What do a medieval miracle, York’s first newspaper, a fictional castaway, a pioneering women’s organisation, a Viking attraction and post-war European friendship have in common? They are all moments, people, organisations or stories from York’s past that have been recommended to us and could soon be commemorated with a York Civic Trust blue plaque.
In recent years, we have invited members attending our Annual General Meeting to vote for their favourite nominations for future blue plaques. We will be doing so again at our next AGM on 1 October, but this year there is a difference.
With more than 150 York Civic Trust plaques now found across the city, the great majority commemorate notable people or significant buildings and places. For 2026–27, we want to explore something different: what stories from York’s history should we remember with a blue plaque?
We are not necessarily looking for the great milestones of York’s history – the founding of Roman Eboracum, for example – but stories, episodes, people and organisations that are less well known, have been forgotten, or simply tell an intriguing story about the city.
Our shortlist spans more than eight centuries.
It begins in the Middle Ages, with the extraordinary story of [1] St William and the ‘miracle’ at Ouse Bridge in 1154. When Archbishop William of York returned from exile, the bridge collapsed beneath the crowds gathered to welcome him. Tradition holds that although many people fell into the River Ouse, nobody drowned – an event regarded as William’s first miracle and central to his canonisation and York’s medieval identity as a city of pilgrimage.
At the other end of the historical spectrum, [2] Charles I’s gathering on Heworth Moor in 1642 saw perhaps 40,000–70,000 gentry and other local men assemble as the king prepared to raise an army. It was one of the largest military gatherings in English history and came shortly before the outbreak of the English Civil War.
The shortlist also celebrates some of the people and organisations that helped shape everyday life in York. [3] Grace White published the York Mercury in 1719, becoming one of the city’s pioneering female printers. [5] The York Female Friendly Society, founded by Catherine Cappe and Faith Gray in 1788, provided financial support for working women during illness and survived for almost two centuries. [8] In 1918, Sarah Booth became the first woman recorded as voting in York in a parliamentary election following the Representation of the People Act.
There are stories of literature and popular culture too. [4] Daniel Defoe begins Robinson Crusoe with his fictional hero leaving York against his father’s wishes before embarking on the voyage that leads to his famous shipwreck. [6] Bill Richmond, meanwhile, trained as a cabinet maker in York after arriving in England from slavery in America, before becoming Britain’s first Black sporting superstar.
The shortlist also includes moments when York played a part in wider social and cultural change: [7] Richard Oastler’s 1832 anti-child-labour march, when thousands of textile workers passed through Castlegate demanding an end to child labour and excessive factory hours; [10] Martin Parr’s Home Sweet Home exhibition at Impressions Gallery in 1974; and the opening of the [11] JORVIK Viking Centre in 1984, which helped transform the way history and archaeology were presented to the public.
There is even a place for York’s early embrace of street art. In 1988, York-born graffiti artist Keith Hopewell worked with City of York Council to organise [12] Bustin’ Loose, one of Britain’s first and largest open-call graffiti and street-art festivals, held inside the then-new Foss Bank car park.
And finally, [9] York’s twinning with Dijon and Münster, established in 1953 and 1958 respectively, reflects the role that cities could play in rebuilding friendship and understanding across Europe after the Second World War.
So, what should York remember?
Which of these stories do you think deserves a place on the city’s walls?
The nominations
- St William and the ‘miracle’ at Ouse Bridge (1154)
- Charles I and up to 70,000 gather on Heworth Moor (1642)
- Grace White and the York Mercury (1719)
- “Robinson Crusoe” departs from York (1719)
- York Female Friendly Society founded (1788)
- Bill Richmond’s York fights (c.1790s)
- Richard Oastler’s Anti-Child Labour March (1832)
- York’s first female General Election voter (1918)
- York twinned with Dijon and Münster (1953 & 1958)
- Martin Parr’s Home Sweet Home exhibition (1974)
- JORVIK Viking Centre opens (1984)
- Bustin’ Loose graffiti competition (1988)
Find out a little more about the nominations in our information sheet.
To have your say, register to attend our AGM on 1 October, which is free to attend. Alternatively, send us your nomination – or nominations, in order of preference – by email to info@yorkcivictrust.co.uk
We look forward to seeing which story from York’s past you think deserves its place in the city.
