Drypool
The chapelry of Drypool, which became a parish
independent of its mother church at Swine in or
soon after the mid-17th century, lay on the east
bank of the River Hull, at its confluence with the
Humber. (fn. 1) The parish covered an area of 1,641
acres. (fn. 2) It was separated from Sutton to the north
by Summergangs Dike, and from Marfleet on the
east by the River Wilflete, a stream which was replaced by the Holderness Drain in the 19th century.
A small area of Sutton parish, between Summergangs Dike and the River Hull and close to Drypool
village, seems in the Middle Ages to have been
regarded as belonging to Drypool. (fn. 3) The whole of
Drypool—the 'dried-up pool' (fn. 4) —was low-lying
ground, reclaimed from the siltlands of the lower
Hull valley. A large area nevertheless remained wet
and unfit for use during the winter months: this
was Summergangs, a common pasture extending
across the northern half of the parish.
Drypool village stood near the mouth of the River
Hull, opposite the town, and consisted of a handful
of houses (fn. 5) around the chapel. The hamlet of Southcoates was a mile inland, near the road leading from
Hull into Holderness, and had its own small chapel.
The only other early road from Drypool was probably
that running northwards along the Hull towards
Stoneferry, in Sutton. Near Drypool village was a
ferry over the river to Hull, replaced in the 16th
century by North Bridge. (fn. 6) It was at this time, too,
that defences for Hull were built on the east bank
of the river. More extensive fortifications were built
in this area in the 1680s, when about 30 acres were
acquired for the construction of the Citadel. (fn. 7) To
the inhabitants of Hull the east bank of the river
became known as 'Garrison Side', as well as 'Drypool Side' or 'Holderness Side'.
The village was primarily dependent on agriculture until, in the early 18th century, industrial
premises began to appear on the east bank of the
river, in the part of Drypool that lay in Sutton
parish; this was the district later called the Groves.
The new buildings included brickworks, roperies,
and seed-crushing mills, and by 1732 the sugarhouse which was built by Godfrey and William
Thornton. In the 1750s the proprietors of the sugarhouse built a soap manufactory near by. (fn. 8) In the late
18th and early 19th centuries the pace of these
developments quickened. Soon after 1800 Great
Union Street was laid out from North Bridge to
Drypool village, and a small network of streets was
developing around Church Street. The open space
near the church was now called Drypool Square,
and several large gardens had appeared in the village.
Villas and corn-mills were being built along Holderness Road and Dansom Lane, and by the 1830s the
first terraces of houses were being built in Holderness
Road. The road pattern was further changed in 1833
by the new turnpike road to Hedon, (fn. 9) running east
from Drypool church beside the Humber. The old
church was demolished in 1822 and rebuilt; and
school, workhouse, and Methodist chapel were all
provided (fn. 10) for the growing population. Drypool
was thus effectively part of Hull, and in 1837 the
whole parish was included in the borough. (fn. 11)
In 1836 the ground called the Green Well, that is
Drypool Square, was set aside by Sir Thomas
Constable, the lord of the manor, to remain open for
the use of the inhabitants. It was subsequently let
each year to the promoters of the Drypool Feast,
held in August, and was also used as a recreation
ground. These uses ceased early in the 1930s. (fn. 12)
The houses built along the Holderness Road
included Summergangs (later Holderness) House,
built by a Mr. Hall and modernized by J. K.
Pickard, a Hull manufacturer, about 1800; the house
was rebuilt by W. E. and B. M. Jalland, who
acquired it in 1838. (fn. 13) It later belonged to T. R.
Ferens. (fn. 14) Among other early-19th-century houses
was that forming part of William Gibson's shipyard,
which was opened in 1805 on part of the ground
then recently acquired from the Crown. (fn. 15)
Both Drypool and Southcoates seem always to
have been small settlements. Thus in 1297 only six
taxpayers in Drypool contributed to the ninth,
paying 14s. 5d. all told, while the manor of Southcoates, in the liberty of St. John of Beverley, contributed 8s. 3d. (fn. 16) In 1377 73 adults paid the poll
tax in Southcoates and Drypool together. (fn. 17) In
1524 there were still only 8 taxpayers in Drypool,
presumably including Southcoates. (fn. 18) The two townships together provided 30 men at a muster in 1539,
and 29 armed men and 5 labourers in 1584. (fn. 19) In
1672 14 householders in Drypool were chargeable
for the hearth tax and 11 in Southcoates. (fn. 20)
The population was little higher in the early
18th century. About 1700 there were said to be 26 or
27 families, (fn. 21) and in 1743 there were 23. (fn. 22) During
the later 18th century Drypool's growth as a suburb
of Hull began, and by 1801 the population was 436;
during the next fifty years it increased more than
six-fold, to 2,748. In Southcoates the increase was
equally rapid, from 235 in 1801 to 1,673 in 1851. (fn. 23)
The only record of parish government before
Drypool's absorption in Hull is a vestry minute
book beginning in 1822. (fn. 24) In the 1820s and 1830s
a parish meeting was held at Easter to choose churchwardens; one was chosen by the vicar, his nominee
being alternately the Drypool warden and the Southcoates warden. The accounts appear to have been
audited at a summer meeting, but there are few
records of the rates levied: in 1824, however, a rate
of 3d. in the pound was agreed upon. The parish
maintained its own workhouse. (fn. 25)
Manors and Other Estates
In 1086 an estate of 13 bovates in Southcoates and
Drypool was claimed by Drew de Bevrere; before
the Conquest it had belonged to Ote and Ravenchil. (fn. 26) SOUTHCOATES subsequently emerges as
the substantive manor, to which lands in Drypool
were attached. Drew de Bevrere's claim, against the
Canons of St. John of Beverley, (fn. 27) seems to have been
unsuccessful: the canons are frequently named as
overlords (fn. 28) and presumably retained Southcoates
and Drypool until the suppression of the college.
The demesne lordship was held by the Sutton
family from at least 1227 (fn. 29) until the death of Sir
Thomas de Sutton shortly before 1389. (fn. 30) At Sir
Thomas's death the manor was to revert first to
Peter Mauley (VI) (d. 1382) and his wife Constance,
a daughter of Sir Thomas de Sutton; she subsequently married Sir John Godard. It was next
to revert to Peter Mauley (VII) (d. 1391) and his
wife Margery, another of Sir Thomas's daughters,
and then to their male heirs. They had one son,
Peter Mauley (VIII) (d. 1414). Finally, it was to
pass to Sir Thomas de Sutton's remaining heirs.
In 1415 the manor was accordingly divided into
three shares: those of Sir Thomas's daughter Agnes
Hastings, of his grandson John Godard, and of his
grand-daughters Constance Bygod and Elizabeth
Salvan, the sisters of Peter Mauley (VIII). (fn. 31)
The share of Agnes Hastings was granted in 1423
to George Bulmer; (fn. 32) it was forfeited to the Crown in
1537 after the rebellion of Sir John Bulmer, (fn. 33) but
his son Sir Ralph was restored in 1548 and held this
share of Drypool at his death in 1558. (fn. 34) It was divided
between Ralph's eight daughters (fn. 35) and its further
history is confused. In 1563–4 one daughter, Joan
Cholmeley, sold her part to Robert Hogg and William
Watson. In the same year Frances Constable sold
her part to Anthony Smethley and Thomas Rokeby. (fn. 36)
In 1565 Millicent Graye sold her part to Henry
Curdeux, (fn. 37) and he sold it to Thomas Dalton in 1574;
John Dalton exchanged it with Joseph and John
Micklethwaite in 1653. (fn. 38) In 1566 Dorothy Williamson sold her part to George Bowes and Thomas
Grymston. In 1569–70 Bridget Norton and Barbara
Farley sold their parts to George Bowes, Michael
Tempest, and Edmund Smythson. (fn. 39) There are other
references to parts of the former Hastings share of
the manor, which seems to have remained fragmented. Thus an eighth part was sold by Ralph
Clarke to James Typling and Thomas Bromflet in
1596–7, (fn. 40) and a sixteenth part was held by the Bromflets until at least 1637. (fn. 41) The Typlings sold their
sixteenth part to Leonard Scott in 1615–16. (fn. 42)
The third share which fell to John Godard in
1415 was still held by the Godards in 1424; by 1511
Henry Ughtred seems to have succeeded to part of
it, (fn. 43) perhaps by the marriage of Margaret Godard to
Sir Thomas Ughtred some time before 1398. (fn. 44) In
1527 Robert Ughtred granted it to Cardinal Wolsey. (fn. 45)
After Wolsey's fall the share was granted by the
Crown to Sir Marmaduke Constable in 1535. (fn. 46)
Another part of the Godard share seems to have
passed to the Stapleton family, who held it until
1554 when it was granted to Thomas Alrede,
Christopher Estofte, and Hugh Hungate. (fn. 47)
The history of the remaining third share is confused. The sixth part inherited by Constance
Bygod passed to her grandson Ralph in 1461–2. (fn. 48)
It may have been acquired by the Everinghams, as
was his share of Sutton. (fn. 49) It was perhaps most of
this part which Thomas Hennage sold to John St.
Quintin in 1558. (fn. 50) Matthew St. Quintin sold five
parts of a sixth part (i.e. 5/36) of the manor to
Thomas Dalton in 1569, (fn. 51) and the Daltons held land
here until the end of the 17th century. (fn. 52) There were
further dealings in this holding in 1703 and 1764–5;
on the latter occasion George Garnett became the
owner. (fn. 53)
The sixth part falling to Elizabeth Salvan in 1415
remained in her family until at least 1472. (fn. 54) Before
1548 it seems to have passed in part to Sir William
Knowles, of Bilton, (fn. 55) and thence to his son-in-law
John Stanhope. The heir to this property in 1582
was William Alford. (fn. 56) Possibly connected with the
Salvan part is the ninth of the manor which was
sold by Alford Truslove to Richard Milner in
1629–30, and by the Milners to Israel Popple in
1649. (fn. 57) The rest of the Salvan sixth part apparently
descended, like Sutton, to Sir William Sydney and
to the Corporation of Hull. (fn. 58)
By the 18th century Drypool and Southcoates had
thus become divided among numerous landlords
many of whom did not enjoy manorial rights in
respect of their land. The fragmented pattern of
ownership is clearly revealed in the Southcoates
inclosure awards of 1748 and 1758, (fn. 59) when no lords
of the manor are mentioned. Only in the late 16th
century can those exercising their rights be identified. In 1576, for example, the manorial court of
Southcoates was held by the Corporation of Hull
and John Stanhope, both perhaps in right of the
Salvan sixth share of 1415, Philip Constable, for the
Godard third, Thomas Dalton, for the Bygod sixth,
and John Cockerell, Ralph Brown, Richard Hogg,
and the heirs of Robert Hogg, presumably all for the
Hastings third. (fn. 60)
After the division of Southcoates manor in 1415
lands in Drypool were attached to the various shares.
By the 16th century several of these estates in Drypool were being described as 'manors', (fn. 61) and in the
early 19th century Sir Thomas Constable was regarded as lord of the manor of Drypool. The
Constables may have held manorial courts in respect
of their share, and in 1823, when Sir Thomas
Constable granted land to the parish, the vicar and
churchwardens were held to owe suit and service at
his courts. (fn. 62)
In 1086 the Archbishop of York held a berewick
of three bovates of land in Drypool and one carucate
in Southcoates; he also exercised some jurisdiction
(soke) over a further five bovates in Drypool. (fn. 63)
The archbishop's overlordship continued until at
least the early 14th century. (fn. 64) The Meaux family
held an estate under the archbishops from at least
1299 (fn. 65) until 1379, when Thomas of Meaux quitclaimed land in Drypool to John Constable and
Ralph Hastings. (fn. 66) In 1405 Hastings's former lands
were granted by the Crown, after his forfeiture for
rebellion, to Henry Lounde for life. (fn. 67) The Hastings
family may have regained this land and joined it to
their share of Southcoates manor. The Constable
part of the Meaux family holding may have been
similarly attached to the Constables' share of the
manor. (fn. 68)
Several temporal estates in Drypool and Southcoates belonged to religious houses, all of which had
land in neighbouring Sutton, too. (fn. 69) The Hull
Charterhouse property was probably in that part
of Drypool lying in Sutton parish, (fn. 70) and it may have
descended with the other Charterhouse land in
Sutton. Thornton Abbey (Lincs.) began to acquire
its estate here at least as early as 1217, when it
secured a lease of pasturage in Drypool and Southcoates; at the Dissolution its Drypool lands were
worth over £5 a year. (fn. 71) At least part of the estate,
including 1½ bovates of land, was granted to John
and Joan Constable in 1554; (fn. 72) another grant of
former Thornton land here was made in 1574–5,
to John Sonkye and Percival Gunson. (fn. 73) Meaux
Abbey may have acquired its first interest in Drypool in 1235–49, again with a lease of pasturage in
Drypool and Southcoates; at the Dissolution its
property here was worth nearly £4 a year. (fn. 74) The
estate was in that part of Drypool lying in Sutton
parish, and it may subsequently have been held with
the Meaux lands in Sutton. The property of Swine
Priory consisted of Drypool Grange, otherwise
Swine Lathes, which the priory let in 1476 for 70
years to Henry and Robert Williamson. (fn. 75) At the
Dissolution the property was worth over £8 a year. (fn. 76)
It was granted to Sir Richard Gresham in fee farm in
1540, was recovered by the Crown so that the new
Hull fortifications might be built on part of it, (fn. 77)
and the remainder was then granted in fee simple to
John Green and William Jenyns in 1554. (fn. 78) The last
two conveyed it in the same year to Thomas
Aldred, (fn. 79) who had been leasing it since the expiry
of the Williamsons' lease. (fn. 80) In 1617 Henry Aldred
conveyed it to Sir Francis Jones, of London, and
the Jones family still had it in 1623. (fn. 81) By 1628 it had
passed to Robert Dalton, (fn. 82) and thence perhaps
descended with the Dalton share of the manor.
Finally, St. James's College, Sutton, had land in
Southcoates which was granted to Sir Michael
Stanhope in 1547; (fn. 83) possibly this was the land that
belonged to Southcoates chapel. (fn. 84)
Agriculture
In 1086 the formerly cultivated land of Drypool
and Southcoates was waste; it amounted to three
carucates and five bovates all told. (fn. 85) The disposition
of the arable land during the Middle Ages is not
known, but there are early references to the common
pasture which lay in both townships. Pasturage for
400 sheep and 12 beasts in the common pasture of
Drypool is mentioned in the early 13th century,
and in Southcoates one man had pasturage for 700
sheep in 1293, another for 200 in 1303, and a third
for 100 in 1304. (fn. 86) The common pasture is first
called the 'somergang' in 1311, (fn. 87) and in 1327
pasture there for 200 sheep, 2 horses, and 4 oxen
was given towards the maintenance of a chantry in
Southcoates chapel. (fn. 88) In 1539 three 'commons' in
Summergangs were each described as for 80 sheep
and 4 horses. (fn. 89)
By the 16th century the arrangement of arable
fields and pastures becomes clearer, at least in
Southcoates. (fn. 90) The arable fields were East, West,
and Humber Fields, all lying between Summergangs
and the River Humber, and a large meadow called
South Ings lay near the Humber bank. Inclosed
pasture included the Wood, near Southcoates hamlet, and Ewelands, Chimney Land, and Corn Pasture,
all in the north-east of the township. In the south,
beyond the Humber bank, were the growths, or
groves, of unreclaimed land. (fn. 91)
The arable fields seem to have been converted
to pasture, though still used in common, by at
least the late 16th century. In 1593, for example,
East, West, and Humber Fields and South Ings were
all described as pastures, and in 1592 a grant was
made of the grass of three acres of common in
East and West Fields. (fn. 92) Subsequently rights in the
various pastures were frequently measured in nobles,
and it has been suggested that this followed a
valuation of the land made when the conversion
of arable to pasture took place. (fn. 93) Three beast-gates
were reckoned as equal to one noble. Some holdings
in the pastures included fractions of a noble,
measured in gates and in 'feet': a gate consisted of
four feet, and two feet provided pasture for a foal or
a calf. (fn. 94)
Agricultural matters were the chief concern of
the manor court in the late 16th century. Four
agisters, or keepers, of the fields were appointed, as
well as a constable, a bailiff, and pinders. Regulations
were made, for example, about pasture rights in the
fields, sheep-gates on Summergangs, and the upkeep of banks and ditches. (fn. 95)
The ancient inclosures in Southcoates included
Gallen (or Gallon) Croft and Gyme Close, as well
as the three pastures in the north-east of the township, already mentioned. By the 17th century there
was a Great Close, and Humber Field, too, had been
inclosed: in 1700 Great Close contained 9 nobles,
and Humber Field Close and Gallen Croft each
1½ noble. (fn. 96) A pasture ground of 5½ acres called
Humber Close is mentioned as early as 1636, and
may have been the same as Humber Field Close.
A close of 3 a. taken from Humber Field is mentioned
in 1717 and 1727, and on the second occasion it was
said to have been 'some years ago enclosed and
allotted in lieu of six beast gates, commonly called
thirteen shillings and four pence of grass'. (fn. 97) The
inclosure may in part have been carried out after
a decision made in 1657 by the Corporation of Hull
that Humber Field should be surveyed and divided
among the owners. (fn. 98)
With the exception of Humber Field, the first of
the common lands to be inclosed was Summergangs: (fn. 99) an agreement was made in 1748, (fn. 100) confirmed
and established by Act of Parliament in the same
year. (fn. 101) In all, 33 allotments were made, comprising
a total of 659 a. Nine allotments were of under
10 a., thirteen were of 10 a.–19 a., three of 20 a.–
29 a., five of 30 a.–39 a., and only three of 40 a. or
more. These three largest went to Charles Pool
(61 a.), Philip Wilkinson, of London (48 a.), and
William Constable, of Burton Constable (47 a.).
The parish received 15 a. Thirteen of the recipients
were inhabitants of Hull, several of them merchants,
and in addition the mayor and burgesses were allotted 37 a. Tithe rent-charges payable to Charles Pool
were established for thirty-one of the allotments,
two being already tithe-free. (fn. 102) Other provisions included the making of two dams, to prevent salt
water mixing with fresh in the ditches, and brick
bridges over the dikes.
Inclosure of one of the common fields had been
first considered in 1675, when an agreement was
drawn up for West Field but apparently not concluded. (fn. 103) The inclosure of East Field, West Field,
and South Ings was carried out by an agreement
made in 1756 and an award enrolled in 1758, (fn. 104)
confirmed by Act in 1764. (fn. 105) The agreement recited
that the fields, which were entirely freehold, consisted of 94 nobles, 11/6 gate, and one foot of land,
and it set out the details of seventeen holdings.
The owners of two holdings and of the third part
of another decided to sell out to Charles Pool. The
fifteen allotments made by the award comprised
132 a. in West Field, 126 a. in East Field, and 65 a.
in South Ings. Most of them were set out entirely in
either West or East Fields: only one included land
in both, and one—that of the mayor and burgesses
of Hull—comprised land in West Field and the whole
of South Ings. Seven of the allotments were of under
10 a., six of 10 a.–39 a., and two of 40 a. and more:
these last went to the mayor and burgesses (76 a.,
including the 65 a. of South Ings) and Charles
Pool (62 a.). Small allotments were received by the
Hull Guardians (7 a.) and the parish (21 a.). All
the allottees were to pay tithe rent-charges to Pool.
In contrast with that of Southcoates, the agricultural organization of Drypool is far from clear. That
there was arable open-field land in the early Middle
Ages is suggested by references to two selions near the
Humber and to an adjacent cultura in the mid-13th
century; one of the selions was in Neucroft, and
both abutted on Arnescroft. (fn. 106) The great southward
extension of Summergangs left, however, little room
for open fields of any size in Drypool. From the
early 16th century onwards there are references to
Kirk Field, which lay south of the village and extended eastwards to adjoin Southcoates Humber
Field. (fn. 107) A Middle Field at Drypool is referred to in
1554, (fn. 108) and a West Field in 1574–5. (fn. 109) Drypool also
had a meadow called Arnescroft and, like Southcoates, growths beyond the Humber bank.
Part of the arable land seems to have been converted to pasture by the late 16th century: Kirk
Field is described as a pasture in 1579, and there
is record of pasture for one cow there in 1570 and
for 56 cattle in 1606–7. At the latter date, however,
2 bovates in Kirk Field were sold, and its inclosure may not have been complete. (fn. 110) Again, in
1617 3½ bovates in Kirk Field were described as
lately converted to pasture and used for 31 beast
gates; but 2 more bovates there were separately
mentioned, with 3½ beast gates attached to them.
This same conveyance throws some light on the
composition of the former open fields: 6 selions were
described as once having been arable land in Kirk
Field, equally divided between East, Middle, and
Town Fields. (fn. 111) Kirk Field thus seems to have been
the name of the whole arable area in Drypool. A
cow gate there was let in 1682, but the greater part
of Kirk Field had then been recently sold by John
Dalton to the Crown for the construction of the
Citadel. (fn. 112) Various other closes are mentioned in the
17th and 18th centuries (fn. 113) and it seems likely that
Drypool's arable land was inclosed piecemeal; there
is no known inclosure by either agreement or
statute.
In the years following the Southcoates inclosures
Charles Pool's extensive holding was divided and
sold. In 1770, for example, a large part of it—62
acres and their tithe rents—went to Elizabeth
Thompson, together with some of Pool's land in
Drypool. This estate was sold by the Thompsons
in 1805 to R. C. Broadley, who about the same time
was acquiring other land in the parish, as well as
tithe rents from Pool's son. (fn. 114) The Broadleys were
the leading landowners in the 19th century.
The fields and pastures of Drypool and Southcoates required constant protection from the incursions of the Humber. Banks, or sea-dikes, were
built along the River Hull, as well as the Humber
itself, and in the 13th and 14th centuries commissions de walliis et fossatis were frequently issued
for their inspection and repair. (fn. 115) Periodically, however, the banks were broken and land in Drypool
flooded—in the mid-13th century, for example, and
in 1365 and 1401. (fn. 116) In Drypool, as elsewhere, it
was also necessary to construct sluices, or 'clows', in
the banks to exclude salt water from the land drains.
During the 16th century these matters became the
responsibility of commissioners of sewers, and the
inhabitants of Drypool and Southcoates were assessed to meet the costs. The great expense of maintaining a sea-dike led Drypool to petition in 1638
that other places should share the burden. (fn. 117) The
court of sewers apparently did not agree to this, for
a double tax was levied in Drypool to repair the
banks in 1639. (fn. 118) As the result of damage done
during the Civil War sieges of Hull, the banks in
Drypool gave way in 1646 and there was serious
flooding. Drypool bore its share of the charges for
repairs, but neighbouring townships were ordered
to provide workmen and, 'for this time only', money
as well. Nevertheless, in 1648 and 1649 two orders
were given for the sale of land in Drypool after its
owners had failed to pay their assessments towards
the work. (fn. 119)
Drypool and Southcoates were frequently assessed
during the 18th century for the repair of banks and
clows and the dressing of dikes. Between 20 and
40 people were usually assessed. In the first half of
the century the amounts raised were mostly small,
varying from £4 to £14, but after 1750 four out of
five known assessments were much higher—£33,
£50, and twice £62. Several of the assessments were
made on a total of 165 nobles of pasture. (fn. 120) The
inhabitants twice petitioned the court of sewers to
provide a door on the dike leading to Mansdale
Clow, on the River Hull, to supply them with fresh
water; in 1754 the water was wanted to fill the ditches
in the 'new enclosure'—presumably the old Summergangs—in summer. (fn. 121)
In the late 18th century, or the early 19th, new
banks were built south of the old Humber bank to
reclaim the growths. In 1816 the court of sewers
assumed responsibility for one such new bank made
by three landowners in Drypool, (fn. 122) and two banks
south of the old one are shown on maps of the 1840s
and 1850s. (fn. 123) The whole area of the old growths,
as well as additional land reclaimed from the
Humber, has since been taken up by dock works.