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The York Castle prison (originally consisting of Clifford's tower) was the original county prison in york, outside of civic control. City felons were sent there from 1848. By the nineteenth century the prison buildings included the debtor's prison, male and female prisons. Many prisoners were kept at the prison awaiting trial at York assizes.
Reported to Keeper of York Castle.
See Also - York Castle Gaoler

Formed by a merger of the two competing local private gas companies. The inherited Monk Bridge gas generating site was extended in 1847 and the Hungate site sold in 1850. The works and supply areas were extended various times by Act of Parliament. There was tension between the private company and the Corporation who sought to buy it in 1871 (unsuccessfully) and attempted to block its expansion in Parliament in 1912. Control was transfered to the North-Eastern Gas board in 1948 when electricity and gas were nationalised.
Formed by merger of York Gas Light Company and York Union Gas Light Company in 1844.
Changed name to York Gas Company in 1912

The 1903 Motor Car Act introducted mandatory registration for both vehicles and drivers, administered by the local council who were to issue and keep a record of the numbers. The number had to be displayed on the vehicle. In 1969 the function transferred to central government, using the same local offices.

A John Sumpner, born in 1783, appears on the 1841 census, living with his son, also named John.
A Thomas Sumpner was born in 1791. He married a Martha Willingham in 1860 and they had 2 children - another John, born in 1862, and Susannah, born in 1864.
By 1881, Martha Sumpner was a widow, and lived at 6 Park Street.

Formed from a merger of the Electricity and the Tramways committees following the electrification of the previously horse-drawn tram service in 1910. Trialled a hydroelectric generating station at Linton Lock in 1923. Introduced buses in 1915 and built a bus depot in 1921 at Fulford.
Formed from a merger of the Electricity and the Tramways committees in 1911. Functions separated again in 1923 into the Electricity Committee (1923-1948) and Transport Committee (1923-1973). Instructed Tramways and Motor Manager.

In 1932 York was connected to the National Grid and then produced only a minority of the electricity it consumed. Control was transfered to the North-Eastern Electricity Board in 1948 when electricity and gas were nationalised. During this period the Corporation bought the tramways from a private company (in 1909) and electrified them (in 1910).

Charles Piazzi Smyth was born in Italy in 1819, the son of William Henry Smyth (1788-1865), a naval officer and respected amateur astronomer, and Annabella Warrington (1788-1873). His godfather was Giuseppe Piazzi, a famous Sicilian astronomer.
In 1855, he married Jessie Duncan. Piazzi Smyth died in 1900 and was buried alongside his wife Jessie beneath a pyramid tombstone at the church in Sharow, near Ripon.

The firm of Gray's Solicitors has existed in York since the 17th century. William Gray (1) was the son of a Hull customs officer. He became a solicitor in York. His two sons, Jonathan (b. 1779) and William (2) (b.1785) followed him into the legal business and the firm of Grays, as did Jonathan's son, a third William Gray (b. 1805), and his son, Edwin (b.1847)

In 1843, the second William Gray was at the helm of the firm, which was located at 75 Low Petergate (it had previously been 'Thorpe and Gray's)
William Henry Cobb was born in York around 1839. He became a freemen of the city in 1860, and by 1872 had set up his own solicitor's firm at 19 Blake Street. The firm was known as W.H. Cobb and Son, and given that his son, Cecil was a law student at the time he became a freeman in 1892, it is likely that he joined his father in the business around this time.

Ernest Ralph Dodsworth was the son of Benjamin Dodsworth, a York surgeon. He was born in 1859, and became a freemen in 1883. That year, he set up a solicitors firm on New Street. By 1885, Dodsworth had become a partner in the firm of Gray's Solicitors, which at the time was under the third William Gray and his son Edwin.
In 1897, the combined firm of Gray and Dodsworth relocated from 75 Low Petergate to Duncombe Place. The firm of W.H. Cobb and Son, at 19 Blake Street, remained there until 1939. By the time of the next published City Directory (1949-1950), the Cobb in charge of the firm (likely the son of Cecil Henry Cobb at this point) had become a partner in the firm of Gray and Dodsworth, which then became Gray, Dodsworth, and Cobb, which it remained until at least 1975.

Nathaniel Pigott (1725-1804) and Edward Pigott (1753-1825) were astronomers notable for their work with John Goodricke and the observation of variable stars.

Nathanial Pigott
Nathaniel Pigott was a gentleman of leisure, a noted amateur astronomer and surveyor. The grandson of Viscount Fairfax of Gilling Castle in Yorkshire, Nathaniel Pigott led a peripatetic life, living for many years at Caen in Normandy and later at Louvain in Belgium (then the Austrian Netherlands). In 1749 he married Anna Mathurine de Beriot of Javingue.

In 1772-1773, at the request of the authorities in Brussels, he took a series of astronomical observations to establish the exact latitude and longitude of the principal towns of the province.

In the mid 1770s the family returned to Britain and by 1780 were living at York. In the garden of their house in Bootham (now no. 33, see York City Archives accession E98 f.58 v., Register of deeds) Nathaniel had an observatory built, where he took many transit observations. His primary interest seems to have been observations to establish the latitude of York. Following the death of his wife in 1792, he gave up the lease of the house in Bootham. He died in York on May 31st 1804.

Edward Pigott
Edward Pigott the eldest surviving son of Nathaniel Pigott (1725-1804), was involved in his father’s observations from an early age; he was one of the observers of the transit of Venus of 1769.

He sent his first paper to the Royal Society, ‘Account of a nebula in Coma Berenices’ in September 1779. His observation of a comet in November 1781 is mentioned at the beginning of John Goodricke’s ‘Journal of astronomical observations’. Goodricke [John Goodricke, 1764-1786], initially a pupil, soon became a respected colleague. From 1782 the two astronomers were engaged in diligent study of the variable stars and cross-checked their observations.

Pigott discovered the comet which bears his name in November 1783. In December 1784 he published ‘Observations of a new variable star’ [Eta Antinoi/ Eta Aquilae]. Accompanying his father to Louvain in 1786 he assisted in observations of the transit of Mercury. He sent to the Royal Society an account of an auroral display viewed at Kensington in February 1789. In 1796 he communicated a paper ‘On the periodical changes of brightness of two fixed stars’ [R Coronæ Borealis and R Scuti] ; a paper on the period of R Scuti followed in 1805.

He was at Fontainebleau in 1803 when war broke out between Britain and France and was not allowed to return to the United Kingdom until 1806. His observations of the comets of 1807 and 1811 were communicated to the French Academie des Sciences. His latter years were spent at Bath, and he died there on June 27th 1825.

John Goodricke was born at Groningen, in the Netherlands, on the 17th September 1764. His father (Henry Goodricke) was a British diplomat, his mother (nee Levina Benjamina Sessler) was the daughter of a Dutch merchant.

John was deaf from infancy: at the age of 8 he was sent to Thomas Braidwood’s Academy at Dumbiedykes, Edinburgh, a school specialising in teaching deaf or deaf-mute children. In 1778 Goodricke became a pupil at Warrington Academy, where school records noted that he had become ‘an excellent mathematician’.

He rejoined his family who had moved to York: John’s great-uncle the Rev. Henry Goodricke held office at York and was tenant of part of the Treasurer’s House. By late 1781 John was involved with Edward Pigott in making astronomical observations. The two astronomers were soon concentrating their research on the variable stars, particularly Algol [Beta Persei].

Goodricke’s first published paper was ‘A Series of Observations on, and a Discovery of, the Period of the Variation of the Light of the bright Star in the Head of Medusa, called Algol’; this was read at the Royal Society on May 15th 1783. He published a supplement to these observations ‘On the Period of the Changes of Light in the Star Algol’ in April 1784, ‘Observations of a new Variable Star’ [Beta Lyrae] in January 1785, and observations on the variability in Delta Cephei in June 1785. For his work on Algol he was awarded the Royal Society’s annual Godfrey Copley Medal in 1783; he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in April 1786, but died on April 20th 1786, aged 21. According to Turner he ‘fell a victim to his favourite study […] in consequence of a cold from exposure to night air in astronomical observations.’

The two families stayed in contact after Goodricke’s death: Goodricke’s astronomical papers were sent to Edward Pigott in 1791, Charles Grey Fairfax (Edward Pigott’s younger brother who had assumed the name Fairfax on inheriting Gilling Castle) married Goodricke’s sister in 1794, and Levina Goodricke (John’s mother) was executrix of Nathaniel Pigott’s will.

The cause and date of John’s deafness is uncertain. Most sources suggest that he became deaf after a fever in childhood. John Ford, in notes published in the Yorkshire Philosophical Society’s Report for 1868, says ‘At five years old he had scarlet fever ending in total deafness’; unfortunately, he did not give his source of information.

There is disagreement over the room where John Goodricke made his observations. Melmore’s article concludes that the room was on the top floor of the south-east wing of the Treasurer’s House. Forrester disagrees; in his MS. (chapter 8, pp. 17-19) he gives reasons for believing Goodricke’s room to have been in the central range of the building, demolished by Frank Green to create the Great Hall of the Treasurer’s House as it is today.

William Strickland was born in Boynton, Yorkshire, in 1753, the son of George Strickland and Elizabeth Letitia Winn. He married Henrietta Chlomley in 1778. They had thirteen children: Henrietta (b. 1779), Walter (b.1780, d. 1798), Caroline (b. 1781), George (b.1782), Arthur (b.1784), Edmund (b. 1785), Eustachius (b.1787), Emma (b.1789), Anne (b. 1790), John (b.1794), Priscilla (b. 1796), Isabella (b. 1799) and Nathanial Constantine (b.1802).
He died in 1834.

James Raine was born in 1791 in Ovington, Yorkshire, the son of James Raine, a blacksmith, and Anne Moore.
He married Mary Peacock, with whom he had three daughters and a son, James Raine (2). He died in 1858.
The second James Raine married Ann Jane Keyworth in 1867. They had ten children, including Angelo Raine, b. c1877.
The first James Raine(1791-1958) was grandfather to Angelo Raine, Antiquary and Clergyman (1877-1962)
See Also - Raine; Angelo (1877-1962); Rev.; Antiquarian and clergyman

William Gray (1) was born in 1751, the son of a Hull packer. He married Faith Hopwood in 1777. They had three children - Jonathan (b. 1779), Margaret (b. 1782), and William (2) (b.1785). William Gray (1) died in 1845.
His son, Jonathan Gray and his wife Mary had two children, Margaret (2) (b.1808) and William (2). Jonathan died in 1837. His son, William Gray (3) had a son, Edwin, born in 1847. Edwin died in 1929.
See Also - Gray; William (1751-1845); Solicitor
See Also - Grays solicitors

William Gray (1) was born in 1751, the son of a Hull customs officer. He married Faith Hopwood in Oct 1777. They had three children - Jonathan (b. 1779), Margaret (b. 1782) and William (2) (b. 1785). Gray died in 1845. His son Jonathan Gray and his wife Mary had two children - Margaret (b.1808) and William (3). Jonathan died in 1837. William Gray (3) had a son named Edwin (b. 1847). William died in 1880. Edwin died in 1929.
See Also - Gray; family

William Cundall was born c. 1835. He and his wife Mary Ann (b. c1850) had three children - Mary Gertrude (b. c1877), William Marshall (b. c1879) and John Ernest (b. c1880)
John Cundall was born c. 1811. He and his wife Ann (b. c1819) had seven children - Mary A. (b. c1850), William Farrar (b. 1851, d. 1851), Robert Henry (b. c1852), John A.W. (b. c1854), Horatio F. (b. c1855), Grace T. (b. c1858) and Elizabeth (b. c1859).
Horatio Farrer. Cundall died in 1933.

Members of the Aitken family lived in York from 1576. Henry Martin Aitken b. c1815. Married Elizabeth Atkinson in 1843. Died 1874.
Elizabeth Aitken was born c. 1823 and died c.1896.
Their children included: Lydia (1844-1879), Rose (b. 1849), Henry Horatio (b. 1853), Violet (1857-1888), Edith (1861-1941), Elizabeth Mary (c. 1864-1870), Robert (1866-1876), and Charles (b. 1869-1936).

The family lived in the Bishophill area of York during the period covered by this collection. Henry Martin Aitken was a surgical instrument maker.
Henry Horatio Aitken was a glass manufacturer with a business at 29 Micklegate.
Charles Aitken was Director of the Whitechapel Art Gallery from 1901 - 1911. In 1911, he became Keeper of the Tate Gallery, and was it's first Director from 1917 - 1930.
Harry Aitken (Henry's son) became a dentist in Newcastle. The Aitken family travelled around England and Europe, and many of the letters in this collection refer especially to their travels to Neuwied, Germany, and Rotterdam.

Henry Horatio Aitken married Annie Amelia Brown. They had a son, Henry George Aitken (b. 1877) who was known as 'Harry' in the family.

John Swales (1) was born c1800.He was the son of Thomas Swales. In 1812, he was apprenticed to John Wilson, a butcher. He died in 1859. His son, John Swales (2) was born c1835. He and his wife, Mary, had three sons - John Thomas Swales (b.c1869), George Anderson Swales (b. c1871), and James Ernest Swales (b. c1879). John (2) died in 1886, and Mary in 1903.
Their son, John Thomas Swales married Ada Plummer in May 1897. They had two children - Hilda Swales (b. c1898) and Thomas Swales (b. c1910).

Robert Morrell was born in Sowerby, nr Thirsk, in 1799. In 1829, he married Anna Wilson in Masham. They had three children - Robert (b. 1830), Jemima (b. 1832) and William Wilberforce (b. 1838).
In 1869, William Wilberforce Morrell married Lydia Hutchinson. They had two sons - Cuthbert (b. 1872) and John Bowes (b. 1873).

The Munby family, centred around Joseph Munby (1804-1875) and his wife Caroline Eleanor Forth (1806-1879), were a prominent middle class York family in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Joseph Munby and his father, Joseph Munby (1773-1816) came from a line of York solicitors, and both continued the family occupation. Joseph Munby's sons, Frederick James Munby and John Forth Munby both also became solicitors. The family eventually established the Munby and Scott firm of solicitors, which was originally based at the family property in Blake Street.

Joseph Munby's son, Arthur Joseph Munby (1828-1910), was a Victorian poet, civil servant, and diarist. He had a long relationship with Hannah Cullwick, a maid-of-all-work, who also kept her own diaries. The couple married in 1873, but largely kept their relationship secret.

The family typify a prosperous middle class family of the time, and were involved in social and leisure activities which reflect the society around them. Many members of the family retained a strong personal faith, and some became members of the clergy. The Munby family was descended from, and connected to, other prominent families, including the Forth family, who for several generations were agents to the Earl of Carlisle.

The family had considerable social impact; they had a wide circle of friends and acquaintances and carried out a considerable amount of philanthropic work. Frederick Munby supported the missionary activities of the Reverend Frederick Lawrence, was a leading member of the Gentlemen's Committee, and handled legal matters for the York Penitentiary Society. He was also a leading member in the management of the York Refuge for Fallen Women, while the firm of Munby and Scott handled many of the records of the Refuge.

The family was also involved with the Wilberforce Home for the Blind, later the Wilberforce Trust. They travelled widely to locations including Scarborough, London, Bath and Paris. From1848, the Munby family lived at Clifton Holme (at the end of Ousecliffe Gardens, now St Hilda's Garth) which was built for Joseph Munby. The firm of Munby Solicitors was located at 9 St Helen's Square from c1830 - 1838. In 1838, it relocated to No 18 Blake Street. This property had originally been built in 1789 for Elizabeth Woodhouse, who was the mother of Caroline Eleanor Forth.

The York Central Conservative Club was founded in 1881 in order to consolidate the party after the defeat of The Right Hon James Lowther at the General Election in 1880 who had represented the city in Parliament since 1865. For many years the club met at the Ebor Rooms, Coney Street. However, this became too cramped due to social requirements of numbers and in 1909, moved to the De Grey Rooms, St Leonard's Street where they added an extension onto the rear of the building in 1910. The club had over 500 members in 1933 and the De Grey Rooms were more appropriate due to the size. The club moved again from De Grey Rooms to Museum Street in March 1986 until their closure in 1991. The club finally closed in 1991 after a period of financial difficulty and the archives were subsequently transferred in 1994. There were also four ward Conservative clubs in the city. These clubs, along with the Central Conservative Club formed a valuable asset in party politics. In 1969, the club abolished the 'male only' member policy and allowed females to become members 80 years after the club's foundation. The club also actively took part in international billiard tournaments, including the Faber Shield Tournament (which it won in 1904), the Scruton Cup (which it won in 1975), and the Hylton Foster Billiards Tournament.

The plays were originally performed in York from the middle of the 14th century until 1569 when they would be performed and funded by local trade guilds who would each take responsibility for one play. The end of the feast of Corpus Christi in England after the Reformation meant the plays came to an end. Performances of individual elements of the Plays started again at the beginning of the 20th century but it was not until 1951 that they were fully revived by the York Festival of Arts as part of the Festival of Britain. The plays were then initially staged every three years, later being staged every four. Due to financial and practical reasons in 1992 and 1996 the Plays were held indoor at the York Theatre Royal. The modern Guilds of York, heirs to the original Mystery Plays presenters, were formally associated with an outdoor production for the first time in 1998. In 2002 they took charge of the production themselves. The Plays have toured outside ever since.

Mennell Bros appear in York Trade Directory (Cook), 1909 as Saw Mills and Timber Merchant, North St, Micklegate. There is a gap in directories until 1920, but in 1921 and 1922 Mennell Bros. is listed under Timber Merchants, New Earswick. The Mennell Sawmill was situated at Ebor Works, York Road, Huntington, and the firm was run by at least two generations of the Mennell family. Henry Vincent Mennell ran the sawmill with his older brother, Arthur Leo, and it was eventually managed by Charles Arnold Mennell (d. 1980).

The first Yorkshire Music Festival was held in 1823, with the main performances given in the minster and additional evening concerts in the Assembly Rooms. As the Rooms turned out to be too small for this purpose, the following year a group of interested parties purchased adjoining property for the erection of a new concert room. It was decided that a second music festival should be held in order to meet the cost of this new space, and that any profit from future concerts should benefit of the York County Hospital and the Leeds, Hull and Sheffield infirmaries. In 1829 the directors of the concert room received about £2,550 from the proceeds of the third music festival of the previous year. The final music festival was held in 1835, when the concert room was again used for evening concerts.

Established to preserve derelict cemetery as working cemetery containing historic structures and environmental habitat. The York Public Cemetery Company was formed in 1837 to provide better burial facilities for the citizens of York. From 1855 until the 1940s the cemetery expanded to its present size of 24 acres (97,000 m2) by buying all the adjacent land that was available. By the 1960s, with the cemetery nearly full, it became clear that it was no longer financially viable. With prospects of very little income to pay wages and cover the maintenance of the site, in June 1966 the company went into voluntary liquidation. When the process was completed in 1979, there was nothing of commercial value left, only the land containing over 28,000 graves, 17,000 monuments and two listed buildings in an advanced state of disrepair. The abandoned site devolved to the Crown. In June 1984 the roof of the chapel collapsed. This event led to the formation of York Cemetery Trust, a registered charity. Two and a half years later the Crown Commissioners sold York Cemetery to the Trust. On 13th February 1987, the Trust became the owners of the site.
Reopened York Cemetery in 1987. Function previously carried out by York Public Cemetery Company (1826-1966).

The York Trades Council was formed in 1890. The majority of York's Trade Unions were affiliated to the Council. By 1899 it consisted of 18 affiliated societies representing nearly 2000 members. It brought a coherence to the trade union movement in the city and was one of the main forces behind the rise in labour representation. Its activities included 'labour demonstrations, [and] running labour candidates at municipal school board and board of guardians elections'. The Council supported the General Strikes in the 1920s. The organisation still exists today as the York and District Trade Unions Council and is a branch of the national TUC.

The John Dodsworth Educational Trust, set up by John Dodsworth of Nether Poppleton, maintained four schools at Castlegate, St. Lawrence's, Bishophill (all in York) and at Nether Poppleton (West Riding). The York Sunday School Committee managed the Castlegate, St Lawrence's and Poppleton Schools from 1800, and the Bishophill school from 1813, on the death of John Dodsworth. In 1896 it became known as the Educational Charity of John Dodsworth. The Educational Charities of John Dodsworth was registered in 1964.
York Sunday School Committee

The York Sunday School Committee was founded in 1786 largely by William Richardson who ministered at St Michael-le-Belfrey and consisted of several members of the clergy and laymen. The committee opened 10 schools for boys and girls. By 1841 over 1000 pupils attended eight of the schools. By the 1950's they began to decline and became closer to that of the modern Sunday schools. The committee also managed three schools set up by the John Dodsworth Educational Trust.
The John Dodsworth Educational Trust

NALGO was formed from 14 guilds and organisations at a conference set up by Herbert Blain. The new organisation had 5000 members. In its early years much of its work was social. In 1910 a Benevolent and Orphan fund was set up which gave small sums to widows and families of government workers who had died in service. In 1920, despite leadership opposition, protests from members led to NALGO obtaining a certificate from the Registrar of Friendly Societies confirming its status as a trade union. That year membership rose to 36,500.In 1946 it changed its constitution to allow other public services employees to join such as the NHS and electricity and gas boards. In 1964 they became affiliated with the Trades Union Congress. In 1993 it merged with the National Union of Public Employees and the Confederation of Health Service Employees to create UNISON.
See Also - Jagger; William Arthur (c1897-1996)

The Workers Educational Association or WEA was established in 1903, and there was branch in York from at least 1912. From 1912 to c1920 the WEA held meetings and classes at the St Mary's Educational Settlement. However, during the interwar years the relationship between the two institutions was an uneasy one. The WEA was suspicious of the Educational Settlement due to it's financial reliance on the Rowntree family, which it believed prevented the settlement from running on genuinely democratic lines. The Settlement was also considered 'bourgeois', 'middle class' 'capitalist' and 'reactionary' by the WEA. In 1921, they began to hold meetings at the Co-operative Society Hall on Railway Street, although WEA classes continued to be held at the St Mary's Settlement.
Connected to the Educational Settlement at St Mary's and the York Community Settlement Players.
See Also - York Settlement Community Players
See Also - York Educational Settlement

The York Female Friendly Society was established in February 1786 as a benefit society for girls of the Grey Coat School in York, and was founded by a group of wealthy York-based female philanthropists, led by Faith Gray and Catherine Cappe. It was instituted in 1788 when the first official rules and orders were established, and incorporated under the Friendly Societies Act, 1793.

The society was founded to support working class women and girls during times of need, by helping them to help themselves. To this end, the society was established as a subscription society, whereby members paid a subscription, and received certain benefits in return, such as sick pay and awards for long service. The society was therefore promoted as a way for individuals to save for their own future.

Membership of the society was made up of both Honorary Members and General Members. General members were those who paid a subscription and received benefits, with membership open to girls leaving York's Grey Coat (from 1786), Blue Coat (from 1788), and Spinning and Knitting Schools (from 1788) and to other individuals nominated by honorary members (from 1788). Honorary members paid a higher rate of subscription but did not receive any benefits. Instead, honorary membership was a way for wealthier women in York to participate in philanthropy. The organising committee and officers for the society were made up of honorary members.

Subscriptions from general members were paid into the 'General Fund', from which sickness benefits and other benefits during times of incapacitation were paid. Subscriptions from the honorary members were paid into the 'Private Fund', which was initially used only to make discretionary payments to members, such as payments for long service to those employed in domestic service. A third fund, the 'Annuity Fund' was later established in 1800, which provided annuities and pensions to subscribers in old age.

A Senior Stewardess was appointed from the honorary members, who acted in the capacity of a president of the society and managed much of the day to day administration. Several Junior Stewardesses, also appointed from the honorary members, supported her in this role.

Although all practical administration, decision making, and business of the society was conducted by the female honorary members of the society, the funds themselves were invested in government stocks in the names of the male Trustees of the society. This investment of society funds in government stocks with a good rate of return ensured the society had healthy finances to administer to their members.

Major changes to the administration of the society were made in the early 20th century, partly as an attempt to tighten up the management of funds, and partly in response to the introduction of national legislation which brought in state welfare benefits. The first of these major changes came about following the passing of the National Insurance Act, 1911, which enacted compulsory pensions and sick payments to workers across the country. This resulted in the society closing their annuities fund in order to continue with one Pensions scheme, and in the society registering as an ‘Approved Society’ for the administration of these benefits. The society was split into two new sections: the ‘Voluntary Section’, which was the continuation of the old society and provided members with a range of subscription-based benefits; and the ‘Compulsory Section’, which collected national insurance payments and administered national pensions and sick pay.

Approved Societies were abolished in 1946 prior to the establishment of the National Health Service (NHS), and thereafter the society continued with ‘voluntary’ members only. Membership declined after the introduction of the NHS, with many of the former benefits of membership now available to women nationally as employment benefits. The decision was taken to dissolve the society in the 1970s, with this was enacted in 1977. The remaining funds were distributed among the remaining members, who continued to meet annually and received small payments from the funds until 1984. Moyra Johnson carried out much of the administration during this latter period and closed the final account for the society in 1986.

In 1897 the Corporation formally decided to supply the city with electricity. The Electric Lighting Committee recruited the first City Electrical Engineer in 1899 and oversaw the construction of a power station at Foss Islands which opened in 1900.
The Committee was renamed the Electricity Committee in 1904 because other uses of electricity had increased.
Instructed City Electrical Engineer.

The Society was founded in 1855 by local butchers who proposed holding an Annual Show of Dead Meat (Beef and Mutton) at Christmas. This was changed in 1897 to the Yorkshire Fat Cattle Show. Over the years classes were added and included Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Poultry, Pigeons, Rabbits, Root Vegetables, Butter, Bread and Yorkshire Hams. The meetings were held mainly at the White Horse, Goodramgate, The City Arms, Fawcett Street and the Old George Hotel, Fossgate/Pavement. Due to the war and the subsequent expense and shortage of timber and feed, society activity declined. This continued until a lack of interest from members and the high costs of setting up a show eventually led to the society disbanding in November 1965.

The York Settlement Community Players grew out of the York St Mary's Educational Settlement which was established in 1909.
From 1922 they existed as an independent group.
The York Settlement Community Players grew out of the Educational Settlement at St Mary's, and was synonymous with it unti it set up as an independent group in 1922. See also York Educational Settlement 1909 - 1976
See Also - Workers Educational Association (WEA) York Branch
See Also - York Educational Settlement

The first Educational Settlement in York was founded at 31 St Mary's, York, in 1909. It became known as the 'St Mary's Settlement'. It was based there until 1932. In 1933, the Settlement relocated to 128 Holgate Road and became known as the Holgate Hill Settlement. It remained at this premises until at least 1975. In 1924 the York Settlement was recognized by the Board of Education as "a responsible Body under the Board of Education Adult Education Regulations for the purpose of submitting formal classes and receiving grants on respect of them." In 1944 it was recognized by the Local Education Act and Local Education Authorities.
During their existence, the York Educational Settlements, particularly the one at St Mary's, receieved considerable financial support from the Rowntree family, with Arnold Rowntree being a particularly active and influential trustee

The York Settlement had relationships with several other groups in the city, particularly those also working to provide adult education. This included the Workers Educational Settlement (WEA)'s York Branch, who held meetings, classes and lectures at the Settlement's St Mary's premesis. In 1949-1950, the Settlement was affiliated with the York Film Society.
The York Settlement Community Players grew out of the St Mary's settlement and was equated with it until the YSCP became an independent group in 1922.
York Community Settlement Players (YSCP) and Workers Education Association (WEA), York branch.
See Also - Workers Educational Association (WEA) York Branch
See Also - York Settlement Community Players

The first Electrical Engineer was appointed by the Electric Lighting Committee in 1899 to oversee and manage the Corporation's electrical generating station at Foss Islands, which opened in 1900. In 1948 control passed to the North Eastern Electricity Board due to nationalisation and the Corporation ceased generating electricity.
Reported to the Electricity Committee.

On the 1st of January 1915, Quakers in York turned their meeting house in Clifford Street into a hospital for wounded soldiers. Previously it was used as temporary home for Belgian refugees who had fled their home country. The hospital was established to ease the shortage of hospitals in York and run jointly by the St John Ambulance Association and Voluntary Aid Detachment.
The York Quakers

The York Musical Theatre Company is York's longest established amateur theatre company. It was founded in 1902. It was originally called the York Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society. It was renamed the York Musical Theatre Company in 2002.

The group gave its first performance in April 1903

The Society's meetings and performances were suspended during World War I 1914 - 1919, and reconvened in 1920. During World War II 1939-1945, performances were again suspended, but started up again from 1946. During the April 1942 air raid on York, many of the early records of the society (1902 - 1939) were destroyed.

The group gained charitable status in 1978.

Mary Stuart was born on 23 June 1886 at Shirenewton, Monmouth, the daughter of Alfred Donald Stuart, a mercantile clerk, and his wife Emily. On 15 July 1912 she married John Armstrong Hughes, a clerk in Holy orders.

Mary Hughes came to York aged 38 when her husband, John, became warden of the St Mary's Educational Settlement. After leaving York she accompanied her husband to America, where he served as warden at Pendle Hill. During her time in York she worked with refugee groups in the city, and was a member of the York Refugee Committee.

After the death of her husband in 1942 she came back to York and lived with her daugher in New Earswick. Later they moved to Kirby Moorside in the Yorkshire Moors, before later returning to live in New Earswick.

Mary Hughes died on 20 April 1955 at The Retreat, York, aged 68.

The Hospital/House of Blessed Mary and St Martin was founded by members of gild of St Anthony in 1446. The charity continued as a corporation charity after the Dissolution. The building, known as St Anthony's Hall was being used as a house of correction in 1646, housed the York Bluecoat School between 1705-1947 and the Borthwick Institute for Archives between 1953-2005

Formed as a merger of the two competing local private gas companies. The Monk Bridge site was extended in 1847 and the Hungate site sold in 1850. The works and supply areas were extended various times by act of Parliament. There was tension between the private company and the Corporation who sought to buy it in 1871 (unsuccessfully) and attempted to block its expansion in Parliament in 1912.
Formed by merger of York Gas Light Company and York Union Gas Light Company in 1844. Changed name to York Gas Company in 1912.

Formed in January 1837 to compete with the established York Gas Light Company. Its works were operational from October 1837 at Hungate, next to the Foss. The two companies were amalgamated in 1844.
Amalgamated with York Gas Light Company in 1844 to form the York United Gas Light Company.

Kexby 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. At the time of its creation, Kexby was included in Escrick Rural District. In 1935 it became part of Derwent rural district and in 1974 became part of the Selby district of North Yorkshire. Kexby officially became part of York Unitary Authority in 1996.

Formed in 1823 by 104 subscribing citizens. During 1828 the City Commissioners objected to the prices and returned briefly to oil lighting. In 1837 a rival company, York Union Gas Light Company was founded as competition but the two companies were amalgamated in 1844.
Amalgamated with York Union Gas Light Company in 1844 to become York United Gas Light Company.

Managed Education Department. In the mid twentieth century the department was responsible for secondary and primary education places, York Technical College, school meals, staffing, purchasing, school health service, caretaking and cleaning, monitored attendence, youth employment service and child guidance clinic. Supported by a deputy and large staf.

York and District Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults was formally registered as a charity on 11 July 1966. The society saw changes to its constitution in March 1980 and December 2002, and during its period of existence became affiliated with the wider Mencap charity. Its name also later changed to York Mencap. It’s objectives at the time of creation were to relieve, advance the education of, and advance religion among, the mentally handicapped. The charity was removed from the charities register on 9 June 2005, when it was formally wound-up.

Founded as the Mechanics Institute in 1827. Following the Technical Instruction Act 1899 which permitted the corporation to fund technical instruction, the corporation bought the assets of the Institute and ran it directly. The library stock formed the first free library in York which the corporation opened in 1891.
See also Art Master. Managed by Technical Instruction Committee (in various incarnations).

A School Clinic was established in 1908. All school children in municipal schools were inspected and treatment provided including optical and dental. A number of staff were employed including school nurses and a dental nurse.
Reported to School Medical Officer. See also Medical Officer of Health

The 1948 Children Act made it the responsibility of local authorities to provide social care for children without parents or parents unable to provide suitable care. A Children's Officer was appointed to head a social work Children's department.
Reported to Children Commitee (also known as Children's Committee)

The historic rights of the corporation to manage trade (including markets) in the city developed over the centuries as evidenced by various royal charters. This committee was created in 1827 in order to address the inadaquate provision and management of market space, and obtained an Act in 1833 for improving markets in the city. The area between Pavement and St Sampsons square was cleared for the new Parliament Street market which opened in 1836. The Act was superceded by the York Extension and Improvement Act 1884.
Instructed Inspector of Markets and Markets Superintendent.

Became the chief cemetery in York after pre-existing city burial grounds were closed in 1854, and the cemetery was extended several times. An additional one was opened in Fulford in 1915 which also took military burials. The company went into voluntary liquidation in 1966 and went to the Crown. It remained derelict until the establishment of the York Cemetery Trust in 1987.
Function ceased in 1966. Cemetary reopened by York Cemetery Trust in 1987.

Created by private act of Parliament in 1793, the trustees were a private body, funded by tolls on goods carried. Suffered financial and management difficulties. The corporation obtained an Act of Parliament to take over the navigation in 1853.
Function transferred to corporation in 1853.

Created by private act of Parliament in 1727. Trustees consisted of corporation members and officials but was legally independent. Constructed Naburn Lock in 1757 and built a controversial banquetting house there in 1823.
Function transferred to corporation in 1835 (Ouse Navigation Committee).

First appointed in 1873 by Urban Sanitary Committee. As duties increased, so did size and activities of the Inspection department. Initially responsible for environmental nuisances, functions widened in the early twentieth century with the passing of legislation on food hygiene.
Reported to Urban Sanitary Committee (1873-1900) and its successor the Health Committee (1901-1974). Head of the Sanitary Inspection Department. Gained responsibility for factory sanitary conditions from Factory Inspector in 1921.

Founded as the Mechanics Institute in 1827. In 1838 its name was changed to The Institute of Popular Science and Literature. A purpose built hall was opened in 1846. In 1885 a new building at Clifford Street was opened which incorporated the library and art school. In 1891 the corporation bought the Institute to be used as a technical school. The library stock formed the first free library in York which the corporation opened in 1891.
Became City of York Institute of Science and Art in 1891.
See Also - York Mechanics' Friendly Society
See Also - York Mechanics' Friendly Society

Contracts for the sewerage work were finalised in 1891, and a new engineer, inspector of works and inspector of construction of machinery were appointed. The work was split into multiple contracts, No.1 Pumping Station and Engines, No. 2 City Sewers, No.3 Pumping Station buildings, No. 4 Rising Main and Outfall Works at Naburn and No. 5 Sludge Pressing plant.. The work cost more than expected and application was made to the Local Government Board in 1895 for a extension of the capital expediture loan repayment period.
See also Drainage and Sanitary Improvement Act Committee (1852-1888)

Traditionally the parish was the unit of local organisation in terms of street cleaning, lighting etc. This changed in York in 1825 with the introduction of independent City Commissioners. Later, the corporation Streets and Building Committee took over these responsibilities alongside the corporations existing function of maintaining the city bridges, highways and public buildings.
Some functions previously carried out by City Commissioners. Instructed City Surveyor and Engineer.