Faxfleet

Faxfleet is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Blacktoft, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately 6 miles (10 km) west of Brough, and 9 miles (14 km) east of Howden, at the start of the Humber, on the north bank, where the River Ouse and the River Trent meet.^[1][2] In 1931 the parish had a population of 151.^[3] Just to the east of the hamlet is the entrance lock for the Weighton Canal, and also Whitton Island in the Humber.^[4][5]

History

There is evidence of Roman activity in the area, and it has been suggested that Faxfleet was the site of a small port.^[6] The name is first recorded in a Knights Templar document from 1185 as Faxflete; there is no record in the Domesday Book of a settlement at Faxfleet.^[7] The first element is possibly a personal name, Faxi, of Old Norse origin, or it is possibly from Feax, an Old English word meaning coarse grass. The suffix of fleet, indicates a river channel, or beck.^[8][9] Faxfleet was the location of the Faxfleet Preceptory, a former community of the Knights Templar, the only preceptory of this order in the East Riding.^[10] It was one of Yorkshire's principal preceptories, valued at more than £290 (equivalent to £ in ) when it was closed in 1308.^[11] The manor was inherited in 1311 by Joanna, widow of Alexander Comyn.^[12]

In 1823 Faxfleet was listed as in the Wapentake of Harthill. Population was 163, with occupations including three farmers and a brick & tile maker. There was a gentleman who lived at the Hall, and two yeomen.^[13]

Faxfleet was formerly a township in the parish of South Cave,^[14] from 1866 Faxfleet was a civil parish in its own right, on 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Blacktoft.^[15]

Faxfleet lies within the constituency of Goole and Pocklington.^[16]

Population

Since 1935, the hamlet has been within the civil parish of Blacktoft, which at the 2011 census, had a population of 322.^[19]

References

1. ^ Hall 1892, p. 169.
2. ^ Woodward, Grant (1 August 2016). "City's old docks enjoy new lease of life". The Yorkshire Post. p. 18. ISSN 0140-0460 Separating Yorkshire from Lincolnshire, the Humber is formed from the confluence of two others, the Ouse and the Trent. They merge at Faxfleet, six miles eats of Goole.
3. ^ "Population statistics Faxfleet Tn/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
4. ^ Allison, Keith John (1976). The East-Riding of Yorkshire landscape. London: Hodder & Stoughton. p. 214. ISBN 0-3401-5821-2.
5. ^ Irving, Henry (1983). The tidal havens of the Wash and Humber. St Ives: Imray, Laurie, Norie & Wilson. p. 50. ISBN 0-8528-8085-5.
6. ^ Pye, Kenneth & Allen, John R. L. (2000). Coastal and estuarine environments: sedimentology, geomorphology and geoarchaeology. London: The geological society. p. 421. ISBN 1862390703.
7. ^ Daniel, P. & Moore, R. (2014). "Broomfleet, Tongue Lane: Archaeological Monitoring and Recording 2014: Interim Report". Network Archaeology. Lincoln: Network Archaeology Northern Office. doi:10.5284/1105704
8. ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names. 4 ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 176. OCLC 1228215388
9. ^ Smith, A. H. (1970 [1937]). Place-names of East Riding of Yorkshire and York. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 224. ISBN 0-521-04907-5.
10. ^ Martin, E. J. R (1932). "The Templars in Yorkshire". Yorkshire Archaeological Journal. 30: 155. Leeds: Yorkshire Archaeological Society. OCLC 955229014
11. ^ Martin, E. J. R (1929). "The Templars in Yorkshire". Yorkshire Archaeological Journal. 29: 369. Leeds: Yorkshire Archaeological Society. OCLC 955229014
12. ^ Martin, E. J. R (1932). "The Templars in Yorkshire". Yorkshire Archaeological Journal. 30: 153. Leeds: Yorkshire Archaeological Society. OCLC 955229014
13. ^ Baines, Edward (1823). History, Directory and Gazetteer of the County of York. p. 203.
14. ^ Hall 1892, p. 1.
15. ^ "Relationships and changes Faxfleet Tn/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
16. ^ "Election Maps". ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2025. Click on the boundary tab on the left and activate Civil Parish and Westminster Constituencies
17. ^ The Victoria history of the county of York. vol 3. London: Constable & Co. 1907. p. 492. OCLC 500092527
18. ^ "Faxfleet Tn/CP". visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
19. ^

• Gazetteer — A–Z of Towns Villages and Hamlets. East Riding of Yorkshire Council. 2006. p. 5.

Sources

• Hall, John George (1892). A history of South Cave and of other parishes in the East Riding of the county of York. Hull: Ombler. OCLC 1046574520