Ravenser Odd, also spelled Ravensrodd, was a port in the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

, England, during the medieval period, built on the sandbanks at the mouth of the

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between th ...

estuary. The name Ravenser comes from the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

or 'Raven's tongue' referring to the lost sandbank promontory, the modern successor of which is now known as

Spurn Point Spurn is a narrow sand tidal island located off the tip of the coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England that reaches into the North Sea and forms the north bank of the mouth of the Humber Estuary. It was a spit with a semi-permanent co ...

. The town was founded by the

Count of Aumale The County of Aumale, later elevated to a duchy, was a medieval fief in Normandy. It was disputed between England and France during parts of the Hundred Years' War. Aumale in Norman nobility Aumale was a medieval fief in the Duchy of Normandy and ...

in the mid-13th century, and had more than 100 houses and a flourishing market by 1299, when it was granted a borough charter. The town had wharves, warehouses, a court and a prison. It collected dues from more than 100 merchant ships a year. In the 13th century the town was a more important port than

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...

further up the Humber, and sent two members to the

Model Parliament The Model Parliament is the term, attributed to Frederic William Maitland, used for the 1295 Parliament of England of King Edward I. History This assembly included members of the clergy and the aristocracy, as well as representatives from the v ...

of 1295. As the sandbanks shifted the town was swept away. Storms over the winter of 1356–57 completely flooded the town, leading to its abandonment, and it was largely destroyed by the storm or

Saint Marcellus's flood Saint Marcellus's flood or (Low Saxon: ; da, Den Store Manddrukning, 'Great Drowning of Men') was an intense extratropical cyclone, coinciding with a new moon, which swept across the British Isles, the Netherlands, northern Germany, and Denmark ...

of January 1362. The site is now completely underwater. In 2022 the site was being searched for off Spurn Point, with hope that the foundations of the seawall and harbour would still remain.

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* * Coastal erosion in the United Kingdom Holderness Lost villages and towns of the East Riding of Yorkshire Ports and harbours of the Humber Trading posts of the Hanseatic League Underwater ruins Yorkshire coast {{UK-geo-stub

See also

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