Zeberdee's Yard (Hull). Who was Zeberdee?

Walking from Whitefriargate along Trinity House Lane towards the Minster you pass on your right the magnificent front of Trinity House, which Daniel Defoe described in 1720 as being '-- the glory of the town'.

The building lies between Whitefriargate and Posterngate (the smallest gate in Hull's walls). For years the interior of this building was a bit of a mystery to me but a recent tour of Trinity House put much into perspective and suddenly allowed me to draw some threads together and answer a question which had been in my mind for a while -- that is who was Zebedee of Zeberdee's Yard? Some readers may know the answer but others not!

Walking east down Whitefriargate (towards the River Hull) you pass on the right a pedestrian opening to a car park in Zeberdee's yard. On the Posterngate side (South side) you find the car entrance and exit to this car park.

Whitefriargate pedestrian entrance to Zeberdee's yard

Detail of Whitefriargate entrance to Zebedee's yard with Trinity House arms above.

There is another, unlabelled, entrance towards the eastern end of Whitefriar Gate.

A simplified coat of arms stands over both gates and depicts an anchor (for a safe anchorage), three stars (representing the Trinity) a helm with the Admiralty Oar ( representing nautical justice). The Latin motto means 'Hope beyond the stars'.

The main entrance to Trinity House School was on Prince's Dock Street next to Prince's dock, so named to commemorate the visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to Hull in 1854. Queens Dock now Queens Gardens was also named after their visit. When the school took up it's new premises and the area became a car park and the lettering on the main gate was changed

On the left of the yard, through the gates, can be seen to old school buildings demolished when the school moved to George Street and the yard became 'Zebedee's Yard' car park.

A current pedestrian entrance. The car entrance and exit into Posterngate is on the right.

Trinity House has a long history being formed in the mid 1300s as a Guild of Master Mariners. During the 1400s it took on the role of overseeing the navigational safety of the Humber and the House provided Pilots for navigation. Part of the present building, built in the 1700s, overlays part of the original medieval one and a floor of this earlier one can be seen via a trap door in a current floor.

However, national changes in navigation responsibilities means they no longer deal with navigation matters. In 1457 Letter Patent and other letters from Henry VI led to the established alms houses and because of the Guilds lack of responsibility for navigation it now concentrates on its charitable actives,

The educational aspect of Trinity House may have started in the 1400's but early records are not good. A reference in 1460 to building work being done for the schoolmaster suggests that Trinity House was 'engaged in education at that time. It is not until October 1729 that a more direct reference was made when a Mr Brown was engaged for £12 per year to teach 12 children. Over the next 100 hundred years more buildings and pupils were added. But as a result of the Boards wish to get government funding for the school it was inspected in June 1854 by a Dr Lyon Playfair who gave it a bit of a damning report. With the inspectors help a head qualified in the necessary subjects was found, --enter a new Head Master, one Zeberdee Scaping from the London Navigation School. From this time the school greatly improved and Scaping spent over 50 years as head of Trinity House School, dying in 1909 while still the much revered Head Master. The School was moved to George Street in 2013 and in 2014 the old school buildings were approved for demolition, the resulting space was named Zeberdee's Yard and became a car park. The school took a new 'badge' with some basic features of the Trinity House coat of arms.

Current school badge

Zebedee Scaping's grave and monument stand in the western part of the Western cemetery on Chanterlands Avenue and in 2009 was renovated by the Old Boys of the school . It's easily found by following the road left from the gates towards Walton Street. His wife is buried with him.

Addendum 1) In 2013 the school moved to its current George St site becoming an Academy. This site was previously occupied by the University of Lincoln and before that the Nautical College. 2) The coat of Arms of Trinity House is slightly different to that of the school. The former incorporates the Admiralty Oar of Justice (Oar Mace), a helm (helmet) and two sea creatures. These are absent from the school 'badge'. Both have the anchor representing a safe haven, the three stars representing the Trinity and the moto 'Spes super sydera' meaning 'Hope above the stars.' 3) Photos of the entrance by Princes Quay show changes in the main school entrance after the school had left. Note. Before the school became an Academy and moved to George Street it had the Trinity House coat of arms (with Admiralty Oar) on the gate 4) During WW II the school was evacuated to Scarborough which seems sensible except my school in Scarborough was moved further north and inland. Probably as a result of the Scarborough bombardment that took place in WWI.