Whitby (England)

The Middle Ages: Whitby Abbey

Ruins of Whitby Abbey

The first mention of the settlement on the territory of modern Whitby dates back to 656 . At that time this place was known as Strönshel. King Oswiu of Northumbria , defeating the ruler of Mercia in the battle of Vinveda Pendu , decided to fulfill the vows of the Christian church and build monasteries in the lands subject to him; One of them was the abbey of Whitby, founded in 657 . Originally it was joint, masculine and feminine at the same time; his first superior, Hilda, was subsequently canonized ^[1] . The abbey quickly became a center for learning. In particular, one of the most famous early British poets Kadmon was brought up here. Representatives of the royal family of Deira were buried there, and a church council of 664 was held here, at which representatives of Rome finally prevailed over supporters of the Celtic Church ^[2] .

Between 867 and 870, the monastery and the settlement around it were completely looted and burned by the Vikings . Strenshel remained uninhabited for the next two centuries ^[3] . However, there is evidence that the Danes built a village in the vicinity of present-day Whitby, which, judging by all, was quite large because it was subject to considerable tribute ^[3] . The name “Whitby” itself has a Scandinavian origin and means “the village of Bely” - that is, a settlement that originally belonged to a fair-haired or very pale man ^[4] .

After the conquest of England by the Norman Duke William (1066), the territory on which modern Whitby is located, was ceded to Hugh d'Avranches , Count of Chester; he, in turn, granted it to Baron de Percy around 1074. Percy rebuilt the ruined abbey, dedicated it to the memory of Saints Peter and Hilda, and transferred it to the Order of the Benedictines ^[5] in 1078, along with the surrounding lands, including Whitby (first mentioned as a city ). Around 1128, King Henry I, by his decree, allowed twice a year to hold fairs in the city, timed to coincide with the days of the memory of St. Hilda. Revenues from them departed abbey monks.

During the reign of Stephen of England, the city ​​was attacked and burned by the Norwegians, led by King Eystein II ^[3] . After that, for a long time, Whitby was mentioned by medieval chroniclers only a few times (including under the names Hvitbi and Kvitbi) - mainly in connection with shipwrecks in its vicinity.

XVI — XVIII centuries: the development of the city

In December 1539, after Henry VIII of England confiscated monastic possessions, Whitby returned under the control of secular power. Then there were only about thirty houses in the town, and its population was no more than two hundred people ^[5] . Since 1550, Whitby has been ruled by Earl Warwick, Sir John York and Richard Cholmley; descendants of the latter and belonged to the city throughout the XVII century ^[6] . At that time it was just a small fishing port.

The end of the XVI century was a turning point in the development of Whitby - in its vicinity found deposits of valuable alum , which at that time were used for dyeing tissues and treating certain skin diseases. The importance of the city - primarily as a trading port - immediately increased. The shipyard was opened, and by the end of the XVIII century, Whitby was the third largest shipbuilding center in the country, second only to London and Newcastle ^[7] . In the same period, whaling began to develop in the city, production of blubber oil began. Whalebearing continued in Whitby until around the 1830s, when blubber demand fell.

XIX — XX centuries

Around the beginning of the XIX century in the vicinity of Whitby were discovered mineral springs; This led to the fact that the city turned into a resort center, and the hotel business began to develop in it ^[3] . In 1839, a railway line was built, connecting Whitby with York . From 1854, the city began to publish its own newspaper.

The second half of the XIX century was marked by the development of jewelry in Whitby - during this period, jewels from jet that had been mined around the city since the days of Roman rule became fashionable. At the same time, the importance of Whitby as a port decreased, as the steamships gradually replaced sailing ships; in 1872, the city shipyard closed.

The city came under fire from the German fleet during the First World War. During the twentieth century, Whitby developed mainly as a fishing port, and since 1979 it has acquired the parking of yachts. Light industry is also developing here. Since 1974, Whitby has been run by the Scarborough District Council.

Whitby is located on the east coast of Great Britain, near the North Sea , at the mouth of the Esk river. A drawbridge, built in 1908, is thrown across the river. City blocks, consisting of brick and stone houses, are located on both sides of the Esca. On the other side of the Whitby adjacent swamps of the National Park of the North York Moors . In the eastern part of the city is located the so-called. “The coast of dinosaurs ”, on which the prints of traces of prehistoric reptiles are preserved ^[8] . In the vicinity of Whitby were found skeletons of plesiosaurs and extinct giant crocodiles , as well as numerous ammonite shells. Gagat is still mined near the city.

Whitby is characterized by relatively mild winters and warm, occasionally dry summer months. The proximity of the North Sea has a regulating effect on climate, in particular, provides not too hot summer. From the Pennine Mountains to the west of the city, in the vicinity of which cool, humid and windless weather most often occurs, it sometimes rains. The temperature of the sea waters is noticeably lower than in the south-east of England, and can drop to 5 ° C in winter and 13 ° C in summer. January is the coldest month, July and August are the warmest ^[9] .

The population of the city steadily increased until about the middle of the XIX century, around 1870 began a demographic decline, which lasted a long time. The number of inhabitants began to grow again from about the 1930s.

According to 2001 data, 13,594 people lived in Whitby (7,116 women and 6,478 men), and the total number of households was 5,973 ^[10] . Unemployment among the economically active population aged 16 to 74 years was approximately at the level of 7% ^[11] . About 30% of all city residents were employed in the service sector, the average age of the population was 41.78 years.

Religion

In 2001, the majority of the population of Whitby (10,286 people) were Christians, mostly Anglican. Despite the fact that Catholicism never had a large spread in the city, the Catholic church of St. Hilda, built in 1867, functions in it; In addition, there is an evangelical church and two chapels of Methodists. Approximately 3.6% of Whitby residents consider themselves to be atheists, there are also small communities of Muslims, Buddhists, Jews and Sikhs.

Education

There are four secular elementary schools (Stakesby, West Cliff, Airy Hill and East Whitby School) and one parish, with St. Hilda’s Catholic Church, in Whitby. The largest secondary schools are Cadmon and Exdale; since 2004, they have been united in an educational confederation with the Whitby Community College, the only university in the city that has a technical specialization since September 2002. There is also a special Springhead school and adult education service. Special educational programs are offered by the School of Fishing Industry.

The economic development of Whitby is hampered by its remoteness from the main transport routes and the restrictions imposed on the city (due to the fact that it is adjacent to the North York Moors National Park, it cannot expand), as a result of which the budget is replenished mainly due to income from tourism and fishing ^[12] . This precarious situation naturally led to an increase in unemployment, and a portion of the population of Whitby lives on social benefits. Due to low wages, young people leave the city, while older people, on the contrary, often settle here after retirement. The number of industrial enterprises is small, mostly they are small. There are two business centers.

Whitby has a well-developed hotel and restaurant business. Jewelry production from jet stopped in the XIX century, but they are still sold eight jewelry stores (mainly focused on tourists) ^[13] . Sea fishing is still thriving - in addition to fish, crabs and lobsters are caught off the coast. A good development potential is available at the city port, which is suitable for receiving cargoes of grain, metallurgy products, timber and potash salts; Whitby is a convenient point of maritime communication with Europe, especially with Scandinavia.

Whitby is a notable tourist center. There are several museums in the city, including the Pennett Park Museum opened at the beginning of the 19th century, the exposition of which includes antiquities (including the parish book of Whitby Abbey), and art objects ^[14] , and the James Cook memorial apartment. Among the attractions of the city are the ruins of the abbey, the modern churches of St. Hilda and St. Mary, two lighthouses . Monuments to Whitby have been erected to the medieval poet Cadmon, Captain James Cook and the scholar William Skorsby . Built in the 19th century, Sniton Castle on the outskirts of the city is now used as a hotel and conference center. One of the famous local landmarks is the whale rib arch, reminiscent of the whaling season at Whitby.

The Whitby Pavilion periodically hosts theatrical performances, but since 1991, local musical groups have been performing regularly. The city newspaper has existed since 1854. Whitby organizes competitions in sailing, golf, football, surfing.

The city gained wide popularity due to the connection with Dracula - in the novel of the same name it is described as a meeting place for the famous vampire with Lucy Westenra . Whitby’s popularity has increased since the release of the French film Whitby, The City of Dracula, and since 1980 the city has regularly hosted guided tours dedicated to the Stoker novel ^[15] . Works even a small museum of Dracula.

Since 1994, Whitby Gothic Weekend has been held in Whitby - a gothic music festival organized twice a year, each time attracting about two thousand visitors.

• Carol Margaret Davison & Paul Simpson-Housley. Bram Stoker's Dracula: Sucking Through the Century, 1897–1997. - Dundurn Press, 1997. - 432 p. - ISBN 9781550022797 .
• John R. Green. The Making of England. - Kessinger Publishing, 2005. - 480 p. - ISBN 9781417961269 .
• Adrian Room. Placenames of the Worlds for 6600 Countries, Cities, Territories, Natural Features, and Historic Sites. - McFarland, 2006. - 433 p. - ISBN 9780786422487 .
• Andrew White. A History of Whitby. - Phillimore & C °, 1993. - ISBN 0850338425 .