History of the village of Huggate
Huggate is a small village in the High Wolds of the East Riding of Yorkshire surrounded by farms, deep based valleys, burial mound sites (sadly lost through agricultural activity) and the mysterious Huggate Dykes which originated in the Bronze Age and has a footprint stretching 100 miles across the Yorkshire
Thistory of its people stretches back to Neolithic Times with an amazing array of archaeology including ceremonial axe heads, pots and jewellery. Over the millenia Huggate has witnessed the coming of the Romans, Germanic Tribes, Norsemen and in more modern times a regular churn of seasonal workers for the village’s farms. Huggate and its surrounding area is also known and recorded through David Hockney’s art. As a young man he worked on the local farms.
As part of this heritage project a book has been produced which provides a picture of life in this village across the centuries.
The book contains 190 pages in A4 format. Called ‘A Hotchpotch of Huggate History’
A Hotch Potch of Huggate History provides a picture of life in Huggate and highlights the many issues that villagers faced across the centuries.
You can now purchase the book in St Mary’s Church, Huggate or you can order a copy to be sent to you for £10.00 + £3.00 p&p by clicking on the Contact Us button at the bottom of the page and completing the contact form. Please ensure the subject line says "Buy A Hotchpotch of Huggate History".
This wide-ranging book provides a panoply of the village’s history including:
- St Mary’s Church and its Rectors, including stories of a Pope’s nephew, a tutor to Queen Victoria’s children and one who attended a high-profile 17th century beheading.
- How the village developed over the ages, the continuing debate over the derivation of the Huggate name, together with many stories of villager’s lives and demographic data from the National Census.
- Stories on a highwayman involved in a dramatic shooting and pursuit, arson attacks, the regular November ‘Huggate Riots’ which attracted national press coverage and the very sad death of a young chimney sweep.
- A focus of the considerable level of crime during the 19th century including shootings, drunken behaviour, theft, fights and financial scams – a surprisingly large and varied number of crimes for such a small village.
- Finally, how Huggate was reported in newspapers from the 18th century onwards with stories of hot air balloons, sport, Methodist ‘Ranters’ and a local Royal Academy artist.