Emily is a Reader in British Studies at the University of Sussex, and the co-curator, with Dr Kathryn Maude of The National Archives, of the exhibition Hull / Ravenser Odd: Twin Cities, Sunken Pasts, which is open to the public at Hull History Centre until 30th May. The talk was based on the combined research of both Emily and Kathryn.

Emily initially set the scene by describing Hull and Ravenser Odd in the medieval period. She explained how the Historic Towns Trust map of Hull can be used to identify parts of the layout of the medieval city, and how some of the medieval street names have survived through the centuries. Unlike Hull, so far no archaeological evidence has been found to confirm the exact location of Ravenser Odd - it may have been to the west or the east of the current Spurn Point, in the Humber Estuary, or in the North Sea. Today, it is likely to lie underwater somewhere off the East Yorkshire coastline. What is known is the fact that it was most likely inhabited by the 1230s and rose to prominence very quickly. The town also deteriorated very quickly, and by the end of the 1350s all that remained were administrative documents and one account in the chronicle of nearby Meaux Abbey. Regardless of its exact position, the proximity of Ravenser Odd to the coast in an age of sea travel – one where the Humber was a particularly important trade route with the Low Countries, the Baltic States and Scandinavia – would have placed it and its inhabitants at an advantage.
 
Due to this absence of archaeological evidence, Emily and Kathryn’s research has concentrated on published histories of the area by local historians and antiquarians, and the surviving archival evidence. Emily spoke about how John Leland, Daniel Defoe and Thomas Thompson all wrote about Ravenser Odd, despite the fact there was no surviving physical evidence of it when they were writing. Ravenser Odd was also used as a case study by Maurice Beresford, best known for his pioneering work on the Deserted Medieval Village at Wharram Percy, despite the lack of archaeological remains.  

For somewhere whose location can today no longer be conclusively identified, it was interesting to see the wealth of surviving archival material relating to Ravenser Odd. Emily discussed key record sets such as manorial accounts and correspondence between the King and the burgesses, and the King on behalf of burgesses. The correspondence about Ravenser Odd was collected together in the early 18th century and includes information on a number of trading disputes. Information can also be found in wills, post mortem property valuations and royal inquiries into both the conduct of the citizens of Ravenser Odd and the state of its flood defences. The records suggest that at its peak Ravenser Odd had around 300 houses and upwards of 1000 inhabitants, as well as two windmills, a tannery, goldsmith, a stone church, a busy courthouse, and a prison. Most of the surviving documents can now be found in the collections of The National Archives. 

Whilst little is known about the foundation of Ravenser Odd, Emily explained how its demise is much easier to determine from the surviving records. Repeated bad flooding between 1329 and the 1350s seems to have forced citizens to gradually move away, including to Hull, where several of Ravenser Odd’s former residents can be found in the 1377 poll tax records. It is clear there was regular interaction and exchange between the citizens of Hull and Ravenser Odd even before the 1350s, with a number of burgesses holding land in both places.

Emily also described how she is particularly drawn to the challenges and attractions of telling the local history of a place that no longer exists, and how a sense of loss has shaped the way Ravenser Odd has been imagined over the centuries. In her research, she is also considering the ways people are approaching and using the history of Ravenser Odd, including in popular culture. From her observations of visitors to the exhibition and the accompanying engagement programme, it is clear that the story of Ravenser Odd had almost completely disappeared from public consciousness, with many visitors coming to the exhibition only after having seen the publicity, or having being associated with the schools programme (e.g. as friends or relatives). Having a copy of the Hull Historic Towns Trust map in the exhibition has allowed visitors to explore the city in the medieval period and support a sense of place and identity, and the schools programme has seen children create a gallery of ‘lost objects’ – such as manuscripts, pottery and coins – for inclusion in the exhibition alongside real artefacts from medieval Hull. With the exhibition creating increased local interest in the Ravenser Odd story, and the media referring to it as the ‘Yorkshire Atlantis’, the hope is that the story will be revived in the collective consciousness of Hull residents, and those further afield, for years to come.  
 

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