Things you didn't know about... North Yorkshire

Voyage around the world from North Yorkshire

Explorer and mariner Captain James Cook learnt his trade in North Yorkshire. He was an apprentice at the docks at Whitby, and it was the Whitby-built Endeavour that took him on his renowned voyage of discovery to Australia.

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme at Scarborough Fair

North Yorkshire was home to a massive 45-day market in medieval times. Scarborough Fair, established in 1235, inspired the famous song in which the narrator sets a series of impossible tasks for his lover ("Tell her to make me a cambric shirt... without any seams or needlework"). The meaning of the lyrics is still the subject of heated debate.

Stand and deliver

York's St George's churchyard is home to the remains of John Palmer—otherwise known as notorious highwayman Dick Turpin. Turpin is wrongly famed for travelling the London to York road in just a day on his mare Black Bess—in fact, this legendary ride to North Yorkshire was undertaken by another highwayman by the name of John "Nick" Nevison.

North Yorkshire inspired America

North Yorkshire's Selby Abbey boasts the impressive Washington Window—said to be the inspiration for the American stars and stripes flag.

Watch it first in Scarborough

He may be a West End favourite, but playwright Alan Ayckbourn shows his plays first in North Yorkshire. Based in Scarborough, he premiers most of his work at the town's Stephen Joseph Theatre.

North Yorkshire's novel hiding place

Author Agatha Christie sparked a huge manhunt when she mysteriously disappeared in December, 1926. Her car was found hanging over a chalk pit edge in Surrey, but she'd actually taken the train to North Yorkshire and checked into the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, following the revelation that her husband Archie was having an affair.

North Yorkshire—the first resort

North Yorkshire was home to Britain's first seaside resort, Scarborough Spa. It was one of the first places to use bathing machines—huts which were rolled into the sea to protect a lady's modesty.

A rum business...

By the end of the 18th century, North Yorkshire was a hotbed for smuggling. Secret passages, corrupt customs men, and women stuffing booty in their bras were all part of the illicit trade that was rife in places such as Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay.

By 'eck, what does that mean?

North Yorkshire has given us some strange expressions, such as a "Scarborough warning", which means no warning at all. It is thought this refers to the time when anyone caught stealing in North Yorkshire was dealt with very swiftly.

York kidding?

The North Yorkshire city of York has many imitators around the globe. York, Pennsylvania, and York, Western Australia, were both named after the city. New York, though, has only a tenuous link to the city—it was named after James, Duke of York.