Whitby

Whitby Abbey was founded in 657 AD by King Oswiu, as an act of thanksgiving, after defeating Penda, the pagan king of Mercia. The abbey became the leading royal nunnery of the kingdom of Deira, and the burial-place of its royal family. In 664, the Synod of Whitby took place, which determined the calculation of the Christian date of Easter, according to which Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the beginning of spring on March 21st. This rule for the movable holiday prevailed throughout Europe and is still in force today.

When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries and the abbey here surrendered in 1539. By then the town that had developed had between 20 and 30 houses and a population of about 200.

The city was the training ground for Britain's most important seafarer, James Cook. The ships for his numerous sea voyages were built here, and the important South Seas voyage of 1768 also began here. Cook used the sturdy ships built here based on Norwegian models, for all of his South Seas voyages. His monument overlooks the city's harbor.