Hilda of Whitby was a saint of the early Church in Britain. She was the founder and first abbess of the monastery at Whitby which was chosen as the venue for the Synod of Whitby in 664. An important figure in the Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England, she was abbess in several convents and recognised for the wisdom that drew kings to her for advice.
St. Hilda as depicted in a stained glass window in Chester Cathedral
Saint Hilda at Hartlepool by James Clark (oil painting)
Aidan of Lindisfarne visits Hild. Gloucester Cathedral, by Christopher Whall.
St. Hilda monument detail in Whitby. Note ammonites at feet.
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is on the Yorkshire Coast at the mouth of the River Esk. It has a maritime, mineral and tourist economy. The fishing port emerged during the Middle Ages, supporting important herring and whaling fleets, and was where Captain Cook learned seamanship and, coincidentally, where his first vessel to explore the southern ocean, HMS Endeavour, was built. Jet and alum were mined locally, and Whitby jet, which was mined by the Romans and Victorians, became fashionable during the 19th century.
View of Whitby from the West Cliff
Whitby Museum
Image: Whitby lighthouse and West Pier. geograph.org.uk 1077167
Image: The end of the West Pier geograph.org.uk 1423449