York Historic Environment Record

An archaeological evaluation and mitigation investigation were carried out by On-Site-Archaeology Ltd at land off James Street/Brinkworth Terrace. A total of seven trenches were excavated during the investigation. The natural deposits comprised yellow/brown clay and were encountered within all the trenches. Two of the evaluation trenches were shown to contain archaeological cut features, provisionally dated to the Romano-British to medieval periods. The archaeological mitigation comprised the excavation of another four trenches on those parts of the site where the impact of the proposed development was perceived to be greatest. The earliest activity identified during the investigation were three ditches of a probable Roman, late 1st to early 2nd centuries AD. An undated plough-soil horizon was also identified pre-dating one of the ditches but believed to be broadly contemporary with the ditches. A possible structure was identified. Pottery sherds of a mid-late 9th to mid-late 11th and mid-late 11th to 13th century were recovered from post holes associated with the structure. The evaluation indicates the possibility of the structure being of an Anglo-Scandinavian date or at least having its origins within that period.