The Isle of Axholme is an area of
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
, England, adjoining
South Yorkshire and the
East Riding of Yorkshire. It is located between
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe () is an industrial town in Lincolnshire, England, and the county's third most populous settlement after Lincoln, England, Lincoln and Grimsby, with a population of 81,286 in 2021. It is the administrative centre and largest settleme ...
and
Gainsborough, both of which are in the traditional
West Riding of Lindsey, and
Doncaster
Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
, in South Yorkshire.
Description
The name ''Isle'' is given to the area since, prior to the area being drained by the Dutchman
Cornelius Vermuyden in the 17th century, each town or village was built on areas of dry, raised ground in the surrounding marshland. The
River Don used to flow to the north and west (it has since been diverted), dividing the Isle from
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
; the
River Idle separates the Isle from
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
; and the
River Trent separates the Isle from the rest of Lincolnshire. Three towns developed here:
Epworth,
Crowle and
Haxey.
The boundaries of the Isle of Axholme usually match with those of the ancient ''
wapentake'' of Epworth and its 17 communities as listed in the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086:
Belton, Crowle, Epworth, Haxey,
Beltoft, (High and Low) Burnham,
Owston Ferry,
(East) Lound and
(Graise)lound,
Garthorpe,
Luddington,
Amcotts,
(West) Butterwick,
Althorpe, The Marshes,
Waterton, Upperthorpe, and
Westwoodside. Other settlements on the Isle include
Eastoft,
Sandtoft – home to Europe's largest
trolleybus museum – and
Wroot.
Much of the northern part of the Isle has flat topography, with rich farmland used mainly to grow wheat and sugar beet. The land is particularly fertile due to its history of annual flooding from the Trent and peat soil which was created by dense ancient woodland which covered much of the Isle. Even today, in many parts of the northern Isle, petrified wood can be found at about six feet below ground; relics from this woodland, these are locally called "bog oaks".
A long-distance walking route, the "Peatlands Way", traverses the Isle.
Etymology
''Axholme'' means "island by
Haxey", from the town name +
Old Norse
Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
''holmr'' "island". The name was recorded as ''Hakirhomle'' in 1196. The Old English suffix "ey" in "Haxey" also indicates an island.
Historical descriptions
1833 description
1911 description
Land drainage history
The Isle is known for the early influence of
Cornelius Vermuyden, a Dutch engineer who initiated the realignment of several of the
highland carriers flowing through the district. To carry out the work he brought in a large number of
Flemish workers, many of whom settled permanently despite violent opposition from the established population.
The drainage allowed increased agricultural production, and has left a legacy in the unique strip farming which survives in the 21st century around Epworth. The watercourses of the Isle and the surrounding area are managed by the Isle of Axholme
Internal Drainage Board which maintains 188 miles (302 km) of watercourse and 18 pumping stations,
Isle of Axholme Internal Drainage Board website
and manages the water levels of the adjacent Thorne Moors and Hatfield Moors, both environmentally sensitive areas.
Road and railway
The Axholme Joint Railway traversed the area, but the line has now been abandoned. There are still railway stations in and on the line between Scunthorpe and Sheffield. The M180 motorway now crosses the centre of the area, dividing 'South Axholme', centred on Epworth, from 'North Axholme', centred on Crowle. The A161 road crosses the Isle from north to south.
Governance
There was an Isle of Axholme Rural District from 1894 to 1974, which covered the entire Isle after 1936. This became part of the Boothferry district of Humberside in 1974, and since 1996 has been in the North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Lincolnshire, England. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census, it had a population of 167,446. T ...
unitary authority.
Following boundary changes in 2023, the isle became part of the new Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme parliamentary constituency in 2024.
Notes
References
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External links
An Isle of Axholme News SiteHistory of the Isle of AxholmeIsle of Axholme information siteIsle of Axholme Internal Drainage Board websiteHistory of the northern area of the Isle of Axholme Eastoft - Gateway to the Isle of Axholme
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Axholme, Isle of
Geography of Lincolnshire
Former islands of England