Holm Hill ~ Ancient Mound in Grimsby
Holm Hill was so named by the Saxons and was ‘centrically situated between two Havens’
Here’s our attempt to collate as much information on it as possible, what follows is an exploratory article of snippets of historic information and opinions which I hope will evolve into something solid and conclusive
Holm (or Holme Hill ) Hill was a man-made mound and must have been an incredible site.
This modern map shows the location, the field area roughly in the centre backing onto Heneage Road.
It was 2,000 feet long, 300 feet wide and had a sloped height of 180 feet - it covered some 12 acres of land in total !
The old river haven actually ran up against the bottom of the hill.
It is suggested that this was a defensive position and that the most important of the early Grimbarians would have made their home here along with a ‘military’ presence.
Because it overlooked the river it was clearly of strategic use in terms of defence but was also possibly used to protect some of the other nearby hills on which druids and their followers lived.
It is claimed that there was a Roman Fort on top of Holm Hill at one point but that it was subsequently destroyed by invading Saxons.
The area shown as Brick & Tile Works
Map from 1887
We’ll be adding to this and hoping to illustrate it with a map showing the exact location as well as providing more information in the form of comments.
If you know of anything not yet covered or have any opinions please do share them - thank you
All the best
Rod
Please see also the related articles on
Toote Hill ~ Holm Hill ~ Abbey Hill ~ Cun Hu ~ Sand Hill ~ Ellyll ~ Spittal ~ Chapel Hill ~ Mill Hill
Rod said,
December 19, 2009 @ 7:40 pm
Updated with maps
Amiguru said,
January 8, 2010 @ 6:32 pm
Hi Rod,
I was hunting for Little Cotes Abbey would you believe! When you read the extent of it I think Oliver’s map is fully vindicated yet again.
Just a little casual reference I hit upon almost accidentally this evening
Holme, sometimes called South Holm, was a vill and manor in the parish of Clee, at the north-western boundary of that parish, and therefore adjoining Great Grimsby. The site now forms part of the municipal borough of Grimsby, and the name of Holme Hill survives to specify the district immediately to the east of Hainton square, in Grimsby, where St. Luke’s church, St. Andrew’s vicarage, the Holme Hill council schools, etc., are situated. No more than a mound, the site of St. Mary’s Roman church, now remains to represent Holme Hill; but a hundred years ago the hill was one hundred and sixty feet high, and covered twelve acres. Fifty years ago to anyone facing eastwards from what is now Hainton square it appeared as a nearly perpendicular cliff from forty to fifty feet high, which in about ten years time was levelled, the materials being used by builders. The manor belonged to Grimsby abbey, and it is spoken of in 1316 as the manor of Holme, Weelsby, and Clee. In 1314 the abbot and convent of Grimsby founded two chantries in the chapel of St. Nicholas at Holme, the one in honour of the blessed Virgin Mary, and the other for the souls of John de Jordeburgh and Elizabeth his wife, who had given to the abbey twenty librates of land in the vills of Clee and Weelsby. In 1316 the abbot and convent founded another chantry in the chapel for the souls of Thomas de Skirbeck and Ralph his son and Ralph’s wife Beatrice, Ralph having given to the abbey land in the vills and fields of Holme, Weelsby, and Bradley. The Friars minors of Grimsby obtained a licence, 30 June, 1313, to make a subterranean conduit from Holm to their house in Grimsby through the soil of the king’s land, and of that of John Yoruburgh and Ralph de Skirbek in Holm.
Oh and by the way it is fully referenced……
I think its time to get the claret out again.
Sleuthily,
le
N
Amiguru said,
January 8, 2010 @ 6:39 pm
Rod,
le
P.S. If only we had opened our eyes……its marked in large capital letters on the 1887 map
N
Rod said,
January 8, 2010 @ 6:55 pm
Neville,
that’s a great reference and as you say ties in nicely with any calculations using Oliver’s map - I think we can be fairly confident of general locations for others hills based on measurements using the map and the first stab above being pretty accurate
Fabulous !
Rod
Amiguru said,
January 8, 2010 @ 7:32 pm
Rod,
Holme Hill School 1906.
http://www.tappin-family.org.uk/images/Card-1-051.jpg
Regards,
le
N
Amiguru said,
April 28, 2010 @ 11:39 pm
Rod,
Just found another reference to Holm Hill in “The Geology of………….. Lincolnshire.” by Clement Reid FGS 1885
“From the amount of water it would appear that sand must extend for some distance under the Boidder Clay ; and it is probable that the bed is continuous with that outcropping in Laceby Beck, and bordering on the Marsh between Little Coates and Grimsby.
In Grimsby itself, close to the Roman Catholic Church, a small sand-hill rose above the level of the Marsh, but has lately been almost entirely dug away. It showed sandy Gravel with rare shell fragments, including portion of Yetius gallina, overlaid by a much weathered mottled stony Boulder Clay, with little or no Chalk.”
Regards,
Neville
Rod said,
April 29, 2010 @ 7:32 am
Neville,
very interesting indeed- I’ll need to get some maps out - Laceby Beck always catches my attention.
The church reference certainly pins down the location theory as correct Neville - looks like we’ve got this one for sure now.
Thanks and regards
Rod
Peter Mullins said,
April 29, 2010 @ 1:56 pm
So what do we make of the origins of these (mainly sandy) hills? Is it ‘erratic’ (i.e. random) glacial deposit? Or is it remnants of coastal dunes?
Rod said,
April 29, 2010 @ 7:22 pm
Peter,
I wouldn’t like to say as whatever I do say would be guess-workish.
I imagine most of the hills were primarily natural with some man-made topping.
We’d need to know the make up of the soil to make any real headway. We know there’s shells and the like in there but was that part of the ‘natural’ or the subsequent building of of some of the sites ?
Given the general locations my guess would be they’re coastal based and of prehistoric origin Peter
Best
Rod
Amiguru said,
April 29, 2010 @ 9:53 pm
Rod and Peter,
Two contributing factors come to mind. It seems that the boulder clay east of the Wolds is due to glacial erosion of the soft upper chalk. This is born out by it containing erratics from as far afield as Cumberland, The Cheviots and Scandinavia. On top of that and interleaving it, we have sand/gravel beds which were probable innundations of the sea over a long prehistoric periods.
At the risk of boring everyone else, here is the preceding paragraph or so of the above quote from Reid’s book:
“At Great Coates there is an interesting inlier, cut into by the Beck. A pit a short distance from the north-east side shows-
Chalky Purple Boulder Clay (on the higher ground) - - 1 to 5 feet
Gravelly Sand, with shell fragments principally near the top 12 feet
This pit was deepened till water was reached, and shows that the base of the sand must be below the level of the marsh, which is about the level of ordinary high tides. Mr. Cordeaux and myself obtained here the 17 species of mollusca given in the table. They are very fragmentary, though small light shells are sometimes little injured. Special attention was paid to this pit, as it is one of the few places where Boulder Clay can be clearly seen in section vertically over the shelly Gravels.
The same Sand Bed passes under the Boulder Clay on which Great Coates is built, and supplies the wells, Mr. Cordeaux also informs me that in lowering the cellar at his house this bed was cut into, and yielded such a constant supply of water that a special drain had to be constructed to carry it away.”
Summarising my opinion on the basis of both this and the reportage of other writers; I believe that there were isolated high points in a somewhat marshy environment and that in more recent prehistoric times, say 5,000 years ago people chose to live there as the situation offered a natural defensive moat in the form of those marshes. They then apparently built artificial hills on the tops for better security.
I hope all this makes sense.
Regards,
Neville
Rod said,
April 30, 2010 @ 8:24 am
Neville,
I’m always looking for interesting bits of stone or artefacts when I’m out - now Im going to be looking at the make up of the ground as well.
I’ll go out today and have a look at what’s about in the area - you’ll be a loss to that teaching caper Neville. . .
You seem to be able to inspire an interest in things.
Best
Rod
History Hunter said,
October 18, 2010 @ 12:24 am
Last week while doing taxi service for my dad, i asked him the whereabouts of Holme Hill. As it happens we had just crossed the Victor Street and Wellington Street junction heading towards Freeman Street at the time. He pointed to his left and said that that was the Holme Hill area. He had pointed towards the St Mary’s On The Sea Church and Holme Hill School, which is still there in its entirety. My suspicions were founded. I then asked him about Holme Hill Brick and Tile Works and asked if that was the site of the original Holme Hill. Well, lets put it this way, I cannot repeat his answer. He said that it was called that, purely, because the owner lived in the Holme Hill area. There was never anything there other than a large expanse of waste land. How does he know? He remembers his Grandfather telling him about the area when he was a teenager. My dad lived on Convamore Road in the 30’s and 40’s backing onto the land.
I have been checking and rechecking the 7 Hills map and its relative positioning on the modern maps. I have 5 of the 7 lined up almost perfectly, and yes i realise the chance that the original map is not perfect in its positioning, but apart from enlarging the map to ‘fit’ it to the modern one, the positions have overlaid spot on. The one that stands out is Holm Hill, being so large. Overlaid on the modern maps it stretches from Wellington Street/Railway Street (ASDA carpark) all the way to the Sheepfold Street/Sixhills Street junction (B&Q/Halfords carparks), crossing and encompassing HOLME STREET!!!!!!!! It is nowhere near the site of the Holme Hill Brick and Tile Works. But then I already knew that :p
Please excuse all the BOLD and italic HTML, i have just found out how to do it so thought i would try it out
Rod said,
October 18, 2010 @ 7:33 am
HH,
interesting anecdotal evidence -it makes it worth having another look at this one.
I’m not sure when this one ‘disappeared’ so that would help in knowing just what people may actually ‘know’
I was told by somebody some months ago that all 7 hills where on the land now occupied by Aldi etc alongside Cambridge Road - they knew this for sure !
Worth revisiting this one as it’s not had the same scrutiny as some of the other hills.
Congratulations on your html baptism
Best
Rod
Rod said,
October 18, 2010 @ 8:06 am
Been looking at the overlays I made some time ago and if the Oliver map can be relied upon then there’s much in what HH says.
My overlay suggests it starts further north somewhere about Pasture St / Sixhills St stretch north roughly at a 2 O’Clock direction.
Might need Neville’s cartographic eye on this one
Best
Rod
Don Nicholls said,
August 22, 2011 @ 9:19 pm
I think Holme is Scandinavian for an island hill, not A/S, as in Isle of Axholme and Stockholme. This is understandable as Grimsby itself was settled by Danes. Another such name is Deansgate the original name being Danes’ Gate, meaning, of course, the road of the Danes.
Rod said,
August 23, 2011 @ 8:14 am
Don,
thanks for the cooment and a warm welcome to the site - hope you’ll return
All the best
Rod