Findmypast creates York collection
Records spanning 650 years of life in one of England’s most historic cities are available online exclusively on Findmypast.
The new collection features over 290,000 York records dating from 1272 to 1932, in partnership with Explore York. Hearth and window tax records, lists of apprentices and freemen, trade directories, electoral registers, deeds registers, militia and muster rolls and school and prison records are among the documents.
Many of York’s most famous figures can be found among the records, including chocolate maker and philanthropist Joseph Rowntree; George Hudson, the financier and politician who led the development of York into a major railway junction before being declared bankrupt and forced to flee abroad; and ‘Yorkshire witch’ Mary Bateman, hung in 1809 for poisoning a couple to make them believe that they were cursed.
Paul Nixon, content licensing manager at Findmypast, said the collection “covered York and its history from every angle”. It is available to view at findmypast.co.uk/York-records.