Harpham

History

The village appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as belonging to King William the Conqueror, and having 29 ploughlands. The name of the village is thought to derive from the Old English Hearpe-hām, meaning the Salt-Harp village or farmstead. Although not on the coast, the proximity of the Holderness coastline is thought to be the influence of the salt. Three Roman mosaics were found near Harpham in 1905, and three more were discovered in 1950. The first three are now in the Hull and East Riding Museum. They are simply patterned. One represented a rectangular maze, one of only five examples known in Roman mosaics in Britain.

It is here that St John of Beverley was born in the 7th century; he became the Bishop of Hexham as well as the Bishop of York.

The church is dedicated to him and was designated a Grade I listed building in 1966, and is now recorded in the National Heritage List for England, maintained by Historic England. The Well of St. John, the local well, is named after him and is believed by many to have healing powers. The well is designated as a Grade II listed building.

In 1823, Harpham was a civil parish in the Wapentake of Dickering. The St. Quintin family were lords of Harpham. The foundations of the St. Quintin mansion were recorded as being to the west of the church. The church contains St. Quintin burials in the north aisle and a stained glass window to Sir William St Quintin, twenty-eighth in succession, who died in 1777. Baines also notes the village as being wholly agricultural, with a population of 251. Occupations included eight farmers, two grocers, two shoemakers, a blacksmith, a wheelwright, a tailor, a butcher, and the landlord of the St. Quintin Arms public house. There was also a linen manufacturer. A carrier operated between the village and Bridlington once a week. The nearest railway station was at on the Hull to Scarborough line, but this closed in January 1970. Now, the nearest station is at .

The village gave its name to HMS Harpham, a Ham class minesweeper.

References

References

1. "Harpham East Riding".
2. (2015). "Bridlington, Driffield & Hornsea". Ordnance Survey.
3. "Harpham {{!}} Domesday Book".
4. (1960). "The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names". Oxford University Press.
5. Smith, David. (2005). "Roman Mosaics at Hull".
6. Walsh, Michael J.. (2007). "A New Dictionary of Saints: East and West". Burns & Oats.
7. Palliser, D. M.. (23 September 2004). "John of Beverley [St John of Beverley]".
8. {{NHLE
9. {{NHLE
10. "Papers of the St Quintin family of Harpham and Scampston - Hull History Centre Catalogue".
11. "Genuki: Harpham, Yorkshire (East Riding)".
12. (2002). "Yorkshire; York and the East Riding". Yale University Press.
13. Baines, Edward. (1823). "Directory and Gazetteer of the County of York".
14. (2011). "The lost railways of Yorkshire's East Riding". Stenlake.
15. (16 October 2010). "20 Autumn walks; 17 Kilham to Harpham". The Times.
16. (1960). "Jane's fighting ships, 1960-61". McGraw-Hill.