From ancient roads to forgotten castles – uncovering our Norman heritage
WALKING IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS: Sometimes referred to as Lovers Lane, but more commonly Sutton Trod, this trackway has been in existence since the 11th century
The Way it Was
In partnership with Hull History Centre
By Neil Chadwick, archivist/librarian
You may have seen in the news that in preparation for 2027’s Year of the Normans, which commemorates the birth of William the Conqueror, the Bayeux Tapestry has arrived at its temporary home at the British Museum where it will be on display to the public.
In preparation for our own contribution to mark the Year of the Normans in 2027, we thought we’d offer a small window into our Norman past.
Hull and the immediate vicinity have been somewhat overlooked for its Norman history. This is largely because Hull wasn’t founded until the late 13th Century, almost 200 years after the Normans arrived. But look closely and the area is rich in its Norman past and heritage.
It is thanks to William the Conqueror we know most villages in this area, and indeed across much of the country were already in existence by 1066 thanks to the Domesday Book.
Commissioned by William himself, it records Sutton, Myton, Marfleet and Drypool, all of which are now within the modern boundary of Hull. Just outside of Hull, Bilton, Wawne, Kirk Ella, Anlaby and North Ferriby to name but a few, are also recorded in Domesday.
All were almost certainly nucleated by 1066, if not by 1066, certainly by 1086 when Domesday was compiled. It is the Normans through the manors they created who give us the picture of the quintessential typical English village.
Some of the roads or paths we travel today would have been walked by the Normans. Wawne Road which links Sutton with Wawne has been a route since 1066. Sutton Trod, which starts from Sutton’s Church Street, is believed to be 11th Century, linking Sutton with Drypool. Roads that pass through or radiate from villages today can trace their origins back to the Normans and even earlier.
Sutton’s Church Street more than likely follows the same line it did in 1066. Properties that line this street are built upon the former tofts and crofts, that is medieval houses and gardens that once fronted Church Street. Whilst the church of St James dates largely from the 14th Century, a wooden chapel probably occupied the site in 1066.
OUTFLOW: Sayer, Creek which was used to drain Sutton lands on the east bank of the River Hull
Just to the west of St James, now long gone was probably a Norman manor house or property of Sutton’s Norman lords. In the 13th Century this was home to the Sutton family, in which it was their primary residence set in one acre of land, complete with garden.
Some of the area’s oldest families are Norman in origin. The Legard’s of Anlaby are said to be descended from Robert de Legard, who acted as a bailiff to Anlaby’s new Norman lord. The Legard’s later acquired Anlaby and it remained in the family until the early 20th Century.
Many Hullensians will have heard of Sir John Hotham, who famously turned Charles I away from Hull in April 1642, which was an early blow against the royalists before the outbreak of the English Civil War a few months later.
The Hotham’s themselves were originally Norman. They descended from John de Treyhouse and later took the name from the place they settled – Hotham.
The first recorded Hotham was William (born 1100). Without Sir John’s refusal to admit Charles I into Hull, Charles may have secured the town which would have enabled him to bring in men and arms into the country. This may have tipped the Civil War in favour of Charles and English history could have turned out somewhat differently.
We’ve mentioned Sutton, but without the Sutton family who were themselves of Norman origin, who like the Hotham’s took the name of the place they settled, Hull may have never developed as we know it today.
It was in the 13th Century that Saer II constructed Saer’s Creek to drain his lands on the east bank of the River Hull. Saer Creek would soon become the new outflow of the River Hull when flooding is said to have altered its course.
Before this, the river ran westerly from High Flags (junction of Wincolmlee and Green Lane). This westerly section silted up, and Saer Creek became the outflow into the Humber.
ANCIENT ORIGINS: Domesday Book complied in 1086 showing entries for Gansted, Sutton and Bilton
Wyke, which had developed along the old course close to what is today, Hull’s Ice Arena, saw its residents pack up their belongings and move 1km east by Saer Creek, and with it a new settlement grew which was to become Hull.
Arguably the most famous introduction into Britain by the Normans was the castle. Skipsea was arguably the largest Norman castle in the region. Its 50-metre motte rises high above the flat Holderness landscape.
The castle at Skipsea was built to defend the Holderness coast from Danish attack in the late 11th Century. It was also the seat for the lords of Holderness whose lands included those in and around what is now Hull.
Closer to home, a lesser-known castle sits in the landscape just outside the modern boundary of Hull – Bransholme Castle. Built during the Anarchy of the 12th Century which pitted Norman against Norman, Bransholme Castle is largely forgotten. The Bayeux Tapestry shows five castles. The castle at Skipsea and Bransholme would somewhat be identical in design to those depicted in the tapestry.
It was the Normans who gave us our first picture of the armoured knight on horseback, with shield and sword in hand. The Normans also changed the art of warfare. Whereas the English are shown on the Bayeux Tapestry largely fighting on foot, the Normans fought using cavalry, which would come to dominate much of the battlefield for much of the Middle Ages.
The Normans also fought with archers. The Bayeux Tapestry depicts Harold being hit in the eye by an arrow, perhaps the most recognisable scene from the tapestry. It was archers who in the later Middle Ages dominated the battlefield. England’s most famous victories were archer-led, like those of Crecy and Agincourt.
The Normans also helped develop the English language. Legal terms like justice, court, fine, evidence and prison were brought across by the Normans and amalgamated into the English language. The word at the heart of British democracy, ‘Parliament’, is French.
A hangover from the Normans is still used in Hull today. Belvoir Street on Hull’s Dukeries is pronounced locally as ‘Beaver’ Street. This is due to the English being unable to pronounce Belvoir and therefore called it ‘Beaver’ instead. Nearly 1,000 years on, ‘Beaver’ has stuck.
BUCKING THE TREND: A facsimile of the Matilda Camin charter granting the monks of Meaux Abbey lands in Myton
Soon after the Normans arrived, French names began to replace English. The Domesday Book records English and Anglo-Scandinavian names on the eve of 1066. Names like Grimkel, who was lord of Sutton, Skuli who held Anlaby and Frani and Healdene who held Gansted. These individuals were replaced with names such as Franco, Baldwin, Ralph, Gilbert and Hugh. And soon names like William, Henry, Robert and Richard would become popular and remain so to this day.
Female names followed suit. Eadgifu, a common female name before the Norman Conquest would be replaced with Catherine, Elanor, Alice, Isabelle and Matilda. And like their male counterparts, these remain popular to this day.
High ranking Norman household roles later became surnames. These included Steward, Butler, Chamberlain, Constable and Marshall. Reputed to be England’s greatest knight, William Marshal’s name derived from the role Marshall (Marshall was a keeper of the horses under a Norman lord).
The Constables of Flamborough were originally ‘de Lacy’. Robert de Lacy (death 1216) took the name of his office ‘Constable’, and this became the new family surname. The Constable maintained property for their Norman lords.
The Norman Conquest saw England’s transition towards a more rigid, patriarchal structure. Many lost the freedoms they enjoyed under English rule. This marginalisation can be seen in the Bayeux Tapestry which depicts 600 men, but just three women.
Prior to 1066, female landownership was common. Hundreds of women are listed in Domesday as landholders in 1066. Gytha, for example, held land across four estates in Leconfield and Raventhorpe.
However, by 1086 she had been displaced and her holdings transferred to Robert of Mortain, a Norman and half-brother of the Conqueror.
Matilda Camin did buck this trend. Matilda had emerged as a significant 12th Century landholder, playing a pivotal role in what is now modern-day Hull. Around 1160 she granted portions of her land holdings in Myton to the monks of Meaux Abbey. This endowment was a vital step in the early development of the port of Wyke, which was later succeeded by Hull.
The Conqueror’s wife, Queen Matilda, exercised significant authority on behalf of her husband, helping govern both England and Normandy. Wives of Norman lords also acted as advisors or regents in their husbands’ absences.
Stephen, count of Aumale and lord of Holderness, participated in the First Crusade. Whilst away, his wife Hawise would have administered authority on his behalf.
Cicely, lady of Skipton who married Hawise’s son, William, who himself became count of Aumale, lord of Holderness and earl of York, would have acted as a regent for her husband as and when required.
Ordinary women wielded significant influence within their domestic and social spheres. Men may have performed much of the manual labour, but women’s contributions were just as vital.
Wives served as a moderating influence on their husbands. In their husband’s absence, women managed the daily operations, and in widowhood their responsibilities went further.
Marriages would have mirrored modern partnerships in their emotional complexity and mutual reliance. Acting as matriarchs and supportive neighbours, women ensured the survival of the family unit, a true measure of success for the common people.
With 2027 marking 1,000 years since the birth of William the Conqueror, the Year of the Normans will provide an opportunity to look back to what many see as the foundation of England.
Hull History Centre will mark this in 2027 with its own exhibition, looking at the Normans’ conquest of England, their impact on the local area and legacy left behind.