P0607 Primitive Methodist Chapel, rear of 3 Little Stonegate
Item
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Title
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P0607 Primitive Methodist Chapel, rear of 3 Little Stonegate
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Alternative Title
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1998.705 YORYM Primitive Methodist Chapel Cottage
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Description
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The excavations show that beneath the ‘Primitive Methodist Chapel Cottage’ cellar, deep well stratified archaeological deposits survived. The earliest evidence for settlement included a linear ditch or gully aligned north-east to south-west, and a stake-hole alignment or fence line. These may all be of late Iron Age date and would therefore form the first evidence for prehistoric occupation within the area enclosed by the Roman Legionary Fortress. These were sealed by a thick layer of turf which was not distrubed until the construction of Roman timber barracks on the site. This building was demolished and the area levelled. This may have created a large open area within the fortress, such as a parade ground, compound or yard. The surface of this was patched over the area of the subsiding Iron Age ditch or gully and a shallow scoop or pit was excavated, perhaps for the disposal of rubbish or cess. Subsequently a road was constructed along with a second timber barracks which was thought to have been dismantled at the beginning of the 2nd century. It was superseded by a stone barracks. Several phases of modification to this building were recorded and a long series of successive exterior surfaces was found between the barrack blocks. These were interleaved with several accumulation, trampling and occupation deposits, the latter showing signs of scorching. The internal area appears to have been kept scrupulously clean and level throughout the time period in which the external surfaces built-up. The internal arrangement of the buildings was modified over time and metalled paths were laid out. A small area of metalling internal to a barracks may indicate it was used for stabling.
In the first half of the 3rd century the barrack block apppears to have been partially burnt down. Various modifications were carried out to the building and a large latrine pit was found to belong to this period. In the 2nd half of the 3rd century a major rebuilding of structures took place on site along with new paths. Occupation of the buildings, which underwent further alterations, continued until the beginning of the 5th century. A series of mixed demolition and manure deposits then built up over the whole area. A thick homogenous deposit was either dumped or accumulated over the whole trench area. This was interpreted as an accumulation of manure, mixed with a small amount of earlier demolition material, cess and domestic rubbish. The area was interpreted as having been part of a farmyard at this point, perhaps including livestock pens.
The earliest Anglo-Scandinavian feature was a pit or rubbish pit dated to the 9th or early 10th century Its backfill was later truncated by a second pit which contained demolition or clearance material. A garderobe was found to be backfilled with a number of deposits, clearly of manure, or foul waste origin, some of which contained pottery dateable to the 10th or 11th century. The area appreared to be in the back yard of a property during this period and this function continued through the medieval period. A number of pits and dumps were dated to this period.
In the post medieval period the area was crossed by two fence lines perhaps erected to divide up the area into properties. This boundary fence appears to have been replaced by a brick built boundary wall or wall to a property behind Little Stonegate. A number of deep 18th century walls, the construction cut for a late 18th or early 19th century cellar for the “Methodist Chapel Cottage”, as well as the 19th century construction cut for the Primitive Methodist Chapel then, disturbed the area. A number of 20th century service trenches were also encountered.
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Type
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Excavation
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Date
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21 October 1998 – 16 November 1998
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21 January 1999 – 14 February 1999
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Creator
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York Archaeological Trust
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Contributor
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N Macnab (fieldwork)
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Spatial Coverage
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Rear of 3 Little Stonegate, York
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SE60245197
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Period
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Prehistoric
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Roman
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Anglo-Scandinavian
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Medieval
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Post-Medieval
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Modern
Position: 506 (133 views)
Interim Volume 23 Number 2
Interim Volume 23 Number 3
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