Historical Events

The great flood of the River Rye, Yorkshire, occurred on October 28th 1754. Described as a ‘sudden inundation’, the flood caused extensive damage to the village of Helmsley along with the loss of dwellings, businesses, livestock and a fair number of bridges that crossed over the river. It was on a scale that had ‘never […]

The Domesday Book was compiled by William I in 1086-7. Having defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror wanted to take stock of exactly who owned what in mediaeval England. So, he commissioned a comprehensive survey to know just what he had inherited. After his conquest, William took 20% […]

The distinctive Cross of Lorraine with its double horizontal bars was originally a heraldic cross. Also known as the Cross of Anjou and the Patriarchal Cross, the symbolic cross has one vertical bar and two parallel cross bars, typically of different lengths with the top bar shorter than the lower one. However, variations including the […]