Merchant Adventurers' Hall

The medieval Merchant Adventurers' Hall seen from Piccadilly. On the right is the brick chapel; on the left the timber-frame construction of the upper storey can be seen.

The Merchant Adventurers' Hall is a medieval guildhall in the city of York, England, and was one of the most important buildings in the medieval city. The majority of the Hall was built in 1357 by a group of influential men and women who came together to form a religious fraternity called the Guild of Our Lord Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1430 the fraternity was granted a royal charter by King Henry VI and renamed 'The Mistry of Mercers'. It was granted the status of the Company of Merchant Adventurers of York by Queen Elizabeth I in the sixteenth century. The main part of the building consists of the Great Hall and the undercroft, which was originally a hospital or almshouse for poor people of York.

The Great Hall is a timber-framed structure and was built over a five year period. It is the largest timber-framed building in the UK still standing and used for its original purpose. The roof of the hall is of two spans supported by a row of large central timber posts.

Entrance to the Merchant Adventurers' Hall from Fossgate

The undercroft, like the Great Hall, is divided in two by its supporting row of timber posts. The undercroft also provides access to an attached chapel built for the use of the ill and poor in the hospital as well as the members of the Merchant Adventurers' Guild. It is still used for worship.

The Hall belongs to and is still regularly used by The Company of Merchant Adventurers of the City of York, who, although no longer dedicated to mercantile activities are prominent in York and still exist as a charitable membership group. They have an extensive set of records, with documents dating from the 13th century and accounts dating back to 1432. The pre-1960 archive is described in ‘A Guide to the Archives of the Company of Merchant Adventurers of York’ by David M. Smith, (Borthwick Texts, York, 1990) and a listing is available on the Access to Archives website. The Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York holds photocopies of many medieval deeds, account rolls, rentals, and of Guild minutes for the period 1677–1985.

The Hall is open as a museum and can also be hired for parties, dinners and special occasions. It is also licensed for weddings and holds wedding receptions throughout the year.

It is a short walk from this hall to the Merchant Taylors' Hall in York, another medieval guildhall but in less original condition.

References

• Pevsner, Nikolaus; and Neave, David (1995) [1972]. Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (2nd edition ed.). London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-071061-2. 

External links

• The Merchant Adventurers' Hall
• The Borthwick Institute for Archives
• Access to Archives

Coordinates: 53°57′28″N 1°04′44″W / 53.9579°N 1.0788°W / 53.9579; -1.0788

This article about a North Yorkshire building or structure is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Grade I listed buildings in York Museums in York History museums in North Yorkshire North Yorkshire building and structure stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР? Ippesheim San Benito Abad Look at other dictionaries: Merchant Taylors' Hall, York — The front of the Merchant Taylors Hall Showing the 17th century red brick cladding The Merchant Taylors Hall in York, England, is a medieval guildhall near the city wall in the Aldwark area of the city. Constructed by the Fraternity of St John… …   Wikipedia Company of Merchant Adventurers — The Company of Merchant Adventurers usually refers to the Company of Merchant Adventurers of London, founded in 1407 and London s leading guild of overseas merchants. It may also refer to: Company of Merchant Adventurers to New Lands, founded in… …   Wikipedia Hebburn Hall — also known as Ellison Hall is a 17th century country mansion, which has been converted into residential apartments and houses, situated at Hebburn, South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear. (gbmapping|NZ31106417). It is a Grade II listed building.Long… …   Wikipedia The Hall of the Dead — is one of the original short stories by American author Robert E. Howard starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, a fragment begun in the 1930s but not finished or published in Howard s lifetime. It was completed by L.… …   Wikipedia List of York sites of interest — A list of prominent tourist attractions in York.City centre* All Saints Church, North Street *Assembly Rooms, a grand Palladian public space designed by Lord Burlington, 1731–32, lies behind a rebuilt 19th century facade. *Bar Convent Museum… …   Wikipedia York — City of York Koordinaten …   Deutsch Wikipedia York — For other uses, see York (disambiguation). York   Unitary Authority and City   …   Wikipedia Tourism in England — Tourism plays a significant part in the economic life of England.Many English people travel abroad, which takes money out of the country.However, many other people come to England as tourists, and this is economically beneficial. There is… …   Wikipedia York — /yawrk/, n. 1. a member of the royal house of England that ruled from 1461 to 1485. 2. 1st Duke of (Edmund of Langley), 1341 1402, progenitor of the house of York (son of Edward III). 3. Alvin Cullum /kul euhm/ (Sergeant), 1887 1964, U.S. soldier …   Universalium Yorkshire — /yawrk shear, sheuhr/, n. 1. Also called York, Yorks /yawrks/. a former county in N England, now part of Humberside, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Cleveland, and Durham. 2. one of an English breed of white hogs having erect ears. * * * I… …   Universalium 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”