A few famous people have been born in York, or made a contribution to the city’s history, over the years. Here’s a potted biography of some famous people from York:
Alcuin of York
He invented lower-case writing, spaces between words and that logic problem about getting animals and vegetables across a river without being eaten. Famous enough for you?
W H Auden
One of the greatest British poets of the 20th century, born in York in 1907.
Saint Margaret Clitherow
The Catholic martyr executed in York at the time of Queen Elizabeth.
Guy Fawkes
Remember, remember, the fifth of November… it all started in York.
William Smith
William ‘Strata’ Smith, creator of the “map that changed the world”, has strong links with York.