History of Barley Hall
Discover more about the history of Barley Hall and its life in York before it was rediscovered in the 1980s.
While a lot of what we know about the Hall comes from archaeological excavation, there are plenty of written records too. Evidence has been found in the archives of the City of York, York Minster and the West Yorkshire Archive. The latter proved incredibly valuable because it contains records from Nostell Priory.
Nostell Priory was a monastery near Wakefield that first built the Hall and owned it until the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII between 1536 and 1540.
The Priors of Nostell
Stepping back in time a bit, some of the earliest records we have suggest that the Prior of Nostell arranged for a hostel to be built in York in 1360.
The Priors of Nostell were prebendary canons, which meant they held land, farms or parishes whose income helped support them. As senior clerics at York Minster, they had to attend ceremonies and services, as well as deal with business matters in the city. It therefore made sense for Thomas de Dereford, Prior of Nostell from 1337 to 1372, to have a home in York.
William Snawsell
By the 15th century, things had changed. The Priory had fallen on hard times and this was probably, although we can’t say for sure, why the hostel began to be rented to private tenants.
That brings us nicely to one of its most notable residents, William Snawsell. His family home is the one we have tried to reproduce at Barley Hall.
From the assembled evidence, it seems that William Snawsell lived in the house for at least 20 years, from the mid-1460s to the late 1480s. During his time in York, Snawsell was a goldsmith and coiner and served as master of the mint, although we don’t know whether he held that position while living at Barley Hall.
Some records suggest that he represented the city to Richard of Gloucester when the duke stayed at Middleham Castle in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire. He may also have been among the party that met the newly crowned King Richard III outside the city walls.
Life After Snawsell
When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1540, the Hall was confiscated from the Priory by the Crown.
By the 17th century, we think the building had been divided into smaller residences. It was around this time that we think the “screens passage” was turned into a public shortcut from Stonegate to Swinegate. In William Snawsell’s day, servants would have used this passage to carry food from the kitchens to the Great Hall.
It has stayed like that to this day!
In the Victorian era, the house had become “a warren of tradesmen’s workshops”. This seems to have continued for much of the 20th century. When the building was rediscovered in 1984, it was being used as a plumber’s workshop and showroom.
