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All great cities undergo a period of decline during their history and York’s occurred during Tudor times. This was when the wood industry became less important to York, trade drifted towards London and, in 1533, Henry VIII broke with Rome and set himself up as head of the church in England; York as an established religious centre suffered greatly. The Dissolution of the Monasteries began in 1536 and York lost its abbey, priories, friaries and great religious hospitals. Their sacred treasures were stolen or destroyed and, although the Minster survived, many of its priceless treasures were found lose to the city. At the same time many of the houses in York which were owned by the church were seized by the Crown and sold to royal officials and London Merchants.
Henry did, however, do York a great service when he set up the Council of the North in the former house of the Abbot of St. Mary’s. This was now the administrative centre for the North and helped York to become an important city once again.
During the reign of Elizabeth I, the Council of the North increased in importance and with it, York’s revival and influence gathered momentum. The Abbot’s lodging, now renamed King’s Manor, was restored and both James I and Charles I stayed there during visits to York. Charles even set up the Royal Mint nearby and established his printing press in St. William’s College. However, it soon became apparent that Civil War was inevitable and Charles left York in 1642.
Two years later, in April 1644, the Parliamentarians besieged York, but with the arrival of Charles’ nephew, Prince Rupert, with an army of 15,000 men, the siege was lifted.
The retreating Parliamentarians were chased to Marston Moor, six miles from York. Unfortunately for Rupert, they turned on his army and he was devastatingly defeated. Rupert’s army limped back to York and the siege was renewed.
But the city could not hold out for long, and on July 15 the Governor, Sir Thomas Glemham, surrendered to Sir Thomas Fairfax who gave orders to his troops that nothing was to be destroyed.
Following the removal of the Royal Garrison from York in 1688, the city was gradually dominated by the local aristocracy and gentry.
While trade and manufacturing were in decline, York’s role as the social and cultural centre for wealthy northerners was on the rise.
Many elegant new townhouses appeared, notably in Micklegate, Blossom Street and Bootham. Public building also enjoyed a boom and included the Assembly Rooms, Assize Courts and Female Prison, as well as numerous hospitals.
Coffeehouses became popular gathering places and so did the new Racecourse. York’s first newspaper, the York Mercury, was printed in 1719. Among its population York could now count a growing group of talented writers, artists and craftsmen.
Georgian York saw a great improvement in coach services to and from the city. The former four day journey to London took only 20 hours by the 1830s. And it was soon to take much less time, with the coming of the railway.