Medieval Collections
Explore the history of medieval York through a variety of digitised collections. These collections offer a rare and detailed record of life in the city during the medieval period, spanning several centuries of social, economic, and cultural histories.
At the heart of the archives are manuscripts, charters, and other historical documents. They provide insights into the daily lives, governance, and trade of medieval York. Together, they offer an extraordinary resource for anyone interested in the development of the city, its institutions, and its people.
Digitisation has made these collections more accessible than ever, allowing researchers, historians, and the wider public to explore the stories of medieval York.
To learn more or explore the full catalogues, visit the Medieval Collections Archive on Borthcat, the Borthwick Institute for Archives online catalogue.
All collections are also available through the University of York's Digital Library:
Collections
Over 21,500 digitised images of the Archbishops' Registers of the Diocese of York, 1225–1646, held at the Borthwick Institute for Archives.
Welcome to the Cause Papers Database, a searchable catalogue of more than 14,000 cause papers relating to cases heard between 1300 and 1858 in the Church Courts of the diocese of York. The original records are held in the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York, and are the most extensive records of their type in the United Kingdom. They offer an extremely valuable resource for family and local historians and scholars interested in social, ecclesiastical, economic and legal history.