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.