Margaret Clitherow
Picture this: We're in the hustle and bustle of York Shambles window shopping after lunch at the King's Inn, and by pure chance are stopped directly by a quaint little plaque dedicated to a Margaret Clitherow. As you can see by the above there isn't a great deal mentioned as to why it is here or who she was, but thanks to research we now know of the woman known as The Pearl of York. Margaret Middleton, who later became Margaret Clitherow when she married in 1571, was a normal woman. She was born in 1556, the youngest child of Thomas and Jane Middleton, and once she married inherited two step children and went on to have three of her own. The family resided at what is today 10-11 The Shambles quite happily. She converted to be a Roman Catholic in 1574 even though her husband belonged to the Established Church, but his husband supported this change as his brother was a Roman Catholic priest. But back then times were different, she was fined for not attending chu...
