10 things you might not know about life in York for our first students
The year is 1841 and Edward Cordukes has just signed our register, officially becoming York St John’s first ever student. He was soon followed by a few others, eventually snowballing into the thriving university community we have today.
But what was life like in York for those first students? Although many came from the local area, the York of the 1840s was very different to the York that welcomes students today. Whilst some of our older alumni might remember a York very different to the York of 2022, we think the York of the 1840s is even more different!
So, here are ten commonplace facts that our first students experienced that you might not know:
1. Students were just 0.8 miles from the nearest prison
Now an English Heritage property, Clifford’s Tower has a long history. But in 1841, Clifford’s Tower was surrounded by a thick wall as part of York’s prison complex! Over the years, this wall varied in height and depth. But in the 1840s it would have mostly obscured the mound that Clifford’s Tower sits on. In fact, it wasn’t until 1935 that the walls surrounding the tower were removed, creating the iconic view we know today.
For our first students, the spectre of prison literally hung over their fun outside of the classroom. Sitting so close to the hustle and bustle of the centre of York, our first students will have had a very different idea of what a prison was, and its function.
2. York wasn’t a chocolate city…yet
Today, when people think of York, they often also think of chocolate. Terry’s and Rowntree’s dominated the chocolate landscape of York, but in the 1840s, this wasn’t the case.
When our first students began their studies, and throughout the 1840s, the Rowntree family had a prominent but local business. As Quakers, they were extremely philanthropic, but had yet to move into the world of chocolate. In fact, Rowntree’s as a brand wasn’t formed until 1862!
Likewise, although the business that would become Terry’s had been founded in 1767, in the 1840s it was still much smaller than the behemoth it would become in later years.
For our first students, although they might have bought some confectionary from the Terry’s shop, or grocery items from the Rowntree’s, they wouldn’t have experienced the chocolate city York would become.
3. York Railway station was in a different place
Most of our alumni will be familiar with York’s Victorian railway station. You might assume that you’re walking in the footsteps of our earliest alumni. But, in 1841 the railway station was brand new, and in a slightly smaller space. Designed by the same architect who designed York St John, the original station was within the city walls, creating logistical issues for the number of trains able to pass through the walls at the same time.
Unfortunately, even in its earliest years, the station was too small for the volume of trains. Plans were soon put in place for a new station, the one all of us are now familiar with. Despite the cramped station and even worse train carriages, our early students who travelled by train will have been amazed by the opportunity. The ability to travel to the seaside, or see family with relative ease was still a new, and exciting, prospect.
4. When York St John was established, the death penalty was still in use
Not only did York have a large, and well-used prison close to the city centre, it was also a location that carried out the death penalty! In fact, it wasn’t until 1868 that public hangings were ended, meaning that in the 1840s, it’s possible that our first students saw the death penalty being carried out.
By the 1840s, only convicted murders were hung in York. But the death penalty was still levied against a range of crimes, bringing the lessons students received on Christian morality into sharp, if hypocritical, focus.
5. Most of York Minster was roofless
In 1840 a fire broke out in the nave of York Minster. The fire was uncontainable and burnt most of the furniture in the nave before destroying the roof. It took four years for the damage to be fully repaired. So when Edward Cordukes sat down for his first lesson in 1841, York Minster was still dealing with its fire damage!
6. Voting was the preserve of the rich
When our first students finished their studies to become teachers, it’s unlikely that any of them could vote. In 1832 The Representation of the People Act broadened who could vote. This included smaller landowners, tenant farmers, shopkeepers and a few others. It also formally declared that voters were men, formally ensuring that women couldn’t vote in general elections.
This meant that until men owned property that met the specifics of the act, they were unable to vote. Women were entirely disenfranchised. For our first students, irrespective of gender, they faced a country that didn’t allow them to express their political views. Cordukes and his contemporaries might have later been able to vote after the 1867 Reform Act doubled the electorate. However, our first alumnae most likely died before they had even the possibility of a vote.*
*If out first alumnae were a similar age to Cordukes (16) in 1846, by 1918 they would have been at least 88. If they were older (20), they would have been 92.
7. Walmgate Bar was someone’s home…
A lot of our students and alumni are familiar with York’s bars, and not just the ones as part of our famous city wall! Walmgate bar was built in the 14th Century, but by 1841, it had fallen into a state of some disrepair. However, despite this, it was still occupied until 1957 as a family home!
For our first students walking around York, it wouldn’t have been unusual to see the family washing line strung between the medieval battlements! For local students, this wouldn’t have been a surprise. But for any students who travelled to York for their education, it must have been a shock to see the proud medieval bar drying someone’s underwear!
8. And Victoria Bar was nearly brand new!
Although York’s Walls have been around for a while, some of the bars are later additions. In 1838, the smaller but no less important Victoria Bar was built. Considering Queen Victoria had just ascended to the throne, it’s not hard to figure out how its name was chosen!
For our first students, the Victoria Bar would have been nearly brand new. Compared to its appearance today where it very much blends into the cityscape, for our first students it must have stuck out a little!
Now, like York St John, the Victoria Bar is a firm part of our city’s history.
9. Christmas didn’t include Christmas Cards
When Edward Cordukes returned home at Christmas, he didn’t return with a Christmas card for his family. He also wouldn’t have any from his fellow students. Now a well-worn staple of Christmas, it wasn’t until 1843 that the first purpose-made Christmas card was made. From 1843 it would take a few years for the idea to filter down from something only the wealthy commissioned, to something widely available for all.
Whilst York is now known for its beautiful Christmas markets and host of festive events, in the early 1840s, Christmas wasn’t as we know it now. Then, as now, students at York St John celebrated the end of term by drinking in celebration in what would become Archie’s Day. But, in the 1840s, it’s likely they then had to stumble into an early morning church service the following day!
10. King’s Square had a church on it
For current students and our alumni, King’s Square is a place everyone knows. A place to watch street performers at work, the perfect spot for carol singing to raise club funds or a good place to sit down after a long walk around York, King’s Square is well known to us all.
But, today it would be unrecognisable to our first students. In the 1840s, as it had for centuries, King’s Square had a church on it. For our first students, the church was medieval, seemingly too big for the space and created traffic problems. Over the years, parts of the medieval church were removed to help the flow of a more modern city until it was eventually demolished in 1861.
Strangely, the spot was not left vacant as now. Instead, another church was built on the same spot, supposedly to better accommodate the space! It was later mostly abandoned and used to hold the animals later slaughtered down the nearby Shambles. It, like the walls around Clifford’s Tower was demolished in the 1930s, this time in 1937.
+1 York St John was in a different place
We couldn’t talk about life in York for our first students without mentioning that they lived and studied in an entirely different place! When Edward Cordukes signed his name to become our first student, he studied in a building on Monkgate which would later be condemned as unsuitable for a variety of reasons.
But in 1841, the building Edward entered had only been recently vacated by another educational institution: Manchester College. Originally established (funnily enough) in Manchester, Manchester College was a college for religious nonconformists who sought a higher education. At the time, England’s universities only accepted Anglican students, leading those of other denominations to study elsewhere. In 1840 the college relocated back to Manchester before later joining Oxford University, first as a constituent college, and later a full college in 1996.
For Edward Cordukes, he would be a qualified teacher by the time students moved to new premises on Lord Mayor’s Walk. This means that York St John’s first alumni and alumnae shared similar dismal living and learning conditions! However, unlike the lucky men, York St John’s first female students would have to wait until 1862 for their own purpose-built premises.
Other sources
- For more information about Clifford’s Tower, please visit this recent York Press article, complete with photos.
- To find out about Holy Trinity Church in King’s Square, please enjoy an article written for York Press about the church.
- Read about the use of capital punishment in the UK on BBC Bitesize.
- For more information about railways in York, please visit the York Civic Trust website.
