A History of Yorkshire Prehistoric Yorkshire Carr. It is thought that their camp was on the edge Mesolithic Period of a lake and was in use for between 200-500 years. The first occupants of the Yorkshire were said to have The area is rich in finds and further excavations have travelled the region some time after the last Ice Age come to mark it out as arguably the most important (around 10,000 years ago). It is thought that they Mesolithic site in Britain. Amongst the finds were the came from mainland Europe but they did not have to skeletons of 2 dogs which are thought to be among travel by boat because at this time Britain was joined the oldest domesticated pet dogs in Europe. The true to the rest of the continent by a land-bridge, a large crowning glory of the site was confirmed in 2010 with stretch of low-lying land known as Doggerland. the discovery of the oldest house ever found in the country. Neolithic Period The Neolithic or New Stone Age began about 4500 years ago and marked the start of changing lifestyles of people in Britain. Instead of following a nomadic hunter-gather way of life people began to settle and form farming communities. One of Britain’s greatest Neolithic monuments is also in Yorkshire. Known as the ‘Stonehenge of the North’, the site sits at Thornborough, near Ripon in North Yorkshire. It is not like the great henge in Suffolk, as there is little to be seen from ground level. A map of Doggerland as it is believed to have looked ca. 10,000 BCE. During this time animals and people were able to walk freely across this land which is now submerged by the North Sea. The sea bed to this day remains a treasure trove of woolly mammoth bones and other fossil Thornborough Henge ancient monument complex © Tony Newbould. evidence. However, when viewed from above three huge The reason for these first inhabitants may have been man made circles can be seen that date from the result of tracking migrating animals like deer approximately 3,500 years ago. This is 1,000 years and elk but what we do have is evidence that they earlier than the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt. felt the area was good enough to set up camp. The oldest signs of human activity in Yorkshire come When they were built the earth banks were said from Victoria Cave about 2 miles north of Settle. A to have been covered in gypsum crystals making very rare harpoon point made from a deer antler them stand out as shining monuments visible for was discovered here. Further archaeological digs miles. These sights were built at great cost and were taking place in 1947 have uncovered more evidence incredibly sacred to the inhabitants of the area during of this occupation. The main site discovered was this time. More recently it has been discovered that close to the village of Flixton about 5 miles south of the three henges line up with the three central stars in Scarborough, it has since been given the name Starr the belt of Orion. Hidden Schools Tour: Impressions Gallery 3 A History of Yorkshire Bronze Age Iron Age Around 2000 BC people started to craft metal tools Around 700BC the discovery of Iron led to dramatic and weapons for the first time. They were made out of improvements in both tools and weapons. Much the easily mined metals copper and bronze. Yorkshire more is known about this period because it was is once again an important area for sites of this period documented by the Romans. especially for burial mounds known as ‘barrows’. Many sites exist including Shunner Howe, Lilla Howe Britain during this time was a tribal nation, there were and Swarth Howe. 3 main tribes that lived in Yorkshire. East Yorkshire was the homeland of the Parisii tribe and North Yorkshire One particular site unique in a national context was ruled by the Gabrantovices but the biggest tribe was discovered in the muddy banks of the river of all was the Brigantes. They controlled most of the Humber in Ferriby near Hull. It was here in 1937 land from the river Humber to the Scottish border. that archaeologists uncovered the remains of three They were in fact the largest of all Britain’s Iron Age wooden boats. Carbon dating has identified these tribes. They were also recorded to be the original boats from approximately 1800 BC which makes them founders of settlements in Catterick, Aldborough, almost 4000 years old. The Ferriby site has since been Ilkley and York. The area is littered with barrows described as the ‘world’s oldest boatyard’. (burial mounds) from the period. The huge series of earthworks near Scalby known as the Scamridge Dykes are said to be a boundary marker separating the rivals tribes. Whilst the Iron Age Hillfort at Ingleborough is one of the highest in the country at 716m (2350 ft) above sea level. Roman Britain The Roman invasion of Britain was swift and painful, although not entirely negative for the indigenous inhabitants. Those that chose to fight the Romans were often quickly dealt with, while those that chose peace were rewarded with the great benefit of Roman knowledge and culture if they remained loyal. One of the major settlements developed by the Romans in Yorkshire was at Eboracum (modern day York). It’s continued occupation, redevelopment and fortification made it a crucial Capital within the north for centuries even after the Romans had long since left. The Romans even made the settlement a colonia (colony) which was a great honour and one only bestowed on three other towns in Britain (alongside Colchester, Lincoln and Gloucester). Despite being over 1,000 miles from Rome itself the Rudston Monolith and Church © Matthew Wragg city was regarded as a shining light in the empire and had a close association with a number of Emperors. Britain’s tallest standing stone is also in Yorkshire, at The great Emperor Hadrian visited in 122 AD whilst Rudston. Known as the Rudston Monolith it is 1.8m the Emperors Severus and Constantius I died while (6ft) wide and about 7.9m (26 ft) tall. residing in the city. To honour his father Constantius, Emperor Constantine was even proclaimed Emperor The moorlands of the region also hold great in a grand ceremony in the city. Despite such prestige, archaeological treasure, numerous discoveries of when the Roman Empire began to fall York like so carved rock and ring stones have been made, some many other towns began to be abandoned and this even as recently as 2003. once great settlement fell into disrepair. Hidden Schools Tour: Impressions Gallery 4 A History of Yorkshire there were some early battles overall the settlers integrated into existing communities and shared language and bloodlines. Whilst the Angles continued the occupation of York which they came to call Eoforwic (‘wild boar town’) and made it their capital they were not used to living in towns like the Romans. Nearby archaeologists have unearthed a far more traditional settlement at West Heslerton in North Yorkshire. Excavations have uncovered the outlines of over 200 buildings making it one of the largest discovered villages in the whole of England. In the early 600s AD the Angles of Deira joined forces with the neighbouring Anglian kingdom of Bernicia to form a vast new kingdom called Northumbria. Once Statue of Constantine the Great outside York Minster © Green Lane again, York was it’s capital. This change was cemented in 627 AD when the Northumbrian King Edwin was The city and many of the surrounding villages remains baptised in the city. This conversion from Paganism littered with Roman artefacts. Graves and pottery to Christianity was very symbolic and many of his are surprisingly common finds whilst many of the subjects quickly followed his lead. modern buildings including the city’s great cathedral were founded on Roman foundations. The finds are The Angles and Saxons did not always live in peace also interesting because they suggest that the town and major battles like the Battle of Hatfield Chase was a truly multi-cultural settlement with inhabitants which took place near Doncaster in 633 AD and the from Africa and the Middle East. Recently discovered Battle of Winwidfield, near Leeds in 655 AD were graves are said to have been of gladiators whose bloody affairs punctuated only by uneasy peace skeletons bear the bite marks of lions, tigers and settlements. Nevertheless the system stayed the bears who were also kept in the city. same until 793 AD when a new danger forced their hand towards a more unified approach; the threat of The Dark Ages / Early Middle Ages the Vikings. The period after the Romans left saw the return of a more peaceful time and lifestyles were simplified. Viking Britain Traditionally, this period has been known as the Dark The relative peace of the early middle ages was Ages but historians tend to avoid this term now shattered when the Vikings began to raid England’s because it implies it was a more volatile time than it east coast. Until this point it was thought that the actually was. Sea would offer protection for the Islanders of Britain but the Vikings showed no mercy. The Anglo-Saxon The country at this time was split into kingdoms. Chronicle noted the sight of their ships on the horizon It is thought that most of Yorkshire fell under the was like ‘fiery dragons flying through the air’. control of Ebrauc, a name that was derived from the original Roman name for York.