Search for a place
Search for a place
In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Robin Hoods Bay like this:
ROBIN-HOOD'S-BAY, a small town in Fylingdales parish, N. R. Yorkshire; on a bay of its own name, 5 miles S S E of Whitby. It takes its name from a tradition that Robin Hood occasionally resided at it, and thathe kept boats here for escaping pursuit; it is sometimes called Baytown, to distinguish it from the bay; it was a fishing-place of some importance in the time of Henry VIII.; it has recently undergone much increase; it occupies a picturesque site, overlooking the bay, yet notvisible, on the approach from Whitby, till its close vicinity; it includes, among its inhabitants, a considerablenumber of ship-owners; it is a subport to Whitby; and it has a post-office‡ under Whitby, a good inn, and a coast-guard station. ...
The bay is an incurvature, abouta mile in width; and has a sandy beach, and a cliffycoast. Two ancient British tumuli are on the adjoiningmoor, and are popularly called Robin-Hood's-Butts. Large alum-works are on the coast, 2½ miles to the S S E.
Robin Hoods Bay is now part of NORTH YORKSHIRE Unitary Authority. Click here for graphs and data of how NORTH YORKSHIRE has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Robin Hoods Bay itself, go to Statistics.
How to reference this page:
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Robin Hoods Bay, in North Yorkshire and North Riding | Map and description, A Vision of Ireland through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofireland.org/place/21607
Date accessed: 11th February 2026
Click here for more detailed advice on finding places within A Vision of Ireland through Time, and maybe some references to other places called "Robin Hoods Bay".
