Transcriber's notes: All material added by the transcriber is surrounded by braces {}. The original has a number of inconsistent spellings and punctuation. Three corrections have been made for obvious typographical errors; they have been noted individually in the text. Text in italics in the original is shown between _underlines_. Superscript (three instances in this book) is marked by a caret (^). LIFE IN A MEDIÆVAL CITY Illustrated by York in the XVth Century by EDWIN BENSON, B.A. With Eight Illustrations London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge New York: The MacMillan Co. 1920 CONTENTS CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION CHAPTER II IMPORTANT FACTORS AFFECTING THE HISTORY OF YORK (_a_) Geographical position; (_b_) Military value of its position; (_c_) Political importance CHAPTER III APPEARANCE A. _General appearance_ Church, State, people; outside the city; population; area-divisions B. _Streets_ Highways, traffic, open-spaces; Ouse Bridge C. _Buildings_ Dwelling-houses, shops, inns; civic buildings (guildhalls); fortifications (castle, city walls, bars); religious buildings (Minster; St. William's College; St. Mary's Abbey; Friaries; St. Clement's Nunnery; Hospitals; Parish Churches) D. _York as a Port_ CHAPTER IV LIFE A. _Civic Life_ City government, the parishes; extra municipal rights; a royal city; charter; sheriffs; mayor; city councils; civic spirit; city and trade rule; royal government; punishments; sanctuary B. _Parliamentary and National Life_ Leasing of royal power; Parliament; visits of Henry IV.; Wars of Roses; Duke of Gloucester; judges of assize; royal larder C. _Business Life_ Middle class of merchant employers; Jews and Italians; professions; wool trade; trade-guilds; their government; strangers; phases of guild life; merchants; apprentices; working hours; trades; artist craftsmen; markets and fairs; overseas trade; money; extracts from ordinances D. _Religious Life_ The Church in the Middle Ages; the Church and daily life; merchants and religion; the Church and education; work of hospitals; priests (at Minster; parish churches; Archbishop); pluralism; religious orders; monastic life; St. Mary's Abbey; Anchorites; other types of religious (pardoner, palmer, pilgrim {original had "pligrim"}); Church services E. _Education_ Higher education; grammar schools; elementary education; educational welfare work; instruction; the ways in which the citizen got news and information; vocations; literacy in fifteenth century; mediæval learning; Revival of Learning F. _Entertainments_ Holidays, travelling; mediæval plays; York plays; Corpus Christi Day Processions; production of pageants; other forms of entertainment; archery G. _Classes_ Fashions and dress; nobles; religious; townspeople; women; the freemen; soldiers; men in royal service; lepers; visitors (kings, lords, commoners; judges; sailors) serfs CHAPTER V CONCLUSION