Spalding Moor is a moor (in the sense of an area of low lying

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

) in the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...

in England. It lies between the River Derwent and the town of

Market Weighton Market Weighton ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is one of the main towns in the East Yorkshire Wolds and lies midway between Kingston upon Hull, Hull and York, about from e ...

at the edge of the

Yorkshire Wolds The Yorkshire Wolds are hills in the counties of the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire in Northern England. They are the northernmost chalk hills in the UK and within lies the northernmost chalk stream in Europe, the Gypsey Race. ...

. It forms part of the Humberhead Levels, south and east of the

Escrick Escrick is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It was in the historic East Riding of Yorkshire, but since 1974 has come under North Yorkshire. It is approximately equidistant between Selby and York on what is now the A19 road ...

glacial

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and Rock (geology), rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a gla ...

at the southern edge of the

Vale of York The Vale of York is an area of flat land in the northeast of England. The vale is a major agricultural area and serves as the main north–south transport corridor for Northern England. The Vale of York is a broad area of flat land in northe ...

. The name is recorded in 1172 as ''Spaldinghemore''. The name may refer to a river named ''Spalding'', derived from the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

''spald'' "ditch or fenland river", which also gave its name to the village of

Spaldington Spaldington is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, lying approximately north from the market town of Howden and south of York. It lies to the west of the A614 road. Geography The civil parish lies in the Vale ...

. The River Spalding is not recorded, but would be the river now known as the

River Foulness The River Foulness is a river in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Its name is derived from Old English ''fūle ēa'', meaning “dirty water”. Maintenance responsibilities for the river transferred from the Environment Agency to the Mar ...

. The name may also be derived from the tribe known as the ''Spalda'' mentioned in the 7th century

Tribal Hidage Image:Tribal Hidage 2.svg, 400px, alt=insert description of map here, The tribes of the Tribal Hidage. Where an appropriate article exists, it can be found by clicking on the name. rect 275 75 375 100 w:Elmet rect 375 100 450 150 w:Hatfield Ch ...

, which gave rise to the tribe or district known as the Spaldingas, the "dwellers by the Spald". If that explanation is correct, ''Spald'' could refer to some other fenland river or rivers. The Spaldingas also gave their name to the town of Spalding in

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 ...

. As the moor was drained and cultivated, the name fell out of general use, but lives on in the name of

Holme-on-Spalding-Moor Holme-on-Spalding-Moor (also known as Holme-upon-Spalding-Moor) is a large village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately north-east of Howden and south-west of Market Weighton. It lies on the ...

. The village of Thornton was sometimes distinguished by the suffix "in Spalding Moor". The name of

Barmby Moor Barmby Moor is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately west of the market town of Pocklington and 12.5 miles (20 km) east-southeast of the city of York. ...

, until 1935 formally known as Barmby on the Moor, also refers to Spalding Moor.

References

{{coord, 53.81, -0.83, type:city_region:GB, display=title Geography of the East Riding of Yorkshire Levels in the United Kingdom