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John Rushton was in the Royal Navy from the age of sixteen to nineteen. For several years he worked in factories. As a young adult, he studied at University College and the London School of Economics. His part time work included barrel organ singing, time and motion study and carrying a sandwich board. He came to Ryedale as tutor organiser for the Workers’ Educational Association in 1959 and developed local studies in several towns and villages in north-east Yorkshire. His annual local history exhibitions at Pickering led to the formation of the Beck Isle Museum. For many years he was well known for his appearances at Pickering Carnivals in outrageous costumes. He ran a newspaper column, wrote village pantomimes and the Pickering pageants. John has lectured in recent years for the WEA and Hull University. He was awarded the MBE in 2005 for "service to the community". He has just retired after several years as President of the “Scarborough Archaeological and Historical Society”. John is an active supporter of the enthusiasts who have formed the new Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre.

This book is a study of the county from 1485 to 1558. Kings Henry VII and VIII found Yorkshire a troublesome county, but drew forces from the shire to frequently campaign against a no less troublesome Scotland. National changes in state and church left a legacy of religious division. The grip of the Crown over its great Yorkshiremen was strengthened and governance shifted towards the centre. An emerging regional and international trade gave new rewards to graziers, mariners and merchants. Daily life for most was more ordinary and less changeful than that. If this proves difficult to discover from scanty documents, there was evident struggle, and that mixture of grandeur, disaster and joy which makes up the human condition, albeit very different to the lives that we know today.

By John Rushton. 358 pages. Paperback. Photographs and maps. ISBN 9781906259211