Coordinates: 53°′″N 0°′″W / 53.8454, -0.4275
Beverley is a market town and civil parish in
the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is
also the county town of the riding. It is
situated 8 miles north of Kingston upon Hull, 10 miles
east of Market Weighton and 12 miles west of Hornsea.
According to the 2001 UK census, Beverley parish had a population of
17,549 and the built-up area a total of 29,210.
It is best known for Beverley Minster and its race course, and also for Beverley Friary and a fine
medieval church, St Mary's, reflecting its
former status as a wealthy wool-trading town.
Administration
Beverley was the seat of the Beverley borough in the administrative county of
Humberside from 1974 to 1996. It
is now the seat of the East Riding of Yorkshire (as it also was before 1974).
History
Beverley was built on fines. The local courts used to fine traders that sold goods of incorrect weight or of poor quality,
which made the town one of the finest towns to trade in, since buyers knew that they were buying high quality goods. Traders from
all over England headed to Beverley to buy and sell goods. In the Middle Ages Beverley also prospered from the pilgrim traffic to
the shrine of Saint John of Beverley. In the 14th
century, Beverley was classed as the eleventh richest town in England.
Etymology
Beverley is derived from the Anglo-Saxon place-name "Beoferlic," which later
became corrupted as "Beverlith," "Beverlea," "Beverlac," and "Beforlac." This name may have the literal meaning of "beaver lake,"
a reference to the colonies of beavers in the River Hull. A
beaver forms part of the arms of the town. Isaac Taylor, however, identified
Beverley with the Romano-British Petuaria and theorized that the original Celtic name of the site, Pedwarllech,
became corrupted by the Saxons in order to make the name intelligible to them by the process of folk-etymology. Pedwarllech is said to signify "four boundary stones," "pedwar" meaning
"four."
Present day
Transport
The town is served by Beverley railway station on the Yorkshire Coast Line that runs between Hull and
Scarborough.
The five-mile £13m A1079 Beverley Bypass opened in May 1980.
Beverley Beck gives boats access to the town from the River Hull.
Education
Beverley is also home to the oldest state school in England: Beverley Grammar School (founded 700 AD). Other schools include
Beverley High School and Longcroft School and Performing Arts College.
The Defence Driver Training School at Leconfield is nearby.
Public Houses
Beverley town is also very well know for its rich variety of public houses, such as The Sun Inn, the town's oldest
public house dating back to the early 12th century. There are over 40 public houses in
Beverley - the vast majority have been there for over a century. Beverley is also home to one of the last pubs in the world to
still use authentic gas lighting; The White Horse Inn (or "Nellie's" to the local
population) is owned by the Samuel Smith Brewery company and has become popular
with the local student population due to its low prices (less so since the crackdown on underage drinking one finds).
Events
- Every Saturday and Wednesday is a Market day in Beverley. The main market day is on Saturday with a limited number of stalls
on a Wednesday.
- About every month, on a Sunday, there is a music cafe at The Beverley Memorial Hall called Sunday
Live, which features bands and solo artists from around Beverley and the surrounding area.
- Each year there is the Beverley Folk Festival, two days of folk music, comedy
and workshops. It is currently in its 24th year.
Sports
The town has two main English football teams.
The town hosted the 2006 British National Cycling
Championships.
Horse racing is catered for at Beverley Racecourse.
Religion
Beverley is a suffragan bishopric of the Diocese
of York, created in 1994 to provide a provincial episcopal visitor
for the Province of York. As of 2006, the present
Bishop of Beverley is the Right Reverend
Martyn Jarrett.
Beverley Minster is regarded as the most impressive church in England that is not a
cathedral. It contains a tomb said to contain the bones of St. John of Beverley (died 721) who founded a monastery in the town.
Gallery
The White Horse Pub which still is lit by gas lamps
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The Westwood Black Mill as seen from Burton Bushes, Beverley
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Beverley on one of the two market days
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Beverley, Saturday market
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Twin towns
Nogent-sur-Oise in France
Lemgo in Germany
Source
- Isaac Taylor, Names and Their Histories (London: Rivington's, 1898),
68.
External links
Schools
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