21/05/2026
KINROSS-SHIRE REMINISCENCE GROUP
MEETING IN THE KINROSS DAY CENTRE THE 1ST WED. OF EACH MONTH AT 1.30.
NEXT MEETING - 2 JUNE 2026.
I mentioned in a previous post how much I loved my visits to the City of York.
York has so much to offer with a number of attractions around the City such as York Minister (Cathedral), the York Dungeon, Jorvik Viking Centre, York Castle Museum, Clifford Tower, the National Railway Museum and York’s Model Railway, York’s Chocolate Story, York Art Gallery, The Shambles Street Market and Food Court, Fairfax House and the Treasurer’s House, the remains of a Roman Bath in a York Pub, City Sightseeing Tours and Cruises, and the York Roman City Walls and so much more, including nearby Castle Howard where they filmed scenes for Bridgerton, The Great and Victoria.
History of York
Founded by the Romans in 71 AD, York was originally called Eboracum and was based around the Roman fort. Eboracum carried on thriving even after the Romans left, and by 866 it was a prime target for the Vikings, who captured the city and re-named it Jorvik. Although the Vikings ruled over a large part of England, Jorvik became their capital due to its strategic position.
The city continued to grow after it was acquired by the Saxons in the 950s, so it is not surprising that William the Conqueror thought it vital to build a castle in the city, to secure the land from the Northern Rebellion of the late 1060s. Once William's rule was more firmly established, York found itself at the centre of a number of important trading routes, thanks to its location on both the River Ouse and the River Foss. The Middle Ages were a time of great prosperity for the city.
Guy Fawkes is a name synonymous with the Gunpowder Plot, and his early years were spent as a student in the historic city of York. Born in 1570, he attended St Peter’s School, which is believed to be the third oldest school in the world. It was here that Fawkes met fellow St Peter’s pupils John and Christopher Wright, who would help hatch the infamous plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605. To this day, on the 5th of November, bonfires are lit in remembrance with effigies of Guy Fawkes being burned, except at St Peter’s School; they believe it is bad etiquette to burn a former pupil.
Dick Turpin, although not the dashing outlaw of legend nor from York, was tried and executed in the city, and his grave can be found opposite St George’s Church. Turpin was a member of the violent Gregory Gang in Essex before turning highwayman, and fled to Yorkshire after shooting and killing a man. He was eventually caught and sentenced to death after the authorities recognised his handwriting on a returned letter. At his hanging at Knavesmire, Turpin put on a show for the large crowd and hired professional mourners to follow him up the scaffold. After his death, his body was dug up by body snatchers and taken to a surgeon for illegal medical dissection, but an angry mob of York residents stopped this, and Turpin was laid to rest for good. Although his story became legend after his death and was linked with a legendary ride from London to York, his life and death were less glamorous than the tales suggest.
Moving onto more contemporary figures, Dame Judi Dench has deep roots in the city of York. She was born and raised in the Heworth area and attended The Mount School, a Quaker boarding school for girls. Dench was made an honorary Freeman of the City of York and was given a special pathway named after her. Located under Lendal Bridge, the walk is fittingly called “Dame Judi Dench Walk”.
