Historic City of York, England

Although there is evidence of settlements in the area many thousand years, York was founded in AD 71 as the Roman settlement of Eboracum. It was established as a fort and military headquarters to keep down potential rebellions and to guard against raids by the northern tribes and it eventually became one of the two capitals of Roman Britain (the other was Londinium).

By the 5th century AD, the Roman legions were withdrawing from Britain to defend Rome. As they left, attacks along the coast increased until the 7th century when the Angles invaded and called the city Eorforwic. It became the capital of the kingdom of Northumbria. In AD 866 the Vikings took over and called the city Jorvik. By 1000 AD it was known as York.



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The Harrying of the North
After the Norman Invasion in 1066, William the Conqueror set about imposing his rule on the whole country. He marched north and entered York where he built two castles. Much of the North of England resisted Norman rule and York was retaken by the Anglo Saxons. This resistance was broken after 'the harrying of the north' in 1069. This was an horrific period of English history. The Norman army burnt villages and food stores, killed livestock, salted the land to prevent crops growing and slaughtered everybody they could find.

In the chronicles of 11th century monk, Orderic Vitalis, it says:

"The King stopped at nothing to hunt his enemies. He cut down many people and destroyed homes and land. Nowhere else had he shown such cruelty. To his shame he made no effort to control his fury and he punished the innocent with the guilty. He ordered that crops and herds, tools and food should be burned to ashes. More than 100,000 people perished of hunger.

I have often praised William in this book, but I can say nothing good about this brutal slaughter. God will punish him."

After the north was pacified, all positions of power were held by Normans although the general population were still Anglo-Saxon. According to the Domesday Book, 20 years after the harrying, the population of York had fallen from 8000 to 2000.

York Rises from the Ashes
The walls of the city were rebuilt, wooden building were replaced with stone, trade increased and York became a prosperous centre. Buildings like the Merchant Adventurers' Hall and the Guildhall were constructed reflecting the city's prosperity.

A map of York from 1890 which appeared in Cassell's The British Isles, published in 1905.
Picture from Liam Quin's Pictures From Old Books Web site.

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No visit would be complete without seeing York Minster, the largest medieval cathedral in Britain.

The first cathedral in the city was completed in 633 AD but the magnificence of Durham Cathedral and the great Yorkshire Cistercian abbeys spurred on the authorities here to build something even greater.

Construction of the present building started in the 13th century and took about 250 years to complete.
The Minster was spared during the Civil War because the citizens surrendered to the Parliamentary army, led by Sir Thomas Fairfax, on condition that none of their churches, including the Minster, would be damaged.

The cathedral has many wonderful things to see.

Medieval Glass Amongst these are the glorious windows with their original glass, the largest collection of medieval glass in Britain.

The Chapter House This octagonal room is the meeting place for the Dean and Chapter. Alongside each of the eight walls are six seats. This is to emphasize the importance of each member. This beautiful room, completed in 1286, was built in the decorated Gothic style and its walls are decorated with very fine carvings.

York Minster's Tower The climb to the top of the Tower is not for the fainthearted or those easily tired. There are 275 steps which take the visitor to some of the best views in the country. Not only do you get a good view of the Minster's gargoyles and pinnacles, you see over the medieval streets to the countryside beyond. As climbing the Tower is something of an achievement, once you have done it, you can buy a certificate to prove it.

The Undercroft, Treasury & Crypt In the 1960s there was a risk that the Central Tower would collapse so the foundations needed to be shored up. The workmen were astounded at what they found when they dug beneath the Tower. There were both Roman and Viking remains The Tower was built upon the original Roman headquarters and the earlier Anglo-Saxon cathedral. There is an excellent audio guide to accompany the tour of this area of the Minster.

York (Pilgrim Guides)

The Shambles, York Photographic Print
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The Shambles is said to be York's oldest street and one of the best-preserved medieval streets in Europe. It was mentioned in the 11th century Domesday Book and many of its buildings date from the 15th century with the overhanging eaves typical of the period.

This was once the street where butchers sold their meat and animals were slaughtered. The channel in the centre of the street allowed blood and other detritus to be washed away. You might notice that the shops have wide windowsills. These acted as butchers' counters for selling there wares.

Now it's a magnet for visitors and one of York's most popular attractions. No butchers there now, instead you can find restaurants, antiques and other specialist shops.

Richard I the Lionheart
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It seems that Jews arrived to live in England after the Norman Conquest in 1066. At the beginning their activities were strictly limited to money lending but during the reign of King Henry I (1100 to 1135) the King granted a charter to the Chief Rabbi of London granting them what amounted to religious freedom, permission to travel freely and various commercial benefits.

After the death of Henry, relations between Christians and Jews became more difficult for a time but returned to normal under Henry II until he seized a Jewish leader and sent him to Normandy while imposing a heavy levy on the Jewish community in England.

Generally, Jews lived in harmony with their Christian neighbours in England - indeed, they financed the building of abbeys and monasteries, however, by the beginning of the reign of Richard I (Richard the Lionheart), prejudice against Jews was appearing in the country, partly caused by the Crusades against the 'infidel'.

Massacre in York
A pogrom against Jews in England began when a group of influential Jews was refused entry to the King's Banquet after the coronation of Richard I in 1189. Rumours spread that the king had ordered a massacre of Jews and mobs in London stormed Jewish homes and set them on fire. Attacks occurred in other places in England but the worst happened in York.

Already worried by reports of anti-semitic attacks in the rest of the country, when a fire began in York Jews sought protection from the Sherriff as mobs began attacking their homes. They asked for sanctuary in York Castle and were allowed into the timber-built Clifford's Tower. First the Sherriff left them but, fearing betrayal, they would not allow him back into the Tower. He returned with the militia and a mob of townspeople and Clifford's Tower was surrounded.

Clifford's Tower, York

The Jews remained trapped in there for several days until a fire began - it is uncertain who started it. Rather than face the murderous mob outside, many men killed their wives and children, then themselves. The survivors negotiated with the mob and agreed to convert to Christianity if they were spared. When they came out, they were all massacred.

After this, the ringleader of the mob, Richard Malebisse, burned documents showing he and others were heavily indebted to Jews.

Richard, through his Chancellor, William de Longchamp, punished the these men. The Sheriff and the Constable were dismissed while Malebisse fled to Scotland, the city of York had to pay a heavy fine, and debts due to Jews had to be paid to the King.

The Jews, however, returned in even greater number, and in the 1240s two York Jews, Leo Episcopus and Aaron of York were recognised as the richest Jews in England.

A plaque was unveiled here in 1978 by the Jewish Historical Association. There was a service of Reconciliation and Repentance in 1990 at the site, attended by the Chief Rabbi (Immanuel Lord Jacobovits) and the Archbishop of York. At the unveiling, a descendant of Richard Malebise of Acaster Malbis sent a note of regret for the actions of his ancestor.

Daffodils were planted in 1995-6 to flower early on the anniversary of the Massacre; also the six petals and yellow colour symbolise the yellow Star of David.

Page of Text and Illustration, from One of Three Volumes of a Jewish Book of Ritual, German
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Excavated 1982-3, in advance of the creation of Sainsbury's car park, Jewbury was probably first used in 1177 when Henry II gave Jews license to have a burial ground outside certain cities of England. Prior to this, all Jews had to be taken to London for burial. It was definitely in existence in 1230 when land was sold by the Dean and Chapter to the York Jewish Community to extend their cemetery.

Remains of nearly 1000 individuals were excavated, and examined scientifically. In 1984 Chief Rabbi, Lord Jakobovits, put a stop to the examination of bones and these were re-interred by a plaque in the raised flowerbed. At the time it was said 'if these bones lie at peace, civilisation can surely rest'. The bones were later removed to a Jewish cemetery in Manchester. Jewbury covered an area of about one acre and in the 13th century had the home of 'Jacob the Cemetery Keeper', a sort of caretaker. After the expulsion of the Jews in 1290, the site remained pasture till the 19th century.

This was the only large scale excavated Jewish burial ground in Europe. The skeletons were aligned North-South, some disarticulated - perhaps brought a distance for burial. Only one of the skeletons showed signs of a violent death, so these are not the massacre victims of 1190. There was very little disturbance of previous burials - an orderly cemetery. No markers were found so perhaps they were wooden. They were clustered by sex and age and seem to have had distinctive facial characteristics. The total number of burials was estimated to 600 adults and 400 children - high infant mortality - the rest died during their late 40s-50s. Women seem to have lived longer than the York average. Anaemia and tuberculosis were common causes of death visible on the skeleton.

During the reign of Henry VIII in the 16th century, practices of the Roman Catholic Church were outlawed in England.

Margaret Clitheroe, a butcher's wife in York's Shambles, converted to Catholicism in 1574. Although her husband was a Protestant, he was tolerant of his wife's religion. In spite of the danger of practicing Catholicism, she allowed masses to be said in her house, brought up her children in the Roman Catholic faith and sheltered priests. She stored priests' vestments and even had a priest hole in her house for them to hide in.

In 1586 her house was searched but nothing was found except a group of children at their lessons. One of these children was frightened into revealing Margaret Clitheroe's secrets including the cupboard containing Roman Catholic vestments.

She was imprisoned and tried before York Assizes in March 1586. She refused to enter a plea at her trial so that her children would not be forced to testify against her. She said, "I know of no offense whereof I should confess myself guilty. Having made no offense, I need no trial."

Refusing to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty was a serious offence and brought down upon her a terrible sentence. The judge said,

"You must return from whence you came, and there, in the lowest part of the prison, be stripped naked, laid down, your back on the ground, and as much weight laid upon you as you are able to bear, and so to continue for three days without meat or drink, and on the third day to be pressed to death, your hands and feet tied to posts, and a sharp stone under your back."

In fact, it was a slightly more merciful than that. Instead of suffering for three days, the weights placed upon her killed her in 15 minutes.

Margaret Clithroe was made a saint in 1970 by Pope Paul VI who called her 'the Pearl of York'.

There is now a shrine to Margaret Clitheroe in the Shambles. Unfortunately, it's the wrong house. It's now thought that 10 The Shambles was her home.

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York is famous for its medieval mystery plays which are still performed every four years in the city.

History
The first record of a performance of York's Mystery Plays was in 1376. They were performed regularly until the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century when they were suppressed.

Recognised as some of the oldest pieces of English literature, Mystery Plays were performed on the streets of medieval cities on the church Feast Day of Corpus Christi, around midsummer.

The best preserved of these religious pageant performances are those of York which were staged by members of the City Guilds and performed on carts or wagons drawn through the streets. Each craft guild or 'mysterie' would perform its own play as part of an agreed cycle which would take a full day to view at various stations throughout the City.

The Mystery Plays Today

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In York, the Mystery Plays were revived as part of the Festival of Britain in 1951. For many years they were performed in the Museum Gardens, with the last production there in the 1980s. Productions took place in the Theatre Royal and the Minster Production in 2000 was a 'one-off' highly successful event organised for the Millennium and was specially written for the occasion.

Since 1992, the Plays in York have returned to their origins by being performed in the streets of the city on both wagons and as 'processional' plays. In 1994 the seven York Guilds and Companies funded and took part in a production on wagons and began to establish a four-yearly cycle of Plays. In 1998 the Guilds again helped fund and facilitate a much larger event.

In 2002, to much popular, academic and critical acclaim, the Guilds took full control of a large scale production of the plays on wagons performed on various locations throughout the City, which involved people from a wide cross-section of the community and the open-air performances harked back to the original spectacle of the medieval Corpus Christi day festivities.

The Guilds again raised substantial sponsorship for the 2006 production. Without question, the Mystery Plays are integral to the culture and of historic significance in the City of York. This is an important event in the city's overall calendar and it is the Guilds' intention to continue with a four yearly cycle of productions.

The Plays are steeped in history, have a Christian message and are full of pageantry. The Plays presented in this traditional manner have received considerable acclaim from overseas.

St Michael's Church, Spurriergate, York.
© Copyright Bill Henderson and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

It is estimated that the city of York contains about half a million corpses and skeletons within its walls, everyone that has lived here from Anglo Saxon times to the mid 19th century. The city contained about 50 graveyards in the Middle Ages, so each graveyard contains on average 10,000 skeletons. Over the centuries the graveyards filled up, and in some cases were built on (e.g. Lady Row, Goodramgate) or roads widened over them (e.g. St Michael Spurriergate). Many graveyards closed at the Reformation, so by the 19th century the population was rising and the graveyards were inadequate for the rising tide of dead.

Graves had originally been 6 feet down, but the ground had risen due to the volume of bodies and in many cases, as at St Cuthbert's Churchyard, the graves had risen 6 feet above the ground. In many cases the graves were too shallow, so the authorities heaped more earth on the graveyards to cover the burials, which made the ground rise even faster. The shallow graves stank to such an extent that residents couldn't open their windows in summer without getting the stench from the graveyard.

Cholera and typhoid were both prevalent in the city in the 19th century. Residents got their water from wells, many of which were very close to the graveyards. With the problems in the cemeteries, water seeped from them into the wells so contaminating them.

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Another problem of shallow graves was that freshly buried corpses were very vulnerable to the body snatchers. Before the Anatomy Act of 1832, it was not possible to obtain corpses legally for medical dissection, so they were stolen from graveyards. That is why the rich paid more to be buried inside churches, safe from the body snatchers or 'Resurrection men'. York had been well placed for the illegal body trade, being half way on the London-Edinburgh stagecoach route and able to supply both places.

The York Cemetery Company opened its graveyard outside the city in 1837, but many were reluctant to use it as they had always buried people in the historic city churchyards and they wished to be buried next to their relatives. Some of the City clergy resisted the York cemetery, seeing it as an attack on their income from burials. Cremation did not become legal until the late 19th century and York Crematorium did not open until 1962.

Hargrove, a journalist on the York Herald, led a press campaign to get the graveyards shut. He recorded incidents such as children seen playing in Walmgate with a human skeleton which was still articulated, and a dog seen running down Coney Street with a human leg in its mouth. He also recalled a funeral at St Sampson's churchyard, which was waterlogged. The mourners were sliding off the duckboards into ankle deep mud, and the coffin having to be weighted down with stones to stop it floating up to the surface.

As a result of the 1852/3 Public Health Acts all burials inside churches and in urban graveyards were forbidden, and by 1855 the York Board of Health had closed the remaining city centre graveyards. But they are still stuffed with corpses; so you will never walk alone in York-there's always somebody under your feet!

Illustration of the Black Death from the Toggenburg Bible (1411

In 1604, York suffered the worst plague in its history with 3512 people dying, that was about a third of the city's population at the time. The arrival of the plague was blamed on the Scots, who came to England in 1603 with the new King James I of England (VI of Scotland). The plague recurred at intervals and the last major epidemic in York was in 1631 as it escaped the great plague of 1665 that so badly afflicted London in particular.

The Mayor and council did all they could to deal with the plague, though some councillors fled the city and were fined for not doing their duty. The city's cats and dogs were killed - which actually made the plague worse as this allowed the plague-bearing rats to breed even faster! The poor who contracted the plague were housed in temporary encampments outside the city - as it was summer, this would not have been too great a hardship. These camps were on Hob Moor, near St Lawrence's church on the Hull Rd and at the Horsefair on Gillygate, where the coach park is now.

The victims were supplied with food and drink. They used hollow stones filled with vinegar to disinfect money before they paid for anything. One of these - the Burton Stone (a former boundary cross of the City) - survives on the road to Clifton and another on Hob Moor.

Plague victims were buried in pits in St Lawrence's churchyard and the disused graveyard of St Giles on Gillygate, where the Salvation Army Citadel now is.

Some victims of plague were locked up in their houses to try and stop the spread of the plague as happened in London. Cleansers visited them to ensure they were quarantined and cleanse the area while officers of the Council supplied food and drink. Payment was with money, again dipped in vinegar.

Goods coming into the city, especially cloth, were often suspected of bringing infection, and were often impounded. In 1604, four women and a man dug up some infected and confiscated clothes. For this they were put in the stocks, then taken out one by one and whipped. In 1631 Martin Best came to York from an infected house in London. His goods were burnt and he was imprisoned in Little Ease prison in the turrets of Monk Bar 'till the change of the Moon.'

Said to be the most haunted city in Europe, there are certainly a good selection of ghosts to choose from in York.

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Legendary Legionnaires
In 1953, when apprentice plumber, Harry Martindale, began installing a new central heating system in the cellars of the Treasurer's House by the Minster, little did he know he was about to have a very spooky experience. Suddenly he heard a horn sound in the distance and it appeared to be coming closer. Then a carthorse appeared through the solid brick wall. Even stranger, it was ridden by a Roman soldier who was followed by more soldiers, dressed in green tunics and plumed helmets. To pile strangeness upon strangeness, it looked as if they were walking on their knees because their lower legs and feet were invisible. Then they marched into a newly excavated area, and it became apparent that they were walking on an old Roman road, the Via Decumana, known to have been buried 15 inches below the surface. A very alarmed Harry rushed upstairs, where the curator of the Treasurer's House said to him, "You've seen the Roman soldiers, haven't you?"

Mad Alice
Lund's Court (linking Swinegate and Low Petergate) was formerly known as Mad Alice Lane, in honour of Alice Smith who lived in the lane until 1825, the year she was hanged at York Castle for the perceived crime of insanity.

The Grey Lady
Grey Lady ghosts abound in England. This one is a theatrical ghost haunting a room behind the dress circle of the Theatre Royal. In the Middle Ages this was part of the old Hospital of St Leonard, run by nuns. One young nun fell in love with a nobleman and they became lovers. The love affair was discovered and the young nun was imprisoned in a windowless room - now part of the theatre - and the doorway was bricked so there she died. Now it's said that seeing the Grey Lady brings good luck to any production on at the theatre.

The Funeral Guest
Once known as the most beautiful of York's many ghosts, this long-haired, elegant woman has frequently appeared at All Saints Church, Pavement, and welcomes funeral processions at the door.

Brothers in crime
St William's College, the beautiful medieval building behind York Minster, has a ghost with a deservedly guilty conscience. The legend is that in 16th century York, two brothers were lodging at the College and, desperate for money, they robbed a wealthy priest from the Minster, stole his jewellery and purse, then cut his throat. The younger brother was overcome with remorse, and the older one was afraid he would give them away so he reported his brother to the authorities. The younger brother was tried and hanged for murder but the elder brother was racked with guilt and died soon after his brother. It's said that his unhappy, guilty spirit still paces the floors of St William's College.

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A Ghostly Tudor Lady
In the King's Manor a lady carrying roses in her hands walks through the walls, it is said, in a part of the building that was once the Rose Garden. There is speculation that it is Catherine Howard, the fourth of Henry VIII's six wives, was executed shortly after her stay here where, the legend says, she met her lover Thomas Culpeper.

The Headless Earl
Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumberland, was a devout Catholic and was accused of plotting against the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I. In 1572 he was was beheaded in York for treason. After his head was cut off, it was stuck on a spike on Micklegate Bar as a warning to other potential traitors. It stayed there for many years until it was removed and buried in the churchyard of Holy Trinity church in Goodramgate. The headless body of the Earl has been seen on many times at night in the graveyard, looking for his missing head.

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There are many festivals held in York. Here is information on a few of them.

Jorvik Viking Festival This festival takes place in February to celebrate the end of winter. York welcomes Vikings from all over the world to celebrate their culture. There are warriors demonstrating their fighting skills, music, drama, arts and crafts and much more.

The York Ghost Festivala> takes place around the end of October each year. With its long history, York is a good city for a ghost festival. You can go on ghost walks and attend talks and demonstrations given by experienced psychics and others involved with the paranormal.

York Roman Festival takes place annually. The 2010 event was was held in May. There are many people all over York dressed as Romans, displays and talks.

York Festival of Food and Drink takes place in September. The emphasis is very much on local Yorkshire food and this year's theme is 'Better Food, Less Waste'. During the festival there are tutored tastings, cookery workshops, cookery competitions and activities for children plus much more.

A Steam Engine in York Station Used in Harry Potter Films
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BritRail Passes - A good way for the independent traveller to visit destinations in Britain. Check out the York Pass which allows free entry into some visitor attractions and discounts on others.


Check Road Travel News - If you are travelling on the roads in or near York, check out the latest news of traffic jams and other problems.

Traveling to York Find out how to travel to York by road, train, air or even sea.

Webcam of York Minster - Watch this webcam from the BBC to watch the comings and goings outside the South Door of York Minster.

What's On in York - Find out what's on in the city while you are there.

King Richard III of England Reigned 1483-1485
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* Jorvik, the name the Vikings gave York, is sited on an archaeological dig carried out between 1976 and 1981 in Coppergate. It has yielded some of the finest Viking artefacts found in the country.

* The National Railway Museum in Leeman Road, the largest railway museum in the world with a collection that includes over 100 locomotives dating back to 1813.

* The Quilt Museum and Gallery, in St Anthony's Hall, Peasholme Green, now the headquarters of The Quilters' Guild of the British Isles and its world-famous Heritage Collection of 600 quilts which includes the earliest known signed and dated patchwork, from 1718. There is also quilted clothing, tools and equipment on display.

* The Richard III Museum is housed in Monk Bar, the most impressive of York's four medieval gatehouses. It put the king on trial for the murder of the two princes in the Tower of London - did he do it or was it just Tudor black propaganda?

*The Royal Dragoons Guards Museum and Regimental Association tells the story of the the regiment from the late 17th century to the present day. This museum shares its premises with The Museum of The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire.

* York Castle Museum detailing 400 years of social history, with recreated cobbled streets and homes from the past. You can also see the castle cell in which the notorious highwayman, Dick Turpin, spent his last days before being executed.

* The Yorkshire Museum and Gardens, set in 10 acres of beautiful gardens, has collections of Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Viking artefacts as well as prehistoric finds dating back 200 million years.

* The Yorkshire Museum of Farming at Murton is set in an eight acre country park and shows how farming has developed from horse power to mechanisation and includes many rare breed farm animals.