UNSUNG heroes from York's history have finally been given recognition.
The role of artisans and craftsmen in the development of York's social and commercial life over six centuries has been featured in a new book.
A new history of The Company of Merchant Taylors of York traces the significance of the group which provided the bedrock of York's pre-industrial manufacturing base for 400 years.
It features essays drawn mainly from the University of York's history department.
Edited by Professors Barrie Dobson and David Smith, the collection chronicles the story of the Company of Merchant Taylors from its origins in the 14th Century to the present day.
The book was published on Friday by the Borthwick Institute, as part of its Texts And Studies series.
Professor Dobson, a former master of the company, said: "Urban historians have almost always tended to devote much more attention to mayors and merchants than to tailors and seamstresses, despite the fact that it was on the labouring skills of its manual workers that a town's economy depended.
"We hope this collection will redress the balance and rescue thousands of York's artisans and craftsmen from undeserved oblivion."
Updated: 09:04 Monday, May 01, 2006
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