Records of York Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends

Minutes of Monthly Meeting, 1668-1897 (16 vols.) [D 1-16]; D 7 & 8 include notes of births, burials and removals; Minutes of Women's Monthly Meeting, 1674-1906 (8 vols.) [F 2.1-2.8]; Minutes of Meetings of Ministers and Elders (from 1876, on Ministry and Oversight), 1709-1907 (4 vols.) [B 11.1-11.4]; Education Committee minutes, 1912-1964 (2 vols.) [C 2.1-2.2]; Land and Buildings Committee minutes, 1914-1958 (2 vols.) [K 9.1-9.2]; Committee for Visiting Meetings minutes, 1873-1882 (1 vol.) [C 7]; Temperance Association committee and sub committee minutes, 1880-1900 (2 vols.) [B 25.1-25.2]; Account of sufferings, 1793-1865 (1 vol.) [B 13]; Lists of members, 1790-1960 (4 vols. & 1 card cabinet) [K 4.1-4.2; M 3.1-3.3]; Printed lists of members and attenders, 1861-1916 (56 vols.) [VII 11-65]; Statistical notes and tables collected by Samuel Tuke, showing gains and losses 1824-1844 (1 vol.) [M 6]; Certificates of removals, 1700-1974 (10 vols.) [ K 1.1-1.4; M 8.1-8.3, 9.1-9.3]; Applications for membership, disownments, documents of discipline etc., 1672-1848 (2 vols.) [K 2.1-2.2]; Certificates of Friends travelling in the ministry, 1686-1862 (1 vol.) [A 1]; Removals, births, marriages and burials [continuing from information given in minute books D 7-8], 1823-1911 (3 vols.) [L 1.1-1.3]; Registers of marriages, 1838-1976 (7 vols.) [M 7.1-7.7]; Declarations of intentions and consents to marriage, 1681-1848 (2 vols.) [K 5.1-5.2]; Marriage forms, 1838-1911 & onwards (3 bundles) [K 8.1-8.3]; Treasurer's account/cash books, 1853-1971 (4 vols.) [B 16, C 8.1-8.3]; Receipted bills/receipts/vouchers and related correspondence of treasurer, 1678-1959 (with gaps) (4 bundles.) [B 15.1-15.5]; Ledger of Robert Waller's Education Fund, 1845-1934 (1 vol.) [B 21]; Account of trust property, and list of trustees, 1836-1895 (1 vol.) [A 12]; Estates book: statement of charitable funds and other property belonging to York Monthly Meeting or its constituent meetings, 1906 (1 vol.) [C 3.1]; Quaker meeting houses, burial grounds, properties and funds in the area of York Monthly Meeting, 1964 (1 vol.) [C 3.2]; Epistles, advices, minutes etc. received or issued: From Yorkshire Quarterly Meeting, 1673-1848 (2 vols.) [A 3.1-3.2]; By Meeting of Ministers and Elders, York Monthly Meeting, 1773-1847 (1 vol.) [A 6]; Letters and papers re. the York Separatists, 1683-1708 (1 vol.) [A 8]; Reports and papers received, 1837-1853 (1 vol.) [A 2]; Letter books, 1881-1896 (2 vols.) [C 5.1-5.2]

York Monthly Meeting was formed in 1669, principally out of the north eastern corner of the existing Pontefract Monthly Meeting. Its original constituent Meetings were Selby, Tadcaster (later Clifford), Whixley and York, with a Meeting in Skipwith (later Cottingwith, then Bubwith) settled from Selby around 1670. The Monthly Meeting suffered a severe Separatist split in the 1680s, over the issue of second marriages. With the exception of Harrogate in 1854, no other Meetings seem to have formed during the 18th or 19th centuries, and both Clifford and Whixley had closed by 1773. The Monthly Meeting was enlarged by the absorption of Meetings from Thirsk and Pickering Monthly Meetings in 1827 (Huby and Thirsk; Thornton-le-Clay), and from Knaresborough Monthly Meeting in 1853 (Darley). Over a similar period, membership also expanded in York itself, from 137 members in 1807 to 236 in 1860. In the early decades of the 20th century new Meetings formed in Leeman Road, York, Acomb and New Earswick, and Northallerton Meeting was transferred from Darlington Monthly Meeting in 1913.

The records are numbered and arranged according to the system used when they were in Clifford Street Meeting House

The conditions of deposit include a clause requiring written prior permission from a Friend Custodian for access to consult current legal documents and any material less than fifty years old

The collection of archives of the Society of Friends formerly held at the Friends Meeting House in Clifford Street, York

In English

Contents listed in Handlist 75, Inventory of the records of Yorkshire General Meeting and York and Thirsk Monthly Meetings of the Society of Friends formerly preserved at the Friends' Meeting House, Clifford Street, York (1986)

There are additional microfilm copies of A 1, A 3.1, A 6, A 8, B 11.1-11.2, B 13, B 15.1-15.2, D 1-7, F 2.1-2.3, K 1.1, K 2.1, K 4.1, and K 5.1

As with access, the photocopying of current legal documents and any material less than fifty years old requires the permission of a Friend Custodian

Related material in Leeds University Library: Records of Bubwith, Darley, Harrogate, Helmsley, Huby, New Earswick, Selby, Thirsk, Thornton-le-Clay, York and York: Acomb Preparative Meetings, and Yorkshire Quarterly Meeting. Related material in other repositories: Microfilm copies of Monthly Meeting records in Clifford Street archive, Borthwick Institute of Historical Research, University of York

See F. Thorp, "Friends in York and neighbourhood", in Friends Quarterly Examiner, 1892, pp.167-182; S. Allott, Friends in York: the Quaker story in the life of a Meeting (Sessions, 1978); D. Scott, Quakerism in York 1650-1720 (University of York, 1991); S. Wright, Friends in York: the dynamics of the Quaker revival 1780-1860 (Keele University Press, 1995); D. Rubinstein, York Friends and the Great War (University of York, 1999); D. Rubinstein & O. O'Toole, Faithful to ourselves and the outside world: York Quakers during the 20th century (Sessions, 2001).

The records are deposited and remain the property of the Society of Friends