In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Pickering like this:

Pickering, market town, par., and township with ry. sta., North-Riding Yorkshire, 10 miles N. of Malton and 32½ miles NE. of York by rail - par., 31,010 ac., p. 5040; township, 16,037 ac., pop. 3959; P.O., T.O., Banks. Market-day, Monday. Pickering is pleasantly situated on the slope of a hill, and is a town of great antiquity. ...


It sent 2 members to Parliament in the time of Edward I. Its church (restored 1861) is a 14th century structure. The castle stands on an eminence at the N. end of the town, and served in 1399 as the prison of Richard II. before his removal to Pontefract; it was captured and dismantled by the Parliamentarians during the great Civil War. Every alternate Monday the market is for cattle, sheep, and pigs, and there are horse fairs twice a year. The town owes much of its present prosperity to its convenience as a centre for visiting many places of interest and antiquity in the surrounding district.

Pickering through time

Pickering is now part of NORTH YORKSHIRE Unitary Authority. Click here for graphs and data of how NORTH YORKSHIRE has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Pickering itself, go to Statistics.

How to reference this page:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Pickering, in North Yorkshire and North Riding | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.

URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/208

Date accessed: 08th April 2026


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