Welcome to Wicstun
The mediaeval town now known as
Market Weighton - The Heart of East Yorkshire
750 Years a Market Town, 1251 - 2001

Market Weighton - History

In the Domesday Book of 1086 Market Weighton is referred to as 'Wicstun', in those days a district of 15 villages and 117 farms, having the value of £30.  Archaeological evidence however tells us that some form of civilisation has existed in the area for at least 7000 years.
In prehistoric times, the area where the town now stands was covered in marshes and woodland, and any population would have been found on higher ground.  The town stands at around 30 metres above sea level, this dropping to only 4 metres just South West of Holme upon Spalding Moor about 8 miles away.

Holme upon Spalding Moor, situated on what was originally marshland around 1200AD, is dominated by Church Hill, a mere 40 metres above sea level, where the church dating back to the 13th century is situated.  Church Hill is the original site of the village, which was built on the 'holme' - the only dry place in the marshy surroundings.

The highest near point to Market Weighton, the summit of Arras Hill 2 miles to the East, is at 146 metres, and this is the site of an ancient burial ground dating back to around 400 BC.  Here excavations carried out early in the last century showed that this was an ancient burial ground where many corpses and artefacts were unearthed.  Three of the burials were thought to be of chieftains (one a woman) and contained the remains of chariots and horse harness.  Skeletons of two ponies which were believed to have pulled the chariots were also found.

Christianity came to the area in 627 AD, following the conversion of Edwin, King of Northumbria, to the Christian faith.  This followed the preachings at the nearby palace at Londesborough by Paulinus (the chaplain to Princess Ethelburga of Kent, a Christian whom Edwin married), who became the first Archbishop of York. Having been converted to Christianity, Edwin subsequently destroyed a heathen temple at nearby Goodmanham.

In 1251 the town was granted a royal charter by Henry 3rd and became a Market Town, with markets being held weekly on Thursdays.  Subsequent to this event Lord Vespi repealed the charter and markets were then held on Wednesdays.  Nowadays a weekly market is held on a Friday.  In the late 1700s when ancient common lands around the town were enclosed, and the Market Weighton Canal was built, one could say that the town had entered the 'modern' times.  The enclosure system can still be seen today with the pattern of fields and roads, and is particularly evident in the Ordnance Survey 1:25000 scale map of the area.  The Canal stretched from Canal Head, about 2 miles South of the town, for a distance of 11 miles to the river Humber and opened up an important transport link to the town.  The canal , opened in 1778, was closed in 1900 after being purchased by the railway company, following which the canal rapidly declined.  At the present day about 6 miles is still navigable at the southern end of the waterway to the Humber.

Market Weighton, like many other towns in the region, relied on its weekly markets and less frequent fairs to maintain its regional standing and prosperity.  During the period 1700 - 1850, Market Weighton's September fair was said to be 'probably the greatest sheep fair in the kingdom with 70,000 to 80,000 animals annually exposed for sale'

The prosperity of the town increased with the coming of the railways in the latter half of the 19th century, Market Weighton being an important junction for lines to York, Selby, Beverley and Driffield.  Little evidence of the railway's presence remains today since its closure in the 1960s, apart from the Hudson Way, a public footpath and bridleway tracing the route from the town to Beverley.

In recent times the most significant event, which changed the character of the town, was the opening of a by-pass which took the busy A1079 trunk road away from the town centre.  For many years the main street had been dissected by the old Hull to York road, and residents found it almost impossible to cross the narrow local high street because of the heavy traffic, not to mention the pollution that this caused.

The opening of the new road on 11th March 1991, brought much relief and a breath of fresh air to the town.  Although through traffic is now diverted away from the town centre, many new businesses have been developed in the town, and the tourist with an inquisitive mind will find many attractions, some of which are described in other pages on this website....

This brief history has been compiled from a wide range of publications which are listed in the Bibliography, and this may be useful for those wishing to study the subject further.

Books devoted to Market Weighton are rare, however a recent publication 'Market Weighton - Changing Face and Faces', which gives a very readable and graphic account of the town's recent history, is recommended.

Last revision : 29 March, 2010