CIVIC LIFE 81

the aid of the law when parochial rights were
infringed, especially by neighbours. The church
was the centre of parochial life and in it the business
of the parish was transacted.

" Parishes were grouped as wards. The wards
chose city Councillors, and these elected their Alder-
men. The six wards formed the municipal^ over
which presided the Mayor. The Corporation exer-
cised a general supervision over the whole of the
parishes of which there were forty-five.

" Gradually the duties and powers of the various
parish officials have been transferred to the City
Council. The united parish soldiers became the
city trained bands. In 1900 the last remnant of
parochial officialdom passed into the power of the
Corporation when parish overseers ceased to exist,
and, for rating purposes, the City of York be-
came one parish instead of the original forty-five
separately rated areas." l

The Cathedral, i.e. the Liberty of St. Peter, and
the Royal Castle were outside municipal control.
The Archbishops also had their privileges. They
had once owned all the city on the right bank of
the Ouse. In the -fifteenth century they still
retained many of their, privileges and possessions
in this quarter, as, for example, the right of holding
a fair here in what was formerly their shire. These
archiepiscopal rights have not all lapsed, for in
1807 the Archbishop of the time, successfully
asserting his legal rights, saved from demolition the
city walls on the west side of the river.

York was a royal borough, that is, the freemen

of the city had to pay rent to the king, from whom

it was farmed directly. It was not owned by any

knight or lord, that is, apart from the Archbishop's

1 G. Benson: *!Parish of Holy Trinity, Goodramgate, York/'