The Death of Christ

The story of the passion of Christ reaches its climax as Jesus dies on the cross. Witnessed by his accusers, his mother and many of his friends, and many strangers for whom this is their first encounter with Jesus, he speaks his last words.

Each person present responds in a different way to the scene as it unfolds before them. As the body is taken down from the cross, the crowd disperses.

The Death of Christ - click here to see a larger image of this scene

View a larger image of this scene

"The plays are not dry theological tracts, because they focus on the very human emotions of the people involved. "

Dr Christopher Daniell, Past Forward Ltd
Read more

The Company of Butchers

The present Guild is able to claim continuous membership since its medieval roots.

Through its Court the Guild controlled the meat trade in matters of hygiene, meat restricted days and fast periods, and over 'foreign' (i.e. non-Guild) butchers.

Standards of workmanship were protected through the apprenticeship system. Seven years was generally agreed as the minimum period of training and servitude before the apprentice became a 'freeman to ply his trade'.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries membership of the Guild fell from thirty or forty in 1812 to possibly only one in 1940. All other York Guilds save the Merchant Adventurers and Merchant Taylors had ceased to exist. In 1940, the last remaining member was persuaded to swear in new members, enabling the Guild to continue to the present day.

The present Company is largely an organisation for Master Butchers in and around the City and further afield, with members in associated trades. It is one of the very few surviving craft guilds in the country.

[Historical information taken from The York Butchers' Guild, by B.A. Corsair and W.L. Fitzell.]


Home\| The Plays: background \| The York Guilds \| The Future \| Links

The Creation of the World Noah and the Flood Moses and Pharaoh The Angels and Shepherds The Baptism of Christ The Woman taken in Adultery and The Raising of Lazarus The Conspiracy against Jesus The Death of Christ The Incredulity of Thomas The Last Judgement	The Death of Christ
		The story of the passion of Christ reaches its climax as Jesus dies on the cross. Witnessed by his accusers, his mother and many of his friends, and many strangers for whom this is their first encounter with Jesus, he speaks his last words. Each person present responds in a different way to the scene as it unfolds before them. As the body is taken down from the cross, the crowd disperses.	View a larger image of this scene
		"The plays are not dry theological tracts, because they focus on the very human emotions of the people involved. " Dr Christopher Daniell, Past Forward Ltd Read more
	The Company of Butchers The present Guild is able to claim continuous membership since its medieval roots. Through its Court the Guild controlled the meat trade in matters of hygiene, meat restricted days and fast periods, and over 'foreign' (i.e. non-Guild) butchers. Standards of workmanship were protected through the apprenticeship system. Seven years was generally agreed as the minimum period of training and servitude before the apprentice became a 'freeman to ply his trade'. In the 19th and early 20th centuries membership of the Guild fell from thirty or forty in 1812 to possibly only one in 1940. All other York Guilds save the Merchant Adventurers and Merchant Taylors had ceased to exist. In 1940, the last remaining member was persuaded to swear in new members, enabling the Guild to continue to the present day. The present Company is largely an organisation for Master Butchers in and around the City and further afield, with members in associated trades. It is one of the very few surviving craft guilds in the country. [Historical information taken from The York Butchers' Guild, by B.A. Corsair and W.L. Fitzell.]