University Archives

Empson family of Yokefleet

The Yokefleet Estate occupies about 2,500 acres alongside the River Humber in and around the village Yokefleet, near Goole. It was owned and developed by the Empson family which came originally from North Lincolnshire. Relatively few archives survive from the estate. Charles Empson, the uncle of the present owner, published three books about members of previous generations of the family, based on this correspondence. Two centre on the lives of five brothers, sons of Amaziah Empson of Yokefleet who died in 1798. Empsons’ Folly focuses on the Revd John Empson, ‘The Flying Parson’; Empson’s Peace tells the story of his brother, James and James’ son William during the first half of the 19^th century. Empson’s War, contains a collection of letters sent by to their parents by three brothers, Jack, Arthur and Charles, whilst abroad during war and peace. The papers here consist mainly of Empson family correspondence from the late 18^th to the 20^th centuries, arranged and some transcribed by Charles Empson; together with papers relating to Rev John Empson, ‘The Flying Parson’, and James Empson, as gathered during research for the two books. There are also some estate papers, accounts and vouchers, again mainly dating from the 19^th and 20^th centuries. The archive is uncatalogued.  [DYK]