A History of the County of York

This volume completes the survey of Holderness wapentake begun in Volume five of the East Riding series. Lying between Hull and the North Sea, the undulating plain which formed the northern and middle parts of the wapentake is a predominantly rural area. Hornsea, the only market town, became a minor seaside resort after a rail link with Hull was obtained in the 19th century. A few other places have been transformed in recent times as dormitories for the city of Hull and the towns of Beverley, Bridlington, and Driffield, all situated just outside the area. The mediaeval history of Holderness was much influenced by the counts of Aumale, the chief landowner, and the religious houses which obtained large estates there, among them the local houses of Meaux, Swine, the Nunkeeling, and Thornton Abbey in Lincolnshire. The active land market after the Dissolution continued some of the large medieval estates and helped develop others, and changes of ownership seem to have been accompanied by much other change, as parks were enlarged, commonable lands enclosed, and attempts made to effectively drain the area.