Read about our past events(we were founded in October 2011)
2023 Event Reports
21 January
The Development of Lady Well Close - A Windmill, a wharf, a spring, a pub, speculative property development, and much more...!
We began the year with a beautifully illustrated talk by Dr Louise Wheatley about a subject very close to her heart - the history of the area where she has lived for over 40 years; New Walk Terrace, Fishergate.
Lady Well Close was a parcel of land between the river Ouse and Fulford Road, taking its name from the well (now lost) in the garden of the last house on the north side of New Walk Terrace, close to the steps down to the river bank. The ancient boundary of the city runs along the north side of the road and does a strange kink at the Lighthorseman, ensuring that this pub and its predecessors (perhaps a windmill and maybe a Pinfold too) were in Fulford.
Using fragments of information gleaned from a wide range of archives and other sources, Louise investigated why this 4 acre plot was so attractive to York's merchants, brewers (and their daughters!) haberdashers, linen drapers, booksellers (and their daughters too!) and some of York's prominent Aldermen.
The Development of Lady Well Close - A Windmill, a wharf, a spring, a pub, speculative property development, and much more...!
We began the year with a beautifully illustrated talk by Dr Louise Wheatley about a subject very close to her heart - the history of the area where she has lived for over 40 years; New Walk Terrace, Fishergate.
Lady Well Close was a parcel of land between the river Ouse and Fulford Road, taking its name from the well (now lost) in the garden of the last house on the north side of New Walk Terrace, close to the steps down to the river bank. The ancient boundary of the city runs along the north side of the road and does a strange kink at the Lighthorseman, ensuring that this pub and its predecessors (perhaps a windmill and maybe a Pinfold too) were in Fulford.
Using fragments of information gleaned from a wide range of archives and other sources, Louise investigated why this 4 acre plot was so attractive to York's merchants, brewers (and their daughters!) haberdashers, linen drapers, booksellers (and their daughters too!) and some of York's prominent Aldermen.
18 February
The Merchant Adventurers Hall, the story of who built it
An illustrated talk by Bob Hale
This magnificent guildhall was already over 220 years old when the Company of Merchant Adventurers inherited it in 1581. It had been built by the Fraternity of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the oldest of perhaps half a dozen religious fraternities known in York before 1400, but the only one for which records survive. The astonishing scale of their ambition is shown by the huge size of the hall they set about constructing, 89 feet long, 40 feet wide, the lower storey of early brick, the upper storey timber-framed. It is half a century earlier in date than the Merchant Taylors’ hall in Aldwark, which was only two-thirds the size, as was the later St Anthony’s Hall in Peasholme Green. It is arguably the oldest, largest and finest of its kind in the country today.
Surviving title deeds tell us that the Fraternity of Jesus and Mary had been granted their site in Fossgate in December 1356. They were founded by royal licence the following March, admitting both men and women, principally but by no means exclusively from cloth and leather trades. It is thought they were prompted by the great pestilence of 1348-50, the Black Death, which had killed at least two-thirds and possibly as many as half of York’s population. Those spared God’s wrath, whilst resuming their occupations, were now intent on praying for the souls of the deceased in purgatory and performing charitable acts of mercy for those living but in need.
They started building their hall in June 1357 and appear to have finished in spring 1362. They established a ‘hospital’ (almshouse) in the undercroft, with their capacious meeting hall above. The chapel to the south was (as it still is) accessed from the undercroft, specifically so that the hospital inmates could see and hear mass sung from their beds.
Remarkably, as well as their deeds, early financial records survive too, five parchment rolls of receipts from named members and a paper account book running from 1357 to 1369. A third of this book’s pages list further receipts or pledges of money, and two-thirds record outgoings, of which 80% are building expenses. The years of the build list some 1600 separate items of expenditure, mainly materials and tools bought, such as timber, bricks and tiles, stone, sand, lime and plaster, picks and shovels, and the wages paid to the craftsmen, many of whom are also named. For example, John de Colwyk, master carpenter, got 3s a week, other carpenters or masons and bricklayers 2s 6d or 2s a week, labourers 1s or 1s 3d a week. Margaret the maid, the sole female employee named, also received 1s a week.
Trees, large and small, were sourced for as much as a mark, 13s 4d, or as little as 5½d. Nails cost from 3d to 5s 5d a thousand. They bought 20,000 bricks from near neighbours the Carmelite friars in Hungate for £6. Money was also spent each week on ale (small beer) for all the workmen employed. And on 15th August 1358, at the enormous cost of £7 9s 5½d, they celebrated their patronal day, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by a first lavish feast of porpoise and frumenty, herrings, 300 rolls of finest bread and 124 gallons of ale (1000 pints), to drink which they bought 300 wooden beakers.
These accounts, unparalleled in York, written in Latin, the customary language of record, throw light not only on post-Black Death wages and prices and food and drink (there are three further feasts, none of the four being previously published), but also on many aspects of ordinary life in York c.1360: the participation of women, who made up a quarter or a fifth of the membership; the scribes’ facility with words - Latin spelling, long standardised, had been learnt, but not that of the English or French words which appear occasionally for lack of a known Latin equivalent, and are written phonetically; and their probable use of the ‘long hundred’ of 120, made up of ten dozens, based on familiar multiples of 3 and 4, when, for instance, £21 was paid for centum (‘a hundred’) oaks at Thorpe Underwood, not at an unlikely 4s 2⅖d each (for 100) but surely at 3s 6d each (for 120).
There is ample material for the study of surname evolution: some 520 individuals are named. For example, Adam de Akome may or may not have come from Acomb himself, and Alice Glover may or may not have made or sold gloves – both may have inherited their names. Yet we can be sure that John Gregori, also called John filius Gregorii and then John Gregson (sic), all by the same scribe within a single month, really did have a father named Gregory, and ‘Gregson’ may be the first York instance of a ‘Robinson, Johnson’ type of surname.
On the other hand, many puzzles remain. Why did they unload timber at St Leonard’s Landing, a long way from Fossgate? What part of the hall were they building at any given time? – it is never clear. Who were the scribes? Why do the records stop in 1369? Above all, why build so large a hall? To the glory of God and the Virgin Mary?
Or is the clue in the 124 gallons of ale and 300 (or even 360?) bread rolls and beakers? (see the first feast records, below) Perhaps the members, who numbered five or six dozen each year, always intended to be joined in celebration by their families and friends.
The hospital was confirmed by a new licence in 1371 and continued in use until the fraternity was reconstituted as a new Guild of Mercers in 1430. The Mercers in turn were incorporated in 1581 as the Company of Merchant Adventurers of York, who thereby inherited Trinity Hall, Hospital and Chapel, as they had become known, and continued to administer all three (the hospital until about 1900, hall and chapel still today). Fortunately they also took possession of the archives, kept in an ancient wooden chest until recent times. Without these, none of the above story would be known.
Before the Merchant Adventurers: Building the Hall. Account book of the Fraternity of Jesus and Mary, York, 1357-69, The first ever full edition, was published by the Latin Project, York, in September 2021, price £10. ISBN 978-1-5272-9987-0.
To obtain a copy, please get in touch with FFH via our Contact Us page HERE
Here are some pages from the records. (click on the image to enlarge)
Left; 30 September 1357, accounts for one week's expenditure, mostly labour.
Centre and right; accounts for the first feast on 15 August 1358.
(Centre) Coals 18d; Porpoise 20s; Herrings (with carriage) 12s; Leavened bread 16s 2d; Flour 4s; Frumenty 12d;
(Right) Mayne bread (‘300’ rolls) 14s; Ale (124 gallons) 15s 6d; Wooden beakers (‘300’) 33s 9d (plus carriage 3d); Spices & strainers 18s 8d; Wm de Whitby baker 9s; Strewings 4½d; Sauce 6d; Onions 4d; A cook’s wages 8d; 2 gallons of honey 16d;
Grand Total £7-9s-5½d (Compare the Master Carpenter John de Colwyk’s daily wage: 6d)
The Merchant Adventurers Hall, the story of who built it
An illustrated talk by Bob Hale
This magnificent guildhall was already over 220 years old when the Company of Merchant Adventurers inherited it in 1581. It had been built by the Fraternity of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the oldest of perhaps half a dozen religious fraternities known in York before 1400, but the only one for which records survive. The astonishing scale of their ambition is shown by the huge size of the hall they set about constructing, 89 feet long, 40 feet wide, the lower storey of early brick, the upper storey timber-framed. It is half a century earlier in date than the Merchant Taylors’ hall in Aldwark, which was only two-thirds the size, as was the later St Anthony’s Hall in Peasholme Green. It is arguably the oldest, largest and finest of its kind in the country today.
Surviving title deeds tell us that the Fraternity of Jesus and Mary had been granted their site in Fossgate in December 1356. They were founded by royal licence the following March, admitting both men and women, principally but by no means exclusively from cloth and leather trades. It is thought they were prompted by the great pestilence of 1348-50, the Black Death, which had killed at least two-thirds and possibly as many as half of York’s population. Those spared God’s wrath, whilst resuming their occupations, were now intent on praying for the souls of the deceased in purgatory and performing charitable acts of mercy for those living but in need.
They started building their hall in June 1357 and appear to have finished in spring 1362. They established a ‘hospital’ (almshouse) in the undercroft, with their capacious meeting hall above. The chapel to the south was (as it still is) accessed from the undercroft, specifically so that the hospital inmates could see and hear mass sung from their beds.
Remarkably, as well as their deeds, early financial records survive too, five parchment rolls of receipts from named members and a paper account book running from 1357 to 1369. A third of this book’s pages list further receipts or pledges of money, and two-thirds record outgoings, of which 80% are building expenses. The years of the build list some 1600 separate items of expenditure, mainly materials and tools bought, such as timber, bricks and tiles, stone, sand, lime and plaster, picks and shovels, and the wages paid to the craftsmen, many of whom are also named. For example, John de Colwyk, master carpenter, got 3s a week, other carpenters or masons and bricklayers 2s 6d or 2s a week, labourers 1s or 1s 3d a week. Margaret the maid, the sole female employee named, also received 1s a week.
Trees, large and small, were sourced for as much as a mark, 13s 4d, or as little as 5½d. Nails cost from 3d to 5s 5d a thousand. They bought 20,000 bricks from near neighbours the Carmelite friars in Hungate for £6. Money was also spent each week on ale (small beer) for all the workmen employed. And on 15th August 1358, at the enormous cost of £7 9s 5½d, they celebrated their patronal day, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by a first lavish feast of porpoise and frumenty, herrings, 300 rolls of finest bread and 124 gallons of ale (1000 pints), to drink which they bought 300 wooden beakers.
These accounts, unparalleled in York, written in Latin, the customary language of record, throw light not only on post-Black Death wages and prices and food and drink (there are three further feasts, none of the four being previously published), but also on many aspects of ordinary life in York c.1360: the participation of women, who made up a quarter or a fifth of the membership; the scribes’ facility with words - Latin spelling, long standardised, had been learnt, but not that of the English or French words which appear occasionally for lack of a known Latin equivalent, and are written phonetically; and their probable use of the ‘long hundred’ of 120, made up of ten dozens, based on familiar multiples of 3 and 4, when, for instance, £21 was paid for centum (‘a hundred’) oaks at Thorpe Underwood, not at an unlikely 4s 2⅖d each (for 100) but surely at 3s 6d each (for 120).
There is ample material for the study of surname evolution: some 520 individuals are named. For example, Adam de Akome may or may not have come from Acomb himself, and Alice Glover may or may not have made or sold gloves – both may have inherited their names. Yet we can be sure that John Gregori, also called John filius Gregorii and then John Gregson (sic), all by the same scribe within a single month, really did have a father named Gregory, and ‘Gregson’ may be the first York instance of a ‘Robinson, Johnson’ type of surname.
On the other hand, many puzzles remain. Why did they unload timber at St Leonard’s Landing, a long way from Fossgate? What part of the hall were they building at any given time? – it is never clear. Who were the scribes? Why do the records stop in 1369? Above all, why build so large a hall? To the glory of God and the Virgin Mary?
Or is the clue in the 124 gallons of ale and 300 (or even 360?) bread rolls and beakers? (see the first feast records, below) Perhaps the members, who numbered five or six dozen each year, always intended to be joined in celebration by their families and friends.
The hospital was confirmed by a new licence in 1371 and continued in use until the fraternity was reconstituted as a new Guild of Mercers in 1430. The Mercers in turn were incorporated in 1581 as the Company of Merchant Adventurers of York, who thereby inherited Trinity Hall, Hospital and Chapel, as they had become known, and continued to administer all three (the hospital until about 1900, hall and chapel still today). Fortunately they also took possession of the archives, kept in an ancient wooden chest until recent times. Without these, none of the above story would be known.
Before the Merchant Adventurers: Building the Hall. Account book of the Fraternity of Jesus and Mary, York, 1357-69, The first ever full edition, was published by the Latin Project, York, in September 2021, price £10. ISBN 978-1-5272-9987-0.
To obtain a copy, please get in touch with FFH via our Contact Us page HERE
Here are some pages from the records. (click on the image to enlarge)
Left; 30 September 1357, accounts for one week's expenditure, mostly labour.
Centre and right; accounts for the first feast on 15 August 1358.
(Centre) Coals 18d; Porpoise 20s; Herrings (with carriage) 12s; Leavened bread 16s 2d; Flour 4s; Frumenty 12d;
(Right) Mayne bread (‘300’ rolls) 14s; Ale (124 gallons) 15s 6d; Wooden beakers (‘300’) 33s 9d (plus carriage 3d); Spices & strainers 18s 8d; Wm de Whitby baker 9s; Strewings 4½d; Sauce 6d; Onions 4d; A cook’s wages 8d; 2 gallons of honey 16d;
Grand Total £7-9s-5½d (Compare the Master Carpenter John de Colwyk’s daily wage: 6d)
18 March - Our Annual General Meeting + Life in York 100 Years Ago -
An Illustrated talk on photographs from the Hanstock Collection by Ian Drake, of York Architectural and York Archaeological Society (YAYAS)
Ian Drake's talk was preceded by our AGM, where members heard reports on our activities over the past year.
Louise Wheatley was re-elected as Chair and Peter Mott as Treasurer.
You can read Louise's report on our activities HERE, and Chris Rainger's report on the website and Facebook pages HERE
Following the AGM, Ian Drake gave a fascinating talk about the life and photographic work of Thomas Joseph Wilmott Hanstock (Born 23rd February 1871; died 7th February 1942).
Unlike York's other famous Edwardian photographer, Dr. Evelyn, on whom Ian Drake gave a presentation to us some years ago, Hanstock was a York commercial photographer. His work comprised portraits, group shots, wedding photos, York events, and postcard images, including those of York Minster, churches, and villages just outside York.
His archive was bequeathed to YAYAS by Peter Hanstock and has been catalogued by the Society. Work is in progress to digitise the collection.
You can read more about the Hanstock Collection on the YAYAS website - HERE
An Illustrated talk on photographs from the Hanstock Collection by Ian Drake, of York Architectural and York Archaeological Society (YAYAS)
Ian Drake's talk was preceded by our AGM, where members heard reports on our activities over the past year.
Louise Wheatley was re-elected as Chair and Peter Mott as Treasurer.
You can read Louise's report on our activities HERE, and Chris Rainger's report on the website and Facebook pages HERE
Following the AGM, Ian Drake gave a fascinating talk about the life and photographic work of Thomas Joseph Wilmott Hanstock (Born 23rd February 1871; died 7th February 1942).
Unlike York's other famous Edwardian photographer, Dr. Evelyn, on whom Ian Drake gave a presentation to us some years ago, Hanstock was a York commercial photographer. His work comprised portraits, group shots, wedding photos, York events, and postcard images, including those of York Minster, churches, and villages just outside York.
His archive was bequeathed to YAYAS by Peter Hanstock and has been catalogued by the Society. Work is in progress to digitise the collection.
You can read more about the Hanstock Collection on the YAYAS website - HERE
15 April - FFH members visit to the archives at York Explore
We went to see the 1759 Fulford Enclosure Map and the accompanying Schedule Book allocating the enclosed plots to their new owners.
York Explore staff kindly arranged for other historic maps of our area to be displayed and FFH member and map lover, Chris Rainger, brought copies of his local maps as well !
You can download a copy of the Fulford Enclosure map HERE and a transcription of the Schedule HERE
To the right you can see John Lund's 1772 map of Walmgate Stray, based on a map of 1736 by George Smith. Note the windmill at the junction of Cemetery Road and Fulford Road.
Here are some of the maps we saw. (click or hover your mouse over the map to read the caption)
We went to see the 1759 Fulford Enclosure Map and the accompanying Schedule Book allocating the enclosed plots to their new owners.
York Explore staff kindly arranged for other historic maps of our area to be displayed and FFH member and map lover, Chris Rainger, brought copies of his local maps as well !
You can download a copy of the Fulford Enclosure map HERE and a transcription of the Schedule HERE
To the right you can see John Lund's 1772 map of Walmgate Stray, based on a map of 1736 by George Smith. Note the windmill at the junction of Cemetery Road and Fulford Road.
Here are some of the maps we saw. (click or hover your mouse over the map to read the caption)
23 May - A walk around the University campus to see the Sculpture Collection
Led by Helena Cox, Curator of the University of York Art Collection.
Beginning in the Library with Barbara Hepworth's 1970 wood carving 'Antiphon', a group of members spent an enjoyable evening studying the sculptures around the woodland campus and the grounds of Heslington Hall. We also slipped into Derwent College to see Fred Millett's striking and very finely cast concrete panels, pictured here with Helena Cox discussing their design.
The art collection holds over 900 artworks across various media, including works by acknowledged masters, such as Barbara Hepworth, Sidney Nolan, Paul Nash, Joan Eardley, Keith Vaughan, Jacob Epstein, Mary Fedden, John Hoyland, Patrick Caulfield and Elizabeth Blackadder.
It also has pieces by prominent local artists, including Austin Wright, John Langton, Russell Platt, David Lloyd-Jones and Sally Arnup. Modern British art from the 1960s to the 1980s is a particular strength of the art collection, although the breadth of the collection also encompasses ancient and modern ceramics, textile-art, sculpture, painting, printmaking, book-art and photography.
The University's Norman Rea Gallery have published a leaflet about the 14 sculptures, with a map showing their location, which you can download HERE
And this link will open the University art collection catalogue
Hold your computer's mouse over the images below to read the caption
Led by Helena Cox, Curator of the University of York Art Collection.
Beginning in the Library with Barbara Hepworth's 1970 wood carving 'Antiphon', a group of members spent an enjoyable evening studying the sculptures around the woodland campus and the grounds of Heslington Hall. We also slipped into Derwent College to see Fred Millett's striking and very finely cast concrete panels, pictured here with Helena Cox discussing their design.
The art collection holds over 900 artworks across various media, including works by acknowledged masters, such as Barbara Hepworth, Sidney Nolan, Paul Nash, Joan Eardley, Keith Vaughan, Jacob Epstein, Mary Fedden, John Hoyland, Patrick Caulfield and Elizabeth Blackadder.
It also has pieces by prominent local artists, including Austin Wright, John Langton, Russell Platt, David Lloyd-Jones and Sally Arnup. Modern British art from the 1960s to the 1980s is a particular strength of the art collection, although the breadth of the collection also encompasses ancient and modern ceramics, textile-art, sculpture, painting, printmaking, book-art and photography.
The University's Norman Rea Gallery have published a leaflet about the 14 sculptures, with a map showing their location, which you can download HERE
And this link will open the University art collection catalogue
Hold your computer's mouse over the images below to read the caption
10 June - Our Festival of Ideas Event - Food and Farming in Early Heslington.
How the archaeology discovered at Heslington East Campus has informed our understanding of the early inhabitants of our area.
Chaired by John Oxley (pictured here) former City Archaeologist, and lead by Steve Roskam of the University of York, this wide-ranging event considered the changing ways in which humans engaged with landscapes in and around Heslington from the pre-Roman period onwards.
Our seven speakers from academic, community and commercial archaeological practices explored what we know of the people who visited, and later settled in this area, investigating what they ate; how they raised their livestock; what crops they grew and how did they process them, and most importantly - where did they get their water supply.
The Vale of York has been used and shaped by communities since the end of the last Ice Age. Its earliest prehistoric features chart the way in which people evolved over time from transient to more settled forms of occupation. From the end of the Bronze Age, land began to be divided, with recognisable field systems developing during the Iron Age.
Discover more about the archaeology of Heslington on our web-page HERE
You can download a copy of the event programme and poster HERE
You can read more about the archaeology at Heslington East HERE
How the archaeology discovered at Heslington East Campus has informed our understanding of the early inhabitants of our area.
Chaired by John Oxley (pictured here) former City Archaeologist, and lead by Steve Roskam of the University of York, this wide-ranging event considered the changing ways in which humans engaged with landscapes in and around Heslington from the pre-Roman period onwards.
Our seven speakers from academic, community and commercial archaeological practices explored what we know of the people who visited, and later settled in this area, investigating what they ate; how they raised their livestock; what crops they grew and how did they process them, and most importantly - where did they get their water supply.
The Vale of York has been used and shaped by communities since the end of the last Ice Age. Its earliest prehistoric features chart the way in which people evolved over time from transient to more settled forms of occupation. From the end of the Bronze Age, land began to be divided, with recognisable field systems developing during the Iron Age.
Discover more about the archaeology of Heslington on our web-page HERE
You can download a copy of the event programme and poster HERE
You can read more about the archaeology at Heslington East HERE
Henry VIII Progress at the Cloth of Gold
15 July - Henry VIII's Journey to Aldi - Why and how did Henry VIII come to York in 1541.
An Illustrated talk by Keely Hayes-Davies of the University of York. (We arranged this event to complement the Theatre Royal's production of 'Sovereign' - written by Mike Kenny from the book by CJ Samson.)
Henry VIII and his new wife Catherine came on a Royal Progress to York, with a huge retinue of courtiers and soldiers, accompanied by a massive baggage train.
After perambulating around east Yorkshire, staying at Wressle, Leconfield, Cawood and Hull, the massive convoy trundled up to Fulford Cross, where the city officials knelt in fear as the city Recorder read an abject apology for their role in the rebellion known as the Pilgrimage of Grace. After receiving gifts of gold, Henry rode up Cemetery Road (then known as the King's Ditch) and entered the city through Walmgate Bar and along Petergate to the recently disestablished St Mary's Abbey.
But Henry was not just in York to stamp his power on the rebellious north, he was also hoping to meet the Scottish King James IV.
Read more about Henry's visit on our History Topics web-page HERE
An Illustrated talk by Keely Hayes-Davies of the University of York. (We arranged this event to complement the Theatre Royal's production of 'Sovereign' - written by Mike Kenny from the book by CJ Samson.)
Henry VIII and his new wife Catherine came on a Royal Progress to York, with a huge retinue of courtiers and soldiers, accompanied by a massive baggage train.
After perambulating around east Yorkshire, staying at Wressle, Leconfield, Cawood and Hull, the massive convoy trundled up to Fulford Cross, where the city officials knelt in fear as the city Recorder read an abject apology for their role in the rebellion known as the Pilgrimage of Grace. After receiving gifts of gold, Henry rode up Cemetery Road (then known as the King's Ditch) and entered the city through Walmgate Bar and along Petergate to the recently disestablished St Mary's Abbey.
But Henry was not just in York to stamp his power on the rebellious north, he was also hoping to meet the Scottish King James IV.
Read more about Henry's visit on our History Topics web-page HERE
Complicated medieval ridge and furrow patterns on the hillside to the west of Lower Coscombe Farm above the small village of Wood Stanway, near to Didbrook, Gloucestershire, Great Britain.
23 September - The Enclosure of our Medieval Open Fields:
Parliamentary enclosures, land tax and tithes from 1700.
Lauren Grindley, gave us a personal and professional view of enclosures around York, derived in part from her work in the city Rights of Way department, where she encounters many interesting maps and documents which give clues on the history of footpaths.
She showed us the 1759 enclosure map of Fulford, which shows the previously open fields of Gate Fulford Manor divided into fields with the area and new owner written on each plot. This map also shows the narrow medieval (or earlier) plots strung out on either side of Main Street down to the back lanes we still see today.
You can see the Fulford map and read more about the Fulford Enclosure on our Medieval Fulford page HERE
Before the enclosures, villagers farmed long narrow strips of land within the open fields. Many also grazed animals on the common land and some had the right to put their animals on the Ings after the annual hay crop had been taken - this was known as Half Year Land. Villagers were required to pay a tithe to the Lord of the Manor, usually 10% of their crop or part of their earnings from sheep and cattle.
Although most enclosures of open fields and commons were made during the 18th and early 19th centuries, enclosure of commons and open fields had been happening since the 13th century, and accelerated in the 17th century. Many earlier enclosures were undertaken by mutual agreement, or imposed by the Lord of the Manor, but by the 18th century most were made under an act of parliament, with commissioners appointed to represent the various interested parties.
As well as a map, a schedule with a carefully detailed written description was made of each allotment of land, describing it in terms of its position relative to the plots on each side. This produces a convoluted text, but we are lucky that the Fulford enclosure has been painstakingly transcribed and can be downloaded HERE
Although some parts of Heslington had been enclosed before, most of the village was not enclosed until 1857, when the Lord of the Manor created a number of farms on his large estate and used the increase in his rents to fund the demolition of most of his Tudor manor house and build the Hall which now serves as the administration building for the University.
You can see the Heslington Enclosure map HERE
Parliamentary enclosures, land tax and tithes from 1700.
Lauren Grindley, gave us a personal and professional view of enclosures around York, derived in part from her work in the city Rights of Way department, where she encounters many interesting maps and documents which give clues on the history of footpaths.
She showed us the 1759 enclosure map of Fulford, which shows the previously open fields of Gate Fulford Manor divided into fields with the area and new owner written on each plot. This map also shows the narrow medieval (or earlier) plots strung out on either side of Main Street down to the back lanes we still see today.
You can see the Fulford map and read more about the Fulford Enclosure on our Medieval Fulford page HERE
Before the enclosures, villagers farmed long narrow strips of land within the open fields. Many also grazed animals on the common land and some had the right to put their animals on the Ings after the annual hay crop had been taken - this was known as Half Year Land. Villagers were required to pay a tithe to the Lord of the Manor, usually 10% of their crop or part of their earnings from sheep and cattle.
Although most enclosures of open fields and commons were made during the 18th and early 19th centuries, enclosure of commons and open fields had been happening since the 13th century, and accelerated in the 17th century. Many earlier enclosures were undertaken by mutual agreement, or imposed by the Lord of the Manor, but by the 18th century most were made under an act of parliament, with commissioners appointed to represent the various interested parties.
As well as a map, a schedule with a carefully detailed written description was made of each allotment of land, describing it in terms of its position relative to the plots on each side. This produces a convoluted text, but we are lucky that the Fulford enclosure has been painstakingly transcribed and can be downloaded HERE
Although some parts of Heslington had been enclosed before, most of the village was not enclosed until 1857, when the Lord of the Manor created a number of farms on his large estate and used the increase in his rents to fund the demolition of most of his Tudor manor house and build the Hall which now serves as the administration building for the University.
You can see the Heslington Enclosure map HERE
28 October - Wildlife on Campus
An Illustrated Talk by Gordon Eastham
Grounds & Ecology Manger at the University of York
Gordon Eastham gave us an entertaining and fascinating insight into the joys and challenges of his role. He began work at the University of York on 1st August 1994, so he has worked for the University for nearly 30 years - almost half the length of time the university has been in existence. He said that although he knows very little about what proceeded him in terms of campus wildlife, he could tell us about what has happened over the last 30 years or so. Neither a botanist or a zoologist, Gordon's background is in horticulture and landscaping, and his talk mainly focused on the fauna of the campus, rather than the flora.
You can read a report on Gordon's talk HERE
You can download a pdf of his slides and notes HERE
An Illustrated Talk by Gordon Eastham
Grounds & Ecology Manger at the University of York
Gordon Eastham gave us an entertaining and fascinating insight into the joys and challenges of his role. He began work at the University of York on 1st August 1994, so he has worked for the University for nearly 30 years - almost half the length of time the university has been in existence. He said that although he knows very little about what proceeded him in terms of campus wildlife, he could tell us about what has happened over the last 30 years or so. Neither a botanist or a zoologist, Gordon's background is in horticulture and landscaping, and his talk mainly focused on the fauna of the campus, rather than the flora.
You can read a report on Gordon's talk HERE
You can download a pdf of his slides and notes HERE
11 November - Remembering the men named on the WW2 memorial in Heslington Church
Our treasurer and Heslington resident, retired priest Rev. Dr. Peter Mott, gave a moving talk about the six men who are named on the Second Wold War memorial in Heslington Church.
After the talk, a wreath was laid at the memorial by Michael French, the son of Lieutenant George French. Two minutes silence was observed at 11.00 am.
With much help from Barbara King, Peter's research discovered remarkable details about the men's military service. Their stories of stoic heroism in the face of terrifying situations reached every one of us. Peter said that before he began his research, he had assumed that most of the men would be airmen from the nearby Elvington bomber base. Two were indeed RAF crew, but both had no connections with the base and died far from Yorkshire:
Flight Sergeant James Burgon flew Spitfires and was killed on a low level training flight near Abergavenny in South Wales
Flight Lt. John Humpherson was awarded a DFC for his courage flying Hurricanes from Biggin Hill during the Battle of Britain, but died when a test flight of a Boeing Fortress bomber crashed near Catterick.
Sergeant Harry MacDonald died in November 1944, some months after D-Day, when the Tank Landing Ship he was on carrying telecommunications equipment, struck a mine outside Ostend and quickly sank in heavy seas.
Lance Corporal Victor Shaw was killed in January 1945 during the German counter-offensive in the Ardenne, known as the Battle of the Bulge.
Two Heslington men named on the memorial were killed in the 'forgotten war' against the Japanese in Burma (now Myamar): Trooper Wilfred Nicholson and Lieutenant George French. Unfortunately it has not been possible to piece together details of Wilfred Nicholson's military activities with the Royal Armoured Corps.
George French had fought in North Africa and the Middle East, before being sent to join the effort to prevent Japan from invading India. He died in January 1944 attacking a machine gun post during the campaign to push back down the peninsular to Singapore.
You can read much more about these men and the Burma campaign in Peter Mott's Illustrated talk - HERE
Our treasurer and Heslington resident, retired priest Rev. Dr. Peter Mott, gave a moving talk about the six men who are named on the Second Wold War memorial in Heslington Church.
After the talk, a wreath was laid at the memorial by Michael French, the son of Lieutenant George French. Two minutes silence was observed at 11.00 am.
With much help from Barbara King, Peter's research discovered remarkable details about the men's military service. Their stories of stoic heroism in the face of terrifying situations reached every one of us. Peter said that before he began his research, he had assumed that most of the men would be airmen from the nearby Elvington bomber base. Two were indeed RAF crew, but both had no connections with the base and died far from Yorkshire:
Flight Sergeant James Burgon flew Spitfires and was killed on a low level training flight near Abergavenny in South Wales
Flight Lt. John Humpherson was awarded a DFC for his courage flying Hurricanes from Biggin Hill during the Battle of Britain, but died when a test flight of a Boeing Fortress bomber crashed near Catterick.
Sergeant Harry MacDonald died in November 1944, some months after D-Day, when the Tank Landing Ship he was on carrying telecommunications equipment, struck a mine outside Ostend and quickly sank in heavy seas.
Lance Corporal Victor Shaw was killed in January 1945 during the German counter-offensive in the Ardenne, known as the Battle of the Bulge.
Two Heslington men named on the memorial were killed in the 'forgotten war' against the Japanese in Burma (now Myamar): Trooper Wilfred Nicholson and Lieutenant George French. Unfortunately it has not been possible to piece together details of Wilfred Nicholson's military activities with the Royal Armoured Corps.
George French had fought in North Africa and the Middle East, before being sent to join the effort to prevent Japan from invading India. He died in January 1944 attacking a machine gun post during the campaign to push back down the peninsular to Singapore.
You can read much more about these men and the Burma campaign in Peter Mott's Illustrated talk - HERE