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{{Infobox UK place
|country = England
|official_name = Howden
|latitude = 53.744111
|longitude = -0.863416
|civil_parish = Howden
|population = 4,142
|population_ref = ([[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 census]])<ref name="2011 census"/>
|unitary_england = [[East Riding of Yorkshire]]
|region = Yorkshire and the Humber
|lieutenancy_england = [[East Riding of Yorkshire]]
|constituency_westminster = [[Haltemprice and Howden (UK Parliament constituency)|Haltemprice and Howden]]
|post_town = GOOLE
|postcode_district = DN14
|postcode_area = DN
|dial_code = 01430
|os_grid_reference = SE749281
|static_image = [[File:Howden Minster and Market Cross - geograph.org.uk - 202928.jpg|240px]]
|static_image_caption = [[Howden Minster]] and Market Cross
}}
'''Howden''' is a small [[market town]] and [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in the [[East Riding of Yorkshire]], [[England]]. It lies north of the [[M62 motorway|M62]], on the [[A614 road]] about {{Convert|17|mi|km}} south-east of [[York]] and {{convert|3|mi|km}} north of [[Goole]]. Howden lies within the Parliamentary constituency of [[Haltemprice and Howden (UK Parliament constituency)|Haltemprice and Howden]] an area that mainly consists of middle class suburbs, towns and villages. The area is affluent and has one of the highest proportions of owner-occupiers in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/haltempriceandhowden/|title=Haltemprice and Howden|accessdate=11 May 2015|work = UK Polling Report}}</ref>
[[William the Conqueror]] gave the town to the [[Bishop of Durham|Bishops of Durham]] in 1080.<ref name="Howdenminster">{{cite web
|publisher=Howden Minster.net
|title=Howdenminster.net
|url=http://www.howdenminster.net/
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214025653/http://www.howdenminster.net/
|archivedate=14 February 2007
|accessdate=20 July 2006
}}</ref> The [[wapentake]] of [[Howdenshire]] was named after the town.
==Geography==
Howden is situated on the [[A614 road|A614]], although the town itself has been bypassed. Howden lies close to the [[M62 motorway|M62]] and the [[M18 motorway (Great Britain)|M18]] motorways, nearby to [[Goole]] which lies at the opposite side of the [[River Ouse, Yorkshire|River Ouse]]. The town is served by [[Howden railway station]], which is situated in [[North Howden]] and has services to [[Leeds]], [[Selby]], [[London]] and [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]].
Howden is surrounded by largely flat land and in some places [[marshland]]. Much of the land surrounding Howden is separated by many drainage dykes.
[[File:Howden Town Centre.JPG|thumb|left|Howden town square]]
==Early history==
One of the earliest recorded parts of Howden's history is [[Edgar of England|King Edgar of England]] giving his first wife, Ethelfleda, Howden Manor in 959 AD,<ref name="Howdenhistorynotes">{{cite web
|publisher=Historical Howden
|title=Notes on the history of Howden
|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20110605235552/http://uk.geocities.com/deko476/history.htm
|accessdate=20 July 2006
|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060829014205/http://uk.geocities.com/deko476/history.htm|archivedate=29 August 2006}}</ref> the beginnings of a long connection with the [[Noble court|royal court]] of [[England]]. In 1080, William the Conqueror gave the town, including its church, which later became the minster, to the [[Bishop of Durham]], who promptly conferred the church upon the [[monk]]s of [[Durham, England|Durham]]. However, he kept Howden Manor for himself. Records show that the church was at first a [[rectory]], but conflicting records also show that Hugh, Prior of Durham, was given a [[Papal bull|bull]] from [[Pope Gregory IX]] for appropriating the church towards the maintenance of 16 monks.<ref>{{cite web | author= genuki.org.uk| title=The history of Howden's church.| work= | url= http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/ERY/Howden/HowdenHistory.html| accessdate=20 July 2006 }}</ref> Howden's royal connections continued when in 1191, [[John of England|Prince John]] spent Christmas in Howden. Nine years later, John, now King of England, granted Howden the right to hold an annual fair.<ref name="Howdenhistorynotes"/>
[[File:Howden Minster.jpg|thumb|left|A view of the south face of Howden Minster]]
In 1228, work began on the current [[Howden Minster]], though it was not finished until the 15th century when the chapter house and top of the tower was added by Bishop [[Walter de Skirlaw]].
In the 14th and 15th centuries, Howden became a centre for [[pilgrims]] because of [[John of Howden]]'s alleged miracles in the latter part of the 13th century.<ref>{{cite web | work= Historical Howden| title=Myths about Howden| url= http://uk.geocities.com/deko476/myths.htm | accessdate=20 July 2006 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060503200250/http://uk.geocities.com/deko476/myths.htm|archivedate=3 May 2006}}</ref>
The most prolific of these tales was that John of Howden, at his funeral in 1275, raised his arms from his open coffin during his requiem mass to greet the host. As such, he has become regarded as a saint, though the Catholic Church has never made this official. Through the pilgrims, Howden received the money that it needed to complete the minster, fulfilling John of Howden's prophecy that he would continue aiding the minster from beyond the grave.
Howden's Workhouse
From 1665–1794, a site on Pinfold Street in Howden was used as a lodging house for the needy. A [[workhouse]] was then opened on the site which included a manufactory, stone-breaking yard, cowshed, and prison. A parliamentary report of 1776 listed the parish workhouse at Howden as being able to accommodate up to 20 inmates.
After 1834
Howden Poor Law Union was formed on 4 February 1837. Its operation was overseen by an elected Board of Guardians, 42 in number, representing its 40 constituent parishes as listed below (figures in brackets indicate numbers of Guardians if more than one):
East Riding: [[Asselby]], Aughton, Backenholme with Woodale, Balkholme, Barmby-on-the-Marsh, Belby, [[Bellasize]], Blacktoft, Breighton, Broomfleet, Bubwith, North Cave with Drewton Everthorpe, Cheapsides, Cotness, Eastrington, Elberton Priory, Flaxfleet, [[Foggathorpe]], Gilberdyke, Gribthorpe, Harlthorpe, Hemingbrough, [[Holme-on-Spalding-Moor|Holme upon Spalding Moor]], Hotham, Howden (2), Kilpin, [[Knedlington]], Latham, Loxton, Metham, Newport Wallingfen, New Village, Newsham & Brind and Wressle & Loftsome, Portington & Cavil, Saltmarsh, Scalby, Skelton, Spaldington, Thorpe, Willitoft, Yokefleet.
The population falling within the union at the 1831 census had been 12,728 with parishes ranging in size from Cotness (population 29) to Howden itself (2,130). The average annual poor-rate expenditure for the period 1834–36 had been £6,263.
Initially, the Howden Guardians declined to build a new workhouse but made use of the existing parish workhouses in Howden, Holme and Cave. However, in 1839, following persuasion by the region's Assistant Poor Law Commsissioner John Revans, a new building was erected on the south side of Knedlington Road. It was designed by Weightman and Hadfield of [[Sheffield]].
== Ruin of Howden's minster ==
[[File:Howden Minster Stones.jpg|thumb|right|Some of the original stones from the ruins of Howden Minster]]
In 1548, [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]] dissolved the Collegiate churches, including Howden. During her reign, [[Elizabeth I]] gave the revenues of the Manor of Howden to local landowners. But these landowners refused to repair the choir of the church,<ref name="Howdenminster"/> which eventually fell into ruin.
The minster fell into further ruin during the [[English Civil War]], when the [[Roundhead|Parliamentarians]] used it as a stable during their stay on the way to lay siege to [[Wressle Castle]]. The troops damaged the interior extensively, destroying the [[pipe organ|organ]], much of the wooden structures, and damaging some of the masonry. It is said that when leaving the town they were playing the pipes of the organ like [[penny whistle]]s.<ref name="Howdenminster"/>
On the night of 29 September 1696, after nearly 150 years of neglect, the roof of the choir fell down. The minster ruins were left where they fell until 1748 when the site was cleared, and the townsfolk took them for their own. Many used the masonry as building stones.<ref name="Howdenminster"/>
== 19th century ==
In the early 19th century Howden became famous throughout Europe for its horse fair, held every September. In [[Georgian period in British history|Georgian times]], the fair was quoted in ''The Sporting Magazine'' in 1807 as being the "largest fair for horses in the Kingdom".<ref name="Howdenhorsefair">{{cite web
|work=Historical Howden
|title=Howden Horse Fair
|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20110716180320/http://uk.geocities.com/deko476/horse_fair.htm
|accessdate=20 July 2006
|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060503201031/http://uk.geocities.com/deko476/horse_fair.htm|archivedate=3 May 2006}}</ref>
The fair, at its height, attracted all the principal horse dealers from every part of the United Kingdom. It is estimated that up to 4,000 horses were displayed for sale every day of the fair and that the total worth of this kind of sale was £200,000.<ref name="Howdenhorsefair"/>
Representatives of the [[British Army]] attended the fair, and it is thought that [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Wellington's]] cavalry used horses bought at Howden in the [[Napoleonic Wars]].
Howden Floral and Horticultural Society was formed in 1854 and held its first exhibition on Thursday 16 August 1855. This took place in the field adjoining the Bishop's Manor House, which was kindly lent by Mr G.Clark.
Due to the outbreak of the First and Second World Wars, the shows were halted from 1914 to 1920 and again between 1940 and 1946, but have been held every year since. The hundredth Howden Show was held in 1979 and it was then that it became a two-day event.
In 2007 the show returned to its traditional home in The Ashes and also reverted to its original one-day format.
The annual Howden Horticultural and Agricultural show is now held on the first Sunday in July.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.howdenshow.co.uk |title=Howden Show|accessdate=2 February 2015}}</ref>
Howden's [[architecture]] is chiefly from the Georgian and [[Victorian architecture|Victorian era]], most of the town centre exclusively being built in this period. Most of Howden's pubs were built during this time, and it is said that, at one point, there were more pubs in Howden per square half mile than anywhere else in the country.<ref>{{cite web | author= Yorkshire Tours| title=Profile of Howden.| work= | url= http://www.chromavision.co.uk/yt/howden.htm| accessdate=20 July 2006 }}</ref>
One notable piece of architecture from this period is the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart located at the junction of Knedlington Road and Buttfield Road. It is one of the early works of the distinguished architect, [[Joseph Aloysius Hansom]], who later became famous for designing the [[hansom cab]]. However Hansom's greatest achievements were the churches (mostly Catholic) he designed, the most notable of which are [[Church of St. Walburge, Preston|St Walburge's]] in [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]] (the church with the highest spire in England), the [[Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Manchester|Holy Name]] in [[Manchester]] and what is now [[Arundel Cathedral]]. The Sacred Heart Church in Howden was opened in 1850 and is comparatively modest in size and simple in design, but nevertheless is clearly a work of some distinction.
Howden's first railway station opened in 1840 and a [[South Howden railway station|second]] on the [[Hull and Barnsley Railway]] was open between 1885 and 1955.<ref>{{Butt-Stations}}</ref>
The town was the scene of an [[Howden rail crash|early rail disaster]] which killed five passengers when a large iron casting fell from a wagon, and derailed the train. It was one of the first accidents to be investigated by the new [[Railway Inspectorate]].
== 20th century ==
[[File:Shute plaque.jpg|thumb|left|The plaque commemorating Nevil Shute on 78, Hailgate]]
During the [[First World War]] the British Admiralty needed a suitable site in north-east England for a new airship station to protect the ports and ships from the threat of attack by German [[U-boats]]. [[RNAS Howden]] opened in 1916 with its [[airship hangar]]s. It provided not only protection for shipping along the east coast, but also jobs for hundreds of civilians. This helped to turn round the town's fortunes, which had been suffering since the building of the port at nearby Goole, and the passing of the horse fairs.<ref>{{cite web | work= Historical Howden| title=Howden RNAS | url= http://uk.geocities.com/deko476/RNAS.htm| accessdate=20 July 2006 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060901031716/http://uk.geocities.com/deko476/RNAS.htm|archivedate=1 September 2006}}</ref>
The airship station was closed following the abandonment of rigid airship development after the war and sold to a private developer, but with the establishment of the [[Imperial Airship Scheme]] in 1924 was bought by [[Vickers]] for the construction of the airship [[R100]]. The author [[Nevil Shute]] Norway was part of the team that created the [[R100]], working under [[Barnes Wallis]], the engineer and later designer of the [[Vickers Wellington]] bomber, and inventor of the [[bouncing bomb]]. Shute lived at number 78 Hailgate, and a plaque is now fixed to the house to commemorate this.<ref>{{cite web | work= Historical Howden| title=Neville Shute in Howden | url= http://uk.geocities.com/deko476/nev_shute.htm| accessdate=20 July 2006 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060503200711/http://uk.geocities.com/deko476/nev_shute.htm|archivedate=3 May 2006}}</ref>
Shute is not always popular in Howden, because of what he wrote in his autobiography:
<blockquote>''"The lads were what one would expect, straight from the plough, but the girls were an eye-opener. They were brutish and uncouth, filthy in appearance and in habits. Things may have changed since then – I hope they have. Perhaps the girls in very isolated districts such as that had less opportunity than their brothers for getting into the market and making contact with civilisation; I can only record the fact that these girls straight off the farms were the lowest types that I have ever seen in England, and incredibly foul-mouthed."'' </blockquote> – ''Slide Rule: Autobiography of an Engineer'', Nevil Shute, 1954.
In 1932, Howden Minster's renovations were completed, and its bells chimed every 15 minutes, a tradition that continues to this day.
It is popularly believed that on the night of 24 June 1954 the historian [[A.J.P. Taylor]] spent the night at the Wellington Hotel, and that he broke a water jug and a shaving mirror while staying there. However, this is untrue, as Taylor spent the night at the Bowman’s Hotel, next door to the Wellington. It is also untrue that he broke the jug and mirror. Instead, he broke his wrist falling from the unusually high bed.<ref>{{cite book|last=Burk|first=Kathleen |title=Troublemaker: The Life and History of A.J.P. Taylor|year=2002|publisher=Yale University Press|page=193}}</ref>
In the latter part of the mid-20th century, two banks and a Co-op, the town's largest grocery store, opened, giving the people of Howden a more convenient [[infrastructure]].
== 21st century modernisation ==
[[File:PA office in Howden.jpg|thumb|left|The main offices of the Press Association in Howden on Bridgegate.]]
In late 2003 the [[Press Association]] (PA) completed building work on what it calls its 'Operations Centre', despite notable opposition from the residents of Howden, and it stands on the site of the old Georgian police station. This left Howden without a police presence in the town until late 2005. The building was officially opened by the [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales]], continuing Howden's relations with the Royal Family.
PA has several hundred employees, most of whom have been brought into the town from [[Leeds]] and [[London]], at this building and others in the town. The local public transport facilities have proved inadequate for many staff who commute, as much of the work is done round the clock. This has led to considerable strain being put on Howden's parking facilities, leading to the creation of a Controlled Parking Zone embracing most of the central area of the town.
Online retailer [[Ebuyer|Ebuyer.com]] also recently relocated their headquarters from [[Sheffield]] to Howden. Their vast warehouse and office building is on Ferry Road, close to [[Howdendyke]]. Adjacent to the Ebuyer.com headquarters is that of [[Wren Kitchens]] along with a new warehouse and distribution centre. This new development is in partnership with Ebuyer.
Plans for the further development of Howden include a permanent set of traffic lights, more housing and an industrial estate.
Howden Minster is currently undergoing another renovation, with the aid of [[English Heritage]]. The Minster hopes to raise £300,000 in the next two years.<ref name="Howdenminster"/> The famous Yorkshire wood carver, [[Robert (Mouseman) Thompson|Mousy Thompson]] of [[Kilburn, North Yorkshire|Kilburn]], made the fine choir stalls and much of the other minster furnishings, as seen on Look North. Children love to hunt for the 30+ Thompson mice hidden around the Minster.
Howden was featured in ''[[The Times]]'' top 20 list of places with the best standard of living in the UK in 2005.<ref>{{cite news | publisher= The Times| title=The North-South divide is a bit rich, say banks| work= | url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article754566.ece| date= 8 December 2005| accessdate=20 July 2006 | location=London | first=David | last=Rose}}</ref>
== Politics ==
The parliamentary seat of [[Haltemprice and Howden (UK Parliament constituency)|Howden and Haltemprice]] is held by [[David Davis (British politician)|David Davis]], the former [[Shadow Home Secretary]]. According to the [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 UK census]] the [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] of Howden had a population of 4,142,<ref name="2011 census">{{cite web
| url = http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11124855&c=howden&d=16&e=62&g=6380944&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1360086388676&enc=1
| title = Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics: Area: Howden CP (Parish)
| work = Neighbourhood Statistics
| publisher = [[Office for National Statistics]]
| accessdate = 5 February 2013}}</ref> an increase on the [[United Kingdom Census 2001|2001 UK census]] figure of 3,810.<ref name="2001 census">{{cite web
|url = http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=790982&c=Howden&d=16&e=15&g=390913&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779
|title = 2001 Census: Key Statistics: Parish Headcounts: Area: Howden CP (Parish)
|accessdate = 6 February 2008
|publisher = [[Office for National Statistics]]
}}</ref> The civil parish also includes [[North Howden]] and part of [[Boothferry]].
The current Howden town councillor is Mark Preston, of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]].
==See also==
*[[Howden School and Technology College]]
*[[Howden rail crash]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book|title=The History of the Workhouse in Britain |first=Peter |last=Higginbotham <!--|accessdate= 3 April 2011-->}}
*{{cite book|title=Gazetteer — A–Z of Towns Villages and Hamlets|year=2006|publisher=East Riding of Yorkshire Council|page=7<!--|accessdate=8 February 2011-->}}
{{Refend}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Howden}}
*{{OpenDomesday|OS=SE7428|name=howden|display=Howden}}
{{Portalbar|Yorkshire|England|United Kingdom}}
{{East Yorkshire|state=collapsed}}
[[Category:Market towns in the East Riding of Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in the East Riding of Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Towns in the East Riding of Yorkshire]]
{{usedwp|Howden}}