4. Edgar’s Rebellion

In the autumn of 1069 a great fleet belonging to the King of Denmark sailed past Spurn Point and into the river Humber.  The Danish troops on board were heading into Yorkshire to join up with the forces of Edgar Atheling.  Edgar was the sole surviving descendant of the Anglo-Saxon kings so on parchment at least had a good claim to the English throne.  He was however young, around 17 years of age, and lacked influential connections.

Earlier that same year Edgar had lead a group of Northumbrian rebels in attacking York but they had been forced to flee.  In September he tried again with the support of the Danes and this time managed to overrun the castle, kill the soldiers stationed there, and seize the city.  William I though was not fazed and resolutely marched north, sending a message to Winchester castle that this was definitely an occasion that called for his crown and could they please send it on.

Not for nothing was William known as the conqueror and by December he had retaken York.  On Christmas Day he stood defiantly among the ruins of its Minster wearing his crown in a symbolic tableau that must have made any other potential rebels think twice.  Imagine a crisp, clear day, a light sprinkling of snow on the ground, William striking a regal pose while the low winter sun glints off his armour and golden accessory. 

To emphasise the point that he was now firmly in charge, William dispatched bands of soldiers across Yorkshire and Northumbria.  In what became known as the ‘harrying of the North’, these troops swept the countryside destroying all they found.  In the early months of 1070, common folk had to watch helpless as soldiers ransacked their homes and torched their barns.  Since it was winter they lost not only the food from the previous year’s harvest but also the seeds that had been saved to plant next year’s crop.  Despite playing little or no part in the rebellion many were left homeless and facing starvation. 

The result of all this destruction can be still be seen over 10 years later in the Domesday Book.  The value of the estate at North Ferriby fell from 100 shillings in 1066 to 60 shillings twenty years later and only one of its seven Berewicks, Hessle, is listed as populated and not waste.  In Yorkshire as a whole 33% of land is listed as waste or uncultivated and 80% of all the waste land recorded in Domesday is located in the county.

Photo: Looking west up the River Humber towards the River Ouse and York