Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for GOOLE

GOOLE, a township, a town, a parochial chapelry, a sub-district, and a district in W. R. Yorkshire. The township lies on the river Ouse, at the junction of the Dutch river, and at the terminus of a branch railway of the Lancashire and Yorkshire from Knottingley, 3½ miles SSW of Howden. Acres, 4, 280. Real property, £17, 719. Pop. in 1851, 2, 960; in 1861, 3, 479. Houses, 628.--The town includes also part of the township of Hook. It was, not long ago, an insignificant village; but it is now a seat of county courts, a market town, a bonding-port, and a flourishing seat of considerable trade and commerce; it has a railway station with telegraph, a post office‡ under Howden, two banking offices, four chief inns, a bridge over the Dutch river, a handsome court-house, a custom-house, extensive docks, a splendid church, in the perpendicular style, with lofty spire, a chapel of ease, several dissenting chapels, an endowed school, national schools, a literary and scientific institute, and a work-house; and it carries on industry in sugar-refining, the manufacture of alum, rope-making, iron-founding, agricultural machine-making, ship-building, sail-making, and corn-grinding. The Aire and Calder navigation gives extensive communication inland to vessels drawing 7½ feet water; and the Ouse brings up vessels drawing from 15 to 17 feet water. Two docks-the one 600 feet by 200, for ships-the other 900 feet by 150 for barges, were opened in 1826; a basin or entrance-harbour, 250 feet by 200, with two entrance-gates, is between these docks and the river; a third dock, of commodious structure, for large steamers, with an entrance lock, which has been increased to 264 by 58 feet, was opened in 1839; a capacious dry dock, suitable for the largest steamers, was completed in 1841; another dock, called the railway dock, together with a patent slip, was constructed in 1857; and hydraulic machinery, for opening the entrance-gates, and for working a coal-hoist, was recently erected. Extensive warehouses stand connected with all the docks; and there is also a timber pond, capable of holding 3, 000 loads of timber. The port was constituted in 1827, and has Selby for a sub-port. The vessels belonging to it at the beginning of 1863, were 220 small sailing-vessels, of aggregately 9, 194 tons; 321 large sailing-vessels, of aggregately 24, 062 tons; 7 small steam-vessels, of aggregately 137 tons; and 10 large steam-vessels, of aggregately 1,845 tons. The vessels which entered, in 1862, were 88 British vessels, of aggregately 8, 062 tons, from colonial and foreign ports; 29 foreign vessels, of aggregately 4, 921 tons, from foreign ports; 259 steam-vessels of aggregately 50, 476 tons, from foreign ports; 1, 145 sailing-vessels, of aggregately 60, 364 tons, coastwise; and 154 steam-vessels, of aggregately 25, 709 tons, coastwise. The vessels which cleared, in 1862, were 31 British vessels, of aggregately 2, 450 tons, to colonial and foreign ports; 22 foreign vessels, of aggregately 3, 728 tons, to foreign ports; 262 steam-vessels, of aggregately 51, 007 tons, to foreign ports; 1, 288 sailing-vessels, of aggregately 66, 243 tons, coastwise; and 182 steam-vessels, of aggregately 25, 644 tons, coastwise. The amount of customs, in 1867. was £47, 428. The chief commerce is in corn, coal, fruit, paving-stone, and general merchandise. Pop. of the town in 1861, 5, 613. Houses, 1, 168.—The chapelry is more extensive than the town; and was constituted in 1849. Rated property, £14, 230. Pop. in 1861, 5, 850. Houses, 1, 204. Pop. in 1865, 6, 267. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of York. Value, £300.* Patron, the Archbishop of York. School endowment, £21.

The sub-district comprises the townships of Goole, Hook, and Armin, -all in the parish of Snaith. Acres, 9, 680. Pop., 6, 994. Houses, 1, 417.—The district comprehends also the sub-district of Snaith, containing three other townships and two hamlets in the parish of Snaith; and the sub-district of Swinefleet, containing the parishes of Adlingfleet, Whitgift, and Luddington, -the last electorally in Lincolnshire. Acres, 40, 908. Poor-rates in 1863, £8, 027. Pop. in 1851, 13, 686; in 1861, 16, 153. Houses, 3, 302. Marriages in 1862, 120; births, 566, -of which 29 were illegitimate; deaths, 301, -of which 108 were at ages under 5 years, and 4 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 1, 116; births, 4, 963; deaths, 3, 056. The places of worship in 1851 were 9 of the Church of England, with 3, 728 sittings; 4 of Independents, with 985 s.; 14 of Wesleyan Methodists, with 3, 403 s.; and 11 of Primitive Methodists. with 1, 513 s. The schools were 17 public day schools, with 985 scholars; 27 private day schools, with 603 s.; and 21 Sunday schools, with 1, 738 s.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a township, a town, a parochial chapelry, a sub-district, and a district"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Goole Tn/CP/Ch       Yorkshire AncC
Place: Goole

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