Skipsea meres

The three meres at Skipsea have existed since the Holocene period, when the glacial activity created the meres,{{cite book |last1=Tweddle |first1=John C |editor1-last=Bateman |editor1-first=M D |editor2-last=Buckland |editor2-first=P C |editor3-last=Frederick |editor3-first=C D |editor4-last=Whitehouse |editor4-first=N J |title=The Quaternary of East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire : field guide |date=2001 |publisher=Quaternary Research Association |location=London |isbn=0-907780-54-7 |page=36 |chapter=Regional vegetational history}} sometimes in the form of kettle holes.{{sfn|NCH|2015|p=11}} Dried out post-glacial meres are common in Holderness,{{sfn|NCH|2015|p=8}} with the low-lying land not able to adequately drain the water away, though most of the water did eventually flow through the Hull Valley and into the Humber.{{sfn|Sheppard|1912|p=34}}{{sfn|Wastling|George|2018|p=108}} In the post-glacial period, Holderness would have resembled the Norfolk Broads, with many areas having standing water. This is reflected in some of the place names: Marfleet, Marton, Redmere and Rowmere.{{#tag:ref|Marfleet derives from Mer-flet, lake-stream.{{cite book |last=Ekwall |first=Eilert |title=The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names |year=1960 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-19-869103-3|page=314}} Marton derives from Mer-tun - by a lake.{{cite book |last=Ekwall |first=Eilert |title=The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names |year=1960 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-19-869103-3|page=317}} Redmere is from Reed-marsh mere.{{cite web |title=Redmere :: Survey of English Place-Names |url=http://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/East+Riding+of+Yorkshire/Owthorne/53285471b47fc40a4d00022a-Redmere |website=epns.nottingham.ac.uk |access-date=28 March 2021}}|name=Etymology|group=note}}{{sfn|Sheppard|1912|p=17}} Many of these meres disappeared due to human intervention through drainage schemes to provide land for agriculture and grazing.{{cite journal |last1=Sheppard |first1=June A. |title=The Medieval Meres of Holderness |journal=Transactions and Papers (Institute of British Geographers) |date=1957 |issue=23 |pages=75–86 |doi=10.2307/621157|jstor=621157 }} Withow Mere was the furthest east of the three, and the site is now suffering from coastal erosion.{{sfn|Brigham|Jobling|2013|p=20}} Bail Mere separated the castle and the Church of All Saints, and Low Mere was further out towards the north-west of the village.{{sfn|Cadman et al|2010|p=2}} Evidence from the various archaeological surveys have determined that Withow Mere was at some point possibly connected to Bail and Low Meres via a narrow channel feeding into Withow Gap, the stream that was at the western edge of Withow Mere.{{cite book |editor1-last=Ellis |editor1-first=S |editor2-last=Van de Noort |editor2-first=Robert |title=Wetland heritage of Holderness : an archaeological survey |date=1995 |publisher=Humber Wetlands Project, University of Hull |location=Kingston upon Hull |isbn=0859581918 |pages=74–78}} However, evidence of a ridge between Withow Mere and Skipsea itself, may have proved to be a block against the meres being joined. There is some conjecture that boats could sail through the meres from the sea, right up the edge of the village and to the castle.{{sfn|Brigham|Jobling|2013|p=22}} The name of the village itself, Skipsea, is either Old English (Scip-sæ) or Old Norse (Skip-siōr) meaning the lake for ships, harbour for ships.{{cite book |last1=Ekwall |first1=Eilert |title=The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names |date=1960 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-19-869103-3 |page=425 |edition=4}}{{cite web |title=Skipsea :: Survey of English Place-Names |url=http://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/East+Riding+of+Yorkshire/Skipsea/5328549ab47fc40a4d000547-Skipsea |website=epns.nottingham.ac.uk |access-date=19 February 2021}}

All of the meres show the same strata laid down over thousands of years: lacustrine clays, Skipsea Till (silt), peat, and a topsoil most likely due to run-off earth from deforestation.{{cite web |title=Skipsea Withow Mere |url=http://www.hullgeolsoc.co.uk/hg1509.htm |website=www.hullgeolsoc.co.uk |access-date=1 March 2021}} During Medieval times, the various meres in Skipsea (and throughout Holderness), were an important source of food for those living around them. The eels in Skipsea Mere were recorded in the 14th century as being worthwhile to fish and sell them on, and as late as 1790, even when many of the 50 or so meres in Holderness had been drained, it was still possible to take many ducks for food.{{cite journal |last1=Siddle |first1=D J |title=The Rural Economy of Medieval Holderness |journal=Agricultural History Review |date=1967 |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=41–43 |publisher=British Agricultural History Society |location=Exeter |oclc=723524361}}

Located at {{Ordnance Survey coordinates|TA158558|TA158558}},{{sfn|Brigham|Jobling|2013|p=20}} the Skipsea Bail Mere (also known as the Mere of Skipsea or Skipsea Mere), afforded Skipsea Castle a defensive protection and was also on the western and northern side of the Church of All Saints in the village.{{cite journal |last1=Dennsion |first1=E |last2=Jobling |first2=D J |title=All Saints Church, Skipsea, East Yorkshire: Archaeological Watching Brief |journal=Archaeological Survey |date=2011 |page=1 |doi=10.5284/1016212 |publisher=Historic England}}{{cite news |last1=Wood |first1=Alexandra |title=Bronze Age beaver fur revealed by coastal erosion in cliffs in Yorkshire |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/bronze-age-beaver-fur-revealed-coastal-erosion-cliffs-yorkshire-2875950 |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=The Yorkshire Post |date=7 June 2020}} The castle itself is in Skipsea Brough, a hamlet to the west of Skipsea, and part of the defences for the castle were known as bail, which gave the mere its name.{{cite web |title=Bail Bottom :: Survey of English Place-Names |url=http://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/id/53285471b47fc40a4d0002a2-Bail+Bottom |website=epns.nottingham.ac.uk |access-date=19 February 2021}} A dam was built to the north west of the castle to trap water,{{PastScape |num=80781 |desc=Skipsea Castle |access-date=20 February 2021}} with the castle sitting some {{convert|50|ft}} above the mere, which some have stated was tidal.{{cite book |last1=Hey |first1=David |title=A history of Yorkshire : "county of the broad acres" |date=2005 |publisher=Carnegie Pub |location=Lancaster |isbn=1859361226 |pages=84,91}} Other historiographies have stated that the mere was created entirely as a defence for the castle and as such, was man-made.{{cite web |title=History of Skipsea Castle |url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/skipsea-castle/history/ |website=english-heritage.org.uk |access-date=25 March 2021}} The castle area was connected to the Church of All Saints by a causeway across the mere.{{cite book |last1=Ormsby-Gore |first1=William George Arthur |title=Northern England |date=1952 |publisher=HMSO |location=London |page=43|oclc=214299189}} A timber bridge over the mere also connected the keep with the bail gate, which was due south of the castle itself.{{cite journal|last=I'Anson|first=William M|title= Skipsea Castle|date=1917|volume=24|publisher=Yorkshire Archaeological Society|location=Leeds|journal=Yorkshire Archaeological Journal|issn=0084-4276|page=260}} Archaeological investigations have located the remains of the timber harbour used by the castle to transfer goods from ships.{{sfn|Speight|1993|p=243}}

Studies conducted on the pollen from Bail Mere have determined that the temperature in the immediate post-glacial age was about 2°C warmer than at present.{{sfn|NCH|2015|p=11}} Due to the mere's potential for further study, it has been designated as an SSSI.{{cite web |title=Skipsea Bail Mere |url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/2000297.pdf |website=designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk |access-date=19 February 2021 }} The Bail Mere was sometimes referred to as Skipsea Mere, and was also known to be the fishery for the castle. Most of the catch of eels and fish was recorded as having been sold on to the local area.{{cite web |title=North division: Skipsea {{!}} British History Online |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/east/vol7/pp374-405 |website=www.british-history.ac.uk |access-date=19 February 2021}} The mere was drained in the early 18th century, ({{circa|1720}}) and the land reclaimed for agriculture.{{NHLE|desc=Skipsea Castle: 11th century motte and bailey castle and inland harbour|num=1011212|grade=|access-date=20 February 2021}}

Located at {{Ordnance Survey coordinates|TA149566|TA149566}}.{{sfn|Brigham|Jobling|2013|p=20}} This mere may have been connected to Bail Mere through a channel providing drainage to the sea towards the north, then the east. This channel follows the line of what is now the Barmston and Skipsea drain.{{cite journal |last1=Davis |first1=James |title=The Lake Dwellings in East Yorkshire |journal=Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological and Polytechnic Society |date=1891 |volume=11 |page=105 |publisher=Yorkshire Geological and Polytechnic Society. |oclc=10675276}} The Low Mere was the furthest away from Skipsea itself,{{sfn|Sheppard|1956|p=74}} and was about {{convert|7.5|m|order=flip}} above sea level before it was drained.{{sfn|Gilbertson LQ|1984|page=x}}

Located at {{Ordnance Survey coordinates|TA185545|TA185545}},{{sfn|Gilbertson EN|1984|p=17}} the name of this mere dates back to the 13th century, when the name Whythow was recorded. The name means marsh near the white hill.{{cite web |title=Withow Hole :: Survey of English Place-Names |url=http://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/East+Riding+of+Yorkshire/Skipsea/53285471b47fc40a4d0002a1-Withow+Hole |website=epns.nottingham.ac.uk |access-date=19 February 2021}} However, it has also been recorded as Fwitthouker, Fitbouker, and White Hole Carr.{{sfn|Sheppard|1956|p=76}}

The site of Skipsea Withow Mere is actively being eroded by the wave action of tides from the North Sea.{{sfn|Cadman et al|2010|p=1}} Bones recovered from the eastern edge of Skipsea Withow Mere, have been determined to be of red deer (cervus elaphus) from the Mesolithic era. The archaeological survey of the area considered the bones were not there due to natural death, but more likely cast into the mere after human predation.{{sfn|Cadman et al|2010|p=10}} Studies of the stratigraphy at the site of the mere indicated that it was {{convert|2|m|order=flip}}–{{convert|3|m|order=flip}} deep in the Late-Devensian period,{{sfn|Gilbertson EN|1984|p=17}} and stretched to over {{convert|53|m|order=flip}} in a north/south alignment at its widest point.{{sfn|Brigham|Jobling|2013|p=21}}

Withow Mere was to the south east of Skipsea itself and was separated from the Bail Mere by a ridge south of the village.{{cite journal|last=Collier|first=C V|title=Skipsea Earthworks |date=1911 |volume=21|publisher=Yorkshire Archaeological Society|location=Leeds|journal=Yorkshire Archaeological Journal|issn=0084-4276|page=189}} The outflow from the mere, known as Withow Hole, was some {{convert|400|yard}} east of the present day coastline (now the North Sea) and the mere itself occupied a stretch of land that has been lost to coastal erosion since 1750.{{cite book |last1=Elborough |first1=Travis |title=Atlas of vanishing places : the lost worlds as they were and as they are today |date=2019 |publisher=Quarto |location=London |isbn=978-1-78131-895-9 |page=141}}

{{reflist|group="note"}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite report|last1=Brigham|first1=T|last2=Jobling|first2=D|title=Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey Yorkshire and Lincolnshire: Phase 3 Palaeoenvironmental Survey of Selected Sites - Barmston Mere and Spurn Point, East Riding of Yorkshire, Cleethorpes, Northeast Lincolnshire|publisher=Historic England|date=December 2013|issue=99–2015|issn=2398-3841}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Cadman |first1=Sheila |last2=Knight |first2=Becky |last3=Elliott |first3=Ben |last4=Schadla-Hall |first4=Tim |last5=Robson |first5=Harry K. |last6=Milner |first6=Nicky |title=The Discovery of Mesolithic Red Deer at Skipsea Withow |journal=Yorkshire Archaeological Journal |date=1 January 2018 |volume=90 |issue=1 |pages=1–12 |doi=10.1080/00844276.2018.1481675|s2cid=134156360 |url=https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/131429/1/Archive_version_2018.05.21_Milner_et_al_Skipsea_Withow.docx |ref={{harvid|Cadman et al|2010}} }}
• {{cite journal|last=Gilbertson|first=D D|title=Early Neolithic utilisation and management at Alder Carr Witthow[sic] Mere, Holderness|date=1984|volume=56|publisher=Yorkshire Archaeological Society|location=Leeds|journal=Yorkshire Archaeological Journal|issn=0084-4276|ref={{harvid|Gilbertson EN|1984}} }}
• {{cite book |last1=Gilbertson |first1=D D |title=Late quaternary environments and man in Holderness |date=1984 |publisher=B.A.R |location=Oxford |isbn=0-86054-287-4|ref={{Harvid|Gilbertson LQ|1984}} }}
• {{cite book |title=National character area profile; Holderness. |date=2015 |publisher=Natural England |location=Sheffield |isbn=978-1-84754-304-2|ref={{harvid|NCH|2015}} }}
• {{cite book|last=Sheppard|first=Thomas|title=The lost towns of the Yorkshire coast|year=1912|publisher=A Brown & Sons|location=London|oclc=718210862}}
• {{cite report|last=Sheppard|first=June Alice|title=The draining of the marshlands of East Yorkshire|year=1956|publisher=University of London|location=London|oclc=150549277}}
• {{cite thesis|last=Speight|first=Sarah |author-link=Sarah Speight |title=Family, faith and fortification: Yorkshire 1066-1250|year=1993 |type=PhD|publisher=University of Nottingham|oclc=752747610 |url=http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11870/}} {{open access}}
• {{cite report|last1=Wastling|first1=Lisa|last2=George|first2=Richard|title=Historic Landscape Characterisation of the East Riding of Yorkshire and Kingston-upon-Hull|publisher=Historic England|location=Portsmouth |issue=83–2018|issn=2398-3841|date=2018}}

• [https://urbanrim.org.uk/Skipsea%20Withow.htm Urban rim website about Withow Mere]
• [https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.623333333333335&lat=53.98299&lon=-0.22596&layers=168&b=1 Mapping from 1910 showing causeway between vicarage and the keep (bottom left), and top left the place marked 'Lake Dwelling', is the site of Skipsea Low Mere]

{{Lakes in Yorkshire}}

Category:Holderness

Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in the East Riding of Yorkshire

Category:Protected areas of the East Riding of Yorkshire

Category:Lakes of the East Riding of Yorkshire