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

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

) in the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire t ...

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 market towns in the East Yorkshire Wolds and lies midway between Kingston upon Hull, Hull and York, about ...

at the edge of the

Yorkshire Wolds The Yorkshire Wolds are low hills in the counties of the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire in north-eastern England. The name also applies to the district in which the hills lie. On the western edge, the Wolds rise to an escarpment wh ...

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

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris ( regolith and 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 glacier or ice sh ...

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 often supposed to stretch from the R ...

. The name is recorded in 1172 as ''Spaldinghemore''. The name may refer to a river named ''Spalding'', derived from the Old English ''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 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 county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershir ...

. 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, 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