all France for years, but yet we discover ourselves to be astonishingly
lacking in the knowledge of our own little island and find ourselves
asking "why should anyone trouble to write a book about a town of which so
few have even heard?" But it is often in the out-of-the-way places that
historical treasures are preserved, and it is mainly for this reason and
the fact that the successive periods of growth are so well demonstrated
there, that the ancient town of Pickering has been selected to illustrate
the evolution of an English town.

I have endeavoured to produce a complete series of pictures commencing
with the Ice Age and finishing at the dawn of the twentieth century. In
the earlier chapters only a rough outline is possible, but as we come down
the centuries and the records become more numerous and varied, fuller
details can be added to the pictures of each age, and we may witness how
much or how little the great series of dynastic, constitutional, religious
and social changes effected a district that is typical of many others in
the remoter parts of England.

[Illustration: Pickering from the North-West.]

Built on sloping ground that rises gently from the rich, level pastures of
the Vale of Pickering, the town has a picturesque and pleasant site. At
the top of the market-place where the ground becomes much steeper stands
the church, its grey bulk dominating every view. From all over the Vale
one can see the tall spire, and from due east or west it has a surprising
way of peeping over the hill tops. It has even been suggested that the
tower and spire have been a landmark for a very long time, owing to the
fact that where the hills and formation of the ground do not obstruct the
view, or make road-making difficult, the roads make straight for the
spire.