Wold Newton, East Riding of Yorkshire

Wold Newton is a small village and community in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies about 9 miles south of Scarborough and 9 miles northwest of Bridlington, nestled in the Great Wold Valley. The village is crossed by the Gypsey Race, a chalk stream that flows only in winter.

According to the 2011 UK census, Wold Newton had a population of 337 people, up from 291 in 2001. The village has many historic buildings, including the parish church of All Saints, which is a Grade II* listed building. There are also eight Grade II listed buildings such as Wold Newton Hall, the old Wesleyan Chapel (now the community centre), the Old Vicarage, the Anvil Arms Public House, and a red telephone box on Wold Newton Green. About two-thirds of the village is part of a Conservation area.

Wold Newton has its own small, fully automated telephone exchange, oddly called the "Thwing Exchange" after a nearby village named Thwing. The village is also home to Wold Newton Cricket Club, which plays on a ground off Laking Lane. Famous children’s author Christina Butler once lived in Wold Newton Hall, where she wrote thirteen books between 1988 and 2005, including Stanley in the Dark and Archie the Ugly Dinosaur.

History

Neolithic round barrow

Near the village, close to the Gypsy Race, there is a Neolithic round barrow. It was dug up in 1894 by John Robert Mortimer. His team found that the monument started as a large wooden structure where several bodies were placed with pottery and stone tools. The Great Wold Valley had many important Neolithic sites, including the barrows of Duggleby Howe and Willy Howe, as well as the Rudston Monolith. The barrow has been protected as an important ancient site since 1962.

Bronze Age bowl barrows

Two bowl barrows are found west of Wold Newton Green. During medieval times, they were used as targets for archery, which is why the nearby lane is called Butt Lane. They are now protected as important ancient sites.

Wold Newton hoard

Main article: Wold Newton Hoard

In 2014, a metal detectorist named David Blakely found a pottery container with 1,857 copper coins from the early 4th century AD. The container and coins were bought by the Yorkshire Museum in 2016 and put on display for the public in 2017.

Origins of village

Wold Newton has an Anglian name meaning a new farmstead.

Enclosure

The land around Warrington was enclosed in 1776. This also set the current path of the Gypsy Race.

Wold Cottage meteorite

Main article: Wold Cottage meteorite

On 13 December 1795, a meteorite fell near the village, landing very close to a ploughman named John Shipley. A brick column marks the spot today. The meteorite is now kept in the Natural History Museum in London. This event inspired a series of science fiction stories called the Wold Newton family by American author Philip José Farmer.

Administrative history

From medieval times until the 19th century, Wold Newton was part of Dickering Wapentake.

From 1894 to 1974, Wold Newton was in the Bridlington Rural District in the East Riding of Yorkshire. From 1974 to 1996, it was part of the Borough of North Wolds (later the Borough of East Yorkshire) in the county of Humberside.

After the local government changes in 1974, the parish became the northernmost part of the new county of Humberside. The southern tip of Humberside was the village of Wold Newton, Lincolnshire in Lincolnshire. Since 1996, Wold Newton has been part of the unitary East Riding of Yorkshire Council.