York Historic Environment Record

In 1972 between June and October an excavation was carried out on Union Terrace in York. It reached 12th-13th century remains across most of the site and the late 12th-13th century construction levels remain intact for potential future examination as the excavation was later back-filled and a car park laid out over it. The excavation revealed the probable remains of the medieval hospital known as St Mary’s in the Horsefair, which cared for sick priests. The York Archaeological Trust Gazetteer page summarises the site record as “not very accessible” and describes it as containing contradictory interpretations (York Archaeological Trust, 2016). Before the site report there was the odd scattered paragraph on the excavation, and a summary of the history in the Antiquaries Journal. At the time of the publication of the site report in 1989, AY 11/1, fascicules detailing evidence for the environment, the pottery, the burials and the small finds were planned (Richards et al., 1989, 3). However these volumes have not yet been produced. This report will bring together what is known about the medieval hospital on the site and put it in wider context within York. I will cover three of the periods identified in the original report: period 2, late 12th-13th centuries; period 3, 14th-mid 15th century; and period 4, mid 15th-mid 16th centuries.