William Watson was a surveyor and mapmaker, who was born in Seaton Ross and lived in Market Weighton and Pocklington. In all the places he lived, he drew maps of, and the 1855 Pocklington map above was the last one he completed. Archives -> Maps -> 1844Map -> 1844 Map of Pocklington Archives -> Maps -> 1855Map -> 1855 Map of Pocklington

These distinguished ladies and gentlemen are the Pocklington Board of Guardians who looked after the Pocklington workhouse and the Poor of the Parish. A superb surviving photograph with all their names can be found in Burnby Hall. Archives -> People -> Prominent People -> Pocklington Board of Guardians

Pocklington Survey and Valuation for 1824 New to the Pocklington History Website! A rare surviving copy was discovered in private ownership and has been typed and posted to the reference section of the Pocklington History website. It is a very valuable and detailed survey of all of the property and land in and around Pocklington in 1824. It mentions there is a plan to go with it, but unfortunately this has not survived. Archives -> Reference -> 1824 Survey and Valuation

Pocklington at War

The town of Pocklington was greatly involved in the war effort to defeat Hitler's Germany. A large airfield was constructed in 1941 to the west of the town near to Barmby Moor and initially became the home of the Canadian 405 squadran with Wellington bombers and later the 102 squadran with Halifax bombers. The photograph above show Halifaxes by daylight at Pocklington in 1943.

A new section has been added to the website on World War 2. Choose:
History->20th Century->Pocklington at war->Early Days in Pocklington
History->20th Century->Pocklington at war->Le Creusot Raid
History->20th Century->Pocklington at war->That Fateful night

The oldest known Photograph of Pocklington c.1848

This remarkable photograph was discovered in an old Primitive Methodist Book. How do we know it is old? The farmhouse shown was extensively altered and extended to replace the cottage in the centre, to become the building we now know as the Garden Chinese Restaurant. We know it is prior to 1897 as that was the year the beck down Grape Lane was culverted (Beastfair bridge can be seen on the right of the picture). It is even older than this because there is no Wilberforce House, which according to Pevsner was built in 1867 by Thomas Grant. There seems to be no railway line, which was built in 1847/48. The methodist text gives a clue to the source of the photographs.

"Through the kindness of Rev. G. Ellis we are enabled to give views taken from old prints... of a view of a barn (long since pulled down to make way for a modern mansion) in which the night service was held, As recalling some vanished outward features, then before the eyes of Clowes and his hearers, these views are not without their interest."

James Francis Ellis was vicar of Pocklington from 1840 until his death in 1876.

Is this the barn that John Wesley held his early meetings in Pocklington?

Pocklington is changing

The pace of change in the town of Pocklington is accelerating, and many old buildings and structures have already disappeared. The memories of residents, and photos of the old town need to be recorded for future generations. Many people around the world have family links with Pocklington and the local villages, and they may seek information that will give them some idea of where their ancestors lived, where they worked, and how they lived their lives. Pocklington History will not only give everyone an oversight as to what life was like in this small market town, but it is set to heavily expand in the near future - almost becoming an archive in itself.