Very few Saxon or Danish relics have been discovered at York. An interesting portion of the Saxon church erected by Pauliune, or by Albert, has been brought to light beueath the choir of the present cathedral ; and fragments of crosses, or commemorative pillars, and some coffins, both of stone and wood, belonging to the Saxon period, have occasionally been found. The dean and chapter are in possession of a large and beautifully-carved ivory horn, a Danish relic, presented to the church by Ulphus, a Danish chief and friend of Canute, when he endowed it with all his lands.
Although William was crowned in London by Aldred, archbishop of York, the claims of the Conqueror were for a long while strenuously resisted in the north. As soon as the affairs in the south would permit, William took possession of York, built or repaired two castles in it, and strongly garrisoned them with Norman soldiers. Notwithstanding this, Edgar Atheling appeared at York, and was ackuowledged king. The citizens, supported by a powerful body of English and Scotch, aud a considerable number of Danish auxiliaries, besieged the castles, entered them, and put the garrisons to the sword. During the siege a great part of the city was destroyed by fire. York soon felt tho destructive vengeance of the Conqueror, who reduced the whole country of Northumbria to a vast wilderness. In the reign of Stephen, David, king of Scotland, formed the design of seizing York, and for this pur pose appeared before it with a powerful army. But this design was frustrated by the great battle of the Standard, in the year 1133. His grandson, Malcolm IV., was summoned to York by Henry II., whera he did homage to the English king for Lothian ; and necordiug to Knyghton, iu 1171 William, the successor of Malcolm, did homage at York to Henry for broad Scotland ; and in token of submission, offered and deposited upon the altar of St. Peter, in the cathedral church, his breastplate, spear, and saddle. The reign of Richard was ushered in by a general massacre of the Jews. It began in Loudon, apparently by accident, but was soon followed in other places, and especially in York, where, it has been computed, not leas than 1000 or 1500 of this unhappy race perished. In the last year of King John the northern barons laid siege to York, but retired on receiving from the citizens 1000 marks. In the year 1230 Henry III. kept his Christmas magnificently at York, with Alexander II. of Scotland, the cardinal legate, and a large concourse of nobility. Henry III. with great magnificence observed the festival of Christmas in 1251, when he gave his daughter Margaret in marriage to Alexander III. in the presence of all the peers of the realm, and a great assembly of the nobility of Scotland and of France. In the year 1298 a parliament was summoned to meet at York, and in the following spring the whole English army was mustered there, preparatory to their march iuto Scotland. The Courts of Kiug'a Bench and Exchequer were on this occasion removed to York, where they appear to have remained seven years. Edward II. made York bis head-quarters. In 1327 Edward III.
kept his Christmas at York, and ou the 24th of January was married iu the cathedral church to Philippa of Hainault. Three months after he had defeated the French on the plains of Crecy, bis queen took the field with forces she had collected together at York against the Scotch, who had invaded England under the conduct of David Bruce. At the battle of Nevill's Cross the Scotch king was taken prisoner, and was afterwards brought to York, whence he was conveyed to the Tower of London.
Richard II. held a parliament at York, and removed thither for a few mouths the courts of Chancery and King's Bench. The city, having received from him several immunities aud privileges, gratefully adhered to him in his adversity, aud consequently suffered severely from the vengeance of his successor, Henry IV. The neighbourhood of York was the scene of some of the sanguinary conflicts iu the War of the Roses, and the lofty gates of the city exhibited the barbarous spectacle of the beads of Lancasterians and Yorkists alternately. Richard Il I., while duke of Gloucester, resided much at his favourite castle of 3liddleham, and soon after his coronation at Westminster visited the city with his queen. Henry VII. came twice to York for the purpose of suppressing insurrections in the north.
The dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII. occasioned many insurrections in the north ; the most formidable of which was that styled 'the Pilgrimage of Grace.' The insurgents made them selves masters of York, and compelled the archbishop to take the oath and join their party. The first visit of Charles I. to York was on hie peaceable progress to Scotland in 1633; his second, six years after wards, on his hostile expedition against the Scotch. The year 1642 opened with the civil war, and in March the king fixed his head quarters at York, where he was joined by many of the Yorkshire gentry, and several of the peers from London. After a stay of five months he removed to Nottingham. In the beginning of the next year the queen, having landed at Bridlington, proceeded to York, and continued there some time 'with great advantage to the king's cause.' In the month of April, 1614, Sir Thomas Fairfax, commanding the parliamentary forces, joined by the Scotch, invested York, which had been strongly fortified and held out for the king. Several batteries were erected against the city; the suburbs, then very extensive, were set on fire ; one of the gates Wel nearly demolished, and a tower of the abbey of St. Mary, in which tho chartularies of many of the northern monasteries had been deposited, was blown up, and many important records were destroyed. After the battle of Marston Moor the city was compelled to open its gates to the Parliamentarians. Many who took part in the rebellion of 1745 were tried and executed at York ; and the noble gates were again defiled by a spectacle worthy only of an age of the grossest barbarism.