On 8th July 1497, Thomas Thompson, labourer of Stamford Bridge, claimed sanctuary at the church of St John ‘for the security of his body’. The register does not state why he was in fear for his life.
On 8th July 1642, King Charles I sent a troop of infantry and cavalry to set fire to windmills outside Hull, aiming to starve the besieged town; they were repulsed. John Shawe, Holy Trinity lecturer said this incident incensed many previously uncommitted Hull people and turned them against the Royalists. Charles also issued a proclamation from ‘our court at Beverley’, part of the continuing ‘paper war’.
On 8th July 1840, the 3rd day of a horse racing meet at the George Inn, Aldbrough, offered prizes up to £4, and included a men’s foot race for a hat valued at 10s, and a wrestling match to win a pair of gloves. In later years, the prizes for the horse race included a purse of gold, saddles and bridles. However, the field where the sports were held may have been lost to the sea.
On 8th July 1940, Mrs Evelyn Cardwell of East Carlton Farm, Aldbrough, arrested and disarmed a German airman who had parachuted from a crashed bomber. She was presented on 1.8 with the British Empire Medal by King George VI at Marine Hotel, Hornsea.
Hull & East Yorkshire History Calendar 