York Historic Environment Record

A watching brief conducted to the rear of 36-37 St Marys in mid 2015 and March 2016 revealed several burials. To the rear of 36 St Marys two northwest to southeast orientated graves that are believed to date from the Romano-British period were revealed. These graves were not impacted upon by the development and were therefore preserved in-situ.

The re-development at the rear of Number 37 impacted upon two northwest to southeast orientated inhumations, the fills of which contained pottery sherds dating to the Romano-British period. These were recorded, excavated and removed. One of these graves cut a Romano-British ditch that remained largely unexcavated.

A millstone grit sarcophagus lid, also believed to date from the Romano-British period was observed at the rear of the garden of Number 37 approximately 20m to the northwest of the excavation area. This is mentioned on the 1852 Ordnance Survey Map and is thought to have been displaced during the cutting of the York to Scarborough railway line during the 1840s. The skeletal remains lifted from Trench 2 were reburied beneath this millstone grit lid, to return them as close as possible to their original place of burial.

NMR Information:

[SE 5980 5239 & SE 5978 5242] Stone cists found 1885 [TI] (1)

[Area centred: SE 598 524] A 3rd-4th century inhumation cemetery
was disturbed in the 19th century. [Sited from map]. (2)

1 Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date) OS 1:2500 1891
2 The City of York. Volume 1: Eboracum: Roman York: Addendum 72 Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, England

RCHME, 1972, RCHME City of York Volume III South-west of the Ouse (Monograph). SYO64.

York Archaeological Trust, 1995, 84 Bootham (Unpublished document). SYO2382.

On-Site Archaeology, 2010, 33-34 St . Mary's (Unpublished document). SYO1884.

2016, 36-37 St Mary's (Unpublished document). SYO1829.