William Snawsell

Snawsell appears to have experienced some degree of domestic strife early in the 1440s, with several members of his staff—and his wife—all being summonsed to the ecclesiastical court to answer charges of adultery, although not with him.

[11] It had previously served as accommodation for Nostell Priory, and although Snawsell appears to have added the Great Hall,[12] its living quarters were cramped,[13] if with "opulent" furnishing.

"[10][note 2] Snawsell took part in the major feud which occurred in the early years of the 1450s in Yorkshire between the important local families, the Percys and the Nevilles.

[15] In 1455, Snawsell and his wife entered the Corpus Christi guild,[2] and two years later he opened his shop outside the main door of York Minster, for which he paid the cathedral chapter 18 shillings.

[19] When the Lancastrian parliament was summoned in October 1470 following Henry VI's return to power, Snawsell was named one of the burgesses for the town.

[2] Snawsell, as well as being wealthy,[8][3] was a socially and politically important figure in York, shown by his being allowed to wear crimson on civic occasions and being preceded by a mace-bearer when appearing in public.

[21] The historian Jennifer Kermode has argued that York city council enforced strong penalties on aldermen who failed to regularly attend, and suggests that, as well as being a medical necessity, his retirement may well have been down to "increasing exasperation with colleagues".

[24] Snawsell's coat of arms comprised azure, on a chevron gules between three pards heads sable three crosses crosslet fitchée argent.

It was accepted that there were likely damaging consequences to local society, for "unchecked, the canker could spread more widely";[28][note 3] in the case of the Snawsell household, it is possible that it was his own neighbours who reported on the goings-on.

This is dictated by the actors Robert Hardy and Judi Dench as Sir William and Lady Snawsell respectively,[14] describing their daily lives,[32] with a medieval market[33] and banquet.