MONK BAR - YORK

Gates in York are called Bars!
Bars are called Pubs!
Streets are called Gates!
Go with the flow! .......

This card of Monk Bar which is one of the Frith Series of cards numbered 18442. The Millers were in York in 1906. York is disputably the second important city of England. It is a fortified city.

York's four ancient gates are called 'Bars'. Monk Bar is at 63 feet, the tallest of York's bars and is the north eastern gateway to York's city walls. It is the largest and most ornate of the Bars, it dates from the early 14th century.

It was a self-contained fortress, with each floor capable of being defended.

Monk Bar has four storeys - the first three floors being 14th century and the upper floor being fifteenth century. On the front of the Bar is an arch supporting a gallery, including 'murder-holes' through which missiles and boiling water could be rained down upon attackers. Each floor could be defended like an independent fort, even when other floors had been captured. The rooms above the gateway have had various uses over the years, including as a home and as a jail for rebellious Catholics in the 16th century.

Look at those 'Bartizans' at the top edges of Monk Bar!
(Bartizans are those overhanging, wall-mounted turrets that project from the walls of medieval fortifications.)

Monk Bar has the city’s only working portcullis which was in use until 1970.
Like the other main gateways, Monk Bar originally had a barbican on the front. This was demolished in 1825. More on 'barbicans' later!

The current gatehouse was built to replace a 12th-century gate known as Munecagate, which stood 100 yards (91 m) to the north-west, on the site of the Roman gate called the 'porta decumana'. Another old name for it was Goodramgate: a street at one end still bears that name, supposed to be a corruption of 'Guthram' the name of some forgotten Danish chieftain.

Today it is known as Monk Bar!

Who was the Monk?

It refers to a 'chieftain' of the English Civil War period: George Monk.
George Monk (or Monck) was one of the enigmas of the Cromwellian period. He was born a Royalist into a minor aristocratic family but he became an early supporter of Oliver Cromwell. He was a professional soldier. He became Cromwell's Deputy in Scotland.

The York/Scotland connection yet again!

Monk took on the role of leader of Cromwell’s subjugation of the Scots, which brought poverty and starvation to the north by the early 1650s.
Monk defeated the Scots at Dunbar in 1650, laid siege to Tantallon and Blackness Castles in 1651. He also sacked Dundee that same year. He forced the royalists back up into the Highlands and built garrison fortresses at Ayr, Fort William (Inverlochy), Inverness, Leith and Perth ensuring peace in Scotland.

But after Cromwell's death he switched sides!
He marched south with his forces from Coldstream in 1660 to restore the monarchy with Charles II. His regiment became known as the “Coldstream Guards”.

Charles II made George Monk the Duke of Albemarle.
Monk continued to offer effective and versatile public service, both on land and sea, in his role of Lieutenant-General of the armed forces, and in his direction of the people of London during the Great Plague of 1665.

He is buried in Westminster Abbey.

One of the gates of York has his name!