Yule and Yule’s Wife

Written by Lydia Dean, Archives Assistant Today is December 21st, Midwinter day and also the traditional date of the feast of St Thomas, which sees winter traditions continuing  all over Britain, Europe and further afield. In York, the longest night and shortest day heralded the ancient custom of the Yule Riding and the beginning of … Continue reading Yule and Yule’s Wife

Present and Future Consent: proving marriage in fourteenth-century Yorkshire

Written by Dr Paul Dryburgh. If, like me, you’ve been enjoying BBC4’s Medieval Lives, you will have been fascinated by the recent episode on Marriage. The idea that a marriage in the Middle Ages could be contracted and considered valid on the strength of a few words of consent, often spoken in private and/or under … Continue reading Present and Future Consent: proving marriage in fourteenth-century Yorkshire

Football in the Archives

Written by Alexandra Medcalf As the University of York’s Chancellor Greg Dyke has just been appointed the new Director of the Football Association we thought it would be appropriate to investigate football in the archive. Although many people think of football as a nineteenth-century invention, this was simply when different versions were codified into the modern sports (for example, … Continue reading Football in the Archives