Place:Skipsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Skipsea is a village and civil parish on the North Sea coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of Bridlington and 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Hornsea on the B1242 road at its junction with the B1249 road.

The civil parish is formed by the village of Skipsea and the hamlets now named Skipsea Brough and Dringhoe, but formerly a civil parish named Dringhoe Upton and Brough. According to the 2011 UK census, Skipsea parish had a population of 693, an increase on the 2001 UK census figure of 633.

Skipsea Castle lies just to the west of the village, in the area known as Skipsea Brough. Built in 1086, the motte-and-bailey style castle has since been destroyed; however impressive earthworks remain. The borough of Skipsea Castle was first recorded between 1160 and 1175 and may have been founded by William le Gros, Count of Aumale, who died in 1179.

By the end of the 11th century, both Skipsea Castle and a church had been built, encouraging the growth of a small town. In the following 13th and 14th centuries, local markets and fairs were granted. Further history of Skipsea will be found in Victoria County Histories, Volume 7 referenced below.

Skipsea was an ancient parish in Holderness Wapentake in the East Riding of Yorkshire. There were three additional townships: Ulrome, Bonwick and Dringhoe Upton and Brough. In 1866 the status of civil parish was introduced and this was taken on by most ancient parishes and also by their subsidiary townships if they were of any size at all. In 1866 Skipsea became a civil parish. In 1894 it became part of the Bridlington Rural District of the East Riding. In 1935 the parish was expanded when the neighbouring parish of Dringhoe Upton and Brough was abolished and its land was transferred back into Skipsea.

In 1974 Bridlington Rural District was abolished and with the rest of the East Riding south of Bridlington, Skipsea became part of the North Wolds District of the new but short-lived administrative county of Humberside. The North Wolds District was renamed the East Yorkshire District of Humberside in 1981.

Humberside 1974-1996

In 1974 most of what had been the East Riding of Yorkshire was joined with the northern part of Lincolnshire to became a new English county named Humberside. The urban and rural districts of the former counties were abolished and Humberside was divided into non-metropolitan districts. The new organization did not meet with the pleasure of the local citizenry and Humberside was wound up in 1996. The area north of the River Humber was separated into two "unitary authorities"—Kingston upon Hull covering the former City of Hull and its closest environs, and the less urban section to the west and to the north which, once again, named itself the East Riding of Yorkshire.

The phrase "Yorkshire and the Humber" serves no purpose in WeRelate. It refers to one of a series of basically economic regions established in 1994 and abolished for most purposes in 2011. See the Wikipedia article entited "Regions of England").

Research Tips

• GENUKI on Skipsea.
• A Vision of Britain through Time on Skipsea.
• The FamilySearch wiki on the ecclesiastical parish of Skipsea provides a list of useful resources for the local area.
• A chapter on Skipsea from the Victoria County Histories, Volume 7, Holderness Wapentake, Middle and North Divisions, published 2002 by British History Online
• A Vision of Britain through Time provides links to three maps of the East Riding, produced by the United Kingdom Ordnance Survey, illustrating the boundaries between the civil parishes and the rural districts at various dates. These maps all expand to a scale that will illustrate small villages and large farms or estates.

• Ordnance Survey 1888. The "Sanitary Districts (which preceded the rural districts).
• Ordnance Survey 1900 The rural districts, not long after their introduction.
• Ordnance Survey 1944. The rural districts after the revisions of 1935.

• For a discussion of where to find Archive Offices in Yorkshire, see GENUKI.
• Yorkshire has a large number of family history and genealogical societies. A list of the societies will be found on the Yorkshire, England page.