By Michael Bradford
We live in a time when more and more people are studying local history and their own personal roots; and the 39 historic counties of England, each with its own distinctive features, provide a rich context for this. So we're offering this to anyone interested in knowing more about the largest of them, the ancient County of York, a world-famous place with a story going back more than a thousand years.
Michael Bradford was born and brought up in the industrial West Riding. He attended Leeds and Oxford Universities and for many years worked as Regional Director (Yorkshire) in the Open University. He has written and spoken widely on the cultural importance of the traditional shires and served for fifteen years as the first Chairman of the Association of British Counties (ABC).
Yorkshire- The story so far, is based on Michael's article in Burke's Landed Gentry 19th Edition Vol ll: 'The Ridings of York' 2005.
