York is a historic walled city at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss. It was founded by the Romans as Eboracum in 71 AD.

Under Viking rule, as capital of the kingdom of Jorvik, the city became a major river port, part of the extensive Viking trading routes throughout northern Europe.

In 1068, two years after the Norman Conquest, the people of York rebelled. Initially the rebellion was successful but upon the arrival of William the Conqueror the rebellion was put down.

Around the year 1080 Archbishop Thomas started building the cathedral that in time became the current Minster. In 1190, York Castle was the site of an infamous massacre of its Jewish inhabitants, in which at least 150 Jews died.

The city, through its location on the River Ouse and its proximity to the Great North Road from London became a major trading centre. King John granted the city’s first charter in 1212, confirming trading rights in England and Europe. During the later Middle Ages, York merchants imported wine from France, cloth, wax, canvas, and oats from the Low Countries, timber and furs from the Baltic and exported grain and wool to the Low Countries. York became a major cloth manufacturing and trading centre. Edward I further stimulated the city’s economy by using the city as a base for his war in Scotland. The city was also the location of significant unrest during the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381.

The city underwent a period of economic decline during Tudor times. Under Henry VIII, the Dissolution of the Monasteries saw the end of the York’s many monastic houses. This led to the Pilgrimage of Grace, an uprising of northern Catholics in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire opposed to religious reform.

In 1644, during the Civil War, the Parliamentarians besieged York, and many medieval houses outside the city walls were lost.

After the Restoration, the city was dominated by the gentry and merchants, although the clergy were still important. Competition from Leeds and Hull, together with silting of the River Ouse, resulted in York losing its pre-eminent position as a trading centre but the city’s role as the social and cultural centre for wealthy northerners was on the rise.

The railway came to York in 1839 and the introduction of the railways established engineering in the city. At the turn of the 20th century, the railway accommodated the headquarters and works of the North Eastern Railway, which employed more than 5,500 people. The railway was also instrumental in the expansion of Rowntree’s Cocoa Works. Another chocolate manufacturer, Terry’s of York, was a major employer. By 1900 the railways and confectionery had become the city’s two major industries.

Census data provided exclusively to this magazine by data website www.TheGenealogist.co.uk confirms that from most people working in traditional service trades in 1841, by 1911 many were in jobs connected to the railways or the confectionary factories.

Surname data from the site reveals that surnames particularly common in the city (and compared with the rest of the country) throughout the 19th century include Thompson, Jackson, Richardson, Harrison, Ward, Barker, Simpson and Hodgson. Foster and Marshall were also common in 1841, and Watson, Clark and Cooper in 1911.

Attractions in the city include the National Railway Museum and the Jorvik Viking Centre. The city is also home to local archives (see www.exploreyork.org.uk) and the Borthwick Institute for Archives, which holds the York diocesan archive, the Rowntree archives and more.