York Historic Environment Record

Phase 5- Industrial activity (12th century).
Evidence of several pit groups suggesting that building K (phase 4) has been demolished and beam slots filled. Presence of a thick dump/levelling layer sealing earlier structures, suggesting area was abandoned early 12th century. Evidence for a large dish shaped construction cut for an oven base made of clay and cobbles. Its eastern edge was truncated by a figure of eight construction cut for a further oven base constructed with similar materials with a stoke-pit situated at its eastern end. These are possibly contemporary and form a double oven structure. The stoke-pit at the eastern end was edged with clay lined with rough limestone fragments and large pebbles with a base of cobbles and large limestone fragments. Evidence of deposits surrounding oven/kiln structures, suggesting ovens used most likely for process like breadmaking rather than industrial process. Small spread of cobbles on eastern side of ash mound, possibly relating to a hearth.

Towards the Walmgate frontage, an isolated hearth is evident, with the use deposits sealing the site of buildings K and L. Building H also seems to have been demolished and slots/holes filled. Two parallel linear features were dug across the area where the building was situated, the western linear a ditch that may have followed the line of the much earlier phase 3 linear just west of the bank or platform and the eastern linear a gully between 1.5m-2m further east. These possibly define either a north-south routeway or more likely rough property divisions or zones of activity. Evidence of postholes truncating the backfilled ditches, possibly inserted to redefine the boundaries laid out by the ditch and gully.

A second linear is indentified as truncating the earlier gully and ditch, but the function of this feature is unknown. To the south a sub-square rubbish pit is identified. The whole area was levelled with dump deposits, with a hearth present, possibly suggesting a link between industrial activity on the Walmgate frontage and a further hearth identified to the south of the area formerly occupied by building H, on the top of dump deposits which suggest it may have been part of metal working activity.

Possible evidence of industrial activity is identified by the presence of ash, charcoal and orange sand. Evidence that the kiln or oven on site was demolished, with suggestion that useful materials have been robbed at this point evidenced by a robbing cut truncating the former oven bases.

York Archaeological Trust, 2001, 41-49 Walmgate Assessment Report on an Archaeological Excavation Vol 2 (Unpublished document). SYO744.

York Archaeological Trust, 2001, 41-49 Walmgate Assessment Report on an Archaeological Excavation Vol 3 Context List (Unpublished document). SYO745.

York Archaeological Trust, 2001, Excavations at 41–49 Walmgate, Vol 1 (Unpublished document). SYO202.