York Historic Environment Record

The excavation occurred in two main areas of significance focused on the south-west wall of Building 1, first exposed in 2012, and a central area, devoted to newly-exposed structures which appeared to be within the building. Excavation was carried out only within routes of proposed ground beams and locations of pile caps. Central Area The central area consisted of a stratigraphic sequence dating from early medieval to 19th century. The most significant deposits were walls and footings associated with Building 1. This included a cobble foundation -a continuation of walls and deposits exposed in 2012 and 2016-as well as a robbed section of wall. This wall was part of a sequence of structures and deposits, including a stone-built chamber and demolition deposits, which suggest extensive alterations to the building later in the medieval period. Several pieces of stained glass were recovered from within the stone-built chamber. The earliest medieval deposits hinted at substantial early medieval levelling deposits and pits. The latest archaeology included post-medieval and 19th century brick walls and floors, many of these were associated with the Leeds Arms and its outbuildings. This area was excavated to a maximum depth of 8.60m AOD. Remains of Building 1 The second area covered the main west wall of Building 1 and a small area between the wall and the trial pit excavated in January (Plate 5). The aim of this area of excavation was to establish the relationship of the wall to the deposits built-up against its external face, the construction event itself, and to identify any archaeological material earlier than the wall. Archaeological material pre-dating Building 1 comprised Roman levelling deposits and pits truncated by the south-west wall of Building 1. A substantial section of the south-west wall of Building 1 was carefully excavated and dismantled. Driven in to the base of the construction cut of the wall were 6 stakeholes, one of which contained a preserved timber pile. The piles evidently formed part of the foundation and the recovery of a well-preserved timber presents an opportunity for scientific dating which could help establish the construction date of the building. For the same reason, samples of charcoal were recovered from the mortar of the wall. A sequence of pits and levelling deposits built-up against the wall were interpreted as contemporary with Building 1. From one of these pits a medieval Short Cross cut halfpenny was recovered. Two burials were excavated; these were discovered to the south of the southwest wall of Building 1 and are associated with over 700 other burials within the grave yard of All Saints in the Marsh, Peasholme which extended to the south-west of the site as far as, and possibly beneath, Dundas Street. The west wall area was excavated to a maximum depth of 8.65m AOD. To the south-east of Building 1, and continuing the line of the main wall, was a smaller late medieval or post-medieval wall. It was initially thought that this was part of the same Building, but on closer examination it became clear the earlier wall had been robbed out and the robber trench had been filled with mortary rubble upon which this later wall was subsequently built. That the robbing cut followed the alignment of the south-west wall of Building 1 suggests the building had previously extended further to the south-east and it is thought that it was this robbing event which was observed in the investigative trench undertaken in advance of the piling on 23 January 2018. The cut was not fully excavated and reached a depth of 8.61 AOD.