York

 

Out trip to York on 5 May 2013

 

The Romans founded the city of York. They invaded Yorkshire in 71 AD and built a fort between the rivers Ouse and Foss. By the mid 2nd century a small town grew up by the fort. Craftsmen and merchants came to live there because the soldiers in the fort provided a market for their goods and ships could sail up the River Ouse.
The Roman name for York was Eboracum, which may be derived from Celtic words meaning the place with yew trees. By the early 3rd century Roman York was protected by a stone wall. In the town there were public buildings such as a baths. Rich people lived in very comfortable houses with mosaic floors.
However in the 4th century Roman civilisation began to break down. The last Roman soldiers left Britain in 407 AD and afterwards Roman towns were abandoned and they fell into ruins.

After the Romans departed York was probably abandoned or nearly abandoned and the old Roman buildings fell into ruins. There may have been a few people living inside the walls farming the land outside but York ceased to be a town.
In 627 a bishop of York was appointed. A cathedral was built inside the walls of the Roman town and a bishop's palace was probably built there as well. It is possible the local Anglo Saxon king built a royal palace inside the Roman walls.
Then in the 8th and 9th centuries the town of York revived. Its position made it an ideal place for trade and so craftsmen came to live there. They probably started weekly markets and goods such as pottery were brought by ship from Europe. By the middle of the 9th century York was a flourishing town once again. However it was probably much smaller than the Roman town with a population of only about 2,000. It is believed that the town was called Eofer's wic (wic meant trading place). The Danes changed its name to Jorvik.
Then in 866 the Vikings conquered northern England and York became the capital of a new Viking kingdom. Viking York boomed and it grew much larger. In the town wool was woven. There were blacksmiths and potters. Other craftsmen made combs from bone and antler. The Danish word for street was gata, which in time became corrupted to 'gate'. Coppergate was cooper gata.

 

By the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 York was booming and it probably had a population of 9,000 or 10,000.
William the Conqueror built a wooden castle in York. However in 1069 the north of England rebelled. The Normans in the castle were massacred. However William captured York and sacked it. He also built a second wooden castle to control the town.
In 1190 a horrific massacre took place in York. Jews took refuge in the main castle. Some committed suicide. The townspeople set fire to the castle and the rest were persuaded to surrender but they were murdered anyway. Cliffords Tower was built in the mid-13th century to replace the keep of the main castle which had been burned in 1190.
Then in 1212 King John gave York a charter, which allowed the city self-government.