York Historic Environment Record

In December 1998 York Archaeological Trust excavated three trenches within the churchyard of St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York in order to address specific problems and questions posed by the proposed construction of a new building. The sequence of trench numbers used followed on from that of an initial archaeological evaluation of seven trenches within the churchyard and adjacent areas, undertaken in June 1998. Trench 8 revealed evidence suggestive of a burial just below the basal limits of the trench. A land drain of probable 19th century origin was also uncovered in the trench. All other deposits were burial soils or related to modern activity. Trench 9 uncovered the upper parts of a coffin, within a grave cut, at the base of the trench. All other deposits in the trench related to backfilling of the grave. Trench 10 revealed part of the foundations for the northern boundary wall of the churchyard within the existing entrance-way, thus indicating that the wall once spanned this opening. Apart from some burial soils all other deposits in the trench related to modern surfacing.