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Muster points for the city of York in the late Medieval period

Throughout the turbulent C15th the City of York provided several military levies to the crown for service home and abroad. As England did not have a standing army until the end of the C17th, the King relied on his nobles and cities to raise troops for the duration of a specific campaign.

The City of York mustered its citizens along with those of the Ainsty Wapentake - an area west of the city of around thirty villages and townships - according to a set procedure. The first stage of any muster was to instruct the sergeants of the city to notify the constables of each parish that their residents were required to assemble or muster. At one such occasion, the York civic records show that on on 5th April 1496 the sergeants of the City were told to warn the constables that every man in their parish must have their harness ready and shall be commanded to do the King's and Mayor's service. Every man was instructed to be ready to muster before their wardens at a place assigned by the city and every constable had to make a bill of names of all inhabitants and residents within their parish and deliver this to the wardens a week later when the muster would take place.

Once notification had been given the cizitzens - now soldiers - would be told where the muster points were to be situated. The main area for the Ainsty muster was the Knaresmire now known as The Knavesmire where York racecourse is situated. Back in the C15th, The Knaresmire was an area of pasturage for the city and surrounding Ainsty. Within the city walls Toft Green is the only Muster mentioned in the civic records. Toft Green was an area situated in the north west area of the city just within the walls and was the site of a weekly horse market on Thursdays. It was in this place only that the musters of armed men for the defence of the York were held. Also it was a public market place for citizens and non-citizens, and the ground where judicial duels were fought in the pleas of felons. The green was also the only place that military machines could be erected.

In the C16th, Micklegate Ward mustered in the old Baile in 1559 + 1564. The old Baile lies within the city walls just over the river Ouse from Clifford’s Tower .It was the site of the original castle of York but was no longer in use by the C116th. It may also have been another point to muster in the city during the fifteenth century although this is only conjecture.

Paynlathes Crofts and Heworth Moor are mentioned in 1558. Paynlathes Crofts is an area just outside the north east corner of the city. It was situated at the end of Gillygate, and was a large area that spread along the eastern wall. Heworth Moor is an area a few miles out from the city roughly south east. Both areas are so close to the city that it could be conjectured that they were used as muster points before 1558.

Maudlenn Chappell was used as a muster point for The Duke of Gloucester's expedition to Scotland along with The Duke of Albany in 1482. On 13th July 1482 the city recorded that “And owir this that every archer shall have and tak for the day vj.d. and ij.d. toward hys hors hyr, and that every sowgher shall be at Maudlandes chapill of Monday next comyng at ix of the clok afore my lord the mair and hys bredyr in thar best aray.” Maudlenn Chapel was close to the northern outskirts of the city limits beyond Bootham Bar close to the border of the Forest of Galtres. At one time a stone cross stood there but was replaced much later by a stone. This is now known as the Burton stone. The chapel itself was dedicated to St.Mary Magdalen with a spital called Magdalen Spital. It was occupied by two chaplains.

Sources

• York Civic Records. Volume 2. Angelo Raine 1942, Book viii folio 4.-Muster of armed citizens 5th April 1496
• Ibid – folio 8. 3- Medieval York-A Topographical Survey based on original sources. Angelo Raine. 1955. Pg.243.
• Ibid pg 25. 5-Ibid. 6-Ibid. 7_York House Books 1461-1490. Lorraine Attreed. 1991 pg.26.
• York Records of the Fifteenth Century. Robert Davies. 1843 pg 131-132.

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