[1] In 1777, a new plan for a canal from the River Derwent to Pocklington was considered, and approval was obtained from Lord Rockingham, but no further action was taken.

[2] Eastburn had worked for John Rennie, but his whereabouts after 1801 are unknown,[3] and when the report was presented, it had been produced by William Chapman.

Before actually conducting the survey, he estimated the cost at £43,630, for a route with 8 locks that stopped at the turnpike road to Hull.

He calculated the probable revenue at £1,245.50 per year, which was surprisingly close to the actual figure once the canal was built.

3. c. lv), on 25 May 1815, which authorised the newly formed Pocklington Canal Company to raise £32,000 by issuing shares, and an extra £10,000 is required, either by subscriptions from the shareholders or by mortgaging the works.

Work progressed quickly, and some of the shareholders protested at the frequency with which calls were made for the money, but a fast build reduced overheads.

Bad weather prevented Leather from completing the work by the end of 1817, and the canal eventually opened on 30 July 1818.

Tolls raised just £623 in 1820, as there was competition for goods travelling to Hull, Market Weighton and York from road transport.

Many of the committee who had steered the project from the beginning took the opportunity to stand down at this point, to allow younger men to take the canal forwards.

Some of the locks were repaired in 1851, after which the railway company received a suggestion from landowners that the canal should become a drainage ditch, with a tramway running along the bank for the carriage of goods.

The Pocklington Canal was in class C, and the newly formed Inland Waterways Protection Society carried out a survey of it in 1959, so that they had evidence of its condition.

A government White Paper followed the Bowes Report in February 1959, which recommended that an Inland Waterways Redevelopment Advisory Committee should assist schemes to regenerate canals which were no longer commercially viable.

[19] The canal as far as the Melbourne Arm was formally opened on 19 July 1987 by Brian Dice, Chief Executive of the British Waterways Board.

[20] Three sections of the canal, covering most of its route, have been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and consequently, all restoration and activity had to be by agreement between British Waterways and Natural England.

[21] In 1995, the Pocklington Canal Amenity Society launched an appeal to fund new gates for Coates lock, and these were fitted in 2000.

Further negotiation with English Nature resulted in permission to submit a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for completion of the restoration work.

[23] In 2014, the Waterway Recovery Group held a camp at the canal, and restored much of the towpath between Giles and Sandhill locks.

The canal is also noted for its wide variety of fish stocks, including tench, bream, perch and roach.