Goodmanham

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 53.876802
longitude= -0.648794
official_name= Goodmanham
population= 218 (2001 census)
civil_parish= Goodmanham
unitary_england = East Riding of Yorkshire
region= Yorkshire and the Humber
lieutenancy_england= East Riding of Yorkshire
constituency_westminster= East Yorkshire
post_town= YORK
postcode_district = YO43
postcode_area= YO
dial_code= 01430
os_grid_reference= SE889431

Goodmanham (alias Godmundin Gaham) is a small village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately Convert|2|mi|km|lk=on to the north-east of Market Weighton. The village is situated on the Yorkshire Wolds Way long distance footpath.According to the 2001 UK census, Goodmanham parish had a population of 218.cite web
url = http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=790965&c=Goodmanham&d=16&e=15&g=391458&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1210976815269&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779
title = 2001 Census: Key Statistics: Parish Headcounts: Area: Goodmanham CP (Parish)
accessdate = 2008-05-16
work = Neighbourhood Statistics
publisher = Office for National Statistics]

It was a parish in the wapentake of Harthill.

The village is built in a favourable position on a south-facing slope of the Yorkshire Wolds between two streams. It has a copious supply of water from numerous springs and naturally-occurring limestone for building. The land is extraordinarily fertile in this region and people have lived here since prehistoric times.

The earliest traces of settlement are from the stone age. There are many ancient burial sites. The boundaries of the village lie along the lines of ancient earthworks and these are evidence that it was a prehistoric place of worship. Near the western boundary of the village lies one of the most ancient roads of Britain, later adopted by the Romans. Settlement at this time is indicated by finds of Samian ware and coins of the period. Later in Saxon times, after the recall of the Roman legions, the village reached a position of great importance and fame. It became the site of the high shrine of Northumbria, a great temple of Woden, the father of the gods. The dramatic overthrow of this temple in 627 AD by the high priest Coifi upon the conversion of King Edwin of Northumbria is related by St Bede in his History of the English Church and People (Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum).

"I have known long since" [Coifi] said, "that there is nothing in this religion that we have professed...the more I sought the truth of it the less I found...this can give us life salvation and eternal happiness...I advise that we burn the useless sanctuary - and who better than myself as an example?" ["Arthur Mee's 1000 Heroes"]

So saying, he borrowed a war stallion and a war axe, both of which were forbidden to him as a priest. He galloped to the temple and flung the weapon into the holy place. Seeing that no harm came to him, the company that followed him demolished the shrine and burned it to the ground.

It is often said that Coifi rode from Edwin's council in York to destroy the temple at Goodmanham, a distance of around Convert|20|mi|km|lk=on. Local tradition has it that the ride was from the king's summer camp at Londesborough, which is two miles from Goodmanham.

Although Goodmanham is very near to York, the capital of Viking England, we have no information about Goodmanham from that period. It is next found as a listing in the Domesday book produced under William the Conqueror at the time of the Norman conquest. A few names of resident farmers are given: Colgri, Orm, Norman, William de Coleville. These names show the presence of Normans now occupying the land.

The church of All Hallows now stands on or near the site of the original pagan temple. This church dates from around 1130 AD and replaces an earlier one of wooden construction built in the Saxon period. A tumulus, located to the south-west of the village, is also supposed to contain ruins. One of the many sacred wells in Britain dedicated to St Helena is located nearby. [http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/6064]

References

* Langdale, Thomas, "A Topographical Dictionary of Yorkshire", 1822
* Baines, Edward, "History, Directory and Gazetteer of the County of York", 1823
* Purvis, Rev J.S., Rector of Goodmanham, "Goodmanham Church and Village", c 1945
* Whelan, Edna, & Taylor, Ian, "Yorkshire Holy Wells and Sacred Springs", Northern Lights, Dunnington, 1989

External links

* [http://www.goodmanhamparishcouncil.org.uk Goodmanham Parish Council's Website]
* [http://www.wicstun.com/goodman.html Goodmanham on Market Weighton's website]
* [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/ERY/Goodmanham/ The Ancient Parish of Goodmanham]
* [http://www.thenortheast.fsnet.co.uk/KingdomofNorthumbria.htm#CONVERSION History of the Kingdom of Northumbria - Edwin's conversion]