Everingham - History

History

There are two competing theories as to the origins of the village's name. Firstly, the theory that the village is named for St. Everilda, the daughter of 7th century King Cyneglis of the West Saxons, who fled her home to practice Christianity in seclusion. Upon reaching York she was allowed to set up a convent at a place that came to be known as 'Everildsham' (Everild's home), which some believe to have evolved into the current name; Everingham. No trace of the convent survives and the former location is unknown. The second theory is that the name is derived from 'Eofor's Ham', meaning the 'ham' (home) of Eofor's people, who may have been a Saxon tribe in the area. Eofor is a Saxon word meaning 'Wild Boar' that was commonly used in that era as a name, for example as the name of a warrior in the Saxon epic Beowulf.

The next historical mention of the village comes in the Domesday Book, when its population was recorded as 22. Though a small village for the time, it paid a large amount of tax relative to other comparable villages. The value of the village had decreased considerably by 1086, however, probably as a result of the widespread destruction caused by William the Conqueror during his campaign to suppress rebellion in the north. After that time the village grew in prosperity, largely thanks to the presence of Everingham Hall, which gradually became the seat of the estate land and property in the area and contributed to the development of nearby villages such as Seaton Ross. The current hall is a Grade I Listed structure built between 1757 and 1764 by John Carr.

It has two churches, both dedicated to St. Everilda; St. Everilda's (Church of England) and Ss Mary & Everilda, Everingham, (Roman Catholic). There is only one other church in Britain dedicated to this saint, at Nether Poppleton, City of York.

The Ham class minesweeper HMS Everingham was named after the village.