Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/909

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897

YIELDING. 897 YORK. Y I ELDING. See YELDOX, co. Beds. YNISLOUGHOR, a hmlt. in the par. of Llandilo- Ulybont, co. Glamorgan, 3 miles N.E. of Loughor. YNIS-PYR. See CALDY ISLAXD, eo. Pembroke. YNISYMOND, a hmlt. in the par. of Cadoxton, co. Glamorgan. It is situated in the Vale of Neath, and has recently much increased in population owing to the collieries. YNYSAWDRE, a hmlt, in the par. of St. Bride Major, co. Glamorgan, 3 miles S. of Bridgend. It is situated at tho confluence of the rivers Ewenny and Ogmore. YNYS-CYNHAIARN,apar.inthehund.ofEvionydd, co. Carnarvon. Tho par. includes the market town of Tremadoc, and the bathing-place of Portmadoc, -which latter is a subport to Carnarvon. Tho surface is hilly, and there are mines of copper and slate. Tho population of the parish in 1861 was 3,138. The living is a perpet. cur.* annexed to that of Criccieth. The church is dedi- cated to St. Cynhtuarn. YOCKENTHWAITE, a hmlt. in the par. of Arn- cliffe, West Riding co. York, 12 miles N.E. of Settle, in the vale of the river Wharfe. YOCKLETON, a tnshp. in the par. of Westbury, bund, of Ford, co. Salop, 8 miles S.W. of Shrewsbury. It is situated on a feeder of the river Severn, and has a station on the Shrewsbury and Wclshpool branch rail- way. YOKEFLEET, a tnshp. in tho par. of Howden, East Biding co. York, 4 miles N.E. of Saddlethorpe, on the Lank of tho river Ouse. The Rev. J. Empson is lord of the manor. YOKER, a vil. in the par. of Old Kilpatrick, co. Dumbarton, Scotland, 1 milo N. of Renfrew, on the river Clyde, and on tho road from Dumbarton to Glasgow. YORK, a market town, municipal and parliamentary borough, a city and county of itself, having exclusive jurisdiction, and the seat of an archdiocese, locally in tho Ainsty, on the borders of tho East and West Ridings of co. York, 198 miles N.W. of London by road, or 191 by the Great Northern, and 220 by the North Midland railways. It is one of the most famous (is well as one of the most ancient towns of England. It is situate in u flat spot on the Ouse, where the Foss joins it ; was Elrauc or Eborac of the British Brigantes, on Watling Street, Eboracum of tho Romans, who made it an imperial colony, and the capital of Maxima Ctesariensia. It was given up by the Romans 42C-7. By the Anglo-Saxons it was called Eofertoic, from thaEure or Yore, another name for the Ouse. Athelstanis said to have established a mint here in 937. It underwent many changes from Saxons and Danes till the time if William the Conqueror, who built a castle here. At tho making of Domesday (1080-6) it had 654 houses, of which 145 were French or Norman. It was burnt in 1137 with the cathedral and 40 churches. Being so near the borders of Scot- land, it had its share in the turbulent scenes enacted in the border wars ; in the wars of the Roses it and its neighbourhood was tho scene of many bloody conflicts, and though it chiefly sided with the White Rose party, as might have been expected frcm the heads of that party deriving their title from it, yet it was frequently occupied by tho opposite side, and its lofty gates exhi- bited the barbarous spectacle of tho heads of the Lancas- trian and Yorkist chiefs alternately as either party were victorious. It has been visited from time to time by almost all our kings. It rebelled against Henry VII. in 1488 ; but was soon subdued by the Earl of Surrey, and the leaders of the insurrection executed. In Henry VIII. "s reign, among many insurrections in the north caused by tho dissolution of the monasteries, the

formidable, styled by the principal leaders of it

" The Pilgrimage of Grace," made themselves masters of the city, and compelled the archbishop to take the and join their party. When this and other dis- turbances of the same nature had ceased, the king visited V' :k and remained twelve days. He had, in 1537, esta- blished at York a permanent council for the government of the northern counties; the president of which, with the title of Lord President of the North, had his palace at tho King's Manor, built of tho materials of the sup- pressed abbey of St. Mary's. Tho celebrated Earl of Stafford inhabited it for some time ; and his arms, quar- tered with those of tho royal family, may still be seen over the main entrance. At his impeachment by the House of Commons it was made an article in the indict- ment that ho had presumed to place his private shield on a royal mansion. A mint was again set up in York by Lord Chancellor Goodrick, Bishop of Ely, in 1551, 5th of Edward VI. York held with Charles I. in tho parliamentary wars, till, after a siege of three months by General Fairfax, and being relieved for a short time by Prince Rupert, it was taken July, 1644, when Crom- w'ell visited it. In 1746, after the retreat of the Pre- tender into Scotland, many who had taken a part in that rebellion were tried, and eleven persons, mostly gentlemen, were executed at York, and its gates were again defiled by human heads. From the unfortunate Richard II. this city received its principal immunities and privileges. He is recorded to have taken his sword from his side, and given it to be borne before William de Selby, as first Lord Mayor of York; this being the only city besides tho three metropolis cities of London, Edinburgh, and Dublin that enjoys the privilege of its chief magistrate being styled " My Lord." The corpo- ration of the city, as stated by tho Municipal Corpora- tion Commissioners in their report in 1835, claims to be a corporation by prescription. The earliest charter extant is one of Henry II., which confirms all the liberties, laws, customs, guilds, merchants, &c., in England and Normandy as they were held in tho time of Henry I. Richard II. constituted the city of York a county of itself, and authorised it to elect two sheriffs, who, with the lord mayor, should have cognizance of all pleas and actions within tho city limits. In the time of Henry VI., the Ainsty, a wapentake of the county, situated on tho W. of the city, was annexed to the city, but was, by Act of Parliament in 1837, during the reign of William IV., re-annexed to the West Riding of the county. A common council was established by letters patent in the time of Henry VIII. as a part of the cor- poration; and a charter of Charles I. introduced the election of 18 members of this council for each of the four wards of the city. Charles II., in tho last year of his reign, offended at the citizens for not having paid proper attention to his brother James, Duke of York (afterwards James II.), on his second visit to them, took the government of the city out of the hands of the lord mayor, and deprived the city of its charter, which, how- ever, James on his accession renewed. When the cor- poration was dissolved by the passing of the Municipal Reform Act in 1835, it consisted of tho lord mayor, 12 aldermen, 2 sheriffs, 32 persons who had served the office of sheriff, and were commonly called " the twenty- four," 72 common councilmen,a recorder, 2 city council, a town-clerk, 2 coroners, and a number of inferior officers. By the Municipal Corporation Act in 1835. the city was divided into six wards. Previously it had been divided into four, viz., Micklegate, Walmgate, Bootham, and Monkwards ; it has now in addition to these Castlegate and Guildhall wards. Each ward elects six councillors, two of whom go out yearly in turn, but are capable of re-election. Tho councillors elect 12 aldermen, who servo for six years. Under tho old corporation, the lord mayor, aldermen, sheriffs, and twenty-four met in a chamber separate from the council- men ; hence tho two were called the Upper and the Lower House. Under the new Act the entire body meet in the same place. The style and title of the cor- poration is "The lord mayor and commonalty of the city of York," who are charged with tho management and protection of the city. There was formerly a board of commissioners appointed to superintend the lighting, paving, and cleaning of the streets ; but tho recent Health of Towns Act abolished tho board, and the duties now devolve upon tho corporation, who are con- stituted by the same Act the local board of health with