Humberside is a region in northeastern England that lies on both sides of the Humber estuary (coastal river mouth). The two parts are linked by the Humber Bridge, one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. The town of Hull, officially called Kingston upon Hull, is the region’s chief city.
Humberside was a county of England from 1974 to 1996. The area is now divided into four administrative districts: the East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, North East Lincolnshire, and North Lincolnshire.
Humberside is a lowland region with a long coastline. In the north, the chalk cliffs of Flamborough Head jut into the North Sea. The Yorkshire and Lincolnshire wolds (hills) are also formed of chalk. The Rivers Hull, Ouse, and Trent feed into the Humber estuary.
Humberside’s economy depends greatly on the trade of its four ports—Goole, Grimsby, Hull, and Immingham. Manufacturing is concentrated near the Humber estuary. Leading manufactured products include aircraft, automobile trailers, chemicals, electrical goods, and engineering products.
Crops grown in Humberside include barley, oats, potatoes, sugar beets, turnips, and wheat. Some farmers raise cattle, hogs, and sheep.
Humberside is rich in prehistoric remains. Burial sites from several ancient cultures dot the region. After the Romans invaded Britain in A.D. 43, they laid a road through Humberside and built a town, Petuaria, at Brough. Later, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings invaded the area. The last great battle between the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons occurred at Stamford Bridge in 1066.
In medieval times, such towns as Hedon and Hull grew up along the Humber. In 1536, the Pilgrimage of Grace, a revolt mainly against religious changes and the dissolution (breaking up) of the monasteries by King Henry VIII, took place in Humberside. In the 1700’s and 1800’s, agricultural progresss and new industries improved the region’s economy. New industries included exporting coal, working with iron and steel, and shipbuilding. In the late 1900’s, these industries declined, but the region’s ports remained busy.
