WHITBY'S HISTORY

WHITBY HISTORY

WHY NOT ENJOY A WALK AROUND WHITBY MUSEUM AND FIND OUT ALL THE INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT OUR PICTURESQUE TOWN.

WITH ITS ALLEYWAYS AND COVES YOU CAN STILL GET A FEEL FOR HOW WHITBY WAS IN YEARS GONE BY.

HERE IS SOME OF OUR HISTORY:

WHITBY HAS A COMBINED MARITIME, MINERAL AND TOURIST HERITAGE AND IS HOME TO THE RUINS OF WHITBY ABBEY WHERE CAEDMON, THE EARLIEST ENGLISH POET, LIVED.

THE FISHING PORT EMERGED DURING THE MIDDLE AGES AND DEVELOPED IMPORTANT WHALING AND HERRING FLEETS. CAPTAIN COOK LEARNED HIS SEAMANSHIP IN WHITBY.

TOURISM STARTED IN THE GEORGIAN TIMES AND CONTINUED TO DEVELOP WITH THE COMING OF THE RAILWAY IN 1839. OTHER ATTRACTIONS SUCH AS THE PUBLISHING OF THE HORROR NOVEL DRACULA BROUGHT TOURISTS FROM FAR AND WIDE.

JET AND ALUM WERE MINED LOCALLY, AND WHITBY JET, WHICH WAS MINED BY THE ROMANS AND VICTORIANS BECAME FASHIONABLE IN 19^TH CENTURY.

THE EARLIEST RECORD OF A PERMANENT SETTLEMENT IS IN 656 WHEN STREONSHAL WAS THE PLACE WHERE OSWY, CHRISTIAN KING OF NORTHUMBRIA, FOUNDED THE FIRST ABBEY, UNDER THE ABBESS, HILDA. IN 867 THE MONASTERY WAS DESTROYED BY VIKING RAIDERS AND WAS RE-FOUNDED IN 1078. IT WAS IN THIS PERIOD THAT THE TOWN GAINED ITS CURRENT NAME “WHITBY” (FROM “WHITE SETTLEMENT” IN OLD NORSE).

IN THE FOLLOWING CENTURIES WHITBY FUNCTIONED AS A FISHING SETTLEMENT, UNTIL IN 18^TH CENTURY IT DEVELOPED AS A PORT AND CENTRE FOR SHIPBUILDING AND WHALING, IT TRADED IN LOCALLY MINED ALUM AND THE MANUFACTURE OF WHITBY JET JEWELLRY.

SO WHILE OUT EXPLORING WHY NOT TREAT YOURSELF OR YOUR LOVED ONE TO A PIECE OF WHITBY JET JEWELLRY AS A BEAUTIFUL REMINDER OF YOUR STAY HERE WITH US AT WHITBY HOLIDAY PARK.

CLAIRE

RECEPTION