Whitby, Yorkshire One Place Study
Location: Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom
Surnames/tags: One_Place_Studies England Yorkshire
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Introduction
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This One Place Study covers the parish of Whitby, Yorkshire. To learn more about One Place Studies see Project:One Place Studies. This free space page is open so anyone who has signed the honor code can edit it. Feel free to add or change anything. This is a collaborative effort. I monitor this page for Data Doctor suggestions so any slips are easily corrected. If you are not confident about editing the free space page you can always send me a private message with your suggestions.
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Whitby, Yorkshire One Place Study
Whitby, town and parish
Whitby is a charming seaside town and port located [1][2] on steep banks at the mouth of the River Esk on the Yorkshire 'Fossil' coast, England. Renowned for its rich maritime history, dramatic coastal landscapes, Jet and association with Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Perched on the East Cliff lies the ruins of Whitby Abbey and the nearby Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin, reached by 199 steps. The ruins of the Abbey are dramatic, standing on the high cliff and are thought to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Lodging and shipowners houses dominate the West Cliff, built during the town's whaling and tourism development of the Georgian period.
Whitby has its own distillery making Gin from local ingredients. It also sells rum.
Beyond the East and West cliff, moorland was and remains dominant as the North Yorkshire Moors National Park,[3] providig opportunities for hiking and cycling with villages and hamlets of the Parishes of Lythe, Danby and Egton. These villages and hamlets together with the fishing villages of Staithes, Runswick Bay, Sandsend and Robin Hood's bay are interlinked with Whitby's development.
The focus of the towns development over the centuries though was confined to the East & West frontage of the River Esk. Whitby functioned as a fishing settlement until, in the 18th century, it developed as a port and centre for shipbuilding and whaling, the trade in locally mined alum, and the manufacture of Whitby jet jewellery.
Being still a fishing port fresh seafood takes center stage in Whitby's culinary scene. From traditional fish and chips enjoyed on the harbor front to award-winning restaurants, Whitby caters to all palates. Don't forget to try Whitby's famous blackcurrant tarts!
History
The earliest record of a permanent settlement is in 656 AD, when as Streanæshealh it was the place where Oswy, the Christian king of Northumbria, founded the first abbey. Viking raiders destroyed the monastery. Another monastery was founded in 1078 AD. It was in this period that the town gained its current name, Whitby (from "white settlement" in Old Norse).
The abbey ruin at the top of the East Cliff is the town's oldest and most prominent landmark. Other significant features include the swing bridge, which crosses the River Esk and the harbour, which is sheltered by the East and West piers. Francis Pickernell born in Sunderland, Durham was the Whitby Harbour Engineer from 1822 to 1862, who oversaw the development of both the East and West piers, the design and construction of the two lighthouses and the swing bridge. All are now Grade 11 listed buildings.
Maritime history
The town was a center for shipbuilding, whaling, and fishing with its maritime heritage stretching back several centuries which is commemorated by statues of Captain James Cook RN (1728-1779), Wiliam Scoresby (1760-1829) and Wiliam Scoresby (1789-1857) as well as the whalebone arch sited at the top of the West Cliff. Whitby hosts the Captain Cook Memorial Museum.
Further information on the maritime history of the Port of Whitby, 1700-1914: can be found at Ship and boat building in Whitby
Being an important fishing port in earlier times many of the town's inhabitants were Master Mariners. There is a category for them in the England project.
Photographic history
Francis Meadow Sutcliffe (1853-1941)
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| By Francis Meadow Sutcliffe Bridgeman Art Library Object 407008, Public Domain. |
You can see a higher resolution of this photogragraph on Wikipedia (Original file (1,695 × 1,312 pixels, file size: 752 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)
Population
The current population is about 14,000,
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| poulation growth. |
[5].
Jet
Jet is a gemstone that is basically fosilised wood. Whitby is known as the best source for Jet in England, it has also been found at Kimeridge, Dorset. It may be found on the beach after a storm if you are lucky, but it can be bought as jewellery in some of the shops at Whitby. Whitby is famous for its Jet jewelry due to the quality. Jet has a low hardness and so is difficult to carve leading to a high price for jewelry with intricate detail.
Notables
- William Bateson FRS (1861-1926) founder of the Genetics Society
- Francis Meadow Sutcliffe (1853-1941) notable bictorian photographer.
- Captain James Cook RN (1728-1779) the British explorer, navigator, cartographer and naval officer.
- Abraham Stoker (1847-1912) the Irish author, best known his 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula.
Sources
- ↑ GPS Coordinates: 54.4858, -0.6206
- ↑ Google Maps
- ↑ northyormoors.org.uk
- ↑ Wikipedia citation
- ↑ (Wikipedia Whitby Demography Accessed 21 April 2023)
See also
- #OnePlaceWednesday showcase: Whitby, Yorkshire Mar 15, 2023.
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As a relatively new member of WikiTree, I'm deeply enthralled by the possibilities presented by One Place Studies. I've recently established the foundation for my inaugural ongoing OPS project, of which I'm quite proud. You can find more details at: Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London
I have a photograph he made of a group of men from Whitby, presumably all working for the sea rescue team. The leader of this team, a strong, courageous man who saved many lifes, is said to have died in poverty, having been an alcoholic for some time before his death. I was told by a local that he saved people from a shipwreck, risking his own life during the process. For a long time he was forgotten until in modern times a school class did a history project and unearthed information on him which resulted in some kind of memorial put up for him. Unfortunately I have forgotten the name of the sea rescue man and I can't find any information on this on the web but this man might also be of interest for your OPS. Maybe the Whitby Lifeboat Museum can help you here.
edited by Anne Unfried