Our History

Extracts of Descriptions edited from Langdale's Yorkshire Dictionary (1822) and Baine's Directory of the County of York (1823) and Bulmers history and Directory of East Yorkshire (1892)

The high and exposed ground occupying much of the western part of the parish reaches a height of about 140m. above sea level at Riplingham and 160m. at Hunsley. Rowley church stands at over 100m. and Little Weighton village at about 80m. above sea level. Deep and steep-sided dry valleys running back from the wold escarpment reach into the parish at Hunsley, but to the east on the wold dip slope the valleys are mostly shallow and gentle. The valleys in several places form the boundary of the parish. The chalk is almost everywhere close to the surface but deposits of gravel lie along some of the valley bottoms; chalk quarrying has been carried on at Little Weighton.

Extensive open fields and common pastures lay on the Wolds in Riplingham and Little Weighton until inclosure in 1803 and 1804; Hunsley was early inclosed, and a large part of it was devoted to a rabbit warren in the later 18th century. Rowley may have been inclosed in the 17th century.