Discovering Yorkshire's History

Book excerpt: Over the centuries Yorkshire, the largest and most varied country in England, has helped to shape the history of the nation. From the barrier of the Pennines in the west to the bastion of Falmborough in the east, the region has seen war, insurrection, invention, industrial expansion, political and social development and pioneering achievements in literature, art and science. In this unconventional guide to the people and the places that played parts in this extraordinary story, author Len Markham takes the reader across the country and down the years. He retells the stories of many of the well-known sites and uncovers the intriguing, sometimes secret history of places that are rarely remembered and visited. Along the way he describes the careers and achievements of an exceptional cast of characters- monarchs, bishops, generals, industrialists, inventors, artists, renegades, rogues, eccentrics, murderers and otherwise ordinary men and woman who made a mark for good or ill on the heritage of the country. Over 150 evocative sites are described and illustrated in this invaluable handbook to the intense, sometimes bizarre and always revealing history of Yorkshire.