The East Riding of Yorkshire is a ceremonial county on the North Sea coast of England, north of the Humber estuary. It covers 2,479 km2 (957 sq mi) and had 609,661 residents at the 2021 census. Beverley is the administrative centre; Kingston upon Hull is by far the largest settlement.
The county is often shortened to the East Riding, or called East Yorkshire. Two unitary authorities run it: East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Hull City Council.
| Country | England, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Area | 2,479 km2 (957 sq mi) |
| Population (2021 census) | 609,661 |
| County town | Beverley |
| Largest settlement | Kingston upon Hull |
| Councils | East Riding of Yorkshire Council; Hull City Council |
| Highest point | Bishop Wilton Wold, 246 m (807 ft) |
| Postcode areas | HU, YO and DN |
Towns and Villages in the East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding holds 331 named towns, villages and hamlets on record. The list below gives 257 of them, split between the two councils that run the county and alphabetical within each group.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council area (230 of 304 listed)
- Adlingfleet
- Aike
- Airmyn
- Aldbrough
- Arnold
- Arram
- Atwick
- Aughton
- Balkholme
- Barmby on the Marsh
- Barmby on the Moor
- Beeford
- Bellasize
- Bempton
- Bentley
- Beswick
- Beverley
- Bewholme
- Bishop Burton
- Bishop Wilton
- Blacktoft
- Bolton
- Boynton
- Brandesburton
- Brantingham
- Breighton
- Bridlington
- Brind
- Broomfleet
- Brough
- Bubwith
- Bugthorpe
- Bursea
- Burshill
- Burstwick
- Burton Agnes
- Burton Pidsea
- Camerton
- Carnaby
- Cherry Burton
- Cotness
- Cottam Warren
- Cowlam
- Cranswick
- Dimlington
- Drewton
- Driffield
- Dunnington
- Dunswell
- Easington
- East Cottingwith
- East Cowick
- Eastrington
- Ellerker
- Ellerton
- Elloughton
- Elstronwick
- Eppleworth
- Etton
- Everingham
- Fangfoss
- Fimber
- Fitling
- Flamborough
- Foggathorpe
- Fordon
- Fraisthorpe
- Fridaythorpe
- Full Sutton
- Gardham
- Garrowby
- Garton on the Wolds
- Gembling
- Gilberdyke
- Goodmanham
- Goole
- Gowdall
- Goxhill
- Gransmoor
- Great Givendale
- Great Hatfield
- Greenoak
- Gribthorpe
- Haisthorpe
- Harlthorpe
- Harpham
- Hayton
- Hedon
- Hempholme
- Hessle
- High Garth
- High Hunsley
- Hilston
- Hollym
- Holme on the Wolds
- Holmpton
- Hook
- Hornsea
- Hotham
- Howden
- Huggate
- Hull Bridge
- Humbleton
- Hutton
- Keyingham
- Kilham
- Kilnsea
- Kilnwick
- Kilpin
- Kilpin Pike
- Kirk Ella
- Knedlington
- Lakeside Cottages
- Laxton
- Laytham
- Leconfield
- Leven
- Lissett
- Little Driffield
- Little Kelk
- Little Weighton
- Lockington
- Londesborough
- Long Riston
- Low Caythorpe
- Lowthorpe
- Lund
- Market Weighton
- Meaux
- Melbourne
- Melton
- Middleton on the Wolds
- Millington
- Moor End
- Nafferton
- New Ellerby
- Newport
- Newton upon Derwent
- North Burton
- North Cave
- North Dalton
- North Ferriby
- North Frodingham
- North Howden
- North Newbald
- Nunkeeling
- Ottringham
- Oubrough
- Ousefleet
- Owstwick
- Painsthorpe
- Patrington
- Paull
- Pocklington
- Pockthorpe
- Pollington
- Rascal Moor
- Rawcliffe
- Rawcliffe Bridge
- Reedness
- Rimswell
- Riplingham
- Rolston
- Roos
- Ross Moor
- Routh
- Rudston
- Ruston Parva
- Saltmarshe
- Sancton
- Sand Hole
- Sandholme
- Scalby
- Seaton
- Seaton Ross
- Sewerby
- Shiptonthorpe
- Skeffling
- Skelton
- Skerne
- Skidby
- Skipsea
- Skipsea Brough
- Skirpenbeck
- Sledmere
- Snaith
- South Cave
- South Dalton
- South Newbald
- Spaldington
- Sproatley
- Staddlethorpe
- Stamford Bridge
- Sutton upon Derwent
- Swanland
- Swine
- Swinefleet
- Thirtleby
- Thorngumbald
- Thornholme
- Thorpe le Street
- Thwing
- Tickton
- Tollingham
- Tunstall
- Ulrome
- Uncleby
- Walkington
- Wansford
- Warter
- Watton
- Wauldby
- Wawne
- Waxholme
- Welham Bridge
- Welton
- West Cowick
- West Ella
- Wetwang
- Whitgift
- Wilberfoss
- Willerby
- Wilsthorpe
- Winestead
- Withernsea
- Withernwick
- Wold Newton
- Wressell
- Wyton
- Yokefleet
Kingston upon Hull (27 of 27 listed)
- Anlaby
- Anlaby Common
- Bransholme
- Dairycoates
- Drypool
- East Ella
- Garrison Side
- Gipsyville
- Great Field
- Grey Legs
- Inglemire
- Kingston upon Hull
- Kingswood
- Marfleet
- Midmeredales
- Mile House
- Newland
- Saint Andrews Quay
- Sculcoates
- Stepney
- Stoneferry
- Summergangs
- Sutton Ings
- Sutton on Hull
- Trinity Court
- West Carr
- Wilmington
Geography
The county borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to the south-west, and Lincolnshire across the Humber to the south.
Three landscapes divide it. The Yorkshire Wolds form a crescent of chalk hills cut by dry valleys, ending in the cliffs of Flamborough Head. East of them lies Holderness, a flat plain of boulder clay left by glaciers, running out to the shingle spit of Spurn Point.
West of the Wolds the land drops into the Vale of York, drained by the Derwent and the Ouse. The Holderness coast erodes faster than any other in Europe, losing about two metres a year. Dozens of medieval villages have already gone into the sea.
Demographics
The 2021 census counted 266,516 people in Kingston upon Hull and 343,145 in the East Riding of Yorkshire Council area. Hull is dense and urban; the rest of the county is one of the more sparsely settled parts of England.
After Hull, the largest towns are Bridlington, Beverley, Goole, Cottingham, Hessle, Brough, Driffield, Anlaby, Hornsea, Withernsea, Pocklington and Market Weighton. Cottingham claims to be one of the largest villages in England.
The Wolds and Holderness are farming country, with populations spread across hundreds of small villages rather than concentrated in towns.
Economy and Local Life
Hull is a working port. It handles ferries to Rotterdam and Zeebrugge, container and timber traffic, and North Sea supply work. The Siemens Gamesa factory on Alexandra Dock builds offshore wind turbine blades and has made the Humber a centre of the industry.
Goole is Britain’s furthest inland port, reached from the Humber up the Ouse. Chemicals and biofuels work at Saltend, and caravan manufacturing has long been concentrated around Hull and Beverley.
The Wolds grow wheat, barley, oilseed rape and potatoes. Bridlington lands more shellfish than any other English port and is the main seaside resort, with Hornsea and Withernsea behind it. Market days include Beverley on Saturdays and Driffield on Thursdays.
History
Yorkshire was divided into three ridings; the word comes from the Old Norse for a third. The East Riding is the smallest of them and kept its own administration for centuries.
Hull was founded as a wool port by the monks of Meaux Abbey. Edward I gave it a royal charter in 1299 as Kingston upon Hull. It refused Charles I entry in 1642, an early act of the English Civil War. Its MP William Wilberforce later led the campaign against the slave trade.
The riding was abolished in 1974 and absorbed into Humberside, which was itself scrapped in 1996. The East Riding of Yorkshire then returned as a unitary authority and a ceremonial county, with Hull separate.
Getting There
The M62 ends at Hull, running west to Leeds and Manchester. The A63 carries it into the city centre and the A1079 links Hull to York. The A164 runs Beverley to the Humber Bridge, and the A165 serves the coast to Bridlington.
The Humber Bridge, opened in 1981, carries the A15 south to Lincolnshire and was the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world for sixteen years.
Hull Paragon Interchange has direct trains to London King’s Cross, Leeds and Sheffield. The Yorkshire Coast Line runs Hull to Beverley, Driffield, Bridlington and Scarborough. Humberside Airport lies across the estuary; Leeds Bradford and Doncaster are the other options. P&O ferries sail nightly from Hull to Rotterdam.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of the East Riding of Yorkshire?
609,661 at the 2021 census: 343,145 in the East Riding council area and 266,516 in Kingston upon Hull.
What is the largest town in the East Riding?
Kingston upon Hull, a city of about 267,000. Bridlington and Beverley are the largest towns outside it.
How many villages are there in the East Riding?
Gazetteers record about 331 named towns, villages and hamlets across the ceremonial county.
Which councils cover the East Riding of Yorkshire?
Two unitary authorities: East Riding of Yorkshire Council, based in Beverley, and Hull City Council.
Is East Yorkshire the same as the East Riding?
Yes. East Yorkshire is the everyday name for the same area, though it is sometimes used to mean the council area without Hull.
What are the postcodes for the East Riding?
HU covers Hull, Beverley, Hornsea and Withernsea. YO covers Bridlington, Driffield and Pocklington. DN covers Goole and the south-west.