CITY OF YORK

YORK MINSTER

In Pevsner the City of York appeared  in the volume York and the East Riding and I followed this form in these pages. However, the City of York appears to have been in the West Riding, the most industrial of the three former divisions of the County of Yorkshire; in more recent times it is now in North Yorkshire. So here I will break with form and give the City of York a pages to itself' rather like Bristol.

The RCHM began an excellent series of their inventories on York, there being five volumes with the last being the Central Area. I impatiently waited for Volume 6, The Minster but the RCHM was then in its dying days and it never appeared. Instead were issued a poorer and expensive series on York Minster: The Findings Volume 1 (in two parts), The Findings Volume 2 and Architectural History. And that was it: the inventory for which we had waited never appeared.

Park in one of the car parks outside the city walls: those just outside Bootham Bar are the most convenient; they are expensive!

I will list and add photographs of the monuments in The Minster below. Unfortunately the east window was covered for restoration work when we visited and there were a few monuments I was unable to photograve. I will add the other churches using the literature later



  Cathedral Church of St Peter    
York Minster is a Cathedral of the Old Foundation: at the Reformation it was governed by a dean and secular canons not by a prior and monks.
Cost of visit (church, chapterhouse and undercroft) t: £10 (adults), £9 (students/seniors), up to 4 accompanied children free.  Plus tower: £15/ £14 but £5 for children 8-16. There's even a turnstile but the staff are very helpful, friendly and courteous.
Please note: I have redesigned this page so it is uniform with all the others. Unfortunately I was unable to enlarge the photographs as they had been saved on a (Philips) disc, with Worcester and others, and the disc became corrupted so that the photographs were inaccessible. The only copies were on the web page itself. However I hope this will serve as a useful guide until I can retake the photographs

The Nave

Above: said to be the tomb of Archbishop Roger de Pont l'Evêque (1181), although the monument is late 15th century. He was appointed to York by Henry II and an opponent of Becket.
Right: James Cotrel or Coterel (1595) Brass with Latin inscription. A native of Dublin who came to York to work for the Council of the North.

The South Transept

       
 
Archbishop Godfrey de Ludham (1265)   Archbishop Sewal de Bovill (1265) There was
originally a superstructure; the lid bears a
cross flory with stepped foot
 
Archbishop Walter de Gray (1255) Purbeck marble. Inside
is a 13th century coffin, the lid of which is painted with an effigy 
   

Dean Augustus Duncombe (1880) designed by George Edmund Street; executed by Farmer & Brindley Ltd; the effigy is of white marble by Sir George Edgar Boehm. Although a grave had been
 prepared for him in the Minster, permission for burial was refused by the Home Office and he was buried at Helmsley.
 
 

 
Archbishop William Thomson (1890) Designed by George Frederick Bodley; effigy (signed) by Sir John Hamo Thornycroft RA  and remainder of carving by Farmer & Brindley Ltd, London. He was called 'The People's Archbishop', compelled clergy to live in their parishes and was at loggerhead with Deans Duncombe and Purey-Cust over his status in the Minster.

The North Transept 

Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Craddock
(1914)
Pink alabaster (1916) by Frederick William
Pomeroy.
He engaged Admiral von Spee and went down
with his ship. He has another monument in Gilling West,
near his former home.
Archbishop William Greenfield (1315)

A brass is inset into the lid; only the figure now remains, the canopy and images of saints having been stolen.
The upper tablet is to Lt Richard William Fawcett(1915). He was killed in action aged 23 under the leadership of Captain Kilby (see below)
Below is the monument to Winnie Kilby (1907) & Captain Arthur Forbes Gordon Kilby MC VC (1915) He was killed - missing presumed dead - leading an attack at the Battle of Loos. Winnie was his sister.
Top: Archbishop Thomas Rotherham (Scott )(1500) Originally in Lady Chapel, it is now used as an altar. Much of it was destroyed in the fire of 1829. His lead coffin was found in a vault below the original site; this is now marked by a modern inscription

Bottom: 
Thomas Haxey (1425) Treasurer. Only the cadaver effigy remains and this is difficult to see behind the  grill.

The South Choir Aisle 


 
 
 

Left: Canon William Mason (1797) & Canon William Dixon (1854) Inlay of coloured marbles, surface of bronze, brass, enamels and semi-precious stones; alabaster figures of the Good Shepherd and two angles. By Francis Alfred Skidmore of Coventry (1862)

Above:
George (1557) & Dean Thomas (1702) Gale

Right:
Lt Col Christopher Edward Thomas Oldfield CB (1850) by Mathew Skelton (signed).

Far Right:
Jane Hodson (1636) Latin inscription. She was wife of Phineas Hodson, Chancellor of York. They had 24 children and she died in childbirth aged 38. Buried in the Minster.
 
   
Dean Henry Finch MA (1728), Catherine Stanley (1731), Canon Edward Finch MA (1737) & Hon Mary Finch (1741) Busts by Rysback. The clergy brothers are represented by the busts with Latin inscriptions. Mary, wife of Edward, and her sister, Catherine, by the urn with  English inscription. Gravestones now lost.  Sir William Gee (1611) & 2 of his wives: Thomasine (1559) & Mary (1649) He and Mary were buried in the Minster; Thomasine at Beverley. Latin inscription. Politician. 
 
Nicholas (1617) & William (1577) Wanton. Brothers, both buried in the Minster. Inscription in Latin. Originally opposite.   Edmund Bunney BD (1618) Painted wooden panel. Latin inscription.  He was disinherited by his father for entering the church, where he held several preferments, including that of sub-dean of the Minster.   Archbishop John Dolben (1686) by Grinling Gibbons 1688. Latin inscription. He joined the Royalist Army at the outbreak of the Civil War, being wounded at Marston Moor. Rt Hon William Wickham (1840) by John Ely Hinchcliffe, signed. English inscription. Buried at Brighton.
Below is a brass tablet to Archbishop Robert Holgate
Ensign Henry Whittam (1809) English Inscription states he was accidentally drowned in the Ouse. Buried in Holy Trinity, Micklegate, where there is another monument. William Burgh (1808) signed by Richard Westmacott. English inscription. Faith holds a cross and a copy of Burgh's book on the doctrine of the Trinity. MP in the Irish Parliament.
       
Archbishop Matthew Hutton (1606) Latin inscription. Buried in the Minster.   Archbishop Thomas Lamplugh
(1691)
Latin inscription. By Grinling Gibbons; it cost £100. 
Canon Thomas Lamplugh (1747) English inscription. He was grandson of the Archbishop. Buried in the Minster. Also commemorated on the floor slab of his widow, Honor.  Francis (1807), John (1820) & Judith Croft (1824) by Michael Taylor. Latin inscription. John & Judith were the parents of Francis. Each buried in the Minster  Lady Mary Hore (1798) Latin inscription. Buried in the Minster, stone lost  Elizabeth Eynnes (1585/6) Brass. English inscription. There was a table tomb to her husband Thomas at the foot of this brass in the S Transept; this was demolished in mid 18th century when the floor was re-laid.  Mjr Herbert Augustine Carter VC (1916) Black marble with bronze figures. By Sir Bertram MacKennel of Melbourne, Australia. English inscription. Awarded VC for saving life of a private soldier in India 1903. KIA in German East Africa. Buried at St Erth, Cornwall where there is another monument.  Rev George William Anderson (1785) & Mrs Lucy Anderson (1830) Signed J Fisher Sculp York (either John I or II) English inscription. Rector of Epworth, Lincs. Buried in the Minster. 
           
Lt Gen Charles Frederick Torrens Daniell (1889) Designed by George Frederick Bodley; executed by Farmer & Brindley. Part of a vestry doorway. English inscription  Lt Henry Lees (1876) The English inscription states that he was accidentally killed by falling from his horse in Phoenix Park, Dublin.  HRH Albert Victor Christian Edward, Duke of Clarence & Avondale (1892) By George Walter Milburn (signed) English inscription. Eldest son of the then future Edward VII. Buried in Albert Memorial Chapel, Windsor.  Frederick Vyner (1870) By Thomas Earp of Lambeth. English inscription. He was kidnapped, with other travellers, and murdered by Greek brigands while returning from a visit to Marathon.   Captain William Maurice Marter (1900) Veined white marble. He died of wounds received in action at Karee Siding, Orange River Colony, S Africa.  Captain Edward Charles Starkey (1906) Black and white marble.  

North Choir Aisle 

Sir Thomas Davenport (1786) signed J. Fisher York (John Fisher I) English Inscription. MP & sergeant-at-law. Buried in the Minster; no stone The Hon Dorothy Langley (1824) by Michael Taylor. English inscription. Also commemorated on floor slab with her husband. Vice-Admiral Henry Medley (1747) By Sir Henry Cheere. The sarcophagus has a relief of a naval battle. English inscription.  Died at sea near Genoa, Italy. Body preserved in rum and buried in St Michael-le-Belfry, York as he wished. Charles Howard, Earl of Carlisle (1684/5), Sir John Fenwick (1696/7), Lady Mary Fenwick (1708) C.Howard was Lady Mary's father and Sir John her husband. English inscriptions. Various attributions. Fenwick was executed for treason for part in a plot to restore James II; buried in St Martin-in-the-Fields. Others buried in Minster.    Sir William (1623) & Lady Catherine Ingram & their son Sir William Ingram (1670) The father was a Canon of York and a civil servant. Above: Eleonora Swinburn (1787) signed J Fisher Sculpr York ( John  I)  ES only inscription. Grave marker on floor.
Below: Annabella Wickham (1625) Latin inscription. Buried in the Minster.
 

 
Thomas Watson Wentworth (1723) Designed by William Kent, executed by Giovanni Baptista Guelfi (signed B. Guelfi Romanus Fecit) English inscription. He was 3rd son of Edward Watson, 2nd Ld Rockingham, and Anne Wentworth, daughter of Th. 1st E of Strafford. He assumed the Wentworth surname on succeeding to the Strafford estates. Buried in Strafford vault. Henry Swinburne (1624) Latin inscription. The right niche on the base was shown in a drawing of 1736 to contain the kneeling figure of his wife; the other niche was intended for his son. He was a distinguished ecclesiastical lawyer. Mrs Anne Thompson (1791), Rev Richard Thompson (1795) & Anne Thompson (1835) Ascribed to either Michael Taylor or the Fishers. English inscription. Buried in the Minster but only the stone of the daughter, Anne, survives. Sir Henry (1624) & Lady Ursula Bellasis by Nicholas Stone 1616. Latin inscription.  Bishop John Haton (1516) Brass matrix. Latin inscription lost but recorded. Bishop of Nigropontus. Buried in Minster  Dean Bryan Higden (1539) brass matrix. The original arms and the English inscription were recorded and there is now a painted inscription on the base. A lawyer who held several ecclesiastical offices. Buried in the Minster.
 

 

Left & above:
Archbishop Thomas Savage (1507)
His main interest is said to have been hunting and living the life of a secular lord rather than that of a cleric


Above and right: Archbishop Richard Sterne (1683) by Grinling Gibbons. Latin inscription. Chaplain to Archbishop Laud and arrested for attempting to send the plate from Jesus College, Oxford to help the cause of Charles I. He attended Laud at his execution. A vigorous opponent of the Puritans.
 
 Far right: Sir George Savile, Bart (1784) by John Fisher of York. The scroll he holds in this right hand reads: 'Petition of the Freeholders of the County of York.' English inscription.  A 'radical' MP for Yorkshire who never accepted public office. Monument paid for by public subscription. Buried at Thornhill.




Prince William of Hatfield (1337)
Second son of Edward III and Philippa of Hainhault; born 1336 and died by 1337; although the effigy represents a boy of about 8. Alabaster effigy.

     
     
Archbishop Edward Venables Vernon Harcourt (1847) by Matthew Noble. Latin Inscription. He was the last aristocratic archbishop, taking the name Harcourt when he inherited the family estates in Oxfordshire but declined a peerage. He died having fallen into the water from a collapsed wooden bridge in the grounds of Bishopthorpe Palace; he was 90.  Dr Stephen Beckwith MD (1843) . Effigy by J B Leyland (signed). The base, which had 6X4 panels with details of Dr Beckwith's benefactions, was removed in 1955 (now in store); brass inscriptions around the effigy.  Archbishop Thomas Musgrave (1860) Effigy by  Matthew Noble (signed) ; base by John Ralph Brandon. Latin inscription. Son of a tailor, he was strongly opposed to ecclesiastical reforms. Buried in Kensall Green Cemetery 
The above three monuments have all been moved from their original sites and are now lined up in the present position. 
       
Lora Burton Dawney, Vicountess Downe (1812) English inscription. Erected in 1936. Buried at Snaith.  Archbishop William Conner Magee (1891) Brass (designed by G F Bodley) in alabaster surround by Farmer & Brindley.  Latin inscription. An Irishman who died shortly after becoming Archbishop. Buried at Peterborough - chest tomb  Charles Luden (1889) Marble. He was sub-manager of York and County Bank and member of the Council of the York Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition which then ran the City Gallery.  Richard Wharton (1794) Signed Fisher, York (either John I or John II) English inscription. Buried in Minster - floor slab numbered 30.  Robert Barker (1880) Designed by George Frederick Bodley & executed by Farmer & Brindley. English inscription. Surgeon who was dedicated to Factory Welfare. Buried in York Cemetery 

       
 Canon Stephen Creyke (1883) Brass set in red and white marble frame. English inscription. Archdeacon of York 1845-66  Charles Kelly (1882) White marble with red marble frame. English inscription.   Frederick Watkins (1888) English inscription. Rector of Long Marston, Archdeacon of York 1874-86. Buried at Long Marston  Canon William Hey (1882) English inscription.  Vicar of St Olave's, Marygate, York. 

Lady Chapel 
Because of restoration work on the East Window, I was unable to gain access to other monuments in this part of the Minster.  These are:

Frances Matthew (1629) kneeling figure at a prayer desk between columns and statuettes
Archbishop John Sharp (1714) semi reclining figure on black sarcophagus; reredos of 4 pillars; drapery looped back for inscription. By Bird.
Archbishop Fruen (1664) Effigy with reredos. Attributed to Thomas Burman

 

 
   
Far left: Archbishop Henry Bowet (1423) The brass on the tomb top was removed in 1645 (?) but this top itself cut for pavement slabs in 1731-4.  A modern superstructure now rests on the top. English inscription. He was banished for his support of Bolingbroke but rewarded when the latter came to the throne as Henry IV. Regent of English possessions in France

Left top:
Archbishop William Markham (1807) Designed by Anthony Salivin: executed by Charles Raymond Smith in 1843-4. On the slab is a foliated cross.  Latin inscription. The Archbishop also has a monument in Westminster Abbey, where he is buried, and a bust in Christ Church, Oxford

Left bottom & above left:
 Archbishop Toby Mathew (1628) The effigy, from an earlier monument, was put on the tomb chest (designed by Sydney Smirke) in the late 19th century. Latin inscription on brass surround. The original Latin inscription which was destroyed in the major fire in 1829 (which affected many monuments) was recorded.

Top right:
Archbishop Richard Scrope (1405)


Archbishop Richard Scrope, who had at first remained neutral,  certainly initiated the northern rebellion against the first Lancastrian King, Henry IV, perhaps drafting, but certainly approving, manifestoes against the King which were being circulated and posted on church doors in York, the accusations being similar to those made by Hotspur at an earlier rebellion. The Archbishop  and the Earl Marshal  gathered an army outside York with the intention of going north to meet up with the Earl of Northumberland. Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmorland (who had remained loyal to the King, perhaps because the rival house of Percy Earls of Northumberland was constantly disloyal), with Prince John, Henry's son,  met up with the rebels at Shipton Moor, six miles outside the city. Although promising to parley with the Archbishop and persuading him to disband his army, he arrested the Archbishop and the Earl Marshal as  traitors and they were taken to Henry at York. Despite pleading from the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had hastened to York,  both the Archbishop and Earl Marshal were beheaded, after a quick trial, outside the city. Miracles were soon reported at Scrope's  tomb. For this act Henry received absolution from the Pope. The King had generally been lenient towards those who took part in the many rebellions against him, executing only the principal leaders,  but with the Archbishop it was different. When Henry became seriously ill shortly after the execution, he may well have started to agree with those who felt that this was God's punishment for the execution of an Archbishop
.


Lady Chapel - South Aisle
(Also known as All Saints' Chapel)

Anne Bennt (1602) by Nicholas Stone in 1615 for £15. Latin inscription. Edward Tipping (1798) English inscription. Buried in the Minster. Archbishop John Piers (1594) Latin inscription. Buried in the Minster  Lt Gen Herbert Eversley Belfiels (1934) & Mrs Evelyn Mary Benfield. Ashes buried in Minster  William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford (1695) & Lady Honoria (1685) Probably by John van Nost. English inscription. Buried in a marked vault nearby. 

Lady Chapel - North Aisle
(Also known as Saint Stephen's Chapel)


Dr John Dealtry MD (1773) signed Fishers (probably John & Samuel) to a design by Precentor William Mason. Figure of Hygeia: note serpent around staff. English inscription. Buried in the Minster Lionel Ingram (1628) Latin inscription. He died aged 6 Canon Samuel Brearey (1736) English inscription. Buried in the Minster. Ann Sterne (1738), Richard Sterne (1744), Mary Sterne (1745), Mary Pulleyn (1786) Signed J Fisher, Sculpr, York (either John I or John II) English inscription. Mary P was sister of Ann & Richard; Mary S daughter of Richard. All buried in the Minster. Canon Samuel Terrick MA (1719) Latin inscription. Buried in the Minster, stone lost.  Above:Joanna Gibson (1733) English inscription. Buried in the Minster.
Below: Penelope Gibson (1715)  English inscription. Buried in the Minster: stone lost.
Unmarried sisters but note the courtesy title of 'Mrs'


OTHER CHURCHES

 
York had originally forty-five medieval parish churches of which just nineteen remain although only a few of these are used for worship. I have listed those with monuments below and hope to provide photographs in the
future. This information is from Pevsner and will be augmented from other sources shortly

 

All Saints, North Street

Many 13th - 14th century incised cross slabs, in church or built into south wall. (I presume this means exterior wall) with foliated cross and other symbols.

William Stokton (1471) Brass inscription.
Thomas Clerk (1482) Brass inscription and symbols.
Thomas Askwith (1609) Brass inscription with arms.
Thomas Atkinson (1642) Tanner. Brass with demi-figure
Joshua Witton (1674) Floor slap with arms.
John Etty (1708) Carpenter. Rococo cartouche; inscription.

All Saints, Pavement

Anglo-Saxon tombstone, fragment. 9th-10th century.
Robert Askwith (1597) Brass with ¾ figure, arms but no inscription. (from St Crux)
Tate Wilkinson (1803) Tablet with draped urn

Other wall tablets by M. Taylor, William Plows, & Fisher

Holy Trinity, Goodramgate

Coffin lid 13th century with floriated cross and other symbols.
Thomas Danby (1458) Brass inscription.
Lyonel Elyot (1689) Floor slab with incised cartouche with arms.
Lady Frances Graham (1721) White marble sarcophagus with heraldic cartouche. Attrib: Charles Mitley.
Rev James Dallin (1838) Wall tablet. Signed: Fisher.
James Fryer (1840) Wall tablet.  Signed: Fisher.

Holy Trinity, Micklegate

Some 13th century grave slabs with various symbolism.
Ann Danby (1615) Cartouche
Margaret Stanhope (1637) Stone tablet with decorative border
John Greene (1729) Cartouche
Elizabeth Ann (1760) Lozenge, marble in stone frame.
Mary Swinburne (1761) Pedimented frame.
Dr John Burton (1771) Inscription on marble parchment, over a Gothic tablet. With books and urn.
Henry Jubb (1792) Oval tablet with urn. by William Stead
Elizabeth Scarisbrick (1797) Semi-circular tablet with brown marble border on black marble background, cornice and urn by Thomas Atkinson.
Anastasia Standish (1807) Coloured marbles with urn
Joshua Crompton (1832) Draped urn by M. Taylor

Some of the above were taken from St John's, Micklegate

St Clement's, Scarcroft Road

Elias Pawson (1715) Cartouche with cherub's heads and drapery
Henry Pawson (1730) Inscription, Corinthian pillars and open pediment by William Palmer
Alathea Fairfax (1744)
Rev John Fairfax (1844)
Marble tablet with ivy leaves and palms by Fisher

Some of the earlier monuments - as well as other fittings- came from St Mary Bishophill Senior which was demolished in 1963

St Crux Parish Room, Pavement

Sir Robert Watter (1612) & Margaret (1608) Limestone tomb chest of 1610. Canopy with putti and arms supported by Corinthian columns. Recumbent effigies: male and female civilians. On back wall kneeling child and babies. Inscription flanked by Faith and Peace figures.
Sir Thomas Herbert (1681) Brass with inscription and arms
Roger Belwood (1694) Inscription flanked by books; arms above.
Sir Tancred Robinson (1754)  Sarcophagus with Lord Mayor's regalia, seated cherub, portrait medallion, anchors and cannon. Obelisk with cartouche of arms.
Thomas Bowes (1777) Sarcophagus shaped tablet attrib. John Fisher
Henry Waite (1780) Tablet with large portrait medallion; each side pedestals with rams' heads atop and wreathed in ivy . By John Fisher.
Thomas Court (1803) Urn on slate backing by Plows
Richard Hudson (1802) Marble tablet with urn etc by Chambers, Scarborough
Ann Spooner (1834) Tablet flanked by scrolls

The early fifteenth church was partially demolished in 1887 but the parish room, built in 1888 incorporates part of the north wall of the church.

St Cuthbert, Peasholme Green

Charles Mitley (1758)  .Cartouche with two cherubs' heads
Thomas Kilby (1792) Draped urn with obelisk backing by William Stead, York
William Briggs (1823) Inscribed scroll with amphora by Michael Taylor
Ann & Elizabeth Simpson (1836) White marble tablet with pediment and urn by Skelton

St Denys, Walmgate

Dorothy Hughes (n/d) Kneeling female in niche flanked by four niches with the three Virtues; inscription above on round headed tablet topped by skull, putti and down turned torches; below winged figure with palm leaf and crown.
Dorothy Wilson (1717)
Inscription between Corinthian pillar and below arched pediment
Robert
W Hotham (1806) Mourning female with urn on black obelisk background by W & C Fisher

St Edward, Tadcaster Rd, Dringhouses

Sir John Lawson (1919) Tablet by P Silden

St Helen, St Helen's Square

J Buckle (1790)
Bust in open pediment, architectural surround (vestry)
Thomas Payler & Family
(1795 & 1809) Draped urn with cherub's heads by Coad & Sealy (vestry)
John Stow (1775)
Urn on pedestal with shield
Theosophilus Davye Garencieres (1796)
With sarcophagus  signed Taylor
Thomas Hartkey (1809) With urn signed Taylor
James Atkinson (1839) Gothic tablet with ogee arch by T Hayes, Beverley
Elizabeth Acklam (1723) Floor slab with arms



St John the Evangelist, Micklegate

Now an Arts Centre but some monuments remain; the others were removed in 1939

Sir Richard Yorke (1489) Altar tomb with shields in quatrefoils
Nathaniel Wilson (1726) Marble tablet with semicircular arch and cherub's head below.
Elizabeth Bennet (1825) Scroll with inscription, sarcophagus and weeping willow. Singed Bennett

St Martin-cum-Gregory, Micklegate

Sarah Carter (1708) Cartouche with cherubs' heads
Andrew Perrott (1701) Cartouche with cherubs' heads
Martha Perrott (1724)
Cartouche
Samuel Dawson (1731)
Pedimented frame with arms, scroll and crossed palm fronds.
Rev Robert Benson (1822)
Tablet with sarcophagus by Stead
Susanna Beilby (1664) Floor slabs with arms
Frances Bathurst (1774)
 Floor slabs with arms

St Martin-le-Grande, Coney St

Christopher Harrington (1614) Goldsmith. Brass with demi-figure and arms of goldsmiths' company
Sir William Sheffield (1633) & Wife (1636) Two busts flanked by statues of Charity and Mercy.

St Mary Bishophill Junior, Bishophill Junior

Part of Anglo-Saxon grave slab: 9th - 10th century

St Mary Castlegate, Castlegate

Now York Heritage Centre

Sir Henry Thompson (1692) Ledger stone
William Mushet (1792)
Tablet with snake entwining pole by Fisher
Anne Lloyd (1830) Tablet with urn and arms by Fisher
Rawling Gould (1873) Architect. Gothic frame

St Michael-le-Belfrey, Mister Yard

Robert Squire (1709) & Pricilla (1711) Large: two standing figures in niche with Corinthian pillars and curved top. Flaming urns; two cherubs support coronet. Iron railing. Attrib: Robert Crutcher
Frances Farrer (1681) Brass signed Joshua Mann
Thomas Dawnay (1683)  Brass with arms signed Joshua Mann
Ann Walker (1687) Cartouche
John White (1716) Cartouche
Thomas James (1723)
Cartouche
Mary Woodyeare (1728) Cartouche curved to fit round free standing pier. Arms, cherubs' heads, wing death head.
Vavasour infant (1728) Tablet with arms
Catherine & Christine North (1734) Pilasters and cornice carrying arms and urns. By Charles Mitley & Edward Raper
Mary Grammar (1738) Pediment with scrolls and arms
Lt John Crossland (1813) Sarcophagus with military emblems. By Fisher
Baldwin Wake (1842) Sarcophagus shaped tablet. By Flantoff

Others by Fisher, Skelton, Taylor & Tilney. Details to follow.

St Michael, Spurriergate

Now Spurriergate Centre

William Langton (1466) Rector. Chalice brass
William Shaw (1681) Brass inscription signed Joshua Mann
John Wood (1704) Tablet: coloured marbles, scrolls, broken pediment and cartouche of arms.
Katherine Coppinger (1763) White marble tablet with gray marble pilasters
William Hutchinson (1784) Gray and white marble. Hour glass, garlands, putto by Fishers

St Olave, Marygate

Woman head only in quatrefoil, part of 13th century grave slab; above south door
William Thornton (1721) Joiner and architect. Oval with cherubs' heads, flaming urn and garlands. He was responsible for the design of the large wooden structure which restored the north transept front of Beverley Minster into position in 1719.
Michael Loftus (1762) Servant to Duke of Ormond in Spain. Oval
George Hutchinson (1775) White oval panel on gray backing; urn on obelisk above.
Althea Jordon (1741) Urn, dove, rams' head with inscription on base. By Fishers
George Stephenson (1805) Urn, obelisk background
Sarah Eyre (1825) Sarcophagus and urn
David Poole (1830)
Tablet with inscription on sarcophagus by Michael Taylor
John Roper (1826) Tablet with inscription on sarcophagus by Michael Taylor
Frances Worley (1737) Neoclassical
William Jetty (1849) The painter (churchyard)

St Sampson, Church

Now Old People's Centre

William Richardson (1680) Brass signed Joshua Mann

St Saviour, St Saviourgate

Now Archaeological Research Centre

Thomas Atkinson (1798) Architect by John Atkinson

St Stephen, Acomb

Wall tablets by York sculptors: Plows, M Taylor, Fisher, and by Williams (Huddersfield), and Davies (Newcastle-upon-Tyne)

No details yet

 

What is a Minster?

There are a  number or churches ⁻ ¹ in England called minsters the word being derived from the Latin term monasterium, meaning monastery. In fact you may read from time to time that a minster is a former monastic church; this is not strictly correct as the church here in question - York Minster - was never a monastic church and if you consult the list of minsters in footnote (1) the explanation becomes even more confusing.

In Early English the words monasterium and mynster appear to have been used interchangeably and were applied to all types of Christian communities. However it must be stressed that in Modern English the word monastery does not have the same connotations as  either the Latin monasterium or the Old English mynster.

In the 10th century a difference between a church and a minster began to emerge:, the word mynster then being used for a 'superior church'. By the middle of the century, with a revival of monasticism,  minsters were often refounded as monasteries (in the modern sense), as collegiate churches or as actual cathedrals.

By the 11th century there were a hierarchy of minsters: the head minster, or cathedral, being the pre-eminent church of the diocese, old misters, being the pre-eminent church of the hundred (an administrative unit of a county) while newer lesser minsters and field churches proliferated in local estates. With regard to the latter, the minster had a graveyard while the field church did not. These latter eventually with the old minsters developed into parish churches; the old minsters also became parish churches while the more important ones retained their old titles. Some became collegiate churches where their income was then often split between the several canons, called prebedaries if they  had such an income of their own

In the later 20th and 21st centuries several churches were given the honorific title of minster as an recognition of their importance.

Thus the title minster has no real significance today and no difference in church law. In this it somewhat resembles that between a town and a city.

Just to confuse: Westminster Abbey was an abbey, ruled by an abbot, then actually a cathedral for a short period at the time of Henry VIII, then a surviving example of a collegiate church, ruled by a dean. And a royal peculiar. As well as being very expensive to visit!


⁻ ¹ For example: Lincoln and York (both cathedrals from the earliest of times); Ripon and Southwell (both elevated to cathedral status in the 19th century and both formerly collegiate churches); Beverley, Hemingbrough, Howden and Wimborne (all formerly collegiate churches); St Andrew's, Ashington, Reading, Stonegrave, St Gregory's (near Kirkbymoorside) and Warminster (all parish churches). There are also a number of parish churches which became minsters in recent times, including Cheltenham, Halifax, Hull, Leeds and Plymouth and several others. The words minster is also preserved in some place names, such as Axminster, Exminster, Kidderminster Minster Lovell and Wimborne Minster.




 
The Photographs were taken by the Webmaster; the drawing of William of Hatfield was executed the Webmaster and based on an etching by Charles Stothard.
 

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