York Archaeology Online Collections

Items

• P0532/P0574 BHS Store, 44 Coney Street
  Archaeological work carried out in advance of the construction of escalator pits revealed extremely well preserved remains of the Roman legionary fortress wall standing to a height just below the modern floor surface. The fortress wall appeared to be retained as a landscape feature well into the 13th century, and although the wall was robbed and material built up against its sides during the medieval period, it continued to be used as a property boundary in to the 20th century. Occupation of the Feasgate frontage was represented by a series of pits which indicated the disposal of butchery and leather working waste which were dated to the early 12th - 13th century. Timber and clay lined pits which had been truncated by later pits may have been associated with tanning or textile dyeing trades. A complex series of beam slots, which was thought to be the remains of a timber framed outbuilding or byre, dated to the 12th century. Medieval deposits had been partly truncated and post medieval deposits completely removed by the construction of the modern shop.
• A0884 Rawcliffe Manor, Manor Lane, York
  "Two campaigns of work took place. The first showed that the moat enclosed at least two buildings, probably surrounded by a palisade. These two timber buildings were of 11th-12th century date. The second phase of work completed the detailed excavation of the manorial complex found on the eastern platform. The focus of this settlement was an aisled hall, probably constructed in the 13th century. Ancillary rooms appear to have been added in the 14th century and occupation ceased with the demolition of the buildings during the early 16th century. The large amounts of pottery and other artefacts, most notably the seal matrix of Thomas of Rawcliffe, indicate that this was a high-status residence. Both the moated site and the aisled hall complex appear to have been associated with drainage ditch systems to allow cultivation of the surrounding poorly drained clay farmland. An earlier field ditch system dating to the Romano-British or Iron Age period was also identified."
• A0780 38 Piccadilly, Simpsons Yard
  "A single 3 x 3m trench 20m east of the modern course of the River Foss located a well worn cobble surface of 3rd century date, at 1.65m AOD. The excavation did not reach natural. The presence of dry land archaeology at this location suggests that the course of the Roman River Foss deviates from the alignment shown on the OS historic map of Roman York. The build-up and dumped deposits above the surface derived from domestic sources and dated to the 10th and 11th centuries. The excavated trench was within the area which was flooded by the damming of the River Foss to supply water for the moat to the castle in 1069. The silts excavated dated from the 14th to the 16th century. The King's Fishpool was allowed to silt up over this period, followed by attempts at land reclamation. A timber revetment and a series of wickerwork structures were revealed. Post-medieval dumping caused approximately 1m depth of material to accumulate, its nature changing from domestic rubbish to demolition debris. Traces of brick buildings and an earlier cobble surface of Simpson's Yard were also excavated."