When the suburbs burned: a walk around 17th century York

From York’s abbey walls and a wonky tower on Marygate, to its city walls, to buildings remaining to remind us of the siege in 1644, past places where the king once played The Balloon and where his printers printed pamphlets, meeting a hero we’ve forgotten to remember and his son-in-law the unfortunate Villiers. Saddened chaplains and other observers guide us on our way.
Includes map, photos and illustrations.

Written and published by Lisa @YorkStories (under the pen name Lisa North)

Available from amazon.co.uk and amazon.com.

I can thoroughly recommend it for making a complicated period intelligible in the context of the city and the visible evidence that remains.
— Andy Tuckwell

Yet more “hidden” history that shaped this great city. I took the lazy way and read in the comfort of my own home, picturing the streets I’ve tramped over the last 20 years but with a siege back drop I’d never appreciated. Having done that, I’ll be back on the street for a second look at the detail I’ve missed. I’d recommend this to visitor and resident alike.
— Colin Durrans

This is a little gem of a book. Evocatively written, it transports you back to the time around the siege of York, colouring in characters, places and events to help make the period come alive. Highly recommended to anyone with even a passing interest in York or the Civil War.
— Lee Thurston

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Before we wander off away from the Bootham area, where we’ve spent the the last few pages, I must mention this detail I noticed on the corner of Bootham and Marygate. A new sign marking the ‘HAMLET of st MARYGATE’.

Which is interesting in itself. Well, it is if you find local details like signage interesting. And though an interest in such things used to lead to you being told to ‘get a life’, it’s quite trendy now to care about these things. So presumably I can share without shame this photo I took in 2006 of the earlier sign, which said something slightly different. It was very faded, but it’s just about clear on this digitally enhanced image that the old sign read ‘HAMLET OF ST MARY’S’. It seemed rather quaint and charming.

So when I saw the new one I assumed they’d made a mistake. I got really irritated and thought ‘more money wasted’ and rolled my eyes and did that cursing the council thing.

Later I Googled ‘Hamlet of St Mary’s’, assuming I’d turn up various old documents containing this phrase. But I didn’t.

St Mary’s Tower, July 2014

I did though find several references to ‘Hamlet of St Marygate’.

Which suggests that the new sign is more historically accurate than the previous one. The old sign had acquired an air of historical accuracy mainly perhaps because it looked old and carefully crafted. Like those 1970s cobbles in King’s Square.

I don’t have the time to investigate this mystery of the misnamed hamlet. If anyone has any background information please do add a comment.

It will take me a while to adjust to liking the brightness of the new sign, which is now the most prominent thing if you’re looking across from Bootham, so your eyes aren’t drawn so much to the whole picture, the street behind, the verge and the phone box.

On that subject, before we head off from the hamlet, another photo from the York Civic Trust annual report of 1946-7, showing the view of this corner from a different angle, a little way down Marygate.

 (The caption invites us to compare it with the ‘photo opposite’. The photo it refers to can be found on the page on the Bootham rest garden.)

And how this scene looks in the 21st century:

A bit tidier than it was.

The wall and tower still look a bit ‘ragged’, of course. We might assume that all this visible damage is the result of the assault on the tower and wall in the siege of 1644. But the more we look deeply into the multi-layered history of the city the more we realise that it’s risky to rush to judgement about what is ancient or authentic or historically accurate. There were houses built here later, against these walls. They were then demolished in their turn. So are the rough-looking parts all siege damage or are they from the building and demolition of the houses once built right up against these older structures?

I can’t answer that question, but I can recommend a read of my ebook for a deeper exploration, a historical appreciation, of this location and many others, in a walk around 17th century York.

Next we head towards the city centre, and more observation of 21st century York.

If you’re interested in 20th century history — a few years ago I compiled from dusty volumes of council minutes some notes on the history of a wartime hostel (aka ‘the hutments’) built during the Second World War on the land behind this wall (and since demolished): a history of the ‘hutments’.

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Siege of York 1644 and other interesting 17th century things …

370 years ago, in 1644, York was surrounded by besieging armies, in the siege leading up to the battle of Marston Moor on 2 July.

A few plaques around the city mark this period in the city’s history. One plaque fell off the tower at the end of Marygate years ago and has never been replaced. Perhaps an indication of the general lack of interest. We’re big on our Viking and Roman history, and enthusiastic about many other periods — most recently Richard III’s time — but the 17th century? The siege of York doesn’t seem to have aroused much interest. This modest ebook would like to help with that, in its own small way.

Not boring at all …

Made from snippets of 17th century pamphlet

The Civil War period is I think often seen as rather dour and dull, and complicated, and hard to relate to. I thought so too, for many years. But eventually found a way in, and became a big fan of Thomas Fairfax, and an even bigger fan of 17th century pamphlets. And eventually set about writing this ’21st century pamphlet’ to share this enthusiasm, and to connect this important period in our history directly to the relevant locations in the city.

Here’s a Google map I made a few years back, showing many of them.

Bringing it home

When we focus on the military ‘action’ we’re missing a bigger picture, one most of us can relate to more easily: what it would have been like to live here, in York and the surrounding suburbs, to have opposing forces fighting in our midst. Contemporary accounts of the effects of the siege on the residents — as reported by chaplains and other observers, and included in the ebook — bring it to life, bring it home, to the streets of York and its suburbs.

There’s also a fair bit about the Fairfaxes, and Thomas in particular. A hero back then. Here he is, on his horse, in a 17th century engraving.

Other aspects of 17th century York are included, as relief from all the distress and destruction. Early hopes that York could have a university, King Charles playing ‘The Balloon’ …

Ebook revisited and revamped

I published an experimental version of this short ebook back in 2011 and about five people read it. I’ve been wanting to revisit it and republish it for some time now, and it seems the best time to do so. It’s 370 years since the siege, which at this time in 1644 was particularly intense. John Oxley, City of York Council archaeologist, is tweeting a day by day account of the events of 1644, and if this has kindled your interest, you might like this ebook for your Kindle … or indeed any other device.

How to buy >>

I hope you find it an interesting read.

You may also like to follow John Oxley, City of York Council archaeologist, who has been reporting the events of 1644 under #SoY on Twitter.

Lisa

‘Yorke’
30 June 2014

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July 2011

A Google map showing the location of the city’s defences, damaged buildings, known homes of important personages, bridges of boats across the Ouse used by the besieging forces, etc.

Load the map in the enlarged view for the full key/list of features marked (opens in new browser window).

View Siege of York 1644 in a larger map

All information is correct to the best of my knowledge. If you want to amend/add anything, email me.

Sources

Contemporary accounts of the siege by Henry Slingsby, Christopher Hildyard, Simeon Ashe and others present.

Francis Drake, Eboracum (1736)

Peter Wenham, The Great and Close Siege of York, 1644 (1970)

Information on the city and abbey walls – Barbara Wilson and Frances Mee, The City Walls and Castles of York: the Pictorial Evidence (2005), and St Mary’s Abbey and the King’s Manor, York: the Pictorial Evidence (2009) – both available from York Archaeological Trust

. . . . . . . . .

Page compiled July 2011. Last updated: 10 January 2012.

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February 2011

Back in June 1644, during the siege of York, this was the site of a major explosion, collapsing stonework, and a frantic battle across bowling greens and orchards. In 2011, there were plans to site a massive observation wheel here – since abandoned.

Many men died here, after the only successful attempt to breach the city’s defences. St Mary’s Tower (visible at the back, with its conical roof) was partially destroyed in the attack. The besiegers entered, and as a contemporary observer on the Royalist side reports: ‘above forty of the Enemy were slain in the Garden and Bowling green’.

Sir Henry Slingsby (1602-1658) – a member of the Royalist garrison defending the city – also recorded the battle on the bowling greens in his diary:

So, in 1644 there was a bowling green in this area, and, more suprisingly, it had ‘doors’.

Sir Philip Byron (‘Biron’), mentioned above, is buried in York Minster, as is Major Richard Huddleston, who also died in the attack. Several parish churches, including St Olaves, just nearby, record burials of soldiers on the days following. Hildyard’s account gives special mention to ‘Samuel Breary … Lieutenant Colonel of a Company of 250 stout Volunteer Citizens, being shot with a poysoned Bullet into one of his Arms, four days after dyed.’

This particular bowling green, pictured in 2011, has been on the site for around a hundred years, apparently on land which was once part of the orchards mentioned above, and pasture within the abbey walls. The 17th century bowling green was a little closer to the King’s Manor buildings. As there were hundreds of men fighting here, the distinction isn’t really important, they would have covered the area between King’s Manor and St Mary’s Tower.

The bowling green will be lost soon, as there are plans to landscape the area as an extension of the Museum Gardens.

A reminder of a more recent conflict, alongside the bowling green – the hutments, built during the Second World War (since demolished).

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