83-415: The Middle Ground is a 1980 novel by British novelist Margaret Drabble . It is her ninth published novel. The novel explores the "crisis of British urban life" through the eyes of a middle aged journalist, Kate Armstrong. Several critics compare the narrative to Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway , with critic Roberta Rubenstein calling the novel "essentially plotless" instead exploring human relationships in
166-467: A non-metropolitan district in the county of North Yorkshire, whilst retaining its Lord Mayor and its Sheriff. As a result of 1990s UK local government reform , York regained unitary status and saw a substantial alteration in its borders, taking in parts of Selby and Harrogate districts, and about half the population of the Ryedale district. The new boundary was imposed after central government rejected
249-444: A lady journalist as its central character. Margaret Forster , normally one of her kinder reviewers, called The Middle Ground "not a novel but a sociological treatise". Her eleventh novel, titled A Natural Curiosity , published in 1989, continues the story of characters from her tenth novel, titled The Radiant Way , which was published in 1987. Drabble apologised to her readers in a preface to A Natural Curiosity and said
332-469: A major railway centre by the late 19th century. The introduction of the railways established engineering in the city. At the turn of the 20th century, the railway accommodated the headquarters and works of the North Eastern Railway , which employed more than 5,500 people. The railway was instrumental in the expansion of Rowntree's Cocoa Works . It was founded in 1862 by Henry Isaac Rowntree, who
415-522: A major railway network hub and confectionery manufacturing centre. In the Second World War , part of the Baedeker Blitz bombed the city. Although York was less targeted during the war than other, more industrialised northern cities, several historic buildings were gutted and restoration took place up until the 1960s. Historic local governance of the city was as a county corporate , not included in
498-567: A palace for the King to stay in while he visited York on his Royal Tour. Anne of Denmark came to York with her children Prince Henry and Princess Elizabeth on 11 June 1603. The Mayor gave her a tour and offered her spiced wine , but she preferred beer. Guy Fawkes , who was born and educated in York, was a member of a group of Roman Catholic restorationists that planned the Gunpowder Plot . Its aim
581-516: A particular time and space. The novel contains long reflections on Kate's past; several critics describe these reflections as similar to Mrs. Dalloway . Kirkus Review ' s describes the same stylistic features, writing that the novel is "Told almost completely in a series of ruminations (Kate's and her friends'), the book has a vulnerable, occasionally fey, but almost consistently charming lurch to it." The novel also has episodes that give homage to Proust . Critic Roberta Rubenstien suggest that
664-515: A recorded population of 141,685 in 2021 . The city was founded under the name of Eboracum in 71 AD. It then became the capital of the Roman province of Britannia Inferior , and later of the kingdoms of Deira , Northumbria , and Scandinavian York . In the Middle Ages , it became the northern England ecclesiastical province 's centre, and grew as a wool-trading centre. In the 19th century, it became
747-644: A sequel had been unintended. Her thirteenth novel The Witch of Exmoor , published in 1996, treats of contemporary Britain. Drabble's fourteenth novel The Peppered Moth , published in 2001, treats of a young girl growing up in a mining town in South Yorkshire and spans four generations of her family. Her fifteenth novel The Seven Sisters , published in 2002, is about a woman whose marriage has collapsed and off she goes to Italy. The Observer referred to part of her sixteenth novel, The Red Queen (published in 2004), as " psychodrabble ", noting her claim in
830-580: Is Councillor David Carr, and the Sheriff is Suzie Mercer. York Youth Council consists of several young people who negotiate with the councillors to get better facilities for York's young people, and who also elect York's Member of Youth Parliament . The results of the 2023 City of York Council election saw the Conservative Party with three councillors, the Liberal Democrats with 19 councillors,
913-532: Is a unitary authority that operates on a leader and cabinet style of governance, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including Council Tax billing, libraries, social services, processing planning applications, waste collection and disposal, and it is a local education authority. The city council consists of 47 councillors representing 21 wards , with one, two or three per ward serving four-year terms. Its headquarters are at
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#1732851678055996-533: Is always supposed to be". Drabble admitted, years after writing The Millstone : "I didn't realise until many years later that some of the medical details I invented were way off the mark". Drabble's fourth novel, Jerusalem the Golden , was published in 1967. It is also about an English woman who, not unlike Drabble, is from the north of the country and is attending university in London. Her fifth novel, The Waterfall ,
1079-572: Is an English biographer, novelist and short story writer. Drabble's books include The Millstone (1965), which won the following year's John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize , and Jerusalem the Golden , which won the 1967 James Tait Black Memorial Prize . She was honoured by the University of Cambridge in 2006, having earlier received awards from numerous redbrick (e.g. Sheffield , Hull , Manchester ,) and plateglass universities (such as Bradford , Keele , East Anglia and York ). She received
1162-685: Is called Eabhraig in Scottish Gaelic and Eabhrac in Irish, derived from the Latin name. The Latin Eboracum became Anglian Eoforwic in the 7th century: a compound of Eofor- , from the old name, and -wic , meaning "village", probably by conflation of the element Ebor- with a Germanic root * eburaz ('boar'); by the 7th century, the Old English for 'boar' had become eofor . When
1245-423: Is derived from Brittonic Eburākon "place of yew trees", from eburos " yew tree " (compare Welsh efwr , Breton evor , "alder, buckthorn"; Old Irish ibar , Irish iobhar , iubhar , iúr , Scottish Gaelic iubhar ) + *-āko(n) , a suffix of appurtenance meaning "belonging to", or "place of" (compare Welsh -og ). However, Eburos ( Eβουρος , Eburus , Eburius )
1328-431: Is finer, prettier and younger, surprisingly young for someone who has produced so many books in the past sixteen years. Her eyes are very clear and attentive and they soften when she is amused, as she often is, by the questions themselves and her own train of thought". In the same interview she admitted there were three writers for whom she felt an "immense admiration": Angus Wilson , Saul Bellow and Doris Lessing . In
1411-595: The American Academy of Arts and Letters E. M. Forster Award in 1973. Drabble also wrote biographies of Arnold Bennett and Angus Wilson and edited two editions of The Oxford Companion to English Literature and a book on Thomas Hardy . Drabble was born in Sheffield , the second daughter of the County Court judge and novelist John Frederick Drabble and the teacher Kathleen Marie ( née Bloor). Her elder sister
1494-587: The Baltic and exported grain to Gascony and grain and wool to the Low Countries. York became a major cloth manufacturing and trading centre. Edward I further stimulated the city's economy by using the city as a base for his war in Scotland. The city was the location of significant unrest during the so-called Peasants' Revolt in 1381. The city acquired an increasing degree of autonomy from central government including
1577-727: The Bar Convent and the Guildhall which was left in total disrepair until 1960. With the emergence of tourism, the historic core of York became one of the city's major assets, and in 1968 it was designated a conservation area . The existing tourist attractions were supplemented by the establishment of the National Railway Museum in York in 1975, the Jorvik Viking Centre in 1984 and the York Dungeon in 1986. The opening of
1660-619: The Boundary Commission for England recommended the creation of two new seats for the City of York, in time for the general election in 2010 . These are York Central , which covers the inner urban area, and is entirely surrounded by the York Outer constituency. York is within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire and, until 1974, was within the jurisdiction of the Lord Lieutenant of
1743-546: The Council of the North in York in the dissolved St Mary's Abbey. The city became a trading and service centre during this period. King Henry VIII spent a lot of time travelling around the country on official Royal Tours also known as 'progresses' In the year 1541, Henry VIII and Catherine Howard visited the city of York on their royal tour. The Royal Party would have been met outside the walls by civic dignitaries before formally entering
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#17328516780551826-683: The Danish army conquered the city in 866, the name was rendered in Old Norse as Jórvík . The Old French and Norman name of the city following the Norman Conquest was recorded as Everwic (modern Norman Évèroui ) in works such as Wace's Roman de Rou and as Euruic in the Domesday Book . Jórvík , meanwhile, gradually reduced to York in the centuries after the Conquest, moving from
1909-504: The Guildhall and West Offices in the city centre. York is divided into 21 administrative wards: Acomb , Bishopthorpe , Clifton , Copmanthorpe , Dringhouses and Woodthorpe , Fishergate , Fulford and Heslington , Guildhall, Haxby and Wigginton , Heworth , Heworth Without , Holgate , Hull Road, Huntington and New Earswick , Micklegate , Osbaldwick and Derwent , Rawcliffe and Clifton Without , Rural West York , Strensall , Westfield , and Wheldrake . The members of
1992-751: The Humber into Brigantian territory. The city was founded in 71 AD, when the Ninth Legion conquered the Brigantes and constructed a wooden military fortress on flat ground above the River Ouse close to its confluence with the River Foss . The fortress, whose walls were rebuilt in stone by the VI legion based there subsequent to the IX legion, covered an area of 50 acres (20 ha) and
2075-581: The Labour Party had 24 councillors and one Independent. The council went from no overall control in the 2019 election, to being run by the Labour Party holding a majority. York is the traditional county town of Yorkshire , and therefore did not form part of any of its three historic ridings , or divisions. Its Mayor has had the status of Lord Mayor since 1370, one of 23 in England. Only five of these have
2158-535: The Middle English Yerk in the 14th century through Yourke in the 16th century to Yarke in the 17th century. The form York was first recorded in the 13th century. Many company and place names, such as the Ebor race meeting, refer to the Roman name. The Archbishop of York signs his surname as Ebor (abbreviating Eboracensis ). Archaeological evidence suggests that Mesolithic people settled in
2241-796: The University of York in 1963 added to the prosperity of the city. In March 2012, York's Chocolate Story opened. York was voted European Tourism City of the Year by European Cities Marketing in June 2007, beating 130 other European cities to gain first place, surpassing Gothenburg in Sweden (second) and Valencia in Spain (third). York was also voted safest place to visit in the 2010 Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Awards. In 2018, The Sunday Times deemed York to be its overall 'Best Place to Live' in Britain, highlighting
2324-428: The county's riding system . The city has since been locally governed as a municipal borough , county borough , and since 1996, a non-metropolitan district (the City of York), which also includes surrounding villages and rural areas, and the town of Haxby . The current district's local council, City of York Council , is responsible for providing all local services and facilities throughout this area. The city's name
2407-459: The restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and the removal of the garrison from York in 1688, the city was dominated by the gentry and merchants, although the clergy were still important. Competition from Leeds and Hull , together with silting of the River Ouse, resulted in York losing its pre-eminent position as a trading centre, but its role as the social and cultural centre for wealthy northerners
2490-439: The " Blue Bridge ". In October and November 2000, York experienced the worst flooding in 375 years; more than 300 homes were flooded. In December 2015, the flooding was more extensive and caused major disruption. The extreme impact led to a personal visit by Prime Minister David Cameron . Much land in and around the city is on flood plains too flood-prone for development other than agriculture. The ings are flood meadows along
2573-603: The 19th century, having come to England as a refugee after serving as a Polish lancer in the Austro-Hungarian war. In 1942, the city was bombed during the Second World War (part of the Baedeker Blitz ) by the German Luftwaffe and 92 people were killed and hundreds injured. Buildings damaged in the raid included the Railway Station , Rowntree's Factory, Poppleton Road Primary School, St Martin-le-Grand Church,
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2656-400: The 76,920 households in York, 36.0% were married couples living together, 31.3% were one-person households, 8.7% were co-habiting couples and 8.0% were lone parents. The figures for lone parent households were below the national average of 9.5%, and the percentage of married couples was also close to the national average of 36.5%; the proportion of one person households was slightly higher than
2739-641: The British Isles, the weather is changeable. York experiences most sunshine from May to July, an average of six hours per day. With its inland location, summers are often warmer than the Yorkshire coast with temperatures of 27 °C or more. Extremes recorded at the University of York campus between 1998 and 2010 include a highest temperature of 34.5 °C (94.1 °F) and a lowest temperature of −16.3 °C (2.7 °F) on 6 December 2010. The most rainfall in one day
2822-723: The County of York, West Riding and the County of The City of York . The city does retain the right to appoint its own Sheriff. The holder of the Royal dukedom of York has no responsibilities either ceremonially or administratively as regards to the city. York lies in the Vale of York , a flat area of fertile arable land bordered by the Pennines , the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Wolds . The city
2905-693: The National Book League (now Booktrust ) from 1980 until 1982. Drabble was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in Elizabeth II 's 1980 Birthday Honours , and was promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours . York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire , England , with Roman origins , sited at
2988-714: The Ouse, while the strays are open common grassland in various locations around the city. York has a temperate climate ( Cfb ) with four distinct seasons. As with the rest of the Vale of York, the city's climate is drier and warmer than the rest of the Yorkshire and the Humber region. Owing to its lowland location, York is prone to frosts, fog, and cold winds during winter, spring, and very early summer. Snow can fall in winter from December onwards to as late as April but quickly melts. As with much of
3071-566: The Venerable Bede. Edwin ordered the small wooden church be rebuilt in stone; however, he was killed in 633, and the task of completing the stone minster fell to his successor Oswald . In the following century, Alcuin of York came to the cathedral school of York. He had a long career as a teacher and scholar, first at the school at York now known as St Peter's School , founded in 627 AD, and later as Charlemagne 's leading advisor on ecclesiastical and educational affairs. In 866, Northumbria
3154-461: The aftermath of the 2003 invasion of Iraq , Drabble wrote of the anticipated wave of anti-Americanism , saying: "My anti-Americanism has become almost uncontrollable. It has possessed me, like a disease. It rises up in my throat like acid reflux , that fashionable American sickness. I now loathe the United States and what it has done to Iraq and the rest of the helpless world", despite "remembering
3237-475: The arrival of William the Conqueror the rebellion was put down. William at once built a wooden fortress on a motte. In 1069, after another rebellion, the king built another timbered castle across the River Ouse. These were destroyed in 1069 and rebuilt by William about the time of his ravaging Northumbria in what is called the " Harrying of the North " where he destroyed everything from York to Durham. The remains of
3320-690: The book's preface that she is seeking "universal transcultural human characteristics". Ursula K. Le Guin compared Drabble's seventeenth novel, The Sea Lady (published in 2006), favourably with her earlier book The Needle's Eye . In 2009, Drabble announced she would cease to write fiction, for fear of "repeating herself". The same year, she published her memoir The Pattern in the Carpet: A Personal History with Jigsaws . In addition, two further novels would in fact follow: The Pure Gold Baby (2013), and The Dark Flood Rises (2016). Speaking in Belfast in 2024, Drabble
3403-615: The cabinet, led by the Council Leader , makes decisions on their portfolio areas individually. Following the Local Government Act 2000 , the Council Leader commands the confidence of the city council; the leader of the largest political group and head of the City of York Council. The Leader of the council and the cabinet (consisting of all the executive councillors) are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to
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3486-457: The city became a major river port, part of the extensive Viking trading routes throughout northern Europe. The last ruler of an independent Jórvík, Eric Bloodaxe , was driven from the city in 954 AD by King Eadred in his successful attempt to complete the unification of England. In 1068, two years after the Norman conquest of England , the people of York rebelled. Initially they succeeded, but upon
3569-714: The city council. The current Council Leader, Liberal Democrats ' Cllr Keith Aspden, was appointed on 22 May 2019, following the 2019 City of York Council election . York's first citizen and civic head is the Lord Mayor , who is the chairman of the City of York Council. The appointment is made by the city council each year in May, at the same time appointing the Sheriff, the city's other civic head. The offices of Lord Mayor and Sheriff are purely ceremonial. The Lord Mayor carries out civic and ceremonial duties in addition to chairing full council meetings. The incumbent Lord Mayor since 26 May 2022
3652-512: The city's "perfect mix of heritage and hi-tech" and as a "mini-metropolis with cool cafes, destination restaurants, innovative companies – plus the fastest internet in Britain". The result was confirmed in a YouGov survey, reported in August 2018, with 92% of respondents saying that they liked the city, more than any of 56 other British cities. The City of York is governed by the City of York Council . It
3735-493: The city. The civic dignitary would have been the Lord Mayor of york, who at the time of their arrival on 15 September 1541 was Robert Hall. He owned the residential property at 74 Low Petergate. Following a special service held in their honour at York minster. Henry VIII and Catherine rode from the minster down to Petergate, one of the five gateways, and over to the closed Benedictine abbey of St. Mary which had been converted into
3818-581: The conflict between motherhood and intellectual challenges is being brought into focus, while The Witch of Exmoor , published in 1996, shows the withdrawn existence of an elderly writer. As Hilary Mantel wrote in 1989: "Drabble's heroines have aged with her, becoming solid and sour, more prone to drink and swear; yet with each successive book their earnest, moral nature blossoms". Her characters' tragic faults reflect their political and economic situation. Drabble wrote novels, she claimed in 2011, "to keep myself company". Her first novel, A Summer Bird-Cage ,
3901-437: The confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss . The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a minster , castle , and city walls . It is the largest settlement and the administrative centre of the wider City of York district. It is located 27 miles (43 km) north-east of Leeds , 90 miles (140 km) south of Newcastle upon Tyne and 207 miles (333 km) north of London . York's built-up area had
3984-524: The figure as high as 500. The city, through its location on the River Ouse and its proximity to the Great North Road , became a major trading centre. King John granted the city's first charter in 1212, confirming trading rights in England and Europe. During the later Middle Ages, York merchants imported wine from France, cloth, wax, canvas, and oats from the Low Countries , timber and furs from
4067-451: The former city council's own proposal. From 1997 to 2010, the central part of the district was covered by the City of York constituency, while the remainder was split between the constituencies of Ryedale , Selby , and Vale of York . These constituencies were represented by Hugh Bayley , John Greenway , John Grogan , and Anne McIntosh respectively. Following their review in 2003 of parliamentary representation in North Yorkshire ,
4150-416: The gardener and TV personality Joe Swift ; the academic Adam Swift ; and Rebecca Swift (d. 2017), who ran The Literary Consultancy . In 1982, Drabble married the writer and biographer Sir Michael Holroyd ; they live in London and Somerset . Drabble's relationship with her sister A. S. Byatt was sometimes strained because of autobiographical elements in both their writing. While their relationship
4233-521: The many Americans that I know and respect". She wrote of her distress at images of the war, her objections to Jack Straw about the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and "American imperialism, American infantilism, and American triumphalism about victories it didn't even win". She recalled George Orwell 's words in Nineteen Eighty-Four about "the intoxication of power" and "the thrill of victory,
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#17328516780554316-410: The national average of 30.1%. In 2001, the population density was 4,368/km (11,310/sq mi). Of those aged 16–74 in York, 24.6% had no academic qualifications, a little lower than 28.9% in all of England. Of York's residents, 5.1% were born outside the United Kingdom, significantly lower than the national average of 9.2%. White British form 95% of the population; the largest single minority group
4399-409: The neutral critical prose of the university essay", which she nevertheless admitted she had enjoyed writing. Her second novel The Garrick Year , published in 1964, drew upon her theatrical experience. Her third novel, The Millstone , was published in 1965. About a woman with a baby, Drabble made her character unmarried so as to avoid having to write about marriage or the baby's father. She used
4482-509: The novel that it is so mercilessly topical." Margaret Forster called the novel "not a novel but a sociological treatise". Kirkus Reviews gave praise for the novel, writing "with each succeeding novel, Drabble appears to edge ever closer to being E. M. Forster's heir: rich works, turned and molded by helpless circumstance, about the apprehensions and redemptions of staying responsible." Margaret Drabble Dame Margaret Drabble, Lady Holroyd , DBE , FRSL (born 5 June 1939)
4565-415: The personal experience of one of her own children's diagnosis with a lesion (a hole in the heart ) to inform her writing on the illness she gave the child. Indeed, Drabble herself wrote The Millstone whilst pregnant with her own child, that is, her third. On the book's fiftieth anniversary in 2015, Tessa Hadley described it as "the seminal 60s feminist novel that Doris Lessing 's The Golden Notebook
4648-562: The privileges granted by a charter of Richard II in 1396. The city underwent a period of economic decline during Tudor times. Under King Henry VIII , the Dissolution of the Monasteries saw the end of York's many monastic houses , including several orders of friars , the hospitals of St Nicholas and of St Leonard, the largest such institution in the north of England. This led to the Pilgrimage of Grace , an uprising of northern Catholics in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire opposed to religious reform. Henry VIII restored his authority by establishing
4731-458: The province of Britannia Inferior, and it is likely that it was he who granted York the privileges of a ' colonia ' or city. Constantius I died in 306 AD during his stay in York, and his son Constantine the Great was proclaimed Emperor by the troops based in the fortress. In 314 AD a bishop from York attended the Council at Arles to represent Christians from the province . While the Roman colonia and fortress were on high ground, by 400 AD
4814-400: The publishers of her later works were Penguin , Viking and Canongate , and a recurring theme is the correlation between contemporary England's society and its people. Most of her protagonists are women and the realistic descriptions of her figures often derive from Drabble's personal experiences; thus, her first novels describe the life of young women during the 1960s and 1970s, for whom
4897-524: The rebuilt castles, now in stone, are visible on either side of the River Ouse. The first stone minster church was badly damaged by fire in the uprising, and the Normans built a minster on a new site. Around the year 1080, Archbishop Thomas started building the cathedral that in time became the current Minster. In the 12th century, York started to prosper. In 1190, York Castle was the site of an infamous massacre of its Jewish inhabitants , in which at least 150 were murdered, although some authorities put
4980-402: The region of York between 8000 and 7000 BC, although it is not known whether their settlements were permanent or temporary. By the time of the Roman conquest of Britain , the area was occupied by a tribe known to the Romans as the Brigantes . The Brigantian tribal area initially became a Roman client state, but later its leaders became more hostile and the Roman Ninth Legion was sent north of
5063-517: The sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – for ever". She closed by saying, "I hate feeling this hatred. I have to keep reminding myself that if Bush hadn't been (so narrowly) elected , we wouldn't be here, and none of this would have happened. There is another America. Long live the other America, and may this one pass away soon". Drabble's early novels were published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson (1963–87), while
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#17328516780555146-464: The time of the 2011 UK census , compared with 137,505 in 2001. The population of the City of York (Local Authority) was 198,051 and its ethnic composition was 94.3% White, 1.2% Mixed, 3.4% Asian and 0.6% Black. York's elderly population (those 65 and over) was 16.9%, however only 13.2% were listed as retired. Also at the time of the 2001 UK census , the City of York had a total population of 181,094 of whom 93,957 were female and 87,137 were male. Of
5229-410: The title " The Right Honourable ", the others being the Lord Mayors of London , Bristol , Cardiff and Belfast . York is an ancient borough , and was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 to form a municipal borough . It gained the status of a county borough in 1889, under the Local Government Act 1888 , and existed so until 1974, when, under the Local Government Act 1972 , it became
5312-471: The title of the novel likely refers to Henry James 's The Middle Years . The novel had mixed reception. The New York Times reviewer Phyllis Rose, described the novel as part of Drabble's chronicling of 20th century British culture, comparing her to Dickens and Balzac, though in doing so it is a "faltering step in her development". However, Rose had mixed feelings about the novel's treatment, describing it as focusing too much on commentary, writing "it hurts
5395-404: The town vulnerable to attack and unprepared for battle. After it was conquered, the city was renamed from the Old English Eoforwic to Jorvik . It became the capital of Viking territory in Britain, and at its peak boasted more than 10,000 inhabitants. This was a population second only to London within Great Britain. Jorvik proved an important economic and trade centre for the Vikings. Norse coinage
5478-440: The town was victim to occasional flooding from the Rivers Ouse and Foss, and the population reduced. York declined in the post-Roman era, and was taken and settled by the Angles in the 5th century. Reclamation of parts of the town was initiated in the 7th century under King Edwin of Northumbria , and York became his chief city. The first wooden minster church was built in York for the baptism of Edwin in 627, according to
5561-414: Was 88.4 millimetres (3.5 in). York's urbanised areas are surrounded by a green belt that restricts development in the rural areas and parts of surrounding villages, to preserve the setting and historic character of the city. The green belt surrounds nearly all of the city and its outer villages, extending out into North Yorkshire. The York urban area (built-up area) had a population of 153,717 at
5644-434: Was also a Celtic personal name, so Eburākon could also mean "the property of Eburos". Indeed, the 12th‑century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth , in his fictional account of the prehistoric kings of Britain, Historia Regum Britanniae , suggests the name derives from that of a pre-Roman city founded by the legendary king Ebraucus . The name was Latinised by the Romans as Eboracum or Eburacum , and
5727-405: Was built at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss on a terminal moraine left by the last ice age . During Roman times, the land surrounding the Ouse and Foss was marshy, making the site easy to defend. The city is prone to flooding from the River Ouse, and has an extensive network of flood defences with walls along the river, and a liftable barrier across the Foss where it joins the Ouse at
5810-619: Was clear that The Dark Flood Rises was her final novel. A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman, a collection of the 14 short stories that Drabble published between 1966 and 2000, appeared in 2011. Drabble's other writing includes several screenplays, plays and short stories, as well as non-fiction such as A Writer's Britain: Landscape and Literature and biographies of Arnold Bennett and Angus Wilson . Her critical works include studies of William Wordsworth and Thomas Hardy . She edited two editions of The Oxford Companion to English Literature in 1985 and 2000. Drabble served as chairman of
5893-441: Was created at the Jorvik mint, while archaeologists have found evidence of a variety of craft workshops around the town's central Coppergate area. These demonstrate that textile production, metalwork, carving, glasswork and jewellery-making were all practised in Jorvik. Materials from as far afield as the Persian Gulf have also been discovered, suggesting that the town was part of an international trading network. Under Viking rule
5976-485: Was discovered. On the arrival of Prince Rupert , with an army of 15,000 men, the siege was lifted. The Parliamentarians retreated some 6 miles (10 km) from York with Rupert in pursuit, before turning on his army and soundly defeating it at the Battle of Marston Moor . Of Rupert's 15,000 troops, 4,000 were killed and 1,500 captured. The siege was renewed and the city surrendered to Sir Thomas Fairfax on 15 July. Following
6059-520: Was employed, Drabble received a scholarship to Newnham College, Cambridge . She studied English Literature whilst attending Cambridge. She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford-upon-Avon in 1960, and, before leaving to pursue a career in literary studies and writing, served as an understudy for Vanessa Redgrave and Diana Rigg . Drabble was married to the actor Clive Swift between 1960 and 1975. They had three children,
6142-569: Was in the midst of internecine struggles when the Vikings raided and captured York. As a thriving Anglo-Saxon metropolis and prosperous economic hub, York was a clear target for the Vikings. Led by Ivar the Boneless and Halfdan , Scandinavian forces attacked the town on All Saints' Day. Launching the assault on a holy day proved an effective tactical move – most of York's leaders were in the cathedral, leaving
6225-485: Was inhabited by 6,000 legionary soldiers. The site of the principia (HQ) of the fortress lies under the foundations of York Minster , and excavations in the undercroft have revealed part of the Roman structure and columns. The Emperors Hadrian , Septimius Severus , and Constantius I all held court in York during their various campaigns. During his stay 207–211 AD, the Emperor Severus proclaimed York capital of
6308-537: Was joined in 1869 by his brother the philanthropist Joseph . Another chocolate manufacturer, Terry's of York , was a major employer. By 1900, the railways and confectionery had become the city's two major industries. York was a centre of early photography , as described by Hugh Murray in his 1986 book Photographs and Photographers of York: The Early Years, 1844–79 . Photographers who had studios in York included William Hayes , William Pumphrey , and Augustus Mahalski who operated on Davygate and Low Petergate in
6391-450: Was not especially close and they did not read each other's books, Drabble described the situation as "normal sibling rivalry" and Byatt said it had been "terribly overstated by gossip columnists" and that the sisters "always have liked each other on the bottom line." When sought out for interview by The Paris Review ' s Barbara Milton in 1978, Drabble was described as "smaller than one might expect from looking at her photographs. Her face
6474-403: Was published in 1963. She wrote it, she said, because she had just got married and "the children—I had one and was expecting another—and writing was such a convenient career to combine with having a family". With it she found her "informal first-person narrative voice", which she said was an unexpected discovery. She maintained this approach for her first three books, having "liberated myself from
6557-486: Was published in 1969. It is experimental. Drabble's sixth novel, The Needle's Eye , was published in 1972. It is about an heiress who gives away her inheritance . Her seventh novel The Realms of Gold , published in 1975, has a lady archaeologist as its central character. Her eighth novel The Ice Age , published in 1977, is set in 1970s England and the social and economic conditions of that time. Drabble's ninth novel The Middle Ground , published in 1980, has
6640-521: Was recorded as Asian, at 1.9% of the population. The number of theft-from-a-vehicle offences and theft of a vehicle per 1,000 of the population was 8.8 and 2.7, compared to the English national average of 6.9 and 2.7 respectively. The number of sexual offences was 0.9, in line with the national average. The national average of violence against another person was 16.2 compared to the York average of 17.5. The figures for crime statistics were all recorded during
6723-671: Was rising. York's many elegant townhouses , such as the Lord Mayor's Mansion House and Fairfax House date from this period, as do the Assembly Rooms , the Theatre Royal , and the racecourse . The railway promoter George Hudson was responsible for bringing the railway to York in 1839. Although Hudson's career as a railway entrepreneur ended in disgrace and bankruptcy, his promotion of York over Leeds, and of his own railway company (the York and North Midland Railway ), helped establish York as
6806-452: Was the novelist and critic A. S. Byatt ; the youngest sister is art historian Helen Langdon, and their brother is the barrister Richard Drabble, KC . Drabble's father participated in the placement of Jewish refugees in Sheffield during the 1930s. Her mother was a Shavian and her father a Quaker . After attending The Mount School , a Quaker boarding school at York where her mother
6889-613: Was to displace Protestant rule by blowing up the Houses of Parliament while King James I , the entire Protestant, and even most of the Catholic aristocracy and nobility were inside. In 1644, during the Civil War , the Parliamentarians besieged York , and many medieval houses outside the city walls were lost. The barbican at Walmgate Bar was undermined and explosives laid, but the plot
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