Hedon Today
Hedon is a classic example of a new Norman town. Founded in about 1130 by William le Gros (the Fat One), Earl of Aumale and Lord of Holderness, it quickly became a port and market town of great importance. King Stephen (r. 1135 - 1154) ordered a Royal Mint to be set up in Hedon, and the Royal Charter of 1158 gave the burgesses of the town privileges equal to those enjoyed by the citizens of York and Lincoln.
In 1972, however, the government of the day introduced an Act of Parliament which took away Hedon's borough status with effect from April 1st 1974 and overrode all the Royal Charters granted to Hedon over the centuries. Many other small and ancient boroughs suffered this same fate. Even so, Hedon has retained possession of its Town Hall and fine collection of silver, and no Act of Parliament can take away its past glories and history.
Hedon today is a thriving town of some 8,000 people. Many of the working population are employed in the nearby city of Hull, yet Hedon remains fiercely independent and maintains it separateness by resolutely defending the "green belt" which separates the town from its larger neighbour and opposing any attempt to build there.