Yorkshire History
Centred around the town of York, Yorkshire is one of England’s most historic counties that was first occupied around 8000BC at the end of the Ice Age. Over the first millennium AD Yorkshire hosted the Romans, Angles and Vikings – and many distinctly ‘Yorkshire dialect’ words still heard today can be traced back to the original Norse, due to the Viking influence in the region.
Yorkshire first got its name in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 1065, and originally comprised of three Thrydings – North, East and West – now referred to as Ridings. Known for uprisings and rebellions through to the Tudor period, Yorkshire’s West Riding became the UK’s second most important manufacturing area during the Industrial Revolution. The predominant industries of the East and North Ridings remained fishing and agriculture respectively.