YORK. 



ftoiK cofniis were found without Bootham-bar ; and are 

 now prefervtd in the cathedral. In 1814 was laid open a 

 beautiful teiTellatcd pavement, within Micklegate-bar, but 

 without the Roman town ; but unfortunately a partot it 

 only was preferved: this was the firll ever found in York. 

 The waUs of the city, which probibly fucceeded to the 

 Roman fortifications, and which are now in rapid and dil- 

 graccful decay, ftiU retain fufBcient evidences of their an- 

 cient ftrength and importance. When they were erefted is 

 now unknown ; but their conftrudion on the Roman found- 

 ations is generally afcribed to Edward I., about 1280 : in 

 the time of Henry VIII. they were m complete repair. 

 The oldeft part of the prefent walls appears to be that adjoin- 

 ing to Walmgate-bar, at the S.E. corner of the city, on the 

 road to Hull, wliere the remains of the Red tower are Itill 

 vifiblc. During the laft fiege of York, in the civil wars, 

 by fir Thomas Fairfax, in 1644, thefe walls were fo fhat- 

 tered as to require three years to repair them : but fince that 

 period they have been (hamefuUy neglefted by thofe whofe 

 duty it is to preferve them. 



York is dillinguidied among the cities of England for its 

 ancient gates, or bars, as they are termed. Of thefe, 

 Micklegate-bar, on the S.W. fide of the prefent city, under 

 which is the road from London, is the moil remarkable. It 

 confifts of a lofty fquare embattled tower, with loop-holes, 

 &c. and guarded by an adorned work, with ballion-turrets, 

 &c. Bootham-bar, at the N. entrance of the city, not far 

 from the Roman tower, is almoft wholly conftrufted of ma- 

 terials formerly employed in Roman buildings. Monk-bar, 

 on the N.E., and the Walmgate-bar on the S.E., feem to be 

 of equal date, and were probably ereded by Edward III. 

 The whole circuit of the ancient walls is nearly two miles 

 and three-quarters. 



Cq/lk: Gilford's rowfr.— Nearly at the junAion of the 

 Oufe and the Fofs, on an eminence, is the fcite of the an- 

 cient caftle, acceffible only from the city on the N., and 

 llrengthened on the other fides by the Fofs, carried round 

 it in a deep moat. Prior to the Norman Conqueft, York 

 pofTefTed a caftle, by fome fuppofed to have ftood on the 

 AV. fide of the Oufe. It is, however, much more probable, 

 that the principal fortrefs occupied the pofition here de- 

 fcribed, on which WiUiam of Normandy erefted his caftle, 

 which was reftored by Richard III. Ceafing to be re- 

 garded as a place of ftrength, it was converted into the prifon 

 for the county of York : but becoming ruinous, the whole 

 \Ya3, in 1701, taken down, and the prefent grand ftruc- 

 tures, ftill retaining, although very incongruoufly, the ori- 

 ginal name, were erefted. Within the inclofure of the an- 

 cient caftle on the N.W. is a high mount, furrounded by a 

 deep ditch, rifing 90 feet above the river Oufe, and 30 above 

 the fcite of the caftle. On the fummit ftands Chfford's 

 tower, confifting of four fegments of circles joined toge- 

 ther, and fo called, it is faid, from the firft governor, after 

 its ereftion by William the Conqueror, to whofe caftle it 

 ferved as the keep. In the time of Henry VIII. this tower 

 was in a ruinous ftate : but on the commencement of the dif- 

 orders in the reign of Charles I., it was repaired and forti- 

 fied by the earl of Cumberland, who mounted fome pieces 

 of artillery on the platform. In the year 1684, the pow- 

 der-magazine within the tower exploded, and the building 

 was reduced to its external walls, as now exifting. Cor- 

 refponding to Clifford's tower, on the W. fide of the Oufe, 

 is another mount, called the Old Baile, or Vetus Ballium; 

 alfo the fcite of an ancient fortrefs. 



Public Buddings, — At the head of the public edifices of 

 York is neceffarily placed the venerable minfter, or cathe- 

 dral, which, confidered in its totality, is unparalleled in 



England. The earlieft ercAion of zjlone edifice for the fer- 

 vice of the Chriftian religion in York is always afcribed to 

 Edwin, king of the Northumbrians. This church was 

 founded about A.D. 628 ; but it was completed by bifhop 

 Wilfrid, after 669, who covered the roof with lead, and 

 filled the windows with glafs. This laft invaluable fubftance 

 muft have been imported from the continent ; for it was 

 not till 674 that glafs-makers were firft introduced into 

 England by Benedift Bifcop, to glaze the windows of his 

 new monaftery at Bifhop-Wearmouth. That the cathe- 

 dral of York fuffered with the other parts of the city by 

 the ravages of the Danes in 867 is moft probable : but it 

 is not noticed until 1069, when it was deftroyed, with a 

 great part of the city, in a conflagration occafioned by the 

 Norman garrifon, when attacked by the united Danes and 

 Northumbrians. To punilh the refradory people of the 

 city and vicinity, William of Normandy expelled the eccle- 

 fiaftics, and feized the revenues of the lee : but thefe were 

 foon reftored, and his chaplain and treafurer, Thomas, a 

 Norman, was promoted to the archbifhopric. By this pre- 

 late the cathedral was rebuilt in a magnificent ftyle ; but in 

 1 137 it was again deftroyed by fire, together with the abbey 

 of St. Mary, and 39 parifh-churches. Having for a num- 

 ber of years lain in ruins, archbiftiop Roger, the ftrenuous 

 opponent of Becket of Canterbury, began in 1171 to re- 

 build the choir with its crypt, which he lived to finifh. In 

 1227, his fucceflbr, Walter de Grey, erefted the tranfept, 

 with the exceptionof the N. part, which was the work of John 

 le Romaine, the treafurer, who alfo raifed a central fteeple 

 in 1260. In 1291, the fon of the preceding being advanced 

 to the fee, commenced the nave, which, together with the two 

 noble weftern towers, was completed by archbiftiop William 

 le Melton. In 1361, the prefent beautiful choir was com- 

 menced by archbifhop Thorefby, who contributed largely to 

 defray the charges of the work. More money having been 

 collected than was required, the furplus was, in 1370, em- 

 ployed to conilruft the prefent noble central tower, in the 

 place of one eredled by John le Romaine. Thus, in the 

 courfe of 150 years, the catliedral of York was brought 

 into a form nearly as it now appears. It is a grand and in- 

 terefting edifice ; and confifts of a nave with fide aides, a 

 large and lofty tranfept with aides, a choir with aifles, and 

 a large fpace eaft of the choir, called the lady-chapel, 

 with aifles. Beneath the altar is a crypt ; on the fouth fide 

 are three apartments called veftries and treafury ; and at the 

 end of the north tranfept is a fijie chapter-houfe, with a cor- 

 refponding veftibule. The weft end is adorned by two ele- 

 gantly ornamented towers, whilft another, of larger dimen- 

 fions, rifes at the centre of the tranfept. All thefe parts of 

 the church are on a large and magnificent fcale ; and though 

 not in an uniform ftyle, yet the nave and choir are of'cor- 

 refponding height and width, and very fimilar in their win- 

 dows, columns, and other members. The W. front is more 

 richly adorned than any other part of the edifice. Its two 

 towers diminifti in dimenfions as they afcend, and have been 

 ornamented with feveral ftatues, of which now only very 

 few remain. Each tower is furmounted by eight pinnacles ; 

 and in the fouth tower is a fet of celebrated bells. In 

 the front are three entrances ; tliat in the centre is di- 

 vided into two by a pillar. The entire length of the cathe- 

 dral is above 524 feet ; that of the nave, from the weft 

 end to the fcreen at the entrance of the choir, is 250 

 feet ; the length of the choir to the altar-fcreen i jo feet ; 

 and that of the lady-chapel, at the eaft end, 65 feet. 

 The tranfept is in length 222 feet. The breadth of the 

 nave, with its fide aifles, is 103 feet ; that of the nave itfelf 

 being 63. In the centre of the nave the height to the roof 



is 



