Gorse in the East Riding of Yorkshire

Abstract

In East Yorkshire, as in many other parts of the British Isles, the common gorse (Ulex europaeus), also known as whin or furze, at one time played an important role in the local economy. Although its recorded uses fall short of the ‘astonishing number’ described by Lucas in Ireland some 30 years ago, they are none the less sufficiently numerous and varied to invite comment. Furthermore, as Eva Crackles has pointed out recently, the exploitation of gorse in this part of the country was associated with ‘a complicated history of planting, conservation and destruction’, the details of which await investigation. Some of the more important aspectsof that history during the period c. 1500–1900, when attitudes to gorse, like the distribution of the plant itself, were to change considerably, are discussed below. The outlines of what happened in East Yorkshire are reasonably clear. From at least the sixteenth century until the middle of the eighteenth century, agricultural conditions locally favoured the retention, and in many places the extension, of the sheepwalks, pastures and other rough places which provided a suitable habitat for gorse in both enclosed and common-field townships. The economic value of gorse generally ensured that, while it might be cut regularly, its destruction by stubbing and burning was less common at this period than it was later to become. Gorse faggots, usually referred to as whin kids,formedan important element in local trade and provided a source of income for the many individuals who were engaged in their sale and distribution.