York Historic Environment Record

An archaeological investigation consisting of 5 evaluation trenches was undertaken on the site of the disused council depot on Moss Street York in advance of proposed development. The eastern part of the site (intervention 5) was characterised by a deposit of organic peat which had been formed in an area of marsh or swamp. Pottery recovered from this deposit indicated that this wetland was in existence during the Roman period. In the northern corner of the site a single grave was recorded, containing the remains of three individuals. The burial was associated with a ditch and pit which were dated by pottery to the 3rd century AD and appeared to be on the periphery of a larger cemetery contacted in previous investigations to the north and west. Medieval activity on the site was contacted in the form of a substantial boundary ditch cutting through the marsh possibly to drain or reclaim the land. At the northern end of the site three rubbish pits were recorded dating to the 12th or 13th centuries which may be associated with domestic activity on or near the site at this time. Post-medieval activity was contacted in the form of a substantial boundary ditch which had been cut along the line of Moss Street during the 17th century. This feature, which was later recut in the 18th century, corresponds with the Ward boundary as shown on the 1852 OS map.