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George Walker Milburn, master woodcarver, stonemason and sculptor, was born in Goodramgate, York on 17 June 1844. He was the eighth of ten children of Lionel Altimont Milburn, a York tailor, and his wife, Elizabeth Clapham, of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. Little is certain about George's childhood years but, in his early teens, he was apprenticed as a woodcarver to William Alfred Waddington, 'Pianoforte Manufacturer', who was based at 44 Stonegate, York. He attended York School of Art where he won several medals and awards. A head modelled by Milburn so impressed the sculptor Thomas Woolner RA that he offered the young student the opportunity to study with him, but Milburn felt obliged to decline as he had already commenced his apprenticeship. In 1865, having completed his woodcarving studies, George went to London to study stone-carving with Samuel J. Ruddock. While there he exhibited a medallion of the stained-glass artist Charles Hardgraves at the Royal Academy of Art.

George returned to York around 1872 and set up his own stone yard at 53 Gillygate. One of his first commissions was for the architect George Edmund Street on the massive project to restore the South Transept of York Minster. Street employed the young carver to execute a large portion of the decorative stonework on the interior and exterior during the eight years of restoration (1872-80). Street was sufficiently impressed by George's artistry that he took him to Corfe Castle in Dorset to work on St James' Church at Kingston, the church described as 'The Jewel of the Purbecks'. In addition to Street, George worked with many other leading architects of the Victorian and Edwardian era including Sir George Gilbert Scott, Charles Clement Hodges, Charles Hodgson Fowler, and Walter H. Brierley.

In 1885 George Milburn won the competition to execute a statue to commemorate George Leeman MP, three times Lord Mayor of York and a dominant figure in 19th-century York politics. Some felt that George had insufficient experience to execute the work and the controversy rumbled on in the York newspapers for many months. He took an enormous financial gamble, signing a potentially punitive contract with York City Council which would have ruined him had he failed. But the gamble paid off and York's first public statue established him as a sculptor in addition to his already established reputation as a stone- and woodcarver.

About this time, George moved his stone yard to St Leonard's Place at Bootham where it would remain for more than 50 years. He would go on to be awarded commissions for a statue of Queen Victoria for the Guildhall and a statue of William Etty which stands in Exhibition Square. While the Victoria statue also caused rumblings of discontent in the press, it was less to do with the choice of sculptor than with political squabbling over whether a statue was the correct form of memorial with which to honour the late Queen. On its completion, the statue received widespread praise. When unveiled by the Queen's daughter, Princess Henry of Battenberg, she broke with protocol and shook the sculptor's hand.

George left a large body of work, ecclesiastical and secular. He carved almost 50 memorial crosses and executed works for more than 150 churches. A small sample of his stone-carving includes the impressive Boer War Memorial Cross at Durham Cathedral; the Bede Cross at Roker, Sunderland; the statues for the elaborate Reredos at St Aidan's Church, Bamburgh; the Reredos at St Peter-at-Gowts, Lincoln; and multiple pulpits and fonts including St Barnabas' Church in York, St Aidan's in Hartlepool, and All Saints in Lincoln. His woodwork, equal to though less recognised than that of Robert Thompson, can be seen in the tracery panels for the magnificent double organ at Howden Minster, the organ screen for St Helen's Church at Escrick, the chancel screen at Melton Mowbray and the beautiful reredos in St Benet's Chapel at Ampleforth Abbey.

His mastery of both stone- and woodcarving can be seen at St Thomas' Parish Church at Stockton-on-Tees where he sculpted the large stone cartouche over the east window and the elaborate oak bench ends in the choir, and at St Andrew's Church at Bournemouth in Dorset where he carved the delightful oak figures for the choir, six stone statues and a beautiful alabaster reredos of the Annunciation. His works for private houses included Hawkstone Hall, Shropshire; the chapel at Hatfield College, Durham; Dunollie Hall, Scarborough; Carlton Towers, East Yorkshire; Gray's Court, York; the renowned Arts and Crafts-style house, Goddards, York; and the chapel at Castle Howard.

While his works were predominantly in Yorkshire and the North-East of England, his work can be found throughout the country, from Bournemouth in Dorset to Edinburgh where he carved the statue of John Hunter on the façade of the National Portrait Gallery. Although the Scottish sculptor James MacGillivray Pittendrigh has been credited with the latter, it was George Milburn who sculpted the statue from a miniature by Pittendrigh. Works can be found in almost 20 counties throughout the UK including Lincolnshire, Kent, Shropshire, Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and Norfolk.

In York alone the list of his works includes the William Etty, Queen Victoria and George Leeman statues and works for York Minster, York Art Gallery, York Explore Library, St Barnabas' Church, St Chad's at Knavesmire; St Olave's Church, St Wilfrid's Church, Holy Trinity Church, All Saints Pavement, Barclays Bank, Beckett's Bank, Jacob's Well in Micklegate, St Sampson's Church, St Andrew's Church at Bishopthorpe, Fulford Church and many others. He found time in his busy career to make a positive contribution to some of York's many societies; he was a member of the York Philosophical Society, an active supporter of the York School of Art and a frequent lecturer.

In his private life, he was a practising Catholic – although he seems to have had a relaxed attitude about the strict adherence to church rules; his first marriage, to Ellen Ward, was at St Wilfrid's Church; his second, to Isabella Fletcher, took place at St Olave's Church in Marygate. Like many Victorians, he suffered a series of family tragedies; his first child, Lionel, died at the age of one; his first wife, Ellen, died of TB in 1885 at the age of 28, shortly after giving birth to their fourth child, Norah; Norah herself died one year later. In all, of five children in his two marriages, only two survived into adulthood. His second marriage, to Isabella Fletcher, in 1888, lasted until her death in 1924. With his son, Wilfrid Joseph Milburn, the two worked as G.W. Milburn & Son from the stone yard at St Leonard's Place.

George had an exceptionally long career, working well into his eighties and living through enormous changes in his native city. Born in the seventh year of Victoria's reign, when Sir Robert Peel was Prime Minster and York a city with a population of barely 40,000, his work straddled two centuries and honoured the dead of two wars: the Boer War and the First World War. During his lifetime the population of York expanded to more than 123,000 inhabitants. Few others can claim to have lived and worked continuously in one city through a period of such enormous change. He died in York City Hospital, Huntington Road on 3 September 1941.

His importance to York can be gauged by the judgement of his fellow artists and peers. John Ward Knowles, the renowned York stained-glass artist, was of the opinion that for many years stone-carving in York had been 'confined to the works of ornamental sculpture' until 'the higher branch of the art was again resuscitated by George Milburn'. Street reportedly called him 'the best Gothic sculptor in the country' and Knowles felt that, in stone-carving, George 'stood pre-eminently in front of his confrères'.

More than 270 of George Milburn's works survive but this master craftsman has not received the recognition that he deserves, and most of his extant works remain uncredited, overshadowed by others, such as Robert Beall of Newcastle or Thompson of Kilburn, or even incorrectly ascribed to others.

William Clapham Milburn was a resident of York, who bought 18 Heworth Green on 14 February 1919. The house was later renumbered to 66. In his working life, he was a tailor at 51 Goodramgate (later renumbered 77).

York Light Opera Company is a York-based musical theatre company who produce and perform several productions each year. It is unknown exactly when the company started, however it was certainly before 1955. With both an Adult Company for 16+ and Youth Company (10-18yrs) the organisation has members from all walks of life and ages, all with a love of musical theatre. The company regularly works with creative professionals and performing at York Theatre Royal. Some of our members even continue to become professionals in the industry.

The company brings both new productions and old classics to York. The company includes a large family built up of performers, volunteers and backstage helpers who are dedicated to having fun and working hard.

The Leng family were residents of York, and are most well known for the creation of the 'Fulford Biscuit', and for their factory in York.

The 'Fulford Biscuit' was the creation of John Leng and his wife, Hannah Horsely, who lived in Wilberfoss. John, and his brother William, were brought up by their Uncle Thomas after their father died and their mother, Elizabeth Horsley, remarried. In 1800 Uncle Thomas died and left William £300. John, who was a 28 year old baker, was left the farm.

John and Hannah had 7 children, and his brother William and hist wife Ellis Rowntree had 10. It was during this time that the biscuit, which became so popular, was created. The biscuit was plain, yeast-raised, and saucersized, a development from the much plainer (and harder) ship's biscuit.

In the early 1800's, John sold out to William and moved to Fulford in search of a better education for the boys and better marriage prospects for his girls. Non-Freeman of the City were not allowed to open a shop in York, but could trade in Thursday market, where William sold his meat and where kin lived at 7 St. Sampson's Square.

77 Main Street, Fulford, became John Leng's family home with the bakery built into the side of the house. John set up his son 'Biscuit John' in St. Saviourgate, later moving to 2 Coppergate.
His son Charles was in Lambeth, distributing the biscuits. Brother William's sons Robert and George were apprentices when their father and two brothers died in 1831. Their mother, Ellis, moved to 69 Main Street, Fulford. Baker John died in 1849, and as Hannah was already dead, the Fulford Biscuit rights and recipe were left to daughters Mary and Maria Leng. Mary died in 1855 and Maria married.

Once qualified, Robert and George set up at 7 St Sampson's Square as competitors to Biscuit John, as York was now an open market. Later his only son John Philip, still at 2 Coppergate, sold the biscuits but later traded as a corn and flour merchant also buying many properties in York for his 10 children. Only George and his family continued making the biscuits at 77 Main Street. They were sold in Coppergate until 1902, when his widow, Jane Hunt, died.

Marjorie Leng, a granddaughter of John Philip, inherited the recipe, but not the method.

On 22 May 1948, former RAF pilot Leonard Cheshire took a dying man, who had nowhere else to go, into his home.

With no money, Leonard nursed the man himself in his home of Le Court in Hampshire. They became friends and this act of kindness prompted more people to go to Leonard for help. People were keen to share a home with others and support each other.

By the summer of 1949, his home had 24 residents with complex needs, illnesses and impairments. As awareness of Leonard's work spread he started to receive referrals.

New NHS hospitals struggled to cope with waiting lists of people needing urgent care. Disabled people were at the bottom of the list of NHS priorities at the time. People were often left to manage on their own, or to rely on others to help them get through each day.

As Le Court became established, people started to champion the need for similar homes in their communities. Interest in these services was not limited to the UK. International communities also sought these services. The establishment of Leonard Cheshire as a charity had begun.

By 1955, there were five homes in the UK. The first overseas project began outside Mumbai, India.

The 1960s saw rapid expansion. By 1970 there were over 50 services in the UK; five services in India and activities in 21 other countries around the world. It is currently unknown as to the exact date when the York Committee was established.

Charles Brunton Knight was a resident of York and local historian. He is most well known for his History of the City of York, originally published in 1944.

Maurice Kirk was born in York in the 1920s and educated at Nunthorpe Boys School. He served during the Second World War, and subsequently worked for the University of Leeds. His father, Archibald Kirk, was Lord Mayor in 1963.

York's bailiffs became sheriffs when the city became a county in 1396. The number was reduced to one in 1836.
Replaced bailiffs in 1396. Some legal functions transferred to Recorder in 1835.

Joe Murphy was a local historian, lecturer and author. He lived in Osbaldwick.

IWA is a membership charity that works to protect and restore the country's 6,500 miles of canals and rivers. It is unclear when the local branches in Yorkshire and the North Midlands were originally founded, however they were certainly operating by 1959.

Ideal Laundry was opened in St Martin's Lane, York, in the early part of the 20th century. It later moved to Trinity Lane. The company became incorporated in 1979. Whilst its exact dates of operation are not known, the company had certainly ceased trading by 1995, when the site was excavated by archaeologists prior to redevelopment.

Invalid Children's Aid Nationwide (I CAN) is a national registered charity (number 210031) for children with speech and language difficulties. The charity began as the Invalid Children's Aid Association (ICAA) on 26 November 1888, founded by Allen Dowdeswell Graham, a clergyman, to help poor children who were either seriously ill or handicapped. In 1888, he wrote 'Poverty is bad enough, God knows, but the poor handicapped exist in a living hell. It's up to us to do something about it'. Allen Graham organised a group of home visit volunteers who took food, bedding and medicine to children and their families, and helped arrange admissions into hospitals and convalescent homes, holidays, apprenticeships, and the loan of spinal carriages, wheel chairs and perambulators. Royal patronage began in 1891 and continued throughout the 20th century. The dates of operation of the York branch of the association are currently unknown.

As the Association grew, volunteers were gradually replaced by professional social workers and 'Homes of Recovery' were set up, where the treatment of children with tuberculosis and rheumatic heart disease was first pioneered. The first of these residential establishments was Holt Sanatorium opened in 1906 and Parkstone Home for boys was opened in 1909. In 1935, the ICAA helped publicise the need for immunisation against diptheria by holding a conference in London. The ICAA worked closely with the London County Council in providing Care Committee Secretaries to the Schools for Physically Handicapped Children, and acting as an agent for the tuberculosis 'TB Contact Scheme' from 1925. During 1939 to 1945, the Association was involved in the special arrangements for the evacuation of physically handicapped children to homes or selected foster homes.

The National Health Service Act 1948 introduced financial support for medical care and appliances required by the Association's social workers, enabling greater concentration on providing casework support to help alleviate the stress experienced by families with handicapped children. The Act also led to the transferral of the Association's Heart Hospital, which had been opened in 1926 to the Health Authorities and the gradual replacement of convalescence by short term holidays.

In the 1950s the Association's motto was 'To every child a chance' and aims were:

1. To collect and put at the disposal of parents and others, all information with regard to the care of invalid and crippled children, and the facilities which exist for their treatment.

2. To co-operate with doctors, hospital almoners and others by reporting on those aspects of the child's social background which are relevant to the understanding and treatment of the illness.

3. To assist parents to carry out the doctor's advice with regard to treatment by :-

a) Arranging convalescence where necessary.

b) Helping them to understand, and where possible rectify, any adverse social conditions that may exist.

4. To help in the re-establishment of the child in normal life.

5. To visit the seriously invalided child.

With improvements in health care, the Association also began to concentrate on the educational problems arising from specific disabilities or chronic illness. In 1961 the Association organised an International Conference of Dyslexia and in 1964 the Word Blind Centre, Coram's Fields, was opened to study dyslexia and other reading difficulties. This led to the formation of the British Dyslexia Association.

By 1981 the ICAA was maintaining five residential schools for children with special educational needs. It also ran a central information service, which provided free advice, and hired publications and films, and centres run by social workers in London and Surrey offering support to families with handicapped children. Social work services were run partly through grant aid from local authorities, and included Keith Grove Centre, Hammersmith which was opened in 1967, and Grenfell House Social Work Centre in 1981.

In 1983 a Curriculum Development centre was opened for the research of teaching materials for children with speech and language disorders. The ICAA also expanded its area of work to include the Midlands and the North East with the opening of Carshalton Family Advice and Support Centre and regional offices.

In 1986 the ICAA was renamed as I CAN. In the late 1990s I CAN delivered a range of direct and partnership services to help children by pioneering work in special schools, nurseries and centres within local schools and by providing training and information for parents, teachers and therapists. In 1999 there were 25,000 children with severe and complex speech and language impairment, with only 14 specialised schools available in the country, I CAN managing three of these at Dawn House School, John Horniman School and Meath School. In these schools I CAN employed teachers, speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, care staff and social workers. In the financial year April 2000 to March 2001 the charity's gross income was £6,151,000, and expenditure was £7,035,000. I CAN has been involved in national projects such as 'Changing lives', an initiative launched in 1999, aimed at changing 'early years' provision to support 1,200 children in 2002.

Sir Hugh Nigel Edward Bayley (born 9 January 1952) is a British Labour Party politician who was Member of Parliament for York Central until 2015, having held the predecessor City of York seat from 1992 to the 2010 general election, when boundary changes took effect.

Bayley was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire and was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College, the University of Bristol, where he obtained a Politics BSc degree in 1974, before pursuing further studies at the University of York where he was awarded a BPhil degree in Southern African studies in 1976. After his studies in 1975 he became a District Officer and later a National Officer with NALGO until 1982.

Bayley was elected as a councillor in the London Borough of Camden in 1980 and became the general secretary of the International Broadcasting Trust in 1982. Bayley stepped down as a councillor and moved to York to take up a post as research officer in health economics at the University of York from 1987 to 1992. He was a lecturer in social policy at the university from 1986 until 1998.

Hugh Bayley was nominated as the Labour candidate for York at the 1987 general election but was defeated by just 147 votes by the Conservative Conal Gregory. After the election, Hugh Bayley became a Health Economics Research Fellow at the University of York, and became a member of the local health authority.

Conal Gregory and Hugh Bayley again fought it out at the 1992 general election in York and this time Bayley won by a comfortable margin. After his election he made his maiden speech on 7 May 1992 and joined the Health Select committee. The name of the York constituency was changed (though with unaltered boundaries) and Bayley won a majority of over 20,000 at the 1997 general election.

After the election, Bayley became the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Health Frank Dobson, who lived near York. In 1998 he was appointed to Tony Blair's Government as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Social Security, responsible for Incapacity, Maternity, Disability benefits and Vaccine damage. He was deputed to bring the Welfare Reform and Pensions Bill through the Commons, which attracted much criticism from backbench Labour MPs over plans to means-test and restrict access to incapacity benefit. He was dropped from government after the 2001 general election.

Bayley has since served on the International Development Committee and pioneered the foundation of the Africa All Party Parliamentary Group, serving as chair for several years, now being its vice-chair. He was president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly from November 2012 to 2014. He was also a chairman of the Public Bill Committee. The City of York constituency was abolished in 2010, with Bayley being elected in the 2010 general election to represent the successor constituency York Central.

At the outset of the 2010 parliament, Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow appointed Bayley as a temporary Deputy Speaker to serve for two weeks until the election of Deputy Speakers. Bayley accepted the appointment, but stated that he would serve only temporarily and would not run for a Deputy Speakership, as he preferred to be able to represent his constituents by speaking out on issues before the House.

On 5 December 2014, Bayley announced his intention to stand down as a Labour MP at the 2015 general election.

Bayley was knighted in the 2015 New Year Honours for his 'services to parliamentary engagement with NATO'.

Home-Start is a local community network of trained volunteers and expert support helping families with young children through their challenging times. It is not known when the York branch actually started, however it was certainly before the 1990s.

The North of England Horticultural Society (NEHS) is a leading gardening charity set up more than 100 years ago to support and promote horticulture across the north.

The society organises and runs the twice yearly Harrogate Flower Shows.

Hugh Murray was a pre-eminent British historian of the city of York. He hated history at school but turned it into a second career after retiring from British Rail.

Murray was born in Hull, and was the fifth generation of railwaymen in his family. His father Donald was fish stock superintendent for the London and North East Railway (LNER).

He was educated at Brecon, St. Peter's School, York, and Jesus College, Oxford, where he read physics. He then joined British Rail, where he became divisional signals and telecommunications engineer at Norwich and later Leeds, and ultimately moved to York to spend 14 years as signals engineer for the Eastern Railways region. He continued living in York after retiring in 1988.

Murray amassed his own library containing thousands of books and photographs and had an encyclopaedic knowledge of York. In 2004, Murray was presented with a British Association for Local History award for personal achievement for his services to York's local history. He delivered more than 1,500 lectures, a local history course that ran for 15 years, and a popular guided walks programme. He had an impressive list of publications including articles in many local history and other journals, and published several books.

Murray was a leading member of the Yorkshire Architectural and York Archaeological Society, being chairman from 1991 to 2002, and was editor of Yorkshire Historian from 1984 to 2000. He was on the Council of Friends of York Minster and the York Civic Trust, and in the Yorkshire Heraldry Society. He had a particular interest in York Cemetery, which opened in 1837 and was rescued from ruin by an organisation of Friends. As a trustee, treasurer and administrator for many years, he created a database of all the burials which is now an invaluable research tool for other historians as well as people with relatives buried there.

Murry died of mesothelioma in 2013, from asbestos dust and fibres in workshops while he was a British Rail graduate signals apprentice in the mid-1950s.

The Hey family were resident in York in the 19th century. The family was intermarried with the Gray family of Grays solicitors, York, and associated papers can be found in the business collection (reference GDC) and the family collection (reference GFP).

Not every resident of York was a freemen, and not all freemen were residents. Prior to 1835, the freemen formed the electorate, served as the civic administration, and returned Members of Parliament. The proportion of locally-born and incoming freeman varied over time, and did the cost and ease of access. Honorary freemen were also appointed, often royality or members of the nobility. The corporation strictly regulated the freedom, punishing unfree offenders and overseeing the guilds.

Heslington Parish Council was officially created when the Local Government Act of 1894 formed Parish Councils. The new Parish Councils assumed responsibility for local civic and social welfare which was previously managed through ecclesiastical parishes.

Hardings Linen Drapers was founded in the late 19th century. By the early 20th century the business was trading from premises in High Ousegate, and later expanded to incorporate property on Coppergate as well (with entrances on either side of the building). The firm specialised in fabrics of all kinds, mainly for domestic use, and supplied on a wholesale and a retail basis. The company was eventually wound-up in 1974.

Samuel Holberry was a prominent Chartist activist.

Holberry was born in Gamston, Nottinghamshire, the youngest of nine children. In 1832 he joined the army, leaving in 1835 and moving to Sheffield, where began working as a distiller, and married Mary Cooper.

Together with other activists campaigning to extend the political rights given by the Reform Act 1832, he engaged in a number of peaceful protests. After a rebellion in Newport, Monmouthshire (now known as the Newport Rising) was put down in 1839, Samuel and a group of conspirators planned a Sheffield Rising.

The groups began to organise a militia, and supposedly 'provided themselves with arms, and fixed upon a plan for taking some, and firing other parts of the town'.

The plot was exposed by the landlord of a pub in Rotherham who had infiltrated the group. Leaders were identified, and both Samuel and Mary were arrested. In contrast to many members of the group, Samuel freely admitted that he had aimed to upset the Government and was willing to die for the Charter. He was convicted of conspiracy to riot and sedition and was sentenced to four years' imprisonment. He was placed in Northallerton House of Correction.

In gaol, Samuel developed consumption and died after being transferred to York Castle in 1842. He was buried in Sheffield General Cemetery, with 50,000 people attending his funeral.

Gerald Harrison who performed under the name Dustin Gee, was an English impressionist and comedian, best known for his double act with fellow comic, Les Dennis.

Harrison was born in York in 1942, and left school at 15 to study art at college. He took a job as an artist, working mainly with stained glass and for a while worked on the stained glass windows at York Minster. He played in a rock band in the evenings called the Dare Devils and later 'Gerry B and the Hornets' before they altered the name to 'Gerry B and the Rockafellas'. When the group disbanded, Gee became a compere, then later a comedian.

In 1975, Gee met his future comedy partner, Les Dennis. After 20 years in showbusiness, Gee got his television break on Who Do You Do?, an ITV showcase. The show gave the opportunity for up and coming entertainers and impressionists to impersonate stars. Les Dennis also appeared on this show.

From April 1980 to July 1985, Gee was star guest on Russ Abbot's Madhouse. Les Dennis became one of the cast in 1982; it was during this year that Gee and Dennis formed a comedy double act. By this time, Gee was a cabaret star in the UK, selling out theatres and nightclubs somehow by word of mouth alone, despite being on weekly television. This was the show that included his most famous impression, as Coronation Street's Vera Duckworth in two-handers with Mavis Riley (played by Les Dennis).

In 1982, Gee appeared on ITV's talent show Success, alongside a sixteen-year-old Lisa Stansfield, who was making her TV debut.

On Saturday 7 April 1984, Gee and Dennis began their own TV comedy show, The Laughter Show (retitled, Les & Dustin's Laughter Show for the third series). The first episode of a third and final series aired on Saturday 28 December 1985. The second episode had already been planned to be postponed for a fortnight, but it was during this time that Gee died (on 3 January 1986). Soon after Gee's death, the BBC decided to cancel the rest of the series, but it was resumed upon the request of Gee's family. In the summer of 1986, the third series of the Laughter Show was repeated uninterrupted as a tribute to Gee.

Gee's funeral was held on 9 January 1986, at St Oswald's Church, at Fulford, York.

Fulford (Water) Parish Council was officially created when the Local Government Act of 1894 formed Parish Councils. The new Parish Councils assumed responsibility for local civic and social welfare which was previously managed through ecclesiastical parishes.

York Family Service Unit was part of the larger charity Family Service Units. It is not known when the York unit opened, but FSU had been operating throughout England and Scotland since 1948. The charity provided children's services, particuarly for a number of local authorities.

In April 2006 FSU collapsed due to financial issues, with services in England being taken over by the Family Welfare Association.

Eboracum Lodge was founded in 1876 as lodge number 1611 of the Freemasonry of England and Wales . It forms part of the Province of Yorkshire, North and East Riding. The lodge members continue to meet in York on the second Monday of the month.

Friends of York City Archives was founded in around the year 2000 by volunteers with the City Archives service. The main aim was to support the archives service in general terms, and to keep the archives of the City of York in the city-centre, ideally in a new purpose-built archives service. This aim was achieved when the new service opened at York Explore Library on 5th January 2015, and as such, the Friends Group formally disbanded in 2018.

The group still meets occasionally for social purposes, and has run series of lectures, talks and workshops for members from its inception.

The Electric Theatre was York's first purpose-built cinema. It was later reopened as the Scala in 1951.

York Fanteakwa Community Link shares fellowship and mutual support between the Fanteakwa district of Eastern Region in Ghana and communities in York, UK.

Candidates were taken from the county gentry and city elite and had to become freemen if they were not already. Often heavily involved in civic life, many also served as aldermen and mayors during their careers. The electorate consisted solely of the freemen until 1835.

In the medieval period the corporation typically selected its representatives members directly. They were often uncontested until elections became more politicised in the eighteenth century, when hundreds of new freemen were sometimes sworn in to swing a vote. From the 1830s-1900, each of the two seats were usually held by the opposing parties. In the twentieth century, the seat alternated between the Labour and Conservative parties regularly, and has been held by a Labour MP since 1992.

York traditionally returned two members as a borough constituency. In 1918 the number of MPs was reduced to one. In 2010 the "City of York" and "Vale of York" seats were replaced by "York Central" and "York Outer".

Explore York Libraries and Archives Mutual Ltd was founded on 1 May 2014, when the Libraries and Archives Service of City of York Council spun-out as an independent entity. The organisation is an industrial and provident mutual, with staff and community members and is viewed as charitable by HMRC for tax purposes.

Explore runs the libraries across the City of York area on behalf of the council, as well as the Archives and Local History service, based at York Explore in the city centre. The service also runs a number of Reading Cafes in York and a mobile library service.

Explore was initially awarded a five year contract from City of York Council. In March 2019, it was awarded a further 15 year contract, ensuring that the company would provide services until 2034.

English Move On is an adult educational course provided by York Learning. Tutors support adult students to improve their English and maths skills. Move On is one of four levels in the programme, covering the Level 1 and 2 Functional Skills qualifications for employment. It is for those adults looking to return to learning or to prepare for further/higher education, apprenticeships and GCSE.

The firm was founded as the Eboracum Letter Factory in 1888 by Robert Duncan Delittle and was originally on Railway Street (now George Hudson Street). It moved to purpose built premises in Vine Street in the early 20th century and at the height of its success employed 28 people in the manufacture of high quality large wooden printing type. It closed in 1997 and the building was pulled down. Delittle Court was built in its place.

The wood type manufacturer was known for their unique production of 'White-Letter' they named 'Eboracum' after the Roman name for York. Starting in 1940, DeLittle also cut wood type for Stephenson Blake, the leading type foundry in the United Kingdom.

David Clarke was a showman and theatrical all-rounder. For 50 years he devised, wrote and produced hundreds of plays, shows and full-scale pageants involving casts of hundreds on a monumental scale.

Clarke was born in London on 20 October 1931, before moving to Farncombe when he was two years old. He attended Godalming Grammar School, Goldsmiths Teacher Training College and Guildford School of Art.

In 1951 he acted in the Pageant of Farnham, and took part in the Guildford Coronation Pageant in 1952, before undertaking National Service in 1954-1955.

Clarke went on to teach art at Camberley Grammar School in Guildford, during which time he produced plays and operas, and founded the Cloister Players. In 1957 he was selected as production designer for the pageant of Guildford, which ran for ten days with a cast of thousands.

During the 1950s Clarke directed and produced two films, Mr Guy and The Girl with the Ponytail, both of which won awards in a national competion promoted by Movie Maker magazine and shown at London's Nationai Film Theatre. He also continued directing and producing plays for The Cloister Players and, in 1971, took the entire company to Cornwall's Minack Theatre to perform Romeo and Juliet and The Importance of Being Ernest. He also directeted A Mid-summer Night's Dream at Loseley Park, West Dean College in Sussex and at the Chichester Festival.

In 1968 David returned to pageants, devising, designing and producing The Pageant of England at Shalford Park. Around 1,000 people took part, all of them parading along Guildford High Street in full costume before the first performance. Some 100 technicians worked back-stage, 6,000 costumes were worn, 100 animals took part and it was watched by 40,000 people over two weeks. It was 10 years before David returned to Shalford Park with the Pageant of Monarchy.

In 1973 he was appointed artistic director of the Guildford Summer Festival, and in 1977 he organiscd Guildford Silver Jubilee Pageant. Princess Anne, the pageants patron, attended a Performance and David received the Queen's Jubilee Medal in recognition of his efforts.

Pageants followed in Farnham, in 1988, and at Corfe Castle, Dorset, in 1991, and then the Cranleigh Millennium Pageant in 2000 and the Chilworth Gunpowder Community Play at Tillingbourne Valley in the same year.

In 1980, and again in 1984, David was engaged to direct and produce the York Mystery Plays in York Minster.

He died in 2014.

George Dickinson Dalby was a plumber in York, who was originally apprenticed to Frederick William Birch of Scarcroft Road, plumber, in 1916.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is the biggest union for the communications industry in the UK with 300,000 members. It was formed in January 1995 when the Union of Communication Workers joined forces with the National Communications Union. CWU members work in the Post Office, BT and other telephone companies, cable TV, Accenture HR Services, the Alliance and Leicester and Girobank. Members' expertise includes engineering, computing, clerical, mechanical, driving, retail, financial and manual skills.

The union provides first class collective and individual representation for all CWU members. It aims to achieve security of employment for all members, to offer individual membership services of the highest quality, to expand trade union membership throughout the communications industry. It also campaigns against all forms of discrimination and to further these objectives by promoting the influence of the union throughout the national and international community.

The Cocoa Works Choral Society was a group of amateur singers in the early 20th century, most likely connected to the Rowntrees Cocoa Works factory. The group held regular meetings and performances of large-scale works before the First World War. The exact dates of operation of the Society are currently unknown.

York Consumer Group was a membership-based campaign group fighting for the rights of York consumers. The group published a regular newsletter, as well as annual general meeting papers, and contributed to various campaigns including Crime Prevention Month. The exact dates of operation of this group are unknown, however it was known to be operating in the 1960s and 1970s.

The earliest extant minute book dates from 1869 but it may have met earlier.

Edna Annie Crichton was Lord Mayor of York from 1941 to 1942, the first woman to hold that position.

Crichton was born in Gloucester on 8 May 1876. Her father, Joseph Marshall Sturge JP was a mechant, her mother was Anne (Annie) Burke, and her sister was Mary Sturge Gretton, historian. Crichton attended Sidcot School and worked on the Passmore Edwards settlement in Bloomsbury, London. In the early 1910s, she took on a role in York, serving on the national health insurance committee and on the board of guardians for the city.

In 1919, Crichton was elected to City of York Council, a position she would go on to hold for 23 years. As lord mayor, she led the city through the Baedeker raid in 1942. She spent her time visiting hospitals and many of the bombed houses.

Crichton was also the first female Alderman in York, a position she took on in 1942 and she held for 13 years, concerning herself with social interests such as health, housing and education, sitting on committees for each. She lead initiatives on the housing front, establishing a committee on housing and ensured construction of new houses and removal of dilapidated ones. In 1955, on her retirement, she became the second woman to receive the Freedom of the City of York.

She married David Sprunt Crichton on 22 August 1901 and that had two children together. After retirement in 1955, she continued to live in York until her death at Clifton on 5 March 1970.

It is believed that John Cooper was a friend or relation of Samuel Holberry, Chartist.

York Collegiate School was a school for children in the city of York, in which members held shares. It's exact dates of operation are unknown, however it was certainly operating in the 1830s and 1840s.

The Church Mission Society was founded in Aldersgate Street in the City of London on 12 April 1799. Most of the founders were members of the Clapham Sect, a group of activist evangelical Christians. They included Henry Thornton MP and William Wilberforce MP. The founders of CMS were committed to three great enterprises: abolition of the slave trade, social reform at home and world evangelisation.

Wilberforce was asked to be the first president of the Society but he declined due to his workload but took on the office of vice president. Thornton became the first treasurer. The Rev Josiah Pratt, curate of St John, Bedford Row (London) soon emerged in a proto-chief executive role.

The spiritual background to the emergence of CMS was the great outpouring of energy in Western Europe now called The Great Awakening. John Wesley, an Anglican priest and failed missionary, became a key player in the UK version of the story. Not all those influenced by the revival left the Anglican Church to become Methodists. One such was John Venn, the saintly rector of Clapham.

Members of the second and third generation following the revival saw many opportunities to consolidate its effects. Alongside the main Clapham agenda they sponsored Sunday Schools for evangelism and education, founded Bible Societies and much more.

The Reformation and the abolition of monasteries and religious orders left the Church of England without vehicles for mission, especially for outreach to the non-Christian world. This new membership society agreed to be loyal to the leadership of bishops and an Anglican pattern of liturgy, but not dominated by clergy and emphasised the role of laymen and women. Much of what we call the Anglican Communion today traces its origins to CMS work. However CMS today is not confined just to Anglicanism, both in terms of people it sends out in mission or ally agencies and projects around the world.

It was expected that Church of England clergy would quickly come forward to be missionaries. When this didn't materialise CMS turned towards mainland Europe and the earliest missionaries were German Lutherans. For over a century CMS enjoyed rich work relations with the Churches and seminaries of Western Europe. Sadly this was gradually eroded as the European superpowers vied with each other in the race for colonial expansion. Even so we can say the 20th-century quest for Christian unity began through the experience of mission.

Initially the Society had no designated offices. In 1813 it rented premises in Salisbury Square in the City of London and by the end of the 19th century a row of houses had become a large headquarters with a complex administration and numerous staff. In 1966 it moved to premises in Waterloo Road. In 2007 it moved to east Oxford to premises fitted to serving 21st century mission as part of a network of mission hubs all over the world.

The overseas mission work of CMS began in Sierra Leone in 1804 but spread rapidly to India, Canada, New Zealand and the area around the Mediterranean. Its main areas of work in Africa have been in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Congo, Rwanda and Sudan; in Asia, CMS's involvement has principally been in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China and Japan; and in the Middle East, it has worked in Palestine, Jordan, Iran and Egypt.

The chaplain on the First Fleet to Australia was sent at the urging of Wilberforce. The second was sent by CMS and is regarded as the Apostle to New Zealand where CMS Britain worked directly (1809–1914). Other work included Canada (1822–1930), with smaller missions in Abyssinia (1830–1842), Asia Minor (Smyrna) (1830–1877), Greece (1830–1875), Madagascar (1863–1874), Malta (1815–1843), Mauritius (1856–1929), Seychelles (1871–1894), South Africa (1840–1843), Turkey (1819–1821), Turkish Arabia (Baghdad, 1883–1919 and Mosul, 1900–1919), and the West Indies (1819–1861).

It is unknown exactly when the York and District branch of the Society was formed, however it was certainly in operation in 1982. The York and District branch closed in 2017.

Marriage Care was established as a charity in 1946 to support families in the Catholic community whose relationships came under stress after the trauma and upheaval of World War II. It is not known exactly when the York branch opened, however it is likely to be sometime between 1953 and 1969, when the organisation was called the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council.

Now Marriage Care is a national charity, serving the whole community from over 50 centres across England and Wales, with a network of trained volunteers. Every Marriage Care specialist undertakes a rigorous training programme and operates to professional standards. Marriage Care is an organisational member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.

The organisation continues to offer various forms of relationship counselling.

William Robinson (d. 1616), Lord Mayor of York in 1581, acquired estates in and near York (Clifton and Rawcliffe, North Riding) and at Newby (near Topcliffe, North Riding). Sir William Robinson, fourth Bt (d. 1770), of Newby Park, sold the reversion of the Clifton estate to his uncle Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham (d. 1770), a younger son of Sir William Robinson, first Bt (d. 1736). Following the death of the 4th Bt without issue, the 3rd Baron Grantham (1781-1859) succeeded to the remaining unsold estates of the senior Robinson line, including Newby and Dishforth (North Riding) and property in Wensleydale (Askrigg, etc, North Riding). He also inherited Newby Hall (near Ripon, West Riding) and other estates of the Weddell family; and in 1833 succeeded to the Wrest Park estates as second Earl De Grey.

On Lord De Grey's death in 1859 the De Grey estates passed to his elder daughter Ann, Baroness Lucas, who married the 6th Earl Cowper, and the Newby Hall estate to his younger daughter Lady Mary Vyner. Of the Robinson properties, the Askrigg and Clifton estates passed to the Cowper and Vyner families, but the Newby Park estate passed to Lord De Grey's nephew George Robinson, 2nd Earl and 1st Marquess of Ripon (1827-1909).

Frederick Robinson (1782-1859), younger brother of the 2nd Earl De Grey and Prime Minister 1827-8, was created Viscount Goderich in 1827 and Earl of Ripon in 1833. In 1814 he married Sarah, only daughter of the 4th Earl of Buckinghamshire (d. 1816), through whom he succeeded to the Nocton (Lincolnshire) estate inherited by the 3rd Earl from the Ellis family. In 1845, on the death of Elizabeth Lawrence, he further succeeded to the West Riding estates of her grandfather William Aislabie (d. 1781), including Studley Royal, inherited through Aislabie's mother from the Mallory family, and the adjoining Fountains Abbey estate, purchased in 1767.

Following the death of the 2nd Marquess of Ripon in 1923 the Studley Royal and Fountains Abbey estate was acquired by his cousin Clare George Vyner, younger son of Lady Alwyne Compton-Vyner.

Estates in 1883: Yorks NR and WR 14,668 acres, Lincs 7,102 acres, total 21,770 acres worth £29,126 a year.

Clements Hall Local History Group was founded in 2013, following a series of local history events at Clements Hall in York. The group covers the areas of Scarcroft, Clementhorpe and South Bank in York, to the south of the city walls and west of the River Ouse. The group stage exhibitions around York, including at Clements Hall, York Explore Library, York Cemetery Chapel, Rowntree Park and the Winning Post pub. In 2016 the Local History Group began an annual programme of talks and walks, performances and occasional workshops.

The group meets monthly at Clements Hall, near Scarcroft School in York.

Harry Chapman was a resident of York, and a Serjeant in the West Yorkshire Regiment in the years before the First World War. He married Hester Chapman (although known as Esther) in 1909 at St Denys' Church, York and had at least two children. He died in 1925 at Fairfield Sanatorium in York.

York Celebrations Choir was formed in the 1960s out of a desire to amalgamate York's many small and medium-sized choirs. The aim was to create a 'choir of large forces which would be able to undertake major choral works.' The plan was to have around 400 voices. After a series of meetings the choir was formed and the first concert took place on 7 November 1970 in York Minster. The choir became a major element of the York 1900th celebrations in 1971.

The choir took part in numerous concerts and had nine appearances on Yorkshire Television's Stars on Sunday programme. This led to formal recordings, and the release of three LPs.

The choir formally ceased to exist in 1976.

Community Health Councils were set up in the 1974 NHS reorganisation to represent the interests of consumers in the health districts. Their role was to investigate, inspect, advise and comment on local healthcare facilities. Each year they were to report to their establishing authority. As originally constituted Community Health Councils were composed of 30 members, half of which were local authority appointees, and of the remainder, two thirds were from voluntary organisations and one third were appointed by the regional health authority. After the NHS restructuring in 1982, CHCs were reduced in size to 24 members, but with the same proportion of representatives. CHCs also employed a small number of offiers.

The Community Health Council for the York Health District was established by, and reported to, the Yorkshire Regional Health Authority. In 1974 it was coterminus with the York Health District, and from 1982, with York Health Authority. Through subsequent reorganisation it continued to represent people in York Health District, an area covering York, Easingwold, Selby and Tadcaster. In 2002 a Parliamentary Act was passed to abolishh the Community Health Councils, and to replace them with Patients' Councils.

The Estates Committee was responsible for the city estate including the bar walls and corporation property (used for both public and private purposes). It also included assets such as the city plate and weaponry.
See also the Committee of Leases (1703-1813) and Housing Committee (1920-1974). Allotment functions transferred to Parks Comittee in 1913. Instructed City Surveyor.

J Kendrew was a printer based in Colliergate, York, in the first quarter of the 19th century. He appears to have specialised in chapbooks, including penny books and larger format versions.

The Council was founded in 1944 for the 'safeguarding of all kinds of archaeological material and the strengthening of existing measures for the care of ancient and historic buildings, monuments, and antiquities' and to improve public education about archaeology.

The organisation has grown over the years and is now a charity registered in England and Wales (no 287815) and in Scotland (no SC041971). It is also a Company Limited by Guarantee, registered in England No. 1760254.

The Cattle family was a family based in York and the surrounding area for a number of generations. A history of the family, including alternative spellings of the name, was compiled by a member of the family in 2004.

Charles Cartwright was Under Sheriff to Sir William Saint Quintin, High Sheriff of the County of York 1729-30.

Crombie Avenue Nursery was a pre-school nursery in York.

The York Guild of Building was established in 1954 under the guidance of Sir Peter Shepherd and a number of other leading citizens connected with the construction industry, as well as professional organisations within the city, to represent and provide a forum for all the skills which are required in the construction and maintenance of buildings. This representation inspired the Guild logo.
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The builders of medieval York included masons, glaziers, plumbers, plasterers and tilers and the largest of the entire group who worked in wood, variously described as carpenters, sawyers, joiners and carvers. Of these only four crafts became organised into Guilds: the Carpenters, the Masons, the Tile Thatchers and the Plasterers. However these Guilds came to an end in York in the early nineteenth century.

The Guild operates with a Court of Assistants under the leadership of the Master for the year, assisted by Senior and Junior Wardens. Five members of the Court are elected annually by the membership. In addition several organisations connected with the construction industry nominate representatives, together with York College. Membership is open to any person involved in any aspect of building and associated activities. The day to day running of the Guild is in the care of the Honorary Clerk.

The Guild is committed to the advancement of design, management, science and craft in building and the better understanding of the problems and achievements of those engaged in building.
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To support the objectives of the Guild a very full programme of lectures, talks and visits, complimented by a range of social activities is produced by the court each year.

Benton was born in York on 7th February 1899. He was raised in York and went on to work on the railways. He signed up to fight during the First World War, and returned home injured in 1918 following the loss of his lower left arm and a bone in his right arm. His date of death is currently unknown.

Brunswick Terrace Hostel is a hostel for the homeless population in York. It originally opened in Kent Street, before moving to Brunswick Terrace shortly afterwards. The inadequacies of the accommodation later led to the opening of the Peasholme Centre in Peasholme Green in the 1990s, the first all purpose centre for the homeless in York.

The focus of the hostel changed over time from being a direct access hostel to one more focussed on helping people move into more permanent accommodation relatively quickly.

In around 2006 the hostel moved to nearby Fishergate, to allow for the redevelopment of the Hungate site.

The surviving records cover the period 1704-1773 and 1779-1814 but this may not represent the full length of the committee's activity.
See also Estates Committee (1884-1974)

British Rail was solely responsible for the state railways of Britain, transforming a collection of exhausted, post-war steam operators into the modern network we know today.

The history of British Rail is the story of post-war rail travel in the UK. British Railways, known from the 1960s simply as British Rail, operated most of Britain's trains from 1948 to 1997. Formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" UK railway companies – LNER, LMS, GWR and SR – BR became an independent statutory corporation in 1962 (the British Railways Board) and oversaw the transformation of the UK rail network until its privatisation in the 1990s.

The decades after nationalisation in 1948 brought wholesale change to the national railway network, as governments committed to the elimination of steam traction in favour of diesel and electric power. Over time, with the growth of the road haulage sector, passengers replaced freight (especially coal transport) as the railways' main source of income, and, as rationalisation took hold in the 1960s, one third of the pre-1948 network was closed.

In the 1970s, British Rail began investing in High Speed Trains and by 1990 both main coastal express routes, the East and West Coast Main Lines had been electrified between London and central Scotland.

Following a 1950s modernisation plan designed to take Britain's railways from the 19th to the 20th century, Doctor Richard Beeching's 1963 report, 'The Reshaping of British Railways', recommended the closure of a third of passenger services and more than 4000 of the 7000 stations. Most of the closures were carried out between 1963 and 1970, and today's network is largely his legacy.

In 1982, British Rail passenger services were split into three core sectors: InterCity, NetworkSouthEast and Regional Railways. Then, between 1994 and 1997, British Rail was privatised, as track and infrastructure passed to Railtrack in 1994 and, later, passenger services were franchised in 25 blocks to private-sector operators. Freight services were sold outright. Overall, ownership and operation of the network became highly fragmented, as operations were split between more than 100 companies.

The need to regulate trade between Great Britain, the remaining British colonies and the independent United States of America, and between Britain and France after the Peace of Versailles in 1783 led William Pitt to establish a new Committee of Council on Trade and Plantations (later known as 'the First Committee') by an order in Council of 5 March 1784. To strengthen this committee he reconstructed it by a second order, of 23 August 1786, under which it operated for the rest of its existence.

The committee has been known as the Board of Trade since 1786, but this title was only adopted officially by an Act of 1861. Its first functions were consultative, like those of William III's board, and its concern with plantations, in matters such as the approval of colonial laws, was originally a reality. As the industrial revolution progressed, however, the board's work became increasingly executive and domestic and from the 1840's a succession of acts of parliament gave it regulatory duties, notably concerning railways, merchant shipping, and joint stock companies.

To deal with these new functions specialised branches were developed, while the remaining business was transacted until 1863 by a Commercial (also called General) Department. Besides its wider consultative business, this department dealt with art unions, charters, colonial and commercial questions, copyright, corn returns, quarantine, licences to limited companies to hold land, merchant shipping and seamen, navigation laws, schools of design and tariffs. From an early stage, the board's business was transacted at nominal meetings attended only by the President and the Vice President and their secretaries, which occurred twice a week. After 1845 even these nominal meetings ceased.

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the board acquired many new responsibilities (several of which were later transferred to other government departments) and underwent periodic reorganisations, notably in 1919 after the end of the First World War. Responsibility for fisheries was transferred to the Board of Agriculture in 1903, labour functions to the Ministry of Labour in 1917, railways to the Ministry of Transport in 1919, merchant shipping to the Ministry of Shipping in 1939 and fuel and power to the Ministry of Fuel and Power in 1942.

The board's duties nevertheless remained numerous, especially during the First and Second World Wars and by the 1960's included a general responsibility for commerce, industry and overseas trade and in particular commercial relations with other countries; imports and exports; tariffs; industrial development; consumer protection; tourism; and statistics of trade and industry at home and abroad, including censuses of production and distribution.

The board was responsible for government relations with all industries not specifically the concern of other departments. It also had supervisory or regulatory duties concerning patents, designs and trademarks and copyright; weights and measures; merchandise marks; companies; bankruptcy; insurance; the distribution of industry; films; and enemy property.

The board's functions altered even more frequently during the administrative reorganisations of the 1960s. It regained its merchant shipping responsibilities from the Ministry of Transport in 1965 and acquired civil aviation duties from the Ministry of Aviation in 1966. It lost its responsibility for the distribution of industry and the sponsorship of individual industries to the Ministry of Technology in 1969 and for certain productivity services and for control over monopolies, mergers, and restrictive practices to the Department of Employment and Productivity in the same year. Finally, in October 1970 the board was merged with the Ministry of Technology to form the Department of Trade and Industry.

Paul Bayliss was a resident of York. He co-wrote a book on the life of York Artist William James Boddy in 1996 with his wife Anne.

Anne Bayliss was a resident of York. She co-wrote a book on the life of York Artist William James Boddy in 1996 with her husband Paul.

Harold Edgar Bloor trained as an engineer, and spent his career specialising in gas services. He joined York Gas Company, and wrote a report and recommendations for the reconstruction of the York gas works in 1913. By August 1940 he was listed as a Director.

Bloor also held a number of appointments outside of York Gas Company during his working life. In 1919 he was elected President of the North of England Gas Managers Association, by 1924 he was a consulting engineer for Driffield gas works, and in 1931 he was an arbitrator for the gas sector. He was a member of the Gas Council, and Chairman of Minster Engineering in the late 1920s and 1930s. Bloor was elected Chairman of the Yorkshire Joint Tar Board and Tar Producers Committee, and was a member of the Benzole Committee in the 1940s.

Bloor was also an inventor, and took out a large number of patents for various new inventions throughout the 1940s and 1950s. He had also invented a means of humidification using domestic heating apparatus in 1933.

Aside from his working life, Bloor was a shareholder and Director of the York Citizens Theatre Trust, set up to run the Theatre Royal; a Director of M A Craven and Son Ltd and Governor of the Merchant Adventurers in 1945/1946. He was also involved in his local Rotary Club. He held voluntary positions in both World Wars – he was a Temporary Captain in the Volunteer Force in the First World War (he held his position in the West Riding Motor Volunteer Corps, No. 4 Group), and became a Fire Guard in 1941.

Bloor wrote and presented extensively throughout his life, including on the effects of the First World War on the gas industry. He presented to school children and adults. His date of death is unknown.

The origins of the firm lie in the partnership of John Carr and Peter Atkinson in York in the late eighteenth century. Peter Atkinson’s son, also Peter, joined the practice as a partner in 1801.

After the deaths of Peter Atkinson Senior (in 1805) and John Carr (in 1807), and following unsuccessful partnerships with Matthew Philips and Richard Hey Sharp, Peter Atkinson Junior went into partnership with his eldest son, John Bonas Atkinson, in 1831. His younger son, William, joined as partner in 1837, and together with his brother established the firm as a significant architectural practice. They were later joined by James Demaine in 1874 and Walter Henry Brierley in 1885.

The work of Brierley made the name of the firm. Between 1885 and 1926 it was responsible for over 300 buildings, including churches, houses and civic buildings in York and across the North of England. These include Northallerton County Hall, Scarcroft School in York, and Goddards on Tadcaster Road, built for the Terry family in the 1920s.

The firm was continued by his partner from 1911, James Hervey Rutherford, with Brierley's place taken by John Stuart Syme, who later entered into partnership with John Keighley and Cecil and John Leckenby.

Today the firm lives on as Brierley Groom, an architectural practice still based in York.

Leonard Birch was a builder and a citizen of York. He administered the estate of a Mrs Keys.

The York Bibliographical Society was formed prior to 1987 as an organisation open to everyone who loves books and printing, as well as the history of printing in York. It holds a regular lecture series on these subjects which is open to members.

The Borthwick Institute of Historical Research was established in 1953 and was run by the Academic Development Committee of York Civic Trust (to 1956) and then by the York Academic Trust (1956-1963). These were both independent bodies which had no national or local government support.

The Borthwick Institute was founded as part of a programme of academic activities designed to support the city of York's campaign for a university, to provide more suitable accommodation for the York Diocesan Archive and to make this archive publicly available to scholars for the first time. The Borthwick was supported by an endowment, the Borthwick Trust, and was situated at St Anthony's Hall, Peasholme Green, York. The Borthwick became part of the new University of York in October 1963.

In 2005 the Borthwick's new £6.5m state-of-the-art accommodation opened on the University of York's Heslington campus. The new building was supported by a major grant of £4,415,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. In the same year the Borthwick merged with the University Library. It was renamed the Borthwick Institute for Archives and became part of the University Library and Archives.

The Borthwick Institute provides a records management and archive service for the corporate records of its parent body, and leads on the University's Data Protection and Freedom of Information compliance. In 2012 the Borthwick Institute began to establish a digital archive at the Borthwick Institute with the appointment of a Digital Archivist.
York Academic Trust

T C Benfield qualified as a solicitor in York in 1929. He was always heavily involved in the life of the city, and in 1937 joined the Civil Defence volunteers (a position he retained throughout the Second World War). He was admitted into the Merchant Adventurers Company in York on 7 July 1944, and also served as Secretary of York Festival Society, holding a role during the proposed revival of the York Mystery Plays.

Benfield was elected Town Clerk of York in the late 1940s, and held the position until at least 1959. He died in 1986.

George Benson was born in 1856. On 24 August 1889 he married Annie Denton. Benson worked in York as an architect, and was heavily involved in the Yorkshire Architectural and York Archaeological Society (YAYAS). He published a number of works on historic buildings in York.

In 1980, a steering group was formed by members of some of York's surviving guilds, to discuss the possibility of using the building as a new guild hall. Shortly afterwards the Company of Cordwainers, the Gild of Freemen and the York Guild of Building formed the Bedern Hall Company. The company raised the funds to add further facilities to complement the Hall, and a modern annexe was added to ensure that the building was equipped for the needs of future generations. Among the most striking of the modern additions are the stained glass panels in the windows, commemorating Guild members.

Since restoration, the Hall has been used by a variety of organisations as a venue for dinners, meetings and conferences. In 2005, it was licensed for civil wedding celebrations. It is also used as a meeting venue and events space.

BBC Radio York was launched at 6.30am on 4 July 1983 – a launch featured on the cover of the Radio Times. A year prior to its launch a temporary AM service was broadcast for the coverage of the visit of Pope John Paul II. Broadcasts originally lasted between 6.30am and 1pm and 4pm and 6pm during the week with weekends restricted to 8am till 2pm. BBC Radio York is still the only countywide station in North Yorkshire. Notable former presenters include Jon Champion, Rob Hawthorne, Will Hanrahan, Victor Lewis Smith, Richard Whiteley and Richard Hammond.

Nellie Battrick was originally from York, who travelled to India to work as a nanny. Her archives date from the 1930s, when she was employed in India. Her date of birth and death are currently unknown.

York-born nun Mary Ward began a mission to educate girls in the Catholic faith in order to continue future generations of Catholics. She launched her convent run schools on the continent, where Catholicism was still legal, and built up a community around her to direct them. After her death the Sisterhood returned to York in 1686. Wishing his daughters to be given a local, Catholic education, Yorkshire businessman Thomas Gasgoine gave the Sisterhood £500 to start a small school – the Bar Convent Girls School. Gaining a good reputation, the school grew in popularity, and the Convent block in the Lower School site was built to accommodate a boarding school and a Convent.

In the 1800's, an extra wing was added to accommodate a day school, and in 1925 the Bar Convent School became a Grammar School, enabling locals to apply for scholarships.

Boys were accepted in the mid 1970's and in the early 1980's, on the abolition of the Grammar School system, to secure the future of free education for the Catholic community around York, the responsibility of the school passed from the Sisterhood to the Diocese of Middlesbrough. The school was re-opened as All Saints Roman Catholic School.
All Saints Roman Catholic School, 1985-present.

Alan H Audin is a researcher into the history of his family in York, as well as other local history topics. The archive comprises his research notes.

York Against The War is a branch of Stop the War Coalition and was established in October 2001 in response to the launch of military strikes on Afghanistan in the wake of the 9/11 Terror Attacks. The branch opposes military solutions of the problems of terrorism and promotes peaceful alternatives. It still maintains an online presence in the form of a blog on latest initiatives and campaigns.

Art Scene magazine was a regular magazine about the art world in York, including directories of local artists and exhibitions. The magazine was in existence prior to 1968, and continued until the 2000s at least.

The company began early in the 19th century when Gordon Armstrong opened the East Riding Engineering Works in Beverley. He then started a firm manufacturing shock absorbers in the 1920s. His William took over in 1945, establishing a research and development department in Fulford.

William Armstrong opened the York factory in 1949, to manufacture a new type of suspension unit for Ford cars and to establish the company's range of telescopic shock absorbers. The company later opened factories in Australia, Canada, the United States and South Africa. By the 1960s, Armstrong's had three manufacturing divisions and the York factory expanded in 1965.

But just six years later, Armstrong Patents warned that 250 of its 1,300 employees could be laid off due to Ford and postal strikes. After years of UK-wide industrial strife, and as foreign-built cars grew in popularity, the company announced another 400 redundancies in York in 1980. A year later, the Beverley factory closed.

Fears the York factory would close in 1986 were averted but then in 1989, after losing a £3.3m contract with Nissan, the company was sold to the American firm Tenneco and the York factory became Monroe's. Further redundancies followed, and the factory closed in 2000 with the loss of the remaining 392 jobs.

York had three bailiffs. They were replaced by two sheriffs when York became a county in 1396.
Replaced by sheriffs in 1396.

Acomb Parish Council was officially created at some point after the Local Government Act of 1894 formed Parish Councils. The new Parish Councils assumed responsibility for local civic and social welfare which was previously managed through ecclesiastical parishes. Acomb became part of the York Unitary Authority in 1996.

York and District Animals' Hospital was a veterinary practice in York specialising in the care of animals. It's exact dates of operation are unknown, however it was operating in the 1930s.

The Ambler family were a family based in York in the early 20th century. The dominant members of the family are Thomas Ambler, Freeman of the City, who lived in Nunnery Lane, and Louis Ambler. The family had branches in West Yorkshire, York, Lincolnshire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, London and America, and Louis Ambler published a book on the family in 1924, with Thomas contributing local research to that work.

Allis was later the proprietor of a private asylum at Osbaldwick, and later Suerintendent of The Retreat in York. He was also Honorary Curator of Comparative Anatomy at the Yorkshire Museum 1839-1875, Fellow of Linnean Society, and one of the first members of the British Association.

Christian Aid is the official relief and development agency of 41 Christian (Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox) churches in the UK and Ireland, and works to support sustainable development, eradicate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster relief in South America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. This Foss Area branch was set up to support the work of the charity in the local area. It is unknown exactly when the branch was formed, but it was in operation by the 1990s.

The Yorkshire Advertiser was a monthly community newsletter. In existence before 1989, it is unknown when the newsletter stopped operations.

The York Academic Trust was incorporated (as a company, limited by guarantee) in March 1956. A legally distinct entity, the Civic Trust transferred ownership and management of the institutes, and the property and funding held by the Civic Trust on the Academic Development Committee's behalf, to the new 'York Academic Trust'. A Governing Council was established from the key members of the former Academic Development Committee and this was chaired by Dean Milner-White and had as its secretary, John West-Taylor (later secretary to the York University Planning Committee and first Registrar of the University).

The York Academic Trust felt the time was right to consider another approach to the University Grants Committee (UGC) in December 1957, updating them on York's achievements to date and developing plans. In July 1958 an approach was made to the Chair of the UGC, Sir Keith Murray, via an intermediary. While Murray's response to the renewed proposal for a university at York was not wholly encouraging, the rapidity with which events were changing nationally, and the increasing pressure the UGC faced to expand university provision led to another informal approach and an invitation to Murray to visit York to discuss York's case for a university. Murray came to York in July 1959 and was shown the two institutes, and a possible site for the university at Heslington Hall (purchased by the Joseph Rowntree Social Service Trust in 1956) and further potential accommodation at King's Manor). Following a successful and encouraging visit the York University Promotion Committee was established in November 1959 (UOY/F/YUPC). A York deputation met with the UGC on 16 December 1959 and presented a formal memorandum to present the case for a University of York. The YUPC was informed of the success of its application for a university on 19 April 1960.

A community magazine for residents in Acomb and the surrounding area.

York Arts Centre was opened in 1968 in a converted church in Micklegate, York. The building was owned by York Civic Trust, with University of York acting as landlord. The venue provided a space for artists and creatives in York to work, and showcase exhibitions and performances. The decision was taken in autumn 1999 to wind-up the business due to ongoing financial difficulties.

The York Conservation Areas Advisory Panel was set up in May 1969 and is empowered to advise the Local Planning Authority, through its Planning Committees, on the effect various proposals referred to it by the planning department may have on the character or appearance of listed buildings and designated conservation areas. Although it is serviced by Council Officers, the Panel is not regarded as a Council Committee. Its decisions are advisory in nature and cannot be construed as legally binding on the Council or any other organisation.
Membership of the Panel consists of appropriately qualified professionals and individuals nominated by York Civic Trust, York Georgian Society, Yorkshire Architectural and York Archaeological Society, Royal Institute of British Architects, Yorkshire Philosophical Society, York Guild of Building and two individuals nominated by City of York Council.

The Panel meets at regular intervals throughout the year and keeps minutes of those meetings.

The committee was a joint committee with both councillors and staff representatives as members.

The present club was formed in 1922 and prior to their election to Division Three North of the Football League in 1929 played in the Midland League. They remained in the Northern Section until 1958 when they became one of the original members of the Fourth Division. (During the Second World War when the League was suspended from1939 until 1946 the club operated in the various wartime competitions). Over the next 45 seasons (1958-2004) the club won promotion six times. In 1958/59 and 1964/65 they moved up to the third tier only to suffer immediate relegation. City again gained promotion in 1970/71 and in 1974 reached the Second Division (Championship) for the first and to date only time in their 91 year old history. In two seasons in the second tier of English football the club competed with Manchester United, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion and Nottingham Forest amongst others and in 1974/75 achieved their highest ever League placing when they finished 15th. The following campaign, however, they were relegated and by 1977 were back in the Fourth. In 1983/84 they won their first major honour when they finished runaway Fourth Division champions with 101 points becoming the first club in Football League history to reach three figures. City's last promotion success in the League was via the playoffs in 1992/93 when on the club's first ever visit to Wembley Stadium they beat Crewe Alexandra in a penalty shoot out. On the other side of the coin City suffered relegation six times and over the years had to make seven applications for re-election back to the League. In 2004 the club finished bottom of Division Three (League Two) and dropped down to the Conference bringing to an end 75 years membership of the Football League. During that time they had spent two seasons in the second tier and 16 in the third tier. In eight years in the Conference City reached the promotion play offs three times. In 2006/07 they lost at the semi-final stage and in 2009/10 went down to Oxford United in the final and then, on May 20th 2012, promotion back to the Football League was achieved when Luton Town were beaten 2-1 at Wembley. This latter game marked the club's 4th appearance at the national stadium in four years and completed a league and cup double that season. After four years back in the Football League, York dropped back into the Conference finishing in 24th place in League 2 in 2015/16. The following season City suffered a second successive relegation, after finishing in the final relegation place in the National League and will compete in regional non-league football in 2017/18 for the first time since 1929.

YABA was established by 1927.

YAA was established by 1960.

The Sports Council of Great Britain, of which the Yorkshire and Humberside Sports Council was a regional subdivision, was replaced by UK Sport in 1997.

The club was founded in 1938.

The club was formed by 1982.

The club was formed by 1907.

In 1941 a group of young lads from a grammar school in Wakefield got together to go hill walking and to practice climbing on the local outcrops. They decided to call themselves The Junior Mountaineering Club of Yorkshire.

The membership expanded and eventually in the mid 1940s, a Constitution was drafted and an Honorary Secretary appointed. Soon afterwards the first Honorary Treasurer was appointed, with the affairs of the Club being dealt with by the members in the absence of a President or a committee.

In these early days there were many climbing expeditions to the Lake District, Wales and Scotland. Several visits to Rhum resulted in the production in 1946 of the JMCY climbing 'Guide to the Isle of Rhum'.
By 1949 the membership had grown to 21, although in subsequent years this dwindled, resulting in an attempt to recruit new members. This proved unsuccessful until late in 1951, when climbing courses were held by the Leeds branch of the Central Council of Physical Recreation. Members of the JMCY agreed to be instructors, with the trainees being encouraged to join the Club.

There followed a sudden healthy increase in membership and at the 1952 AGM it was agreed that the Club should be renamed The Yorkshire Mountaineering Club. A President was appointed along with other Officers and a committee of five was elected.
In the 1960s the Club took on the role of publishing the definitive guide books for both Yorkshire Gritstone and Yorkshire Limestone and has continued with this commitment to the present day, producing guide books that have been well accepted and supported by the climbing community.

In 1972 the club purchased four derelict dwellings from a row of miners' cottages in the Coppermines Valley, Coniston in the Lake District. After a lot of hard work and considerable commitment by club members, these were renovated and made habitable over the next year or so, to become the Club's cottage. The cottage has since given much enjoyment not only to members but also to other clubs and organisations to which it has been let out. In recent years the Club has undertaken major refurbishment and extension works, which have resulted in a modern and well equipped cottage that is much appreciated and well respected by all who use it.

In 2006 the Club changed its status and became incorporated as a Mutual Society under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965.
The Club currently has a membership of around 200 and always welcomes new members who have an interest in climbing and mountain activities.

LNER York Employees Amateur Swimming Club was established by June 1920. Until 1928 men's and women's sections trained and were administered separately.

The salaries committee appears to have been instituted as a full time committee in 1926. It attempted to improve co-ordination and consistency for staffing matters, as committees were responsible for recruiting and paying their own staff independently.
Replaced the Special Salaries Committee in 1926.

York Hoboes Rambling Club was established in 1933.