THE STORY OF ARRAS
What's in a name?
Arras is an area of the Yorkshire Wolds, famous for its stunning hills, along the A1079 road that goes from Beverley and Hull to York. This region of East Yorkshire has been settled since very ancient times, something which was proven during the 19th Century with the discovery of Iron Age and Bronze Age burials telling us a great deal about the people who once lived here. These people were given the name of the 'Arras Culture' by archaeologists, with their burial practices distinctive from the neighbouring tribes of the Briganti (pre-Roman Britons) and having commonalities with those found in Celtic Gaul and mainland Europe. The Arras Culture encompassed the Parisi tribal peoples of the Yorkshire Wolds, famous for their horsemanship, chariot burials, iron-working and artistry.
Using the name 'Arras' we are honouring the land around us and the ancestors who once roamed here as custodians of these hills, valleys, fields and streams. Just like the Arras people were different and unique from the tribes surrounding them, Arras Healing takes a different and unique approach to collective healing and trauma education that is difficult to find anywhere else.
By working with nature, the land around us, and a sense of our heritage and roots (no matter where we are), this can support us to mend the parts of us that have gone unseen, unknown and unloved. Just as the Arras burials were unseen, unknown and unloved for thousands of years – until they were rediscovered and brought back to the light again.
Blogs and Research relating to 'Arras'
Delgovicia - Story of a Forgotten Roman Settlement
Land of Yews and Druids - in search of York's ancient secrets
Arras - The Ancient and Lost Connections of Market Weighton
Healing our ancestral wounds is a significant part of the trauma recovery journey. For Candy, this led her into deeper relationship with the people who roamed here long before Arras Healing was formed...
Arras - The Ancient and Lost Connections of Market Weighton
Land of Yews and Druids - in search of York's ancient secrets
Arras - The Ancient and Lost Connections of Market Weighton
What's in a name? Candy explores the oft-forgotten historical connections between ancient Britain and Market Weighton, and what they can teach us about the past...
Land of Yews and Druids - in search of York's ancient secrets
Land of Yews and Druids - in search of York's ancient secrets
Land of Yews and Druids - in search of York's ancient secrets
Yorkshire as a forgotten centre of Druid activity takes Candy from the Wolds to the big city ~ on the trail of overlooked ancestors and the wisdom still awaiting discovery in our past...
The Race and the Rood - lost Goddess culture of East Yorkshire
Land of Yews and Druids - in search of York's ancient secrets
Land of Yews and Druids - in search of York's ancient secrets
Pausing to listen quietly, the land around the Great Wold Valley whispers to us of a forgotten people, forgotten secrets, and a sacred landscape emerging from the shadows...
*Coming soon*
First World War and European Connections
The Battle of Arras was a key battle during the First World War, taking place in 1917, but it is not as well known today as the household names of the Somme, Passchendaele and Verdun. In Canada, the battle is well-known for its links to Vimy Ridge (pictured left), where Canadian and Allied divisions captured the well-fortified German position of Vimy and held it for the rest of the war. It is now the site of one of the most impressive commemorative structures ever built, and well worth a visit if you ever get a chance.
Market Weighton is built at the bottom of 'Arras Hill,' and the Arras War Memorial Institute takes up a central position next to the town green. Although the Memorial Hall bears the commemorative plaque of the war dead of both world wars, it's not clear if there is any link to the Battle of Arras itself. It may be that the name of the hall is simply to reflect the surrounding landscape known as Arras, described in the section above.
Candy visited the Arras battlefields in 2017, a good four years before she had any idea of creating Arras Healing, but which seems like synchronicity. Although Arras Healing isn't named after the battle, there are potential links between the region of Arras in France, and this area of the Yorkshire Wolds dating back to the Iron Age and perhaps before. You can read more about these connections at this special blog here.