York Historic Environment Record

Two phases of Roman activity were encountered. Evidence of this activity included two large pits dug to extract the natural clay. These and the presence of twelve wasters of 2nd or 3rd century grey ware suggest that pottery manufacture was taking place nearby in the Roman period. In the second phase of Roman activity a cobble surface was associated with a ditch running north-west to south-east and two stake-holes. No Anglian activity was found but there was a series of rubbish pits (including one with a wattle lining), west of a palisade trench, dated to the 10th-11th centuries. A little later in the 11th-12th century, two post-built structures were erected, separated by a fence. All the occupation levels from these buildings had been destroyed by the ploughing which had taken place on site until the 19th century. RCHME microfilm PRN: 3653. Sources: Interim : bulletin of the York Archaeological Trust 14.2/1989/25-31 Medieval archaeology : journal of the Society for Medieval Archaeology Index to vols 1-5 (1957-61); 6-10 (1962-66); 11-15 (1967-71); 16-20(1972-76); 21-25 (1977-81); 26-30 (1982-86); 31-35 (1987-91); 36-40 (1992-1996) XXXIV/1990/220 York Archaeological Trust annual report /1989-1990/25 From Interim: Two trenches (c2.50m wide) were cut at right-angles to each other by a machine, the east/west trench being c.32m long and the north/south trench c.23m. After removal of demolition material associated with 19th and 20th century industrial establishments, more than a metre’s depth of brown loam was removed by the machine before areas of natural clay and sand appeared. The loam derived from agricultural use of the site. Where encountered the natural soil consisted of glacial sands overlain in places by yellow clay which became thicker towards the north. Archaeological features were cut into the natural. The excavations have shown that Roman and Anglo- Scandinavian settlement extended nearly a mile along the road to the Humber from the centre of thefortress and city. In the Roman period the supply of natural clay was being exploited to make pottery and this site was far enough away from the built up area of the city to lessen the risk of fire presented by the industry. The proximity to a major link in ‘the road- system’ would have made this just as attractive a site. to service industries in the Roman period as it does today. The nature of the occupation in the Anglo-Scandinavian period is more difficult to specify but the discovery of two fence lines and two buildings laid out at right-angles to the main road may indicate that land along the road to the Humber was being divided into plots by the 10th and 11th centuries. The number of pits found indicates that occupation was quite intensive and shows that to the east the suburbs of Anglo-Scandinavian York stretched almost as far as their later medieval successors