A Brief History of Market Weighton 
In the Domesday Book of 1086 Market Weighton is referred to as 'Wicstun', in those days a district of 15 villages and 117 farms, valued at £30. Archaeological evidence however tells us that some form of civilisation has existed in the area for at least 7000 years.
In 1251 the town was granted a royal charter by Henry 3rd and became a Market Town, with weekly markets being held on Thursdays. The charter was awarded to acknowledge the geographical importance of the town as a junction of two early routes between the Wolds and the Vale of York. Later Lord Vespi repealed the charter and markets were then held on Wednesdays. Nowadays aweekly market is held on a Friday and a Local Producers Market is held on one Saturday each month.
Market Weighton, like many other towns in the region, relied on its weekly markets and less frequent fairs to maintain its regional standing and prosperity. During the period 1700 - 1850, Market Weighton's September fair was said to be 'probably the greatest sheep fair in the kingdom with as many as 70,000 animals exposed for sale in one day'.
The prosperity of the town increased with the coming of the railways in the latter half of the 19th Century, when Market Weighton became an important junction for lines in York, Selby, Beverley and Driffield. The only evidence of the railway's presence, since it closed in the 1960's is the Hudson Way, a public footpath an bridleway tracing the route from the town to Beverley.
The most significant event in recent times, which changed the character of the town, was the opening of a by-pass, which took the busy A1079 trunk road away from the town centre. For many years the main street was dissected by the old Hull to York road, and residents found it almost impossible to cross the narrow local high street because of the heavy traffic. The opening of the new road on 11th March 1991, brought much relief and a breath of fresh air to the town.