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In 1862, brothers Joshua Redfearn and Samuel Redfearn went into partnership to form Redfearn Brothers' glass container manufacturing business in Barnsley at the Old Mill Factory. Semi-automatic machines were introdyced in 1910 and by 1925 completly automatic bottle-making machines were in use. After the Second World War, the need for modernisation meant that a new factory was built at Monk Bretton in 1947.
See Also - Redfearn National Glass Ltd.

It is not known when precisely the York Railway Lecture and Debating Society was formed, however it was an institution formed for exployees of the railway companies based in York. Members attended meetings and had the option to attend lectures on aspects of railway history. Members could also compete for an annual essay writing competition.

The York Refugee Committee was formed in November 1938 and appears to have disbanded in 1945. The Committee was affiliated to the Co-ordinating Committee for Refugees. Dr. H.N. Bate, the Dean of York was the Chairman, while Mrs V.B. Ditcham and Mrs G.S. Crossley acted as joint secretaries. C.J. Rowntree was Secretary for Mens' and Boys' Employment, while Mrs. G. W. Johnson was Secretary for Domestic Employment. Mrs J.A. Hughes was Hospitality Secretary.

The Parish Council represents the local community at council level and is responsible for local matters such as planning applications as well as local facilities including the upkeep of public spaces in the village.

Samuel and Mary Allen had seven children, five of whom were boys. Four of the latter became ordained ministers in the Church of England, and it is this factor which gives a distinctive character to the archive, which spans the period 1800 to 1880. Samuel James Allen (1797-1856), the eldest son was vicar of Easingwold, North Yorkshire from 1839 until his death, thus creating a local connection. He was an artist of marked ability with a passion for what he described as 'Archaeomania'. There is little information about Robert (1800-42), a merchant seaman until his premature death from cholera aboard ship in the Bay of Calcutta. George (1806-68) was also ordained and spent time as a missionary in India, while Isaac (1808-55) followed a similar career, distinguishing himself as one of the first army chaplains to serve in Afghanistan.

Two of Samuel James Allen's children have a special significance in the archive. George Samuel (1832-1902), like his father, was ordained and spent some of the later years of his ministry near York (in the parish of Kirkby Wharfe, Tadcaster). He also inherited his father's artistic abilities, working in a similar style and with the same kind of subject-matter. Samuel's youngest child Lucy (1836-1911) also has a local connection: in 1857, she married Joseph Foxley, at the time chaplain to the Archbishop of York and subsequently vicar of Market Weighton.

In 2000 Geoff Hodgson, a well-known and respected local historian, who was regularly conducting historical walks around the village, was asked to form a Group and appointed Dorothy Holdsworth as Secretary. Acomb Local History Group formed part of a wider network of groups formed through York Central Library. Dorothy Holdsworth and Kay Naisbitt promoted the Group and delivered hundreds of leaflets. They were also joined by John Terry. Geoff Hodgson died on 20th February 2004, however the Group continues with a membership of over 160.

The original founder of the company, John Brook, became a qualified solicitor in 1791 and he established his first partnership in 1812 with George Bulmer. The firm became known as Brook & Bulmer with their office based in Goodramgate, but later in new, larger premises in New Street.
Bulmer retired in 1833, and Brook's godson, Henry John Ware, became his partner in 1845. The Ware connection continued until 1966, when Innes Ware retired. The firm is now known as Ware & Kay Solicitors Ltd, and the Kay component traces back to Robert Newbald Kay, who became a solicitor in 1893, and whose great grandson, Peter Kay, is a senior partner at the firm today. They now have offices in both York and Wetherby.

The Company of Cordwainers was initially founded in the Medieval period (or perhaps earlier) and is one of seven guilds still in existence in York today. Cordwainers were shoemakers, and the Company had influence over York's governance, trade standards and religious events. The Company disbanded in 1808, but was re-established in 1977.

Building work began on the Assembly Rooms in 1730 and was completed by 1735. However, they were first used in the summer of 1732 for Ebor Race week. The Assembly Rooms have since undergone alterations. For example, a new entrance front was designed by J. P. Pritchett in 1828. The Assembly Rooms were purchased by York Corporation in 1925.

Dunnington 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, Dunnington was part of East Riding and officially became part of York Unitary Authority in 1996.

The Yorkshire School for the Blind was founded in 1833 by The Wilberforce Memorial, and was also known as The Wilberforce School for the Blind.

The school was situated at the King's Manor in the city centre, which had formerly been the home of the abbot of St. Mary's Abbey. King's Manor was originally built from 1483 until 1502 and is today part of York University.

Yorkshire School for the Blind operated from the Kings Manor site until it was finally closed in 1968.

Burnholm Social Club was built by W G Penty in 1880 for the Former Lord Mayor of York John Bellerby. In around 1930 a speedway track was built on part of the estate, but only remained for a couple of years. Surrounding housing on Burnholme Ave were built during the 1930s. The Social Club still continued today but has since moved to a new purpose built building in the same area.

Clifton Without Parish Council was officially created when the Local Government Act of 1894 formed Parish Councils. Clifton Without officially became part of York Unitary Authority in 1996.

The Committee was set up in 1914 by the Lord Mayor as part of a national scheme to support local people during the First World War. The Committee continued to provide support locally until 1935.

The York City Rowing Club was founded in 1863 and continues today with a membership base of over 200.

In September 1967, Redfearn Brothers Limited of Barnsley merged with National Glass Works (York) Ltd. The company was named Redfearn National Glass Limited.
See Also - National Glass Works (York) Ltd.
See Also - Redfearn Bros. Limited

The idea of a setting up a friendly society was proposed at an annual meeting of the York Mechanics Institute on 26th June 1832. A committee was appointed to establish one in connection with the Institute, with this same committee being incorporated with the Committee of the Institute. At a public meeting on 21st August 1832 in the lecture room of the York Mechanics Institute the proposed rules and regulations of the Mechanics Friendly Society was adopted with the Society being established in October that year. In August 1850 it was first proposed that a meeting be held to discuss the dissolution of the Society and to best divide up the remaining funds. The last of these funds were distributed by October 1850 after which time the Society was no longer in existence.
See Also - Mechanics Institute / Technical College

Poppleton History Society was started in February 1989. In 1998, the Society agreed to establish an archaeology section as a five year pilot project for York Archaeological Forum (YAF). Over the following years, the very successful Greater York Community Archaeology project was developed by YAF, with HLF funding for the initial position of Community Archaeologist. A highlight for the Poppleton Archaeology Group was the visit of Channel 4`s Time Team to Nether Poppleton in 2004.

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.

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.
See Also - York Castle Gaoler

Robert Dent was born in 1843, the son of William Dent, a saddler, and his wife Elizabeth.
He married Elizabeth Patchett in 1866. They had five daughters - Annie (b. 1869), Margaret (b. 1871), Louisa (b.1879), Edith (b.1880) and Catherine (b. 1884) - and two sons - William (b 1867) and Charles (b. 1874). He died in 1931.

The idea of Mechanics Friendly Society was proposed at the Annual Meeting of the York Mechanics Institute held on Tuesday 26th June 1832, a committee was appointed by consider the best way of establishing one in connection with the Institute. This committee was later incorporated with the Committee of the Institute and the proposed rules and regulations of the Friendly Society were read at a public meeting held on Tuesday 21st August 1832 in the lecture room of the York Mechanics Institute.

Founded in 1921.

The York Society for the Prevention and Discouragement of Vice and Profaneness was established in 1808. The Society started to devote the majority of its fund to the Penitentiary Society from 1822 onwards, and devoted all of its remaining funds to the establishment of the York Penitentiary as an Institution in 1845.

The York Society for the Prevention of Youthful Depravity was established with the aim of combating the increase of debauchery and immorality among the young females of the city.

The York Penitentiary Society was formed in 1822. In 1844, the late Dr Beckwith bequest his property at Bishophill to the York Penitentiary Society, and this was used to form the York Penitentiary Institution in 1845.

A motion was carried at the 1918 annual meeting that the name "Penitentiary Society" was unsuitable for the work of the Society, and "House of Mercy" was deemed more appropriate. In 1918, the Bishophill premises were sold due to their delapidated condition and new premises at Clifton Holme were purchased. These premises later became known as York Training Home for Girls, which was an approved school that operated by rules set out by the Secretary of State.

The Home Office responsibility for Clifton Holme ended on 31st August 1950. Clifton Holme was sold to the Corporation in 1953, and the profits from the sale were used to form the Clifton Holme Trust, the money from which was distributed to various charities.

Ken Cooke was an Infantryman in the Green Howards (Yorkshire Regiment) for eighteen months between 1943 and 1945. He received his letter of conscription at the age of 18 just before Christmas 1943. Before joining the army he worked in a Royal Ordnance Factory as an office boy with his father. Ken was a member of the allied forces who landed on Gold beach on D-Day 1944. Ken was injured by shrapnel from an exploding shell after which he was sent from a field hospital in France, back to a hospital in England. After his recovery he was sent back to France to join up with Canadian troops. They fought their way to Bremmen where Ken suffered from shellshock and was returned again to England where he was demobbed. Ken is now a member of the York Normandy Veterans Association.
York Normandy Veterans Association
See Also - Normandy Veterans Association

The Normandy Veterans Association was formed initially in Grimsby in 1981. Following this many local branches were developed with the York Branch coming into being in 1994. The first member was Herbert Atkin who lived in Lowther Street, York. By 1996 there were 63 members after which numbers started to decline with the last and 91st member joining the Branch in 2009. The National Association closed down in November 2014 following the 70th anniversary of D Day celebrations after which many local branches folded but the York Branch wish to continue for as long as possible. The group are now known as the York Normandy Veterans and there remain nine Veterans who are supported by Honorary Members and families.
See Also - Smith; Ken (1925-2020); Mr
See Also - Cooke; Ken (1926-Present); Mr
See Also - Haydock; Dennis (1923-2017); Mr

Poppleton History Society was started in February 1989. In 1998, the Society agreed to establish an archaeology section as a five year pilot project for York Archaeological Forum (YAF). Over the following years, the very successful Greater York Community Archaeology project was developed by YAF, with HLF funding for the initial position of Community Archaeologist. A highlight for the Poppleton Archaeology Group was the visit of Channel 4`s Time Team to Nether Poppleton in 2004.

Dennis Haydock was born on 15th December 1923 in Crookes, Sheffield to Ada and Edwin Haydock who were deaf and dumb from childhood. Dennis had one older brother, Eric Haydock who was 4 years his senior. Dennis served in the 1st (Armoured) Batallion Coldstream Guards as a tank Gunner from 1942-1947. After the war, Dennis worked at Sheffield Forge and Rolling Mills and in 1980 he moved to York with his wife and took up work in the Terry's chocolate factory.

Dennis Haydock died in 2017.
See Also - Normandy Veterans Association

Bert joined the army on 1st July 1943 after receiving his conscription letter on his 18th birthday. He was in the 2nd Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment, and was based in Richmond, York for his training. He landed on Sword beach at Normandy on 6th June. During the war, he was sent on 3 wireless training courses, and spent 3 weeks in Brussels as part of the training before returning to his battalion. After the war, Bert remained in Germany for 2 years working as a clerk in the army headquarters. Upon returning to England in 1947, Bert completed a teacher training course, and then worked for 9 months in a Catholic school. Later, he and his wife moved to Ireland, where he worked with deaf people.

Barritt died in November 2019 at the age of 94.

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.

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 Pageant was conceived by Mr. George Kirby, Curator of the Exhibition, and produced by Mr. Louis N. Parker who was Master of the Pageant. It was intended that 'the York Pageant represent by dramatic means a continuous history of York from the earliest times down to the siege of York in 1644'. It lasted six days from July 26th - 31st and was held in the grounds of St Mary's Abbey in York.

The York branch of the Standing Conference of Women's Organisations was founded in 1943.

The Ebor Cycling Club was founded in 1931 with a membership of 18. By 1935, their membership had reached 60.

Ken Smith was a signaller in the 43rd Wessex Division of the Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry. Ken received his conscription letter at the age of 18 and joined the army for five years. He was a member of the second wave of allied forces who arrived on June 6th at Gold Beach during the Normandy Landings. During his time in France he fought on Hill One One Two and was injured by shrapnel from Tiger Tank shells at the age of nineteen. He was subsequently sent to a hospital in Brussels before being returning to a hospital in Wales to recover further. After recovering from his injury some months later, Ken served two years in Palestine and Afghanistan, (after the end of the Second World War) where he suffered from acute nephritis caused by injury from a mine that exploded under an armoured vehicle. Ken is now a member of the York Normandy Veterans Association.

Ken Smith died in April 2020 at the age of 95.
York Normandy Veterans Association
See Also - Normandy Veterans Association

William Camidge was born in St Saviourgate, York in 1828. His father was a freeman of York, Beverley and Hull. He was educated at Houghton School before being apprenticed to a solicitor.

Following his apprenticeship Camidge moved to Pudsey, West Yorkshire, before returning to York to work as managing clerk for Messrs Richardson and Gold, solicitors in Blake Street. He later became an actuary at Yorks Savings Bank before rising to Consulting Secretary, a position which he held for over 50 years. During his leadership the bank increased its customer base by over 2000 people.

William Camidge became a freeman of York in 1849.

Aside from his banking career, Camidge was also a prominent and active Christian. Beginning his religious career as a Sunday School teacher, he went on to found the York Ragged School (where he was also superintendant). He later became superintendant of the Melbourne Terrace School and secretary of the City Mission, as well as being a faithful supporter of the Hungate Mission. He was also a Methodist preacher.

Camidge was also a prolific writer and local historian, and during his lifetime wrote over 100 published works on aspects of York history and the development of Methodism.

William Camidge died on 6 October 1909 in York at the age of 81, a month after resigning from his position at the bank due to ill health.
William Camidge was father of Frederick Adolphus Camidge and grandfather of William Gordon Camidge.

William Powell Frith was born in Aldfield, North Yorkshire on 19th January 1819. He moved to London to and began studying art in 1835, and later attended the Royal Academy Schools.

His connection to the Raine family is as follows: Angelo Raine was the great nephew of Frith. Raine was also good friends with Frith's niece, Molly Keyworth (married to Henry Keyworth). It is thought that Molly (daughter of Jane, who is featured in some of the Frith letters in the Raine collection) passed the letters on to Angelo Raine.

George Meredith was a Normandy Veteran. He signed up to be in the army at Wicks Cross, London at the age of 17. He was in the Rifle Brigade initially, but was then transferred to the Royal Army Service Corps, where he became a driver, providing fuel and food to the troops. He could not drive prior to the war, but was trained to drive at Darley Dale after signing up. He landed at Normandy on 7th June, and did not return home until 1945.

George Meredith died in York Hospital in 2017 at the age of 92. The announcement of his death was made in York Press on 4 September 2017.

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

Although the firm of J.W. Ruddock's tailors was established c1881, members of the Ruddock family were tailors in York from at least 1851.
John Ruddock was born in c1823 and had four sons: George (b. c1844), John William (1) (b. c1852), Tom (b. c1855) and James (b. c1859).
John William Ruddock also had four sons - George Ruddock (b. c1882), John W. Ruddock (2) (b. c1883), Harold W. Ruddock (b. c1887), and Henry Ernest Ruddock (b. c1893).

There were three generations of Robert Andersons who worked as tailors in York.
Robert William Anderson (1) was born in 1803. His son Robert Anderson (2) was born in 1839. His son, Robert Walter Anderson (3), was born in 1869. He also had a son named Robert W. Anderson (4) who was 15 in 1911.

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

Hungate Mission School was founded in the March 1861 as Salem Mission School by Mr James Harrison, a member of the Quaker Society of Friends. As well as being a Sunday School, it taught reading, writing and arithmetic on every night of the week except Saturday when the teachers met together to clean up the place for the Sunday services.

The school first opened in Whixleys Court, St Saviourgate, with a teaching staff representing nearly every religious community in the city. It was essentially non-denominational. It eventually left Whixleys Court and moved to a building in Garden Street, Hungate, which had been built by the Weslyan Methodists. At this time the name of the school changed to Hungate Mission School. By this time it was so important a centre that a volume was printed publishing the rules of the school, with two colour plates showing the schoolroom and its arrangements.

The Mission School continued to teach pupils until the 1920s and closed down when the Hungate area began to disappear.

The business began operating in 1815 when it was purchased from the Telford family by the brothers James and Thomas Backhouse, Quakers in York. James Backhouse had been apprenticed to Wagstaffe's nursery in Norwich for two years when he was 19 years old, and had spent time visiting nurseries in Scotland prior to the purchase. Their purchase of the nursery was advertised in the York Courant on 13 May 1816. By 1821 the Backhouse family were advertising their ability to undertake 'plantations by the acre' and supply 'gentlemen with experienced gardeners.'

The original firm was founded at Tanner Row, Toft Green, in about 1665, and the Backhouse business continued on the same site. In 1831, following the death of his wife, James left England for Australia to undertake Quaker missionary work. He left the business in the care of family members for the following ten years, during which time he sent back an array of plant samples and seeds from his travels.

In 1841 James returned to England and took up the running of the nursery, first with his brother and then with his son. That same year the nursery moved from Toft Green to make way for the new York railway station. The coming of the railways allowed Backhouse Nurseries to distribute correspondence, plants and seeds much more effectively around the country from their new premises in Fishergate. In 1853 the business moved again, this time to a 100 acre site at Holgate, York.

James Backhouse died in 1869 and the business was continued by his son James, who was later joined by his own son, also James. During this period the business was at its height, with a plant import business, rockery, 40 greenhouses and an underground fernery.

The agricultural depression of the 1880s, followed by the 1910 Land Tax bill and the First World War, compounded by increased competition between nurserymen, all contributed to the decline of demand in plants. Despite James Backhouse forming a new company in 1891 to try and save the business - Backhouse Nurseries (York) Ltd - the firm suffered a series of financial losses. In 1921 much of the land owned by the nurseries was sold off, and the business was officially wound-up in 1955.

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 original home for girls was situated in Skeldergate and accepted around 12-14 girls, the price being 6/- per week. A Matron, Mrs Shann, was once president of the Home.

The Parish Council represents the local community at council level and is responsible for local matters such as planning applications as well as local facilities including the upkeep of public spaces in the village.

Francis Drake was born in Pontefract, the son of vicar Reverend Francis Drake. He was baptised in Pontefract on 22 January 1696.

Drake was apprenticed to Christopher Birbeck, a York surgeon. When Birbeck died in 1717, Drake took over the practice. Ten years later, at the age of 31, he was appointed to the office of city surgeon of York.

In 1720 Drake married Mary Woodyeare, daughter of a former secretary to Sir William Temple, in York Minster. Together they had five sons, although only two of them survived childhood.
Mary Drake died in 1728 at the age of 35 and was buried in the church of St Michael le Belfrey.

Drake had a lifelong interest in history.With the aid of a number of local historians and collectors, Drake compiled the history of York, 'Eboracum', a folio-sized book of around 800 pages with the subtitle The History and Antiquities of the City of York, from its Original to the Present Time; together with the History of the Cathedral Church and the Lives of the Archbishops (published in 1736).

Francis Drake was elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and of the Royal Society during his lifetime. In 1741 he was appointed honorary surgeon to the new York County Hospital, retiring in 1756 (although he was relieved of the position during 1745–6 because of his Jacobite sympathies). Between 1751 and 1760, he published thirty volumes of The Parliamentary or Constitutional History of England from the Earliest Times to the Restoration of King Charles II, with a second edition, in twenty-four volumes, appearing in 1763.

In 1767, failing health forced him to leave York to live with his eldest son, Francis, who was the vicar of St Mary's Church, Beverley. He died in Beverley and was buried in the local churchyard.

Acomb windmill stood on a site near the present water-tower on Severus Hill but on the Acomb side of the boundary. It may have been damaged in the Civil War in the 17th century and appears to have fallen into disuse about this time. Holgate Mill (also referred to as Acomb Windmill) was built on a different site towards the end of the 19th century where it remains today.

Joseph Munby, solicitor, was the son of Joseph Munby and Jane Pearson. He was born in 1804.. In 1827, he married Caroline Eleanor Forth . They had seven children:

• Arthur Munby b. c1829
• John Forth. Munby b. c1832
• George Frederick Woodhouse Munby b. c 1834
• Frederick J. Munby b. c1838
• Joseph Munby b. c1840
• Caroline Munby b. c1844
• Edward C. Munby b c1846

Frederick Munby and his wife, Elizabeth, had two children:
-Beatrice b. c1867
-John Cecil bc1876

Bootham School was opened in 1823 as a private boarding school. It was was the idea of William Tuke (1732-1822), who had first raised the idea of establishing a boy's school in York for the sons of Quakers in 1818. The school was seen as a solution to the growing numbers of children who were not eligible for Ackworth School near Pontefract. Suitable premises were found in Lawrence Street in 1822 and leased from the Retreat Hospital (run by a Quaker Committee) and the school opened early the following year.

In January 1829 a Quarterly Meeting Committee was appointed to run the school, under the management of John Ford, the 'Superintendant of the Establishment'. It then became known as the Yorkshire Quarterly Meeting Boys' School. By 1833 the school was teaching 50 boys, and the following year it founded its natural history society, believed to be the first in the country. In 1846 the school moved to 20 Bootham, York, however it only became known as Bootham School in 1915. In 1891 the school began to admit boys whose parents were not members of the Society of Friends.

In 1899 a fire at the school destroyed most of the classrooms. The premises was rebuilt and reopened in 1902.

In 1939 the School was evacuated briefly to Ampleforth College, while the buildings at Bootham were prepared for conversion into a hospital.

In the post-war period the School has grown in size and stature. In 1983, it adopted a co-educational system and admitted girls. In 1997, Ebor School, a Junior School, was acquired. In 2002 this moved to a purpose built school and became known as Bootham Junior School. Today Bootham is part of the mainstream independent school system, however it retains its founding Quaker principles, which include the pursuit of learning through science, progressive and reforming ideas, a respect for the individual, creativity and independent thought, and a responsible social conscience.

The exact start date of the club is unknown although the records suggest c.1956. The club continued to operate with a membership base until c1968 when there are no further records available.

Mill Mount County Grammar School for girls opened in 1920, in a house purchased and adapted by the local council authority. By March 1921 there were 124 girls enrolled at the school, many of whom having transferred from the overcrowded Queen Anne Grammar School.

In 1922 a chemistry laboratory was added to the building, and three years later a cookery centre was also opened. Further extensions were added in 1935 to provide additional accommodation for the girls, and a games field at Nunthorpe was opened in 1935.

In 1985 the school closed and, together with Nunthorpe Grammar School, became part of the new Millthorpe Secondary School. At this time the school moved to the premises previously occupied by Nunthorpe Grammar School.

Oldfield's Wine Merchants was established in 1664. The firm appears in the earliest published York Trades Directory in 1781. It last appears in the Directory of 1970.

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.

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.
See Also - York Musical Theatre Company

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.

Founded in 1837, the Yorkshire Geological Society was the first geological society in the North of England. A membership-led organisation with a governing council and President, its main objective is to promote and record the results of research in geosciences in Yorkshire.

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 exact start date of the business is unknown but it is thought that it began around 1861.

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)

William Etty was born on Feasegate in York in 1787, the son of Matthew Etty, a baker and confectioner, and Esther Calverly.
He died in 1849 and was buried in St Olave's churchyard.

Renamed Civil Defence Committee in 1943

Jack Kenneth Willson-Pepper was born in Kent in 1904, the son of Albert Edward Pepper, a butcher, and Mary Southee White.
He died in York in 2000, aged 95.

William Peckitt was born in Husthwaite, a village near Easingwold, the son of William, a fellmonger and glove maker, and his wife Ann. He was baptised on 13 April 1731. At some point prior to 1752 the family moved to York, where Peckitt worked in his father's glove making business before establishing himself as a glass painter in Colliergate, York.

Whilst the majority of his commissions were for painted glass, Peckitt also produced a small number of windows which included stained glass. In 1780 he patented an invention for 'blending coloured and stained glass'.

On 3 April 1763 Peckitt married Mary Mitley, daughter of the sculptor Charles Mitley. The couple had 4 daughters. Peckitt worked throughout his life on the maintenance of the medieval glass in York Minster as well as painting new windows there. He also undertook commissions for cathedrals, churches and houses throughout England. He produced windows for a number of colleges including the Alma Mater window for Trinity College.

Peckitt died on 14 October 1795 and was buried in the church of St Martin-cum-Gregory, York.

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.

Thomas Widdrington was the son of Lewis Mauntlaine, alias Widdrington of Cheeseburn Grange, near Stamfordham, Northumberland. He was a student at Christ's College, Cambridge in 1617 and was awarded BA in 1621. He entered Gray's Inn in 1619 and was called to the bar in 1625. He held the position of Recorder of Berwick from 1631 to 1658 and Recorder of York from 1638 to 1658. He was knighted at York on 1 April 1639.

In April 1640 Widdrington was elected Member of Parliament for Berwick in the Short Parliament. He was re-elected MP for Berwick for the Long Parliament in November 1640. As a barrister, his legal knowledge was useful during the English Civil War. In 1651 he was chosen a member of the Council of State, although he had declined to have any share in the trial of the king. He was elected MP for York in 1654 for the First Protectorate Parliament. In 1656 he was elected MP for Northumberland in the Second Protectorate Parliament and was chosen as Speaker in September 1656, and in June 1658, he was appointed Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer. In 1659 and again in 1660, he was a member of the Council of State, and on three occasions he was one of the Commissioners of the Great Seal. In 1660, he was elected MP for York in the Convention Parliament. He was subsequently elected MP for Berwick again in 1661 for the Cavalier Parliament.

Thomas Widdrington married Frances Fairfax, a daughter of Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron. Together they had five daughters and a son.

Widdrington wrote 'Analecta Eboracensia; some Remaynes of the city of York'. The work was not formally published until 1877, when it was edited with introduction and notes by the Rev. Caesar Caine.

Thomas Widdrington died in 1664.

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.

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 Association of the National Trust was founded in 1970. Intially called the York Centre of the National Trust, it became the York Association of the National Trust in 1999. The main objective of the association is to enable members to meet and spend time with people who have similar interests. The Association is affliated to the National Trust in England and Wales, however membership is open to anyone with an interest.

Within the first few years of operation, the Centre formed three sub-committees - the Walks Committee, Programme Committee (organising talks and day trips) and Projects Committee (managing fundraising social events). From the outset the centre included members from througout Yorkshire, but fairly shortly afterwards the members from areas furthest away from York began to form their own centres. The centre ran series of walks and talks for members, as well as holidays, fundraising events and other activities.

One of the founder members of the York Centre, Eva May Johnson, died in July 1992. Whilst she was a resident of Harrogate, she chose to leave a substantial legacy to the York Centre - over £715,000.

The association plans and delivers an annual programme of events for members, and activities are reported in a quarterly members' magazine. It operates as a 'not-for-profit' organisation, and any surplus funds at the end of each financial year are donated to National Trust properties in the area. The association also contributes to many special appeals by the National Trrst.
Affiliated with the National Trust in England and Wales

George Leeman was born in 1809, the son of a greengrocer. He married twice - in 1835 and 1863, and had at least six children.
His son Joseph Leeman became a lawyer and MP for York like his father. Leeman died in Scarborough in 1882.

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

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 Society was founded in 1788 by a group of York women led by philanthropists Faith Gray and Catherine Cappe. The original purpose was to provide a safety net for girls offering sick benefits, pensions and grants for medical care for those leaving York's Grey Coat and Spinning Schools, which they also ran. It continued to accept members up until the introduction of the NHS in 1948. Membership could be extended to other working women through a rule allowing limited nomination by honorary members. In 1976, the Society was dissolved and the funds divided among the remaining members. The remaining members of the Society continued to meet annually until 1984. Moyra F Johnson served as secretary of the Society from the early 1970s. The Society's office was situated in St William's College, York.

John Alder Knowles was born in 1881, the eldest son of stained glass painter and restorer John Ward Knowles.

In 1903, Knowles travelled to Toronto, Canada, and then to Minneapolis, where he spent the next nine years working at the Ford Brothers stained glass works. On his return to England in 1912 he began to assist his father with his York stained glass business.

Knowles' career was interrupted by his service in both the First World War and the Second World War.

John Alder Knowles was granted an Honorary Master of Arts from the University of Hull in 1957 for his scholarly monograph on the York School of Glass Painting (published in 1936 and illustrated with his own sketches and photographs). During his career he wrote more than 60 articles on the history of stained glass.

Knowles died on 25 November 1961, aged 80.
John Alder Knowles was the eldest son of John Ward Knowles, stained glass painter, and worked with him in the family business J W Knowles & Sons.

The National Union of Agricultural Workers was the first successful national body for farm workers, presided over by Joseph Arch. It began as the National Agricultural Labourers' Union in 1872 before changing to the National Union of Agricultural Workers in July 1906. In 1910 they changed their name to the "National Agricultural Labourers and Rural Workers Union" and once again in 1920 to the National Union of Agricultural Worker (NUAW). This name then remained until they were amalgamated with the Transport & General Workers Union (TGWU) in 1982. NUAW membership was largely made up of farm agricultural labourers but also catered for non-farm workers such as those in forestry, market gardening, gardeners, etc. The union's stronghold was in Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Dorset with over 90% of agricultural labourers being in membership. In 1910 major strikes and disputes broke out in the Norfolk villages of Trunch, Knapton and St Faith's. At St Faith's, the 105 union men were on strike from May 1910 until February 1911 for 1 shilling a week extra. The union had its own journal called 'The Landworker'. The TGWU then became part of UNITE in 2007 after its merger with Amicus.
York and District Trade Council

William Arthur Jagger was born in 1897, the son of Albert and Rose Jagger. In 1920, he married Ethel Cook and they had two children - Irene May Jagger (b. 1920) and Peter Francis Jagger (b. 1925). He died in 1996.
See Also - National and Local Government Officers Association

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).

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

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 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.

This collection contains material mainly relating to the St Paul's Scout Troop which started in 1909 as a group of five boys meeting behind a grocer's shop in Holgate.
The first Scoutmaster was Cecil S. Molyneaux, a teacher at St Paul's School. The troop met in St Paul's Schoolroom on Dalton Terrace and consequently re-named themselves 'St Paul's' Troop. The '1st' part of their name refers to the fact that they were the first registered Scout troop in the city. Molyneux was a gunner in World War I and was killed in action in 1917.
From 1920 - 1950, the Scoutmaster was W.G. Ineson. and from 1955, the Scoutmaster was D.N. Broadley.
The St Paul's Troop is thought to be the oldest in Yorkshire, and was the first registered Scout Troop in the city.
The Treasurer's House Troop, the 2nd Scout Troop to be registered in the City, is also mentioned in this collection.
The York and District Boy Scouts Association first appears in the City Directories in 1925, located at Civic House, Southlands Road, York. The President was Mr Frank Green.
By 1930 there were 21 Scout Troops across York and the surrounding areas. This included special Troops for handicapped boys (King's Manor (Blind)) and Troops affiliated with local schools, solely for boys attending that institution (i.e. Fulford School Troop). Most of these troops had Wolf Cub Packs attached.
In 1935, Arnold S. Rowntree was the President.
In 1949, the President was R.W. Willsdon.

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

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.

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).

Formed after the York Philosophical Society joined the Council for British Archaeology in 1971.
York Philosphical Society

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

Founded 1868. From 1895, the York Rugby League was one of 22 groups from across Yorkshire which formed the Northern Rugby League. In 1901 they were first admitted to the national Rugby Football League

St Peter's School was founded by St Paulinus of York in 627 AD, on the same site as York Minster. Little is know about the school's early history.

In 705, St John of Beverley became Head Master. In 741 both the school and Minster burned down. Both were rebuilt by Archbishop Aelberht. In 778, Northumbrian scholar Alcuin became Head Master.

In 1289 the school moved from the site of the current nave of York Minster to a house near the Minster's east end.

The school was given a Royal Charter by Queen Mary in the sixteenth century, and in 1557 moved premises to new buildings in the Horsefair, just outside the city walls.

In 1644 the school buildings were destroyed in the Siege of York, part of the English Civil War. The boys were moved back inside the city walls and the school continued in Bedern, a former refectory and dormitory for clergy.

The school moved again in 1730 to the Bagnio, a Turkish bath on Coney Street, before a further move five years later to the disused church of St Andrew. In 1828 the school amalgamated with York Proprietary School in Clifton, and as part of the merger the new combined school moved to the beautiful buildings of the Proprietary School outside the city walls.

In 1901 the school acquired St Olave's Preparatory School. In 1922 a swimming pool was built, initially as an outdoor pool before being covered over in 1965. The school began to admit female pupils into its sixth form from 1976, and in 1987 St Peter's became co-educational at all levels.

St Peter's purchased Clifton School and Nursery in 1994, allowing continuous education for pupils from the ages of 3 to 18 for the first time. In 2001 St Olave's moved to the Queen Anne site on the lower campus, so all three schools shared the same grounds.

In 2012, the new St Peter's Swimming Pool won the Lord Mayor's Architecture Prize in the York Design Awards.

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.

Magistrates' courts replaced the Quarter Sessions and Assizes in 1971, and generally deal with the majority of all civil and criminal cases which are the less serious, or 'summary' offences. Previous to 1971 many of these cases would have been heard at the Police Courts. Defendants are tried by a single magistrate or a panel of magistrates rather than a jury.

Examples of the types of cases heard are drunk and disorderly, criminal damage, and common assault.
See Also - York Subscription Library

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

CAMRA was set up by four men from the North West of England. The first CAMRA office was set up in St Albans at 94 Victoria Street but soon after outgrew this premises and moved to 34 Alma Road. In 1995 CAMRA moved to new purpose-built premises on Hatfield Road. Membership continued to grow and today stands at over 140,000. It has 200 branches across the UK.

In 1938, the prospect of a second world war encouraged the government to establish a group to look at how the needs of the civilian population could be met during war time. This group suggested that Citizens Advice Bureaux should be established throughout the country. The first 200 bureaux opened in 1939 and were run by volunteers. They dealt with issues such as loss of ration books, homelessness, evacuation, missing relatives, prisoners of war and debt. Numbers of bureaux were halved in the 1950s but the service continued due to help from charitable trusts. From the 1990s, changes in the benefits system generated a large proportion of enquiries. Issues around debt, housing and employment are key issues bureaux currently deal with.

The British Legion formed in 1921 from the amalgamation of four other groups: The National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers, The British National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers, The Comrades of The Great War and The Officers' Association. The first ever Poppy Appeal was held with the first Poppy Day on 11 November 1921. The charity gained a Royal Charter in 1925 and the Queen granted the Legion a "Royal" prefix in its title in 1971, the same year it celebrated its 50th anniversary. It extended membership to serving members of Her Majesty's Forces as well as ex-Service personnel in 1981. Presently, anyone can become a member of the Royal British Legion.