Appears to have been created for purposes of supporting tourism and publicity.
Functions transferred to or complimented by Library and Publicity Committee (1951-1962)
An occasional committee setup by the Local Board of Health Committee in 1854 when the current contract for the supply of gas lighting was coming to an end.
During this period funds were obtained from the Carnegie trustees for a new public library building in the current location. Funds were granted in 1916 but due to the war, work began in 1925. The new central library was opened in 1927, and had open access shelves. Newspapers, reference stock and lending stock were provided. Branch libraries were later opened including Acomb and Dringhouses.
Library management functions transferred from Technical Education and Library Management Commitee in January 1904. Instructed City Librarian. Replaced by Library and Publicity Committee in 1951.
The three Relief Committees administered three separate relief districts, which covered the area of the City of York
In 1930 the Public Assistance Committee assumed responsibility for administering the Poor Law which had previously been the remit of the York Poor Law Union. Some committees, including the Relief Committees 1,2 and 3, had a continuous existence and function under both the York Poor Law Union and its successor body the Public Assistance Committee.
Reported to the Public Assistance Committee. During this period the House Visiting Committee worked concurrently with the House Committee.
Reported to the Public Assistance Committee. During this period the House Committee worked concurrently with the House Visiting Committee.
Under the Local Government Act of 1929 the Public Assistance Committee assumed responsibility for administering the Poor Law, which had previously been the remit of the York Poor Law Union (1837-1930). Some committees, including the Collecting Committee, had a continuous existence and function under both the York Poor Law Union and its successor body the Public Assistance Committee.
One of the sub-committees of the Public Assistance Committee (1929-1948).
Under the Local Government Act of 1929 the Public Assistance Committee assumed responsibility for administering the Poor Law which had previously been the remit of the York Poor Law Union (1837-1930). Some committees, including the Boarding-Out/Children's Committee, had a continuous existence and function under both the York Poor Law Union and its successor body the Public Assistance Committee.
One of the sub-committees of the Public Assistance Committee (1929-1948). The Boarding-Out Committee underwent the following name changes: Boarding-Out Committee (1930-38); Children's Committee (1938-1947); Children's and Boarding-Out Committee (1947-1948).
Under the Local Government Act of 1929 the Public Assistance Committee assumed responsibility for administering the Poor Law which had previously been the remit of the York Poor Law Union (1837-1930). Some committees, including the Boarding-Out/Children's Committee, had a continuous existence and function under both the York Poor Law Union and its successor body the Public Assistance Committee.
One of the sub-committees of the Public Assistance Committee (1929-1948). The Boarding-Out Committee underwent the following name changes: Boarding-Out Committee (1930-38); Children's Committee (1938-1947); Children's and Boarding-Out Committee (1947-1948).
Under the Local Government Act of 1929, the Public Assistance Committee assumed responsibility for administering the Poor Law which had previously been the remit of the York Poor Law Union (1837-1930). Some committees, including the Boarding-Out and Children's Committees, had a continuous existence and function under both the York Poor Law Union and its successor body the Public Assistance Committee.
Prior to 1930 this committee formed part of the York Poor Law Union. In 1930 it became one of the sub-committees of the Public Assistance Committee (1929-1948). The Boarding-Out Committee underwent the following name changes: Boarding-Out Committee (1930-38); Children's Committee (1938-1947); Children's and Boarding-Out Committee (1947-1948).
Founded in 1929 under the Local Government Act 1929 administrative scheme for the county borough of York. It had 24 members, consisting of 16 members of the corporation and 8 non-members (of which a minimum of two had to be women). For a short period from 17 July 1947 until August 1948 it was renamed the Social Welfare Committee. The Public Assistance Committee effectively replaced the York Poor Law Union/Board of Guardians as the principal administrators of the Poor Law in the York City area. Areas of the York Poor Law Union that lay in the North, East or West Ridings became the responsibility of the Public Assistance Committee for their relevant county.
Inherited administration of poor relief in the York City area from the York Poor Law Union and Board of Guardians, which were abolished in 1930 by the Local Government Act 1929. Also carried out functions relating to unemployment previously carried out by the Distress Committee (1905-1911). It was replaced by the Welfare Committee (1948-1970).
Millicent Price's grandfather was Henry Wilberforce, a gentleman farmer in the locality, thought to be related to the famous William Wilberforce. Her mother was Ellen Phyllis Browne, married to Walter Browne, a struggling actor/playwright. They lived in London, where Millicent was born (probably in the early 1880s). Her mother left her father (they were later divorced) when Millicent was 3 years old and returned to her native city of York.
Millicent lived with her mother and 2 sisters, Edith and Ella at 34, Lawrence Street, a 3 storey house opposite the Poor Clares Convent until 1895 when they moved to "River View" overlooking the Ouse next to St. Mary's Abbey.
Millicent attended Castlegate College, Clare College, Micklegate and Priory Street Higher Grade School before going to Swansea Training College (Wales) to train to be a teacher. Following this she lived in Leeds for a time teaching at Beeston School and then at Park Lane School before returning to York in 1904 where she taught at the "newly built" Scarcroft School.
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.
At the end of the Second World War, Chief ARP Warden AIf Hudson, a boot and shoe repairer of 99 Poppleton Road, conceived the idea of a permanent memorial to the area's war casualties. Not just a plaque or a monument, but a living testament to the fortitude of local residents. He called a public meeting at Poppleton Road school, which resolved to build a Community Hall for social and recreational activity.
Building materials were short, with priority being given to repairing damaged houses. But with some perseverance, AIf and his helpers secured the rental of a plot of land just off Poppleton Road, overlooking the railway. A former barrack hut was purchased from RAF Everingham, a village bomber base west of York, dismantled on site and transported flat pack style to Poppleton Road.
Volunteers, many of them carriageworks employees gave their varied skills to rebuild the hut, and fit it out. Permission was obtained to demolish the old air raid shelter on Poppleton Road. All its bricks were hand cleaned and reused to form the footings of the Hall, which was finally opened on Sunday November 24th 1946. At centre stage was a mahogany plaque, which bore in gold leaf, the names of the deceased in whose memory the Hall had been founded. A Committee of residents continued to manage the Hall, as they still do today.
By the mid 1980s, it was evident that the old wooden building, by then expanded, was at the end of its life. A six year fund-raising campaign followed, with all the Hall users contributing in various ways to collect over £40,000 towards the estimated £125,000 cost. The balance was secured with grants from Local Authorities, businesses and grant-making trusts. Charitable status was obtained, plus Planning Consent for the new building. The freehold of the still-rented site was bought on very favourable terms. The Committee rented temporary premises at nearby Poppleton Road school for eighteen months, and in that time, the old Hall was demolished, and the new building began to take shape.
The New Hall opening ceremony was held in April 1990, as a re-enactment of the original 1946 proceedings. Committee President Roy Hudson, nephew of the Hall's late founder AIf Hudson, played the central role. The then Lord Mayor of York, ClIr. Jack Archer and his wife Ena, the Lady Mayoress were in attendance. Jack was appropriately the Hall Committee's Vice President and a retired Carriageworks employee.
The Memorial Plaque was beautifully restored by courtesy of York Civic Trust whose Chairman, Dr. John Shannon, unveiled it as part of the proceedings.The new Hall was occupied from the following month, and continues to provide a home for the regular meetings of a variety of local groups. It also hosts one-off private bookings for meetings, parties and similar events. The Hall today is equipped with AV facilities, wifi and broadband.
In 2007, former Luftwaffe crew member 86 year old Willi Schludecker came to York on the latest of a series of reparation visits. He had been part of the bomber raid on York. Together with his UK hosts, Willi visited the Hall. He was given a copy of the Hall's history book, published in 1990, and gave a donation to the Hall in return.
Poppleton Mens Society was formed as a social group for the men of the Poppleton area. It closed in 2008.
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.
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.
Nathanial Pigott was born in 1725, the son of Ralph Pigott, a lawyer, and Alethea Fairfax. Alethea Fairfax was the daughter of William, 9th Viscount Fairfax, of Gilling Castle. In 1749, he married Anna Mathurine de Beriot of Louvain. In the 1770s, he moved to York in an attempt to settle his claim to the Fairfax estate at Gilling. He died in 1804.
His eldest son, Edward, was born in 1753. Edward was disinherited from the Fairfax title due to a family quarrel, and it was passed to his brother, Charles. He died in 1825.
Worked with John Goodricke from 1781. Great-grandson of 9th Viscount Fairfax. Brother Charles married Mary Goodricke, aunt of John Goodricke.
See Also - Goodricke; John (1764 - 1786); astronomer
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.
Persimmon was founded by Duncan Davidson in 1972. After leaving George Wimpey, Davidson had formed Ryedale Homes in 1965, selling it to Comben Homes in 1972 for £600,000. Davidson restarted development again in the Yorkshire area; Persimmon began to expand regionally with the formation of an Anglian division in 1976 followed by operations in the Midlands and the south-west. In 1984, Persimmon bought Tony Fawcett's Sketchmead company; Fawcett had been a director of Ryedale and he became deputy managing director at Persimmon. The enlarged company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1985, by which time the Company was building around 1,000 houses a year.
Steady regional expansion took volumes up to 2,000 by 1988 with a target of 4,000 following the housing recession. Tony Fawcett had died in 1990 and in 1993 John White was appointed as chief executive with Davidson remaining as an executive chairman. In 1995, Persimmon made the first of a series of major acquisitions. Ideal Homes, once the largest housebuilder in the country and then part of Trafalgar House was bought for £176m giving the Group a much stronger presence in the south-east. This was followed by the purchase of the Scottish housing business of John Laing plc and Tilbury Douglas Homes.
In 2001, Persimmon acquired Beazer Homes UK, for £612m, taking output to over 12,000 a year. The deal came about after Beazer and Bryant announced a 'merger of equals' to create a new house builder called Domus. However, Taylor Woodrow stepped in with a £556 million bid for Bryant, and Persimmon bought Beazer, a company named after its founder Brian Beazer, and originally started in Bath. The acquisition of Beazer brought with it Charles Church, a business founded by Charles and Susanna Church in 1965.
In January 2006 Persimmon acquired Westbury, another listed UK house builder, for a total consideration of £643 million.
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.
Brunswick Terrace Hostel is a hostel for the homeless population in York. It originally opened in Kent Street, before moving to Brunswick Terrace shortly afterwards. The inadequacies of the accommodation later led to the opening of the Peasholme Centre in Peasholme Green in the 1990s, the first all purpose centre for the homeless in York.
The focus of the hostel changed over time from being a direct access hostel to one more focussed on helping people move into more permanent accommodation relatively quickly.
In around 2006 the hostel moved to nearby Fishergate, to allow for the redevelopment of the Hungate site.
William Patefield was a draper and haberdasher in York. His dates of birth and death are currently known, however he was working in York in the late 1780s and 1790s.
By the 16th/17th centuries pasture-masters for each ward administered the common lands. Traditionally appointed by Wardmote Courts, but occasionally by the corporation. Following inclosure, pasturemasters were appointed by the corporation, but this was challenged in 1835. In the nineteenth century, appointments switched between the corporation and wardmote courts/freemen a number of times, alongside disputes over corporation control and ownership of the lands themselves.
Appointed by/reported to Wardmote Court and/or Corporation. See also Freemen (Reformed) and Freemen (Unreformed)
The earliest extant minute book dates from 1869 but it may have met earlier.
Reported to Parks Committee (in various incarnations). Delegated functions received from Education, Highways and Housing Departments.
The corporation took over ownership and management of common lands in the twenteith century and developed them for the use of residents. Recreation facilities and allotments were provided, and use of land leased for short or longer terms to York commercial and amatuer groups, events, clubs and societies. In 1921 the corporation accepted the donation of Rowntree Park from Joseph Rowntree, and it became York's first municipal park.
Replaced the Strays Committee (1907-1913) in 1913 and took over allotment functions from the Estates Committee. Instructed Head Gardener and Parks Superintendant. Allotment functions transferred to Allotments Committee c.1924. Merged with Alloments committee in 1961.
Formed from merger of Parks Committee and Allotment Commitee in 1961.
Formed from merger of Parks Committee (1913-1961) and Allotments Committee (c.1924-1961).
The role of parish constables developed over centuries, with royal edicts dating from 1285, and form part of the communal organisation of local affairs via the administrative unit of the parish. In York, the number of parishes led to a large number of constables, and the relationship between the corporation and these parish officials was complex. They came under the jurisdiction and direction of Justices of the Peace in the 17th century. They were replaced by a professional, corporation-run police force in 1835 in York.
Crime prevention and investigation function taken over by City of York police in 1835.
York acquired a local Act of Parliament to improve street cleaning and street lighting.. The act of 1763 required water spouts on properties, and reiterated that householders were responsibile for keeping the street clean in front of their house. Street lamps were placed at intervals and lit in the darker months. The parish commissioners were replaced by an independant body of city-wide commissioners in 1826.
Legislated for functions previously carried out informally. Replaced by City Commissioners in 1826.
The basis of the "Old Poor Law" system. Each parish was required to select two Overseers of the Poor each year to collect money from parishioners and distribute locally to those in need. York had previously established its own corporate weekly poor rate in the 1570s.
In York, distribution functions transferred to Board of Guardians in 1837. Rate-collecting functions transferred to council Rating and Valuation Committee in 1925.
The committee of trustees appointed in 1833 were reappointed by the corporation when it took formal responsibility for the navigation.
Function transferred from Trustees of the Ouse navigation (Original) in 1835.
Osbaldwick Parish Council was officially created at some point after the Local Government Act of 1894 formed Parish Councils. The new Parish Councils assumed responsibility for local civic and social welfare which was previously managed through ecclesiastical parishes. Osbaldwick became part of the York Unitary Authority in 1996.
Nunthorpe Grammar School was opened in 1920, in a house in Southlands Road, York. The house had been purchased and refurbished by the council. By March 1921 there were 64 enrolled at the school, which rose to 425 by March 1933.
In 1927 a new wing was opened, with four new classrooms, an art room, two storerooms and a cloakroom. The old stable block was also converted into two laboratories, and the stableboys' sleeping quarters were converted into the school library.
In 1959 a gym was added as well as what was for the next 25 years to be known as the 'new block', the building containing laboratories and classrooms. A Sixth Form block was added in 1974, although this block is now used for science laboratories and languages classrooms. In 1984 a new sports hall was built, however the following year the school closed and, together with Mill Mount Grammar School for Girls, became part of the new Millthorpe Secondary School.
Abolished in 1872 when its functions passed to the Rural Sanitary Authority and the Urban Sanitary Authority, which were created under the Public Health Act of the same year.
Northern Command was a Home Command of the British Army from 1793-1889 and 1905–1972.
Great Britain was divided into military districts on the outbreak of war with France in 1793. The formation in the North, which included Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmorland and Durham, was originally based at Fenham Barracks in Newcastle upon Tyne until other districts were merged in after the Napoleonic Wars.
In 1840 Northern Command was held by Major-General Sir Charles James Napier, appointed in 1838. During his time the troops stationed within Northern Command were frequently deployed in support of the civil authorities during the Chartist unrest in the northern industrial cities. Napier was succeeded in 1841 by Major-General Sir William Gomm, when the command included the counties of Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmorland, Durham, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Flintshire, Denbighshire and the Isle of Man, with HQ at Manchester. Later the Midland Counties of Shropshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Northamptonshire were added and from 1850 to 1854 the Command included three sub-commands: NW Counties (HQ Manchester), NE Counties (HQ York) and Midlands (HQ Birmingham). From 1854 to 1857 there were two sub-commands, Northern Counties and Midland Counties, each with a brigade staff, but after that they disappeared and Northern Command remained a unitary command.
In 1876 a Mobilisation Scheme for the forces in Great Britain and Ireland was published, with the 'Active Army' divided into eight army corps based on the District Commands. 6th Corps and 7th Corps were to be formed within Northern Command, based at Chester and York respectively. The Northern Command Headquarters itself moved from Manchester to Tower House in Fishergate in York in 1878. The corps scheme disappeared in 1881, when the districts were retitled 'District Commands. Northern Command continued to be an important administrative organisation until 1 July 1889, when it was divided into two separate Commands: North Eastern, under Major-General Nathaniel Stevenson (HQ York), and North Western, under Major-General William Goodenough (HQ Chester).
The 1901 Army Estimates introduced by St John Brodrick allowed for six army corps based on six regional commands. As outlined in a paper published in 1903, V Corps was to be formed in a reconstituted Northern Command, with HQ at York. Major-General Sir Leslie Rundle was appointed acting General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOCinC) of Northern Command on 10 October 1903, and it reappears in the Army List in 1905, with the boundaries defined as 'Berwick-on-Tweed (so far as regards the Militia, Yeomanry and Volunteers) and the Counties of Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmoreland, Durham, Lancashire, Yorkshire and the Isle of Man. The defences on the southern shores of the estuaries of the Humber and Mersey are included in the Northern Command'.[9] By 1908 the Midland Counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire and Rutland had been added, but Westmoreland, Cumberland and Lancashire had been moved into Western Command.
The Command HQ was established at Tower House in Fishergate in York in 1905. The Fishergate site was named Imphal Barracks in 1951, but closed in 1958, when Northern Command HQ moved to a new Imphal Barracks on Fulford Road, York. Portions of the former headquarters at Fishergate are now serviced accommodation. The Command was merged into HQ UK Land Forces (HQ UKLF) in 1972.
The North Eastern Railway Association was formed for those interested in the history of the North Eastern Railway. It is a forum for members to share experiences, and to attend events about t the railway.
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
New Earswick Parish Council was created in 1934. New Earswick officially became part of York Unitary Authority in 1996.
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.
The NUJ was founded in 1907. In 1911 it became an Approved Society under the National Insurance Act which enabled it to provide unemployment pay, hardship benefits and legal aid. In 1926 it joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) along with twelve other nations. In 2006 membership numbers surpassed 40,000.
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
The National Licensed Victuallers Association was created in 1986 after a reorganisation of the National Union of Licensed Victuallers. It was dissolved in 1992 and replaced by the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Association.
In 1794 the Fishergate Glassworks was formed by a York jeweller, John Prince who promoted his business until his death in 1818. The site was taken over by the York Flint Glass Company in 1835 by Chemist Joseph Spence specialising in medical and pharmaceutical wares. In 1930 the site was purchased by the National Glass Company who produced bottles on automated machines. Increased post-war production led to the building of a warehouse complex in Tadcaster in 1963.
See Also - Redfearn National Glass Ltd.
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)
York Blind and Partially Sighted Society was originally formed in 1979 as an organisation to provide services and facilities to those who are blind or partially sighted. The aim of the organisation is for its users to achieve independence in all aspects of life and sectors of society. The organisation is based in York city centre, and by 2020 had over 1,100 members. In 2019, to coincide with their 40th anniversary, the organisation changed its name to MySight York.
My Future York is a project originally funded through the Arts and Humanities Research Council's Connected Communities programme. The aim was to explore how active exploration of the city's past could open up greater participation in local democratic decision-making about the future.
As part of this oral histories were conducted with people involved in public engagement with planning in the late 20th century. Local people were also invited to imagine the future of the city in ten year's time.
The project was a partnership between York Past and Present, York Environmental Forum, University of Leeds and Explore York Libraries and Archives.
The Exhibition Buildings and its art collection were transferred to the council from its trustees in 1893. In 1912 this committee was set up to manage the art gallery. There was no museum until the Castle Museum was opened in 1938, but the committee used enabling legislation aimed at museums in order to raise funds from the rates, hence its name.
Gained responsiblility for Art Gallery from Technical Instruction and Higher Education Committees in 1912. Instructed Curator.
Hugh Murray was a pre-eminent British historian of the city of York. He hated history at school but turned it into a second career after retiring from British Rail.
Murray was born in Hull, and was the fifth generation of railwaymen in his family. His father Donald was fish stock superintendent for the London and North East Railway (LNER).
He was educated at Brecon, St. Peter's School, York, and Jesus College, Oxford, where he read physics. He then joined British Rail, where he became divisional signals and telecommunications engineer at Norwich and later Leeds, and ultimately moved to York to spend 14 years as signals engineer for the Eastern Railways region. He continued living in York after retiring in 1988.
Murray amassed his own library containing thousands of books and photographs and had an encyclopaedic knowledge of York. In 2004, Murray was presented with a British Association for Local History award for personal achievement for his services to York's local history. He delivered more than 1,500 lectures, a local history course that ran for 15 years, and a popular guided walks programme. He had an impressive list of publications including articles in many local history and other journals, and published several books.
Murray was a leading member of the Yorkshire Architectural and York Archaeological Society, being chairman from 1991 to 2002, and was editor of Yorkshire Historian from 1984 to 2000. He was on the Council of Friends of York Minster and the York Civic Trust, and in the Yorkshire Heraldry Society. He had a particular interest in York Cemetery, which opened in 1837 and was rescued from ruin by an organisation of Friends. As a trustee, treasurer and administrator for many years, he created a database of all the burials which is now an invaluable research tool for other historians as well as people with relatives buried there.
Murry died of mesothelioma in 2013, from asbestos dust and fibres in workshops while he was a British Rail graduate signals apprentice in the mid-1950s.
Joe Murphy was a local historian, lecturer and author. He lived in Osbaldwick.
Originally responsible for practical upkeep of the city walls, the post became defunct but continued in name. As late as the eighteenth century, chamberlain's had to pay a fine for exoneration from the office.
See also Bridgemasters and Chameberlains.
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:
Frederick Munby and his wife, Elizabeth, had two children:
-Beatrice b. c1867
-John Cecil bc1876
The Munby family were solicitors in York from as early as 1665. In 1878, Henry Venn Scott became a partner in the firm. From 1838, their offices were located at No. 18 Blake Street (which was actually No. 3 Blake Street up until the mid-1950s when the street was renumbered). The house in which their offices were located was originally built in 1789 for a member of the Woodhouse family, who were connected to the Munbys by marriage.
The business continued to provide legal services to York customers until 2008, when it merged with Langleys solicitors.
See Also - York Subscription Library
In 1953, founders Richard and Mary Cave were frustrated at the lack of treatments and support available for Mary's MS. So they decided to do something about it. They set up their first meeting in West London, a small number of people came and the MS Society was born. Today, the Society has around 30,000 members and groups in every part of the UK. Richard and Mary's work has inspired thousands of volunteers, supporters and staff members to make a difference to the lives people affected by MS.
The York branch was started in the same year as the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and it is believed that it continues to this day.
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).
Thomas Morley operated a linen draper in York between at least 1804 and 1833. In 1833, he is listed as selling his property at Minster Gates where he had been conducting his business. Entries in his account book continue to 1839, however it is unclear whether these represent a continuation of the linen draper business, or the collection of debts and investments of capital only.
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.
William Clapham Milburn was a resident of York, who bought 18 Heworth Green on 14 February 1919. The house was later renumbered to 66. In his working life, he was a tailor at 51 Goodramgate (later renumbered 77).
George Walker Milburn, master woodcarver, stonemason and sculptor, was born in Goodramgate, York on 17 June 1844. He was the eighth of ten children of Lionel Altimont Milburn, a York tailor, and his wife, Elizabeth Clapham, of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. Little is certain about George's childhood years but, in his early teens, he was apprenticed as a woodcarver to William Alfred Waddington, 'Pianoforte Manufacturer', who was based at 44 Stonegate, York. He attended York School of Art where he won several medals and awards. A head modelled by Milburn so impressed the sculptor Thomas Woolner RA that he offered the young student the opportunity to study with him, but Milburn felt obliged to decline as he had already commenced his apprenticeship. In 1865, having completed his woodcarving studies, George went to London to study stone-carving with Samuel J. Ruddock. While there he exhibited a medallion of the stained-glass artist Charles Hardgraves at the Royal Academy of Art.
George returned to York around 1872 and set up his own stone yard at 53 Gillygate. One of his first commissions was for the architect George Edmund Street on the massive project to restore the South Transept of York Minster. Street employed the young carver to execute a large portion of the decorative stonework on the interior and exterior during the eight years of restoration (1872-80). Street was sufficiently impressed by George's artistry that he took him to Corfe Castle in Dorset to work on St James' Church at Kingston, the church described as 'The Jewel of the Purbecks'. In addition to Street, George worked with many other leading architects of the Victorian and Edwardian era including Sir George Gilbert Scott, Charles Clement Hodges, Charles Hodgson Fowler, and Walter H. Brierley.
In 1885 George Milburn won the competition to execute a statue to commemorate George Leeman MP, three times Lord Mayor of York and a dominant figure in 19th-century York politics. Some felt that George had insufficient experience to execute the work and the controversy rumbled on in the York newspapers for many months. He took an enormous financial gamble, signing a potentially punitive contract with York City Council which would have ruined him had he failed. But the gamble paid off and York's first public statue established him as a sculptor in addition to his already established reputation as a stone- and woodcarver.
About this time, George moved his stone yard to St Leonard's Place at Bootham where it would remain for more than 50 years. He would go on to be awarded commissions for a statue of Queen Victoria for the Guildhall and a statue of William Etty which stands in Exhibition Square. While the Victoria statue also caused rumblings of discontent in the press, it was less to do with the choice of sculptor than with political squabbling over whether a statue was the correct form of memorial with which to honour the late Queen. On its completion, the statue received widespread praise. When unveiled by the Queen's daughter, Princess Henry of Battenberg, she broke with protocol and shook the sculptor's hand.
George left a large body of work, ecclesiastical and secular. He carved almost 50 memorial crosses and executed works for more than 150 churches. A small sample of his stone-carving includes the impressive Boer War Memorial Cross at Durham Cathedral; the Bede Cross at Roker, Sunderland; the statues for the elaborate Reredos at St Aidan's Church, Bamburgh; the Reredos at St Peter-at-Gowts, Lincoln; and multiple pulpits and fonts including St Barnabas' Church in York, St Aidan's in Hartlepool, and All Saints in Lincoln. His woodwork, equal to though less recognised than that of Robert Thompson, can be seen in the tracery panels for the magnificent double organ at Howden Minster, the organ screen for St Helen's Church at Escrick, the chancel screen at Melton Mowbray and the beautiful reredos in St Benet's Chapel at Ampleforth Abbey.
His mastery of both stone- and woodcarving can be seen at St Thomas' Parish Church at Stockton-on-Tees where he sculpted the large stone cartouche over the east window and the elaborate oak bench ends in the choir, and at St Andrew's Church at Bournemouth in Dorset where he carved the delightful oak figures for the choir, six stone statues and a beautiful alabaster reredos of the Annunciation. His works for private houses included Hawkstone Hall, Shropshire; the chapel at Hatfield College, Durham; Dunollie Hall, Scarborough; Carlton Towers, East Yorkshire; Gray's Court, York; the renowned Arts and Crafts-style house, Goddards, York; and the chapel at Castle Howard.
While his works were predominantly in Yorkshire and the North-East of England, his work can be found throughout the country, from Bournemouth in Dorset to Edinburgh where he carved the statue of John Hunter on the façade of the National Portrait Gallery. Although the Scottish sculptor James MacGillivray Pittendrigh has been credited with the latter, it was George Milburn who sculpted the statue from a miniature by Pittendrigh. Works can be found in almost 20 counties throughout the UK including Lincolnshire, Kent, Shropshire, Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and Norfolk.
In York alone the list of his works includes the William Etty, Queen Victoria and George Leeman statues and works for York Minster, York Art Gallery, York Explore Library, St Barnabas' Church, St Chad's at Knavesmire; St Olave's Church, St Wilfrid's Church, Holy Trinity Church, All Saints Pavement, Barclays Bank, Beckett's Bank, Jacob's Well in Micklegate, St Sampson's Church, St Andrew's Church at Bishopthorpe, Fulford Church and many others. He found time in his busy career to make a positive contribution to some of York's many societies; he was a member of the York Philosophical Society, an active supporter of the York School of Art and a frequent lecturer.
In his private life, he was a practising Catholic – although he seems to have had a relaxed attitude about the strict adherence to church rules; his first marriage, to Ellen Ward, was at St Wilfrid's Church; his second, to Isabella Fletcher, took place at St Olave's Church in Marygate. Like many Victorians, he suffered a series of family tragedies; his first child, Lionel, died at the age of one; his first wife, Ellen, died of TB in 1885 at the age of 28, shortly after giving birth to their fourth child, Norah; Norah herself died one year later. In all, of five children in his two marriages, only two survived into adulthood. His second marriage, to Isabella Fletcher, in 1888, lasted until her death in 1924. With his son, Wilfrid Joseph Milburn, the two worked as G.W. Milburn & Son from the stone yard at St Leonard's Place.
George had an exceptionally long career, working well into his eighties and living through enormous changes in his native city. Born in the seventh year of Victoria's reign, when Sir Robert Peel was Prime Minster and York a city with a population of barely 40,000, his work straddled two centuries and honoured the dead of two wars: the Boer War and the First World War. During his lifetime the population of York expanded to more than 123,000 inhabitants. Few others can claim to have lived and worked continuously in one city through a period of such enormous change. He died in York City Hospital, Huntington Road on 3 September 1941.
His importance to York can be gauged by the judgement of his fellow artists and peers. John Ward Knowles, the renowned York stained-glass artist, was of the opinion that for many years stone-carving in York had been 'confined to the works of ornamental sculpture' until 'the higher branch of the art was again resuscitated by George Milburn'. Street reportedly called him 'the best Gothic sculptor in the country' and Knowles felt that, in stone-carving, George 'stood pre-eminently in front of his confrères'.
More than 270 of George Milburn's works survive but this master craftsman has not received the recognition that he deserves, and most of his extant works remain uncredited, overshadowed by others, such as Robert Beall of Newcastle or Thompson of Kilburn, or even incorrectly ascribed to others.
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.
Continuation of Lunatic Asylum Visiting Committee. Functions widened to include out-patient clinics as an alternative to institutions or as aftercare.
Reported to by Medical Superintendent. Previously the Lunatic Asylum Visiting Committee.
The Mental Deficient Act 1913 made provision for the separation of people deemed to have "mental deficiencies" out from the Poor Law system and into a separate institutional care system. Made up of the corporation Mental Health Committee plus other co-opted members.
Membership included the Mental Health Committee plus others.
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).
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.
Candidates were taken from the county gentry and city elite and had to become freemen if they were not already. Often heavily involved in civic life, many also served as aldermen and mayors during their careers. The electorate consisted solely of the freemen until 1835.
In the medieval period the corporation typically selected its representatives members directly. They were often uncontested until elections became more politicised in the eighteenth century, when hundreds of new freemen were sometimes sworn in to swing a vote. From the 1830s-1900, each of the two seats were usually held by the opposing parties. In the twentieth century, the seat alternated between the Labour and Conservative parties regularly, and has been held by a Labour MP since 1992.
York traditionally returned two members as a borough constituency. In 1918 the number of MPs was reduced to one. In 2010 the "City of York" and "Vale of York" seats were replaced by "York Central" and "York Outer".
First appointed in 1905.
Reported to the Asylum Visiting Committee (1899-1926) and then the Mental Hospital Committee (1926-1948).
The first medical officer of health was appointed in 1873 when the corporation became the urban sanitary distinct. The post became full-time in 1900. At times the post holder was also the Principal School Medical Officer
Reported to Health Committee, See also School Medical Officer.
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
This is the original title of the corporate body of the citizens of York, as used in charters and other legal documents.
This is the original title of the ancient corporation, which was reformed in 1835. In 1974 it became a district council within North Yorkshire County Council and then a unitary authority once more as the City of York Council in 1996.
In 1921 the corporation purchased Acomb Hall estate and the house was turned into a new Maternity hospital in 1922. It merged with the original Ogleforth voluntary maternity hospital.
Instructed Visiting Surgeon and Resident Medical Officer (female).
John Arthur Ransome Marriott was born on 17 August 1859 in Bowden, Cheshire, the eldest son of Francis Marriott and his wife Elizabeth. He was educated at Repton School and New College Oxford, graduating with a second class degree in modern history in 1882. He was active in the Canning Club during his undergraduate career.
In 1883 Marriott was appointed as a lecturer at New College, before taking up a position teaching modern history at Worcester College the following year. He continued at Worcester College until 1920, from 1914 onwards as a Fellow of the College, specialising in political and international history. During the course of his career he wrote over 40 books on historical and political subjects.
Marriott's major contribution to education dates from 1886, when he was recruited as an Oxford University extension lecturer by the secretary of the extension delegacy in Oxford, M. E. Sadler. Extension lecturers had been sent out by the university to give academic courses in provincial towns and cities in England since 1878. Marriott was immediately attracted to the work: he was a natural platform orator and able to hold large audiences. Marriott went on to succeed Sadler as head of the extension lectures in 1895.
Marriott had been adopted as a Conservative parliamentary candidate for East St Pancras in 1885, though he subsequently withdrew his candidacy. In the following year he was defeated in the general election as Conservative candidate for Rochdale. In 1914 he was defeated in a contest for the Conservative candidacy for the vacant Oxford University seat in parliament. But in March 1917 he was elected unopposed as Conservative MP for Oxford City, a beneficiary of the party-political truce under the wartime coalition. He was re-elected in the 'coupon' election of 1918, but defeated by the Liberal candidate in the general election of 1922. He returned to the Commons after the general election of 1923 as MP for York. There he was defeated in 1929 by a Labour candidate, and retired from active politics.
Marriott married Henrietta Robinson, daughter of the Reverend W. Percy Robinson, warden of Trinity College, Glenalmond, on 7 April 1891; they had one daughter, Elizabeth Dorothy Cicely (known as Cicely), who was born in 1892. Marriott was knighted in 1924, and he died at the Montpellier Hotel, Llandrinod Wells, on 6 June 1945.
Marriage Care was established as a charity in 1946 to support families in the Catholic community whose relationships came under stress after the trauma and upheaval of World War II. It is not known exactly when the York branch opened, however it is likely to be sometime between 1953 and 1969, when the organisation was called the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council.
Now Marriage Care is a national charity, serving the whole community from over 50 centres across England and Wales, with a network of trained volunteers. Every Marriage Care specialist undertakes a rigorous training programme and operates to professional standards. Marriage Care is an organisational member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
The organisation continues to offer various forms of relationship counselling.
Instructed by Markets 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.
Augustus Mahalski was born in Poland in about 1831. His father was John Mahalski.
In December 1856, he married Sarah May in York. They had three children: Amelia (b.1859), William (b.1866) and Cecilia (b.1871).
Augustus died in 1900.
The petty sessions in York were presided over by the Lord Mayor, aldermen and sheriffs from 1392, and aldermen also made up the Justices of the Peace for the Quarter sessions. York included several liberties such as the Liberty of St Peter and Davy Hall which were outside this jurisdiction. The Municipal Corporations Act setup a new Commission of the Peace and transferred this function out of the corporation in 1835.
Function transferred to Commission of the Peace in 1835.
In York an independent Commission of the Peace was setup in 1835, incorporating the Lord Mayor as chief magistrate but with an membership of Justices of the Peace otherwise distinct from the corporation.
Functions transferred from city magistracy traditionally consisting of Lord Mayor, aldermen and sheriffs. Supported by a legal professional clerk.
Mental health provision in York was originally established privately, with the York Lunatic Asylum opened by public subscription in 1772 and run by a board of governors. In 1796, the Retreat was opened by the Society of Friends. Public provision of asylums was permissive from 1808 and obligatory from 1845. Dissatisfaction with the asylum led to the purchase of land for a new corporation-run institution, and in 1906 the City Mental Hospital was opened at Naburn. The City funded the buildings, and the Guardians (originally) funded the patients.
Instructed the Medical Superintendent. Renamed Mental Hospital Committee in 1926.
The 1212 charter included the right to select a mayor and pay the city's fee farm directly. The Lord Mayor serves a one year term at a time, but may be Mayor more than once. The Lord Mayor was traditionally drawn from the pool of aldermen, and returned to being an aldermen afterwards. The Lord Mayor is supported by the Lady Mayoress who may be a spouse or other female relative. The first female Lord Mayor of York was Edna Crichton in 1941-1942.
See also Mayor and Commonality of the City of York. Charitable functions chiefly transferred to York Charity Trustees in 1837, though some individual cases remained.