1066 - 1540
In medieval times, the Burton Stone was the site of an ancient chapel and hospital dedicated to St Mary Magdelene. The lane was called Chapel Lane. In 1227 the chapel was the property of the king who gave the buildings to Dominican Friars. The stone is thought to have had a cross in the central hole and marked the northern city boundary, next to the chapel. Travellers prayed here before leaving the jurisdiction of the city, for safe passage through the Forest of Galtres.
1603 - 1604
The Burton Stone was probably used as a plague stone during York’s worst recorded outbreak of plague when 3,512 died, said to be a third of the population of the city.
The depressions (where the cross had originally been) were filled with vinegar and coins placed in the solution as a means of sterilisation. Those affected by plague or cholera could then safely buy food brought to the city boundaries by people in the countryside.
1545 - 1828
After Henry VIII suppressed the chapel and hospital of St Mary Magdalene, he gave the buildings to the local Burton family. By the early 18th century, the buildings fell into ruin. Records first mention an inn on the site adjacent to the Burton Stone in 1828. The inn was originally called The Plough but was renamed The Burton Stone.
1849 - present day
In 1849 the road was recorded on maps as Burton Lane, possibly renamed after the Burtons as a wealthy local family. In 1896 the present Burton Stone Inn replaced an earlier inn of the same name. The stone was incorporated within the boundary of the new inn. In 1899 York Council agreed to pay Tadcaster Tower Brewery, owners of the inn, the sum of one old penny a year in rent.
Notes
To find out more about the Burton Stone, check out:
Charles Brunton Knight, This is York: A Personally-Conducted Tour (Herald Printing Works, 1954).
Marguerita Spence and Marian E Everatt, A Short History of York (A. Brown & Sons, 1948).
Van Wilson, The Changing Face of Clifton (York Archaeological Trust, 2011).
York Historic Environment Record, ‘The Burton Stone Adjacent to the Burton Stone Inn’, MYO1673.