AN exhibition has been opened which lifts the lid on some of York’s long-kept secrets.

As part of the York 800 celebrations, 12 volunteer curators were invited to delve into the city’s archive collection.

They uncovered thousands of handwritten documents which had previously been hidden away in locked storerooms to create an exhibition at York Explore Library Learning Centre.

The documents reveal a treasury of stories about people who have lived and worked in York since the 13th century, from mayors to street sweepers, tram conductors to workhouse orphans.

Volunteers found stories like that of Margaret Lassels, a Stonegate servant turned jewel thief convicted of theft during the reign of Richard III, and researched the Mystery Plays, medieval and modern, to complement the August performances in the Museum Gardens.

Coun Sonja Crisp , City of York Council ’s cabinet member for leisure, culture and tourism, said: “This is a fascinating display of York’s history over the last 800 years, and brings to life a whole series of documents which have been hidden in our archives. I’m sure that people will find a great deal of interest, adding to everyone’s knowledge of the last eight centuries in the city”.

The free exhibition will run until September 30.

Funding for the exhibition has come from Yorventure, which gave almost £10,000 for the design and construction of bespoke exhibition stands. These will now be available to use for future displays from the archive.

A programme of talks, walks and workshops with historians and authors will accompany the exhibition.

Highlights include lectures from Professor Robert Bartlett from the BBC’s The Normans on September 4 and an evening with best-selling author Elizabeth Chadwick on August 16.

A full programme is available to download at york.gov.uk/libraries