September 4th

On 4th September 1303, Sir Ralph de Heengham and a jury of 12 men held an inquiry into ownership of land in Hull and Myton, west to Ferriby, and of a highway to and through Anlaby to Ferriby.

On 4th September 1650, Ann Hudson of Skipsea was tried as a witch at York Assizes, and evidence was given to the court by Dynah Hunmansby and Alice Stevenson that her victim, Susannah Keld, had been bewitched and very ill until she had scratched Ann Hudson and drawn blood, when she began to recover. The events had happened 12 years previously. The surviving records do not say whether Ann Hudson was convicted and sentenced.

On 4th September 1709, the congregation of Cottingham church gave 3s6d in a collection for the Market Rasen fire, Lincolnshire. A collection in the dissenters’ meeting place raised 4s 6d.

August 24th

On 24th August 1399, a schism within the church led to controversy about the post of Meaux Abbot Thomas Burton, and rather than involve the abbey in the costs of litigation, he retired and wrote “The Meaux Chronicle’, the history of the abbey.

On 24th August 1662, on Black Bartholomew’s Day, also known as the Great Ejection, Josiah Holdsworth, curate of Sutton-on-Hull, was dismissed for refusing to conform to the Book of Common Prayer, along with 2,000 other Puritan ministers across the country.  They included Anthony Stephenson at Roos, who stayed in the village as physician, and Stephen Arlush of Howden, who continued to preach in a private house as a Congregationalist, also John Ryther of North Ferriby, who spent some years in prison for illegal preaching. And Mr Robinson at Cottingham, Mr Luddington at Sculcoates, Mr Thos Micklethwaite at Cherry Burton.

On 24th August 1759, William Wilberforce was born in High Street, Hull. The Parliamentary champion of the abolition of slavery, he collaborated for 50 years with Thomas Clarkson. MP for Yorkshire 1812-1825. Buried in Westminster Abbey. (d 29.71833)

On 24th August 1789, the Preston house and shop of William Sanderson were broken into by James Hartley of Manchester. Hartley was hanged at York Castle on 17.4.1790.

On 24th August 1921, an R38 airship exploded and crashed into the Humber on its last trial flight; 44 members of the crew died. Debris narrowly missed sightseers on Victoria Pier, Hull. photo shows wreckage

On 24th August 1943, Flight Officer Charles Keirl, 23, and 13 other airmen died when 2 Halifax bombers of 78 Squadron collided in fog; one air gunner survived. Keirl is buried in Queensgate Cemetery, Beverley. There is a memorial at Hull Bridge.

 

R38wreckage1

August 12th

On 12th August 1349, the Meaux Abbot and 5 monks died of the Black Death; more were to die – only 10 of the 50 in the community survived. Afterwards, their serfs at Wawne went on strike, and the monks imprisoned them.

On 12th August 1536, North Ferriby Priory was dissolved (Prior and 8 monks, and 34 servants homeless and jobless); the first wave of Henry VIII closures followed an enquiry which found that the prior together with 2 of his canons had allegedly been guilty of fornication and 4 canons of abusing themselves.

On 12th August 1646, Robert Leedes of Molescroft swore an oath in support of Parliament. Having been a supporter of King Charles I, he was considered ‘delinquent’. As well as the oath, he was fined for lands and money worth £90.

On 12th August 1895,  Isaac Leggott, water bailiff, died instantly when a shell exploded at Alexandra Dock, Hull. It was thought to be an unexploded artillery shell, and Leggott had removed the fuse, prior to throwing it in the water. Henry Cook, dock gate man, was also seriously injured.

On 12th August 1987, Ismail Sowan, Hull College researcher, was arrested when police searched his flat in Westbourne Avenue in connection with the death of Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali.  They found assault rifles, bomb-making equipment, explosive and grenades. Sowan, a Mossad agent, was arrested, imprisoned and deported.

 

naji al-ali

August 3rd

On 3rd August 1349, John de Preston was elected Prior of North Ferriby on the death of John de Beverley, himself elected Prior just 10 days earlier on 24thJuly, when he succeeded the previous Prior Walter de Hessell on his death. This outbreak of the Black Death killed 35 out of 95 parish priests in East Yorkshire, and presumably a similar proportion of the general population.

On 3rd August 1523, Thomas Senexer, yeoman, of Holme on Spalding Moor, claimed sanctuary at the church of St John, Beverley, for debt. photo shows the Frith Stool (sanctuary chair)

On 3rd August 1732, Robert Cook was killed when he fell from a wagon at one of the chalk pits in Hutton.

On 3rd August 1798, Press Gang seamen John Sykes and John Burnock or Burnick were killed when attempting to press the crew of the returning whaler Blenheim (& see 2.8). The fight was watched by crowds on the dockside. Capt Mitchinson was charged with murder (& see 31.3) The navy men were buried in Drypool Cemetery.

On 3rd August 1878, for 1d working people could attend a lecture on ‘The Yorkshire Wolds in Prehistory’ as part of Hull Literary and Philosophical Society’s new series of lectures to the working classes in the Exchange Building, aimed at keeping working people occupied during the new Saturday half holiday.

On 3rd August 1942, Mrs Frances Snowden, Lieut Stanley Lawrence and Charles Cross were killed when 4 bombs were dropped on Flemingate, Beverley, damaging Hodgson’s Tannery and destroying a house, a medical centre and a warden’s post. 15 people were injured, some of them machine-gunned by the German bomber.

minster - frith stool.JPG

July 10th

On 10th July 1157, Eustace FitzJohn, Lord of Alnwick, died this day.  He acquired substantial lands in the north, and married into the ER family of de Vescy. Fought on the Scottish side in the Battle of the Standard in 1138. Founded priories in Bridlington, Watton and North Ferriby.

On 10th July 1508, John Tod of Swine claimed sanctuary at the church of St Cuthbert, Durham, for the theft of a horse and 5 marks from chaplain N. Dale, the steward of the Lord of Hastings, and also for debt. As he claimed the theft happened 10 years earlier, presumably the debt concerned him more.

On 10th July 1642, Sir John Meldrum arrived in Hull by boat with 500 Parliamentary troops, and money, to support the town being besieged in the 1st siege of Hull. A further 1,500 troops were sent later.

On 10th July 1869, Mr Tasker of Sheffield was found guilty at Bridlington of shooting 28 protected seabirds, and fined 2s6d for each bird killed, plus 9s costs.

On 10th July 1931, Paul Robeson, singer, actor and political activist,  performed at Bridlington Spa Royal Hall on his first trip to Yorkshire,  receiving several encores; when the Royal Hall re-opened after refurbishment in 1933, he returned to Bridlington.

gannets

June 21st

On 21st June 1366, Sir William de la Pole died. The first Mayor of Hull, knighted by Edward III, was lord of Myton. He acquired some land just outside Hull where there was a college of 6 secular priests. They were replaced by Franciscans, then Sir William pulled down the buildings and built a hospital. Then he introduced Poor Clare nuns and poor people, but did not live to complete his plans. His son Michael introduced Carthusian monks, and the Charterhouse came into being.

On 21st June 1535, Winestead priest Christopher Michell told his congregation to recognise the Pope as head of the church, in spite of instructions to honour Henry VIII as Supreme Head of the English Church. Michell was jailed in Beverley.

On 21st June 1643, John Pym reported to Parliament on the actions of Capt John Hotham, in charge of troops near Newark, who had allowed his men to harass and steal from local people, turned a gun on Cromwell, and generally acted insolently and in an undisciplined way, and was also suspected of communicating secretly with the Queen. Later, Hotham escaped from prison.

On 21st June 1908, Hull women hired a special train to London for a “Women’s Sunday” rally organised by the WSPU, attended by 300,000 to 500,000; the Hull contingent is said to be the largest from any provincial society.

On 21st June 1915, children from Mappleton School went to Rolston Camp to see the troops depart for France; they marched to Hornsea train station.

On 21st June 1918, Edward Vere Wright was born in Elloughton. Amateur archaeologist and palaeontologist, he found the first of the 4,000 year old Ferriby boats, with his brother Claude in 1937. In 1940, Ted found a 2ndboat, and with his son Roderick in 1963, a 3rdboat. (d 18.5.2010) photo shows a model of one of the boats in Hull & ER Museum.

On 21st June 1993, Hilary Catherine Brown of Tibthorpe died aged 13. (born Bolzano 12.9.1979) Hilary wrote this verse, which is written on her gravestone in Kirkburn church: The storm finished, the night diminished, the day progressed, bringing a sparkling dawn.

 

Ferriby boat model ERmuseum

May 22nd

On 22nd May 1455, Ralph Babthorpe of Osgodby died fighting on the Lancastrian side in the 1st Battle of St Albans, as did Henry Percy of Leconfield. Thomas Percy and Thomas de Roos also fought on the Lancastrian side. James Pickering of Ellerton fought on the Yorkist side. (It was Richard, 3rd Duke of York, who led the Yorkists at St Albans, and was the father of Richard III.)

On 22nd May 1649, Charles Bacon of Norrth Ferriby had his estates sequestered, probably as head of a recusant family; apothecary Christopher Bacon probably of the same family, was suspected of being a Royalist agent in 1644.

On 22nd May 1778, diarist James Boswell arrived in Hull from Barton, viewed the newly opened Dock, and left for the tourist resort of Beverley, where he stayed overnight at the Tiger Inn, and met his relatives, the Bosvilles of Thorpe Hall, Rudston.

boswell