Containing 581 documents from the later twelfth century to 1546, this work, originally published in 1993, presents a collection of charters relating to the community of vicars choral in York. The texts provide valuable information about the topography of medieval York, and its economic and social history.
The archive of the York vicars is the largest collection of its type to survive. The present work contains 581 charters relating specifically to the vicars choral of York Minster, dating from the later twelfth century to 1546. It was originally published in 1993 by Nigel J. Tringham, who has written extensively for the Victoria County History. The documents here are a valuable resource for the study of the vicars choral, as well as the topography and social and economic history of medieval York. Painting a picture of the daily affairs of the vicars and of the general population of the city and its suburbs, the charters are arranged geographically according to the street or area mentioned, and then chronologically. Each text up to around 1230 is presented as a full Latin transcription, preceded by a summary in English. Full critical notes accompany each document.