Snaith is a thriving town situated between Selby, Goole and Doncaster. It has held a market charter since 1223 and although no market has been held for many years, the charter was read once a year in the market place until 1939. Because the market has lapsed, the Court of Pie-Powder, which allowed the market to right any wronged there, has also lapsed.

The name Snaith is thought to mean `enclosed by water' and the area is known locally as the Three Rivers area. The river Aire, which is tidal, runs through the centre of the town and in medieval times Snaith was a busy port with a harbour and ferry across the river to Selby, one of the few Aire crossings in the area. The actual founding of the town is obscure, but it was well established as part of the Royal hunting lodge before 1066 and so has no separate entry in the Domesday Book. Since Snaith was a royal manor held by the King `for the support of his table', and therefore already documented. It is, however, mentioned three times as having jurisdiction over the manors of Birkin, Whitley and Hensall. Today it is still a convenient centre, being close to the M1, M18, M180 and the A1 and A19, and within 20 miles of York, Leeds and Doncaster.

In its hey-day Snaith had twelve pubs and four tailors, and although there is no tailor and the pubs are reduced to five, it is still a busy little shopping centre. There are no big stores but `one of everything' and the old pattern of Snaith, the centre serving about ten villages, has returned. Parking is a problem but the parish council are working to get a proper car park to give off street parking. The railway runs to Leeds and to Hull, and a bus from Leeds to Goole comes through Snaith giving limited access on public transport.

In 1777, in response to a public petition, Thomas Stapleton of ` Carlton Towers (the family home of the present Duke of Norfolk), built a bridge to encourage the flax trade and to ease the difficulty of transporting bodies from Carlton by ferry to be buried in Snaith churchvard. With the advent of motor traffic the New Bridge was built in 1928. During the Second World War the Royal Engineers removed the centre span of the old swing bridge so that they could practise making Bailey bridges against the tide. Snaith was on the eastern fringe of the East Riding of Yorkshire but since the 1974 boundary reorganisation, it is on the western fringe of Britain's newest county, North Humberside.

The priory church of St Lawrence at Snaith is a Saxon foundation, though very little of the Saxon church remains. The present building dates from 1086 and the report of its state in 1275 lists among its treasures four tropers (the Anglo-Saxon service book) and several part tropers, so it was a rich church. There is a roodloft stair enclosed in a pillar but the rood screen where the priest stood to preach on Good Friday, or to make special announcements, has been removed. In the Stapleton chapel is a memorial carving of Lady Elizabeth Stapleton, whose husband was the General of HM Horse at the battle of Edgehill in 1642. In the Dawnay chapel on the south side is a statue of Viscount Downe made by Chantry and an Easter sepulchre. The east window of this chapel contains the only remaining fragments of l4th century glass.

Near the chancel arch is a niche dedicated to St Sitha - her only claim to fame, according to local tradition, is that she was martyred, her head was cut off `and she picked it up and ran three miles to the nearby (sic!) church to warn the other Christians.' Not surprisingly the only other shrine to her is in Bradford Cathedral. Some say Sitha is a corruption of Etheldreds, sister to the Abbess Hilda of Whitby, but this seems to be wishful thinking. Certainly Snaith Priory was a staging post for pilgrims travelling from Lincoln to York, as recorded on the altar kneelers.

Snaith was a Peculiar, ie it had its own ecclesiastical court and in many ways it was exempt from the jurisdiction of the Bishop. This may explain the fact that the Bishop's inspectors came to interview the brothers at Snaith for reported `indiscretions' and were unable to carry out their inspection because the brothers had summoned the ferry to the Snaith bank so they could not cross the river! At the back of the church is the Consistory court, part of the church building but not consecrated and now housing the creche. It was used to try ecclesiastical matters and to settle disputed wills and land settlements. Because it was a Peculiar, the priory church had four wardens - one of their duties was to enforce the wearing of woolly hats on Sundays: failure to comply brought a fine of fourpence.

Adjoining the churchyard is the Buttermarket, but only in name now. The butter booths and the fire station have been removed but the local branch of the Heritage Society has restored the old town lock-up, known as the penny cells. Men who were drunk at market were put in these cells till sober, and then had to pay a penny to get out. There were two tiny windows, each with one bar across originally, but friends of the prisoners delayed the sobering up process by passing jugs of ale through the windows, so two bars were fitted. Nothing daunted, the bearers of comfort brought ~ a flagon of ale and a long clay pipe. They put the bowl in the ale and the stem through between the bars - perhaps Snaith invented drinking straws. Exhibitions are held there from time to time and ':: there is an art and craft gallery in the old vicarage opposite the church.

General Information about Snaith

Snaith Parish Register Transcripts Unpublished (bap. 1656-1717, mar. 1662-1727, bur. 1662-1727)	Yorkshire Archaeological Society, Claremont, 23 Clarendon Road, Leeds LS2
Snaith Parish Register Printed (bap. 1558-1657, mar. 1537-1657)	Yorkshire Archaeological Society, Parish Register Series Vol 57. To be found at the Y.A.S and at larger libraries.
Snaith Parish Register Printed (bur. 1537-1656)	Vol 63 - as above
Snaith Methodist Chapel Registers (1826-1932)
1851 Census index (booklet) 1891 Census index (on fiche) not yet published	D.D.F.H.S (Mrs Pepper 01302 538737)
Monumental Inscriptions for all Parishes ofthe Archdeaconry of Doncaster (inc. Snaith) - on fiche	D.D.F.H.S (Mrs Pepper 01302 538737)
Snaith Grammar School log book 1878-1895 Church of England School - headmaster's diary (up to 1943)	Doncaster Archives Department, King Edward Road, Balby, Doncaster, DN4 ONA
Snaith Bishops Transcripts 1599-1603, 1608, 1609, 1631, 1635, 1639, 1751, 1752, 1754, 1757-1759, 1761-1765, 1767, 1768, 1770-1778, 1780-1786, 1788, 1790, 1808, 1812-1839, 1841-1847, 1849-1858	Borthwick Institute, St Anthony’s Hall, Peasholme Green, York. YO1 2PW
Church Wardens Accounts (1613-1714)	Doncaster Archives Department, King Edward Road, Balby, Doncaster, DN4 ONA
Manorial Records - Court Rolls often in Latin but probably the best bet when tracing back to pre-parish register times	Probably at Doncaster Archives Department

NEWSPAPERS

Goole newspapers were first published:

Goole Times 1853 Goole and Marshland Weekly Times 1869 Goole, Marshland and Howden Gazette 1970

Goole Telegraph 1875 Goole Saturday Journal 1889 Goole Weekly Herald 1891

Selby newspapers were first published:

Selby Times (which also covered Howden and Goole) 1869

Selby Express 1872

County papers which often recorded events in the smaller towns and villages:

As far as can make out the Yorkshire Herald is available for the periods 1801, 1803-20 and from 1823 onwards at the British Newspaper Library, Colindale, London. However it looks like the York Library has the paper (it may be on microfilm) for the period 1790-1889 although it does say that there are ‘major gaps’. Another newspaper worth considering is the Yorkshire Gazette. London only have it from 1823 but the York Library has it from 1819, but there may be some gaps. It does say that the York library have a general index for this paper up to 1884 and one for birth, deaths and marriages that goes up to 1891, but it is not clear when these indexes start. Leeds Library also has this paper for the period 1820-1870 but they have not indexed theirs. [York Reference Library, Museum Street, York, England, YO2 2DS / Leeds Library, Calverley Street, Leeds, LS1 3AB]

The following records of Snaith St Lawrence are available at Doncaster Archives :

• Baptisms 1559-1901
• Marriages 1538-1880
• Burials 1537-1853