Anglo-Scandinavian, Medieval and Post-Medieval Urban Occupation at 41–49 Walmgate, York, UK

The Walmgate area has long been known as the industrial hub of medieval York, sandwiched between the medieval defences and the River Foss. The street of Walmgate itself was the major thoroughfare through the area during the medieval period linking to routes south of York. Between August and October 2000 York Archaeological Trust had the opportunity to examine deposits at 41–49 Walmgate, funded by Evans Homes. The significant archaeological discoveries made spanned 1000 critical years of the city's development, from the 10th to the 20th century. The evidence recovered has enabled a fascinating picture to be built up of the sequence of buildings which stood on the site, how they were constructed, who lived and worked in them, and what these inhabitants ate. The excavations were invaluable for developing our understanding of this part of York and allow comparison to be made with discoveries elsewhere in the city and beyond. 1 INTRODUCTION 3 2 ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 7 3 THE EXCAVATION 10 3.1 Phase 1: 10th century 10 3.2 Phase 2: late 10th to early 11th century 13 3.3 Phase 3: early to mid-11th century 15 3.4 Phase 4: mid to late 11th century 18 3.5 Phase 5: 12th century 22 3.6 Phase 6: Introduction 27 3.7 Phase 7: early to mid-14th century 35 3.8 Phase 8: mid to late 14th century 41 3.9 Phase 9: Introduction 48 3.10 Phases 10, 11, 12 and 13 90 4 THE ARTEFACT ASSEMBLAGES AND ENVIRONMENTAL EVIDENCE 101 4.1 Conservation 101 4.2 Metalworking 112 4.3 Artefacts 130 4.4 Pottery 161 4.5 Building materials 168 4.6 Environmental Evidence 190 5 DISCUSSION 204 5.1 Discussion and Conclusions part 1 204 5.2 Discussion and Conclusions part 2: Metalworking 210 BIBLIOGRAPHY 216 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 224