"No Priest But Love"

30th March 1834 marks a quiet, but significant event in history - one that passed largely unremarked when it occurred, but that we still pause to remember today, 192 years later.

On this day, Anne Lister, a prolific diarist and her life partner Ann Walker, sanctified their relationship by taking communion at a church in the centre of York: Holy Trinity, Goodramgate. Before their visit, they exchanged rings and made wills in each other’s favour. Afterwards, they started their lives together at Shibden Hall, Halifax. Since 2018, their visit has been commemorated by a blue plaque with a rainbow border, installed by York Civic Trust, that was the first of its kind in the UK.

The rainbow plaque is framed by a gateway, which has stood since the 1700s. The gateway is likely the one that Anne and Ann used when they visited. The gateway has been grade II* listed since 14 June 1954 and was considered worthy of note separately to the 800 year old, grade I listed church building itself by Historic England. Today it welcomes over 50,000 visitors each year. Unfortunately, the gateway is in need of stabilising repairs and restoration so, this year, we marked the anniversary of Anne and Ann’s visit with a costumed welcome and an exclusive tour to raise funds to restore the gate.

The tour began at the church and continued around the city. The stops covered many of the historic locations that Anne Lister would visit on her frequent trips to York: the shop where she bought her stockings, the office where her solicitor practiced, and the workshop where she ordered a bed. Sarah, Holy Trinity volunteer, registered tour guide and an authority on Anne Lister and historic York, organised and led the tour.

The first stop was the draper's shop, Bell and Nicholson, belonging to Mrs. Bell, played by Holy Trinity volunteer, Lyndie. This was a favoured stop for Anne Lister and Ann Walker, who bought blankets and stockings here. Although the site is now a National Trust gift shop, it’s not hard to imagine it hung with fabrics - a place to buy both sewing materials and finished goods. Mrs. Bell's young apprentice, George, might not have made much of an impression on Anne Lister if she ever saw him, but he went on to become a famous person in his own right: George Hudson, mayor of York and powerful railway financier.

The next stop was the site of the workshop of William Hubie, the joiner and carpenter from whom Anne Lister commissioned a large bed. Although Anne Lister was unhappy with her finished bed, calling it too long and too hard to manoeuvre upstairs, the tour dwelt on Hubie's commitment to quality and his innovative streak. He designed and applied for a patent on a new mangle.

Next, we heard from the Rev James Dallin, who presided over the communion service on the day of Anne and Ann’s visit and served as not only rector of Holy Trinity, but also of two other churches, St John Del Pyke and St Maurice, neither of which survive today. Once again, Rev Dallin was represented by a Holy Trinity volunteer, Roger.

The third stop was the ancestral home of the Gray family, which produced not one, but two of Anne Lister's solicitors: Jonathan and William. For both, Anne Lister proved to be an exacting client, but the firm of Grays Solicitors continues to exist in York to this day. Jonathan remade Anne’s will in favour of Ann Walker. William Gray, who practiced in offices on Low Petergate, which were the very last stop on the tour, was responsible for the repatriation of Anne Lister's body from Kutaisi, Georgia, where she died in 1840, just six years after the communion service in Holy Trinity.

Sarah's careful scripts for each of the actors gave a sense of their personal histories, their connection with Anne Lister and Ann Walker, and the way in which they each participated in the life of the city in the 19th century. Many of the characters were baptised at Holy Trinity Goodramgate, even going back generations. They lived only a stone's throw from the church, and some are memorialised inside, like the Rev James Dallin. Rosa said “The tour reminded me of how many peoples' stories are lost to history”. We are lucky to be able to refer to Anne Lister's diaries to receive a full account of her marriage ceremony, but we can only imagine how many queer love stories, like this one, have unfolded over the centuries in and around Holy Trinity, and have gone unrecorded and unremembered.

Gemma and the team at Holy Trinity Goodramgate plan to hold a series of further fundraising events. If you are able to visit, you can get a limited edition pin badge in return for a minimum donation of £5. If you would like to contribute to Keep the Gate Open without a visit, you can donate here.

Our next Anne Lister themed fundraising event will take place on 9th August 2026, when we will be hosting a play, called “No Priest But Love”, about Marianna Belcombe (another of Anne’s great loves) in combination with Merchant Taylor’s Hall. Follow Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate on Facebook or @holytrinitygoodramgate on Instagram for more details.