a very remote period, with an endowment of £10 a year, and eight scholarships at Cambridge University, founded by various persons. A good library is connected with the school. A free school for 160 children of both sexes was founded in 1810, and endowed by the Rev. James Graves. There are also a large National school, a blue-coat school, founded in 1709 for the maintenance and instruction of poor children, and several other schools. Among the numerous charitable institutions are Fox's almshouses for four widows, established in 1636; Routh's almshouses for 32 widows, founded in 1721, and having a revenue of £682; Warton's, for 14 widows, founded in 1712, with a revenue of £404; and several others. The town has a mechanics' institution, a savings-bank, and a dispensary. Beverley is the seat of a Poor-law Union and of a County Court district. It is a polling-place for the East Riding, and the headquarters of the East Riding militia. Quarter sessions for the Riding are held here. This town is the birthplace of several distinguished men: amongst whom are the monkish historian, Alfred, or Alured, of Beverley; Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, in the reign of Henry VIII., who was executed in 1535; Alcock, Bishop of Ely, who founded Jesus College, Cambridge, and died in 1500; and Green, Bishop of Lincoln, one of the writers of the "Athenian Letters," who died in 1779. Mary Woolstonecraft, the friend of William Godwin, was also born here. Beverley Park was anciently the occasional seat of the Archbishop of York; subsequently of the Warton family, whose tombs are in St. Mary's church. It is well wooded, and has some pleasant scenery. Beverley gives the title of earl to the Percys. Saturday is the market day, but a special market for cattle and sheep is held on Wednesday in alternate weeks. Fairs for the sale of horses, cattle, &c., take place on the Tuesday before the 25th February, on Holy Thursday, the 5th July, the Wednesday before the 25th September, and the 6th November. Annual races take place near the town in June."


"AIKE, a township in the parishes of Lockington and Beverley, (Saint-John) in the borough of Beverley, wapentake of Harthill, in the East Riding of the county of York, 6 miles to the N.E. of Beverley. It is near the river Hull. The township contains 630 acres."


"ESKE, a township in the parish of Beverley, (Saint John), N. division of the wapentake of Holderness, East Riding county York, 3 miles N.E. of Beverley. It is situated on the river Hull."


"MOLESCROFT, (or Moscroft), a township in the parish of Beverley, (Saint John), and borough of Beverley, East Riding county York, 1 mile N.W. of Beverley. The village, which is small, is situated on the Beverley and Cherry-Burton road, near Molescroft Carrs. One of the sanctuary crosses is in this neighbourhood."


"SANDHOLME, a hamlet in the parish of Beverley, (Saint John), and liberty of the borough of Beverley, East Riding county York, 2 miles from Beverley. It is in conjunction with Storkhill to form a township. The Wesleyans have a place of worship."


"STORKHILL WITH SANDHOLME, a township in the parish of Beverley, (Saint John), borough of Beverley, East Riding county York, 1½ mile N.E. of Beverley."


"THEARNE, a township in the parish of Beverley, (Saint John), East Riding, county York, 3 miles S.E. of Beverley, within the liberties of which borough it is included. It is situated on the river Hull."


"TICKTON WITH HULL BRIDGE, a township in the borough and parish of Beverley, (Saint John), East Riding county York, 2 miles N.E. of Beverley, its post town. It is situated on the river Hull, and is chiefly agricultural. There are extensive linseed and bone-crushing steam mills at Hull-Bridge, and brick and tile kilns. The living is a curacy annexed to the perpetual curacy of Beverley Minster, in the diocese of York. The church, dedicated to St. Paul, was erected in 1844. There is a National school for both sexes, at which a Sunday-school is also held. Tickton Hall and Tickton Grange are the principal residences."


"WEEL, a township in the parish of Beverley, (Saint John), liberties of the borough of Beverley, East Riding county York, 2 miles E. of Beverley, its post town. The village is situated on the river Hull. The soil consists of clay and sand. There is a considerable extent of moorland."


"WOODMANSEY, a township in the parish of Beverley, (Saint John), East Riding county York, 2 miles S.E. of Beverley, within the liberties of which borough it is comprised. It is situated on the banks of the river Hull, on which are saw and flour mills, and a landing-place for coal, lime, and gravel. The township is chiefly occupied by Beverley Park, once a demesne of the Archbishop of York, which extends to the suburbs of Beverley."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2013