Who's the Daddy?

St William was Archbishop of York in the mid 12th century, he was canonised in 1227. His tomb was in a sorry state of repair and the decision was taken to replace it during the 1967-72 excavations in the Minster. On opening the tomb it was found to contain not only the remains of St William but those those of a baby. The identity of the baby is unknown, suggestions include a stonemason's unbaptised child, or Prince William of Hatfield, baby son of Edward III, whose empty royal tomb is also in the Minster.
St William's body has moved many times over the centuries, now he rests here in the west crypt surrounded by candles, this site specially chosen as the crypts are mostly unchanged since he was alive. His new tomb is a recycled Roman sarcophagus with a modern lid, resting on a Roman mosaic floor.

Ancient and Modern

In the forground are two weathered Romanesque figures carved around 1100. They were originally displayed in niches in the outside of the western towers of York Minster but removed for safety reasons in the 1970s and placed in the crypt.
In the background is a small portion of the steel and concrete that was inserted under the Minster between 1967-72 in a huge underpinning project to prevent the collapse of the central tower. It is quite fascinating to visit the Undercroft of the Minster and see the modern engineering that keeps this ancient structure standing tall.