Henry VII's 1486 Progress to York

Hi it's Sarah the Tudor Travel Guide here and today I'm in the glorious city of York in North Yorkshire which is of course the capital of North Yorkshire. Now I'm here on the trail of Henry VII. He came to York in fact in 1486, just one year, less than one year, after he had triumphed against the House of York at the Battle of Bosworth. Having established himself as king in the country's capital, London of course, having held his first parliament and married his wife, Elizabeth of York, Henry decided it was time to head north. Now the north was troublesome to the House of Tudor because counties such as North Yorkshire and in particular the city of York had long been loyal to the House of York and to Richard III and there was insurgents and grumblings and it was time for Henry to assert his authority. So in March 1486, Henry VII set off on a northern progress, leaving London from the Priory of St John in Clerkenwell. He wound his way north passing through great cities such as Lincoln and Nottingham before reaching York from the south around a month later in April 1486. Now Henry entered the city through the usual southern route which was via a gate in one of the city's walls called Micklegate. There he crossed the Ouse Bridge and came across one of the many pageants that the city had put on to welcome the monarch. Now it is worth noting that not only was there discontent and rebellion around those parts around York, but also the city had run into impoverished times. They needed the support and the money from the crown and so they were in the mood to submit to their new monarch and show their undivided loyalty. This they did so in a series of pageants which were staged as the king made his way through the ancient city. The first of those pageants was on Ouse Bridge, the second just a little way onwards on the corner of Coney Street which was an ancient word for King Street. Now Coney Street was one of the most magnificent and the most wealthy streets in York. It was known to be home to some of the wealthiest Jewish merchants in the country. What a grand street it must have been and as Henry rode along its length the Tudor equivalent of ticker tape fluttered down from the stories of the houses above his head and of course the whole street would have been festooned with banners and flags, an incredibly colourful and vibrant sight. At the end of Coney Street the king and his procession turned right and headed towards Stonegate again meeting with further pageants along the way. Now Stonegate today can still be seen in its medieval glory. You get a sense of the small cramped streets and the ancient medieval and Tudor houses which line it. At the top of Stonegate was once the main medieval gate which gave entry into the precinct of York Minster. Now this gate has long gone but you can still pass under where it would have stood and into the cathedral precinct as Henry would have done over 500 years ago and as you do so you will be greeted by the magnificent sight of the southern side of the Minster and if you make sure you go on a sunny morning you will see the whole building lit up and ablaze. Its warm honey-coloured stone simply glows in the morning light. Now from there like any good monarch Henry would have gone round the southern side. The king would have been received by the Archbishop of York at the Great West Doors which today again are simply stunning. They really take your breath away and probably as we know from other royal entries into cities Henry would then have dismounted from his horse, probably kneeled upon a cushion, kissed the cross which would have been offered to him by the Archbishop before processing inside to hear a tedium, a celebration of the monarch's arrival in the city. Once done Henry went to his lodgings. Now this would have been in the Archbishop's Palace which was sited to the north of the Minster. Unfortunately most of the Archbishop's Palace has since been lost. Today the site is occupied by Deans Park which is a beautiful grassy area with some pleasant trees and of course magnificent views of the north side of the Minster but once upon a time this precinct would have been the entire precinct for the old medieval Archbishop's Palace. Just next to the west doors of the Minster would have been the main gateway with a west lodge which contained, we believe, the royal lodgings, the place in which Henry would have stayed while he stayed in York. Beyond that there would have been a great open courtyard, a great hall in the centre of the precinct which is now entirely lost and then over on the far east side of the precinct would have been the Archbishop's lodgings including a chapel and in fact it is that building which survives today. It is actually a library today but you can still see the medieval chapel from its exterior and a plaque on its western wall which in fact tells us that it was in this chapel that Richard III had his son and heir Edward of Midland invested as Prince of Wales. Now by the time Henry arrived at York it seems that the threat of rebellion had largely dissipated but Henry was able to spend around a week in York, in fact celebrating a chapter of the Order of the Garter at the Minster and the adjacent Archbishop's Palace. Now this was very unusual because the headquarters for the Order of the but the chapter was held outside of Windsor but held it was in great celebration and feasting. There were many services held in the Minster Church followed by great feasts held in the Great Hall of the Archbishop's Palace. So it seems that Henry passed a very pleasant week in York celebrating surrounded by his most senior and his most loyal of nobles before finally leaving the city and heading off on the remainder of his progress which would take him through some of the counties of the West Country before returning back to London. Okay so that's a very very short pit stop tour of York as seen by Henry VII when he came here on progress in 1486. I'll see you on the road soon.