Page2-Beverley/East-Yorkshire--with
Photographs Page3-North-Yorks'/Whitby/
East-Coast--with Photographs Hull/Maritime Special Photo-Pages(7
pages)-Trawlers/Tugs/Lists of Vessels Useful Links
Page Motorcycling
Pages Michael Collins Page with linksThis web-site is
hopefully,an introduction to history of the Hull and east-Yorkshire area,
including Beverley, York, Whitby, Scarborough, the North-Yorkshire Moors area,
and the East Coast. There are numerous photographs also of Hull trawlers, tugs
and other maritime features, plus links to many museums etc.
For
the first twenty years of my life, I lived in West Hull. Later, I moved
further into East-Yorkshire. I spent time travelling the county, also visiting
Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire where I stayed with an aunt.
The house I lived in here was Hanley House, in Northgate, Newark, where the foreman of Majors Petroleum, Len Chapman, had, in his early years been a petrol pump attendant, who regularly filled the petrol tank of Lawence Of Arabia's Brough Superior
At the rear of that old Mansion was a mulberry tree, planted by King John.
It was very old, broken down at one half, but easy to gather the fruit, which I did, and it was delicious. The old house is still there, but now the grounds are a housing estate, and the old tree gone
I am very
graitfull for the knowledge and enthusiasm first given to me by three
people:-
1.)My Dad, who took me to many areas of Yorkshire on motorcycle,
also aboard many Steam-Tugs, lighting furnaces and running engines whilst I
was still at school.
Mr. 'Jack' Richardson, a neighbour who took me to
various places, including the old Haltemprice Priory near Cottingham, and surrounding areas of Romani occupied places. The Romanis, sometimes known as Gypsy People, were very friendly, and I remember them as a lad.
There was often a campsite at the end of Wold Road, near the golf course, sometimes a family would stop just inside the field opposite, off Carr Lane, a very old lane, which has now been blocked by the local council. They always used the old horse drawn bow topped Vardo (caravan), now mostly succeeded by motor transport and the metal domestic Trailer-Caravan of today.
As kids, we would watch as the Romany families talked and warmed around their fire. The son of the family that camped off Carr lane went with us sometimes when we walked accross local farmland. We had guns, and anything that could be shot for food was welcomed by this lad, who took it home to his family Vardo, no doubt, to cook on the fire for dinner.
He was hard to understand, as the Romani people do have their own language, originating from India.
I often wonder where he is now, as discrimination against travellers has led to large communal camps, which are not good. All travellers should have the right to travel, and camp along any minor road they wish, just as I do at times along some of Yorkshire's green lanes today during warmer and lighter weather.
Farmers often try hard to stop travellers, and anyone else from using public rights of way, and even the green lanes themselves.BR>
We sleep anywhere that is sheltered and away from others to see.
There are many old roads, hardly used now, that are wonderful to travel on, and perhaps camp along in Yorkshire. Alas, these are getting fewer, with more obsticles put in the way to stop their use, not good at all.
It is marvelous to be free to see the birds and animals during a summer day, away from the hussle and bussle of life, out of the house to go wherever you wish, and to sleep under the moon with only the noise of owls to wonder about.
Some roads in north Yorkshire take you through fine woodland, often with steep gradients and fine views. Some old roads are on stone, with ruts to show where a horse and a pair of cart, or wagon wheels have worn the stone away over many years.
Sometimes fallen trees have to be removed to travel through, but this is all what it takes to give pleasure to anyone travelling along the old lanes.
Not too long ago, there were many families that travelled the Yorkshire area, mostly using two or maybe one horse for pulling power for their waggons. The Smiths were visitors to Beverley, with "Bluey" always a well liked and well known person in the town
There is a website for Romani people here, which is very interesting, with all kinds of links
Travellers Site
And here can be found a lot of answers about real Gypsy life in the UK
Watch the Video - Romany Life
2.)Mr Richardson
showed me two ancient swords, found near the site of the Springhead
Pumping-Station. These, presumably, had been lost in battles over the spring
water which was available there.
Here in this area, I caught frogs, newts, black salamanders, and toads, which have nearley disapeared from the areas around the towns now
Lastly,3.)Mr. Brown, Headmaster of Ainthorpe High
School, who took me to the Springhead 'Water-works' itself, explaining its
early history,and also the history of Wyke---now Hull.
--author---E.Laud.
New motorcycle and motorcycle-racing pages will soon be
included, showing photographs of all local riders, past and present 1960's
onwards
HULL--ITS HISTORY AND HERITAGE
LURCHER DOG MISSING FROM NORTH NEWBALD
Hulls Latest Local NewsHull
MuseumsHull Daily
MailHoly
Trinity ChurchWhat to see
in HullMapsUK.Search EngineRugby FootballHULL Amateur
FootballHull-Nantasket/Massachussets-U.S.A.
(The other Hull)The sports links(above) may only work during play-seasons
MANY PHOTOGRAPHS SHOWN ON THIS SITE ARE THE COPYRIGHT OF G.A.LAUD, and E.LAUD,(Plus some by kind permission) and must not be copied without permission.
Many years ago, the town of
Wyke sat between the three bodies of water:- The River Humber, the River Hull
and a hand-dug canal, linking the two rivers to form a circular moat, making
the town virtually impregnable. Myton was very close by to the east. The area
to the north (the 'North-Humber-Land') became Yorkshire. Northumberland is now
beyond the North-Yorkshire border.
On a visit to the town of Wyke, about
1290, King Edward 1ST. liked the unique siting so much, that he quickly
ordered that it should be made his own property and re-named it "The King's
Town Upon The River Hull" or 'Kingston Upon Hull'. The town and areas around,
including Myton, were managed by Meaux Abbey. The abbot had to hand over the
whole lot to the crown. My own grand-father was a pupil of the school in
Myton, which no longer stands. Much has changed, but there are still very old
streets and buildings to be seen in Hull's 'Old Town'
HULL---A GROWING INDUSTRIAL CENTRE
The town of hull grew from a
small sea-supplied beginning, to a large city over the centuries. From the
start, it's involvement with the sea has made Hull what it is today. Fishing
has been, up to recently, before the large fleet of trawlers have all but
disapeared,the major industry of the city. Fathers and sons worked side by
side aboard the many vessels of yesteryear to bring home not only a living,
but a food supply to feed most of the north of England. This included
liver-oils and animal feed. Fishing was hard and cruel, and many men,
including one of my uncles, John.W. Richmond, were victims of being lost at
sea. He was boatswain of the 'Strato', a steam trawler, No. H857, built at
South Sheids in 1920, for 'Hull Northern Fishing', and in April, 1934, he was
lost in an accident involving a steam winch. Another man was in the water,
clinging to the nets, and my uncle forfitted his own life trying to save the
seaman in the water. The very brave act turned out to be a tragedy. He left a
wife and seven children. Strangely, the following trip, on 13th April, the
trawler was lost when it was wrecked off the Orkneys. The 'skipper',
'Ginger'Argument, and the crew managed to swim clear, and were saved.
My mother's brother, Ernest Wingrove, was killed whilst invading Sicili on 19th July, 1943. He is buried at Catania. Fishermen were a hard bunch,
but usually of very generous nature. Life was lived to the full as they new
the hidden dangers of their work. In Hull, 'HESSLE ROAD' was the area nearest
to the 'Fish-dock' and most fishing families lived in that "FULL OF LIFE"
area. Whaling played it's part in the port's developement,and although my own
father never remembered Hull 'whalers', certainly remembered Norweigan freinds
who were employed in whaling back around 1930, when he spent many fishing
trips around the Norweigan coast, making freinds when his trawler landed there
for provisions. As a matter of interest, whilst at sea in the thirties, the
Norweigian ships and our own trawlers had an exchange system, whereas certain
types of fish were exchanged at sea---the Nordic people took all the 'COLEY',
swopping it for 'HADDOCK'. In this country, the haddock was prized, whereas in
Norway the coley was thought to be best, so with an exchange system, all ships
took home a good catch with nobody the looser! Hull first started with only a
few streets:- noteably, High Street, Lowgate/Market place,and the surounding
areas. The River was close to High Street and was the only harbour and wharfe
before the dock system was evolved. Between 'South End'( the outlet where the
Corparation Peir is now) and a point where the Queen's Dock was located, was
the "Old Harbour". Merchants lived around here. Today, on the 'Old Harbour'
side, is the 'Boyd line' trawler,--'Arctic Corsair'-- a side fishing trawler
which is now a museum(open Easter to October). This is situated just behind
High Street. Some Useful Tel.
Nos. Read:-- "A History Of
Hull"---Edward Gillet and Keneth A MacMahon. PAGE UPDATED
20th-October-2007
Many of Hull's young men enlisted into the Navy, but some joind the Army around the beginning of the second world war
My mother's brother, Ernest Wingrove, and also my father's brother, Ernest Laud, were both killed whilst on active service.
My father's brother died whilst taking up mines at Great Yarmouth, layed down to combat German invasion.Many were killed here Memorial
Catania CWGC Graves and Memorial
DOCKLAND AND A
MARITIME COMUNITY
Trawlers from other
countries also traded their fish-catch here in Hull and other british ports
which was a boost for the local trade. My father's sister Edith, married an Icelandic
seaman, Hjalmar Ragnar Bjornsson, known to all as just "Ragnar", through this freindly trade and their only son, John
Bjornsson, became a highly skilled seaman who lectured fishermen world-wide
the modern principals of Trawling skills. Hjalmar Ragnar Bjornsson served in the RNPS during the war,
His records from the BEM Naval Award shows as
Hjalmar Ragnar Bjornsson, Navy RNPS LT/JX 280928, - BEM .
"Ragnar" was awarded the British Empire Medal on 31st December 1943.
From his marriage to Francis, another sister after Edith died, his grandson Ian is now a Submariner Officer.
Other members of my family were also submariners. My cousin Ronald Simpson and son Niel served on submarines also.
Such was the traditions of the Hull
fishermen and their families. But all this has gone, with the industry all but
finished.
One famous man who lived in High Street was William
Wilberforce, who, with the help of a few others, defeated the legal trade in
SLAVERY. His home is now a museum. Other museums in High Street hold valuable
artifacts including Roman mosaics, Viking, Bronze and Iron-Age boats, tools
etc, also a Transport Museum. The museums are very well worth a visit, and
they are mostly FREE, along with a Maritime Museum and Ferens Art Gallery in
the city centre.
In the Market is also the fine 'Holy Trinity Church' and
the 'Old Grammar School' used by Wilberforce himself back around 1770.
Hull
has its own newspaper, The Daily Mail, a major Police Station, Major
Hospitals, Train and Bus station, a High-Security Jail, a Marina, a Theatre,
Football and Rugby teams, several local Radio Stations, a Speedway Track and
much more. There is an Airport, not far away at Kirmington.
Many famous
people stem from Hull.
These include:- William wilberforce, Amy Johnson, Brian Rix, Tom Courtaney, Ian
Carmichael, Ronnie Hilton, Maureen Lipman, John Alderton, Joe Longthorn, and many
more.
Most of the royal family has visited the city, and visitors include
Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Paul Robeson and Laurel & Hardy.
Amy was born in Hull in 1906.
She lived in St. Georges Road and attended school at the Boulevard
Secondary.
The family had a kipper business. She flew aircraft to the
R.A.F. sites during the war, but on January 5th 1941, got lost in fog, and
crashed into the River Thames.
Her pigskin bag was found in the Thames and
is now in the Sewerby Hall Museum. Her plane was never found.
Amy Johnson
was the first woman to fly solo from England (Croydon) to Australia (Darwin)
on May 24th 1930.
There is an interesting section at Sewerby House relating to Amy Johnson, with her Flight-bag and other things remaining from her life
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Ferries--01482-377177.----------------/------------Wilberforce
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Humberdide
Airport-----01652-688456.-----------------/-------------Transport/Gen.
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Airport----------0113-2509696.---------------------/---------Maritime
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