York Historic Environment Record

Trial excavations in February and March 1982 in the Jewbury-Fossbank Car Park and grounds of the former County Hospital were undertaken to locate the medieval Jewish cemetery, known to lie in this area from documentary sources, and Roman occupation, expected outside the north east defences of the Legionary fortress. Five trenches were excavated in various places in the car park. The undisturbed natural was a sandy clay, encountered at depths varying between 80m and 1 . 90m. suggesting that the ground surface sloped more sharply from west to east towards the River Foss in pre-modern time s than it does today. Overlying the natural was a thin buried soil deposit from which no datable finds were recovered. Cut into this layer were graves of medieval date which undoubtedly belong to the Jewish cemetery. Eventually, by 1984, 500 burials from the cemetery of the Jewish community in York were excavated. It was first used sometime between 1177 and 1230 and remained in use until the expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290. Traces of Roman occupation were found beneath the cemetery levels. The burials were reinterred at the front of the present (2024) car park - marked by a plaque. The County Hospital -Five trenches were excavated mechanically in the grounds of the County Hospital. Three ditches all contained pottery of early Roman date, and may be land boundaries. A number of buried soils, probably late medieval or post-medieval were identified. A number of pre-modern features, probably late-medieval pits, were identified near the Jewbury frontage, perhaps behind houses there. NMR sources: Interim : bulletin of the York Archaeological Trust 8.3/1982/9-12 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) XXVII/1983/210 York Archaeological Trust annual report /1980-81/APPENDIX I Yorkshire Philosophical Society : annual reports /1982/29 NMR sources from 1983 NMR entry 659025 Interim : bulletin of the York Archaeological Trust 9.2/1983/5-9 Interim : bulletin of the York Archaeological Trust 9.3/1983/2-5 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) XXVIII/1984/250 The Jewish burial ground at Jewbury 1994 by J M Lilley et al Fascicule 12.3/1994 York Archaeological Trust annual report /1982-83/APPENDIX 1