Ol' Wicked York

"Ol' Wicked York" is a historical comedy by Elliot Wimpole believed to have been written around 1593. It depicts a highly fictionalised account of the last days of Danelaw in the early 11th century.

Historical Inaccuracies
The play draws parallels between the conflict of 11th century England with the War of the Roses. Wimpole, and the Tudor chroniclers who influenced him, had an interest in portraying the defeat of the Plantagenet House of York by the House of Tudor as good conquering evil. Loyalty to the new regime required that the House of York, be depicted as a villainous and are therefore compared to as barbaric vikings. The historical inaccuracies in the play can be attributed partly to Wimpole's sources, such as Hollandaise's Chronicles,[31] and partly to artistic licence.

Of particular note is that the play is responsible for the common misconception of the origin of the phrase "Fjøsk Skyk". In the play Fæock Sæyk is a deity from the pantheon of river spirits invoked by the druids. In reality there is no evidence that Fæock Sæyk ever existed. The name was actually intended by Wimpole to be played for laughs, the comedic tone often lost to modern audiences.

References in Popular Culture
The play is the first recorded instance of the use of the insult "You silly Cnut".