Hessle 1817

Few towns in England have districts annexed to them of larger extent that those of Hull; the jurisdiction of whose magistrates includes a space of upwards of eighteen miles in circumference towards the west and north-west. Leaving the town of Hull, and proceeding nearly due west about four miles, we come to the town of Hessel, Hesyl ,or Hessle.

This village is situated near the Humber, at the distance of about four miles west of Kingston upon Hull within the County of the said town. The parish of Hessle was formerly the lordship of the family of Stutevilles, which ending in Nicholas de Stuteville, Joan his daughter, in the reign of King Henry the Third, carried this with many other fair estates, amongst which was the lordship of Cottingham, to Hugh de Wake. She outlived her husband, and in her widowhood, as was usual with heiresses, called herself Joan de Stuteville. The impression of her seal was a woman on horseback riding sideways, and holding her bridle in her right hand, because she was the first, says our authority, that began the custom now in use for women to ride sideways; so that our historians are in a mistake, who make Ann, King Richard the Second’s queen, and daughter of Wencislaus the Emperor, the first who introduced that fashion. She died in the fourth year of Edward I. and left this and her other estates to Baldwin de Wake, her son and heir.

Here is a free school for twenty scholars; but the endowment is only five pounds per annum, with a house for the master. Three poor widows have each a room to live in, and twenty shillings a year. Near the road leading from hence to North Ferriby at Hesslewood is a very handsome mansion, the country residence of Joseph Robinson Pease, Esq, Banker.