the City of York

The article is about the crime rate and crime components in British cities in the last third of the XVcentury. A case study of York City Books points out the peculiarities of crime in the city of York in the affected period. The author concludes that the tense political struggle in England in the second half of the XV century has contributed to the deterioration of the situation.

In the article the question of position of English country towns in the sphere of economy and social relations is considered. Based on materials of the documents of York processes which occurred in trade and city craft, occurrence of new modes of production and attempt of the city authorities to keep medieval privileges are traced.