The area between St Saviourgate and the Foss seems at one time to have been pleasant, though low-lying, and it contained the houses of some wealthy merchants, with their attendant gardens and orchards (Drake 1736, 312). Here, in Hungate, stood the church of St John, founded some time before 1194. There are no standing remains, and little documentation. There is an interesting list of endowments of 1409 (Raine 1955, 82), but in general insufficient evidence to provide a picture of the early church. By 1435, however, some rebuilding was in progress. In his will of that date Richard Russell (Lord Mayor 1421 and 1430) endowed a chantry and added that the church tower was to be completed as planned at his expense, and it was to contain bells. The interior of the church was to be repainted, with new altars on the north and south sides, and the three new windows were to be glazed (TE 1, part 2, 52-7; translated in Salzman 1952, 408). Another will of 1442 leaves 20s towards a new porch.
Decline set in, however. In 1498 Sir Richard Yorke (Lord Mayor 1469 and 1482) stated in his will that he had wished to found a chantry in the Hungate church, but it was now at the discretion of his executors, In 1501 a wealthy parishioner, unusually, left nothing to the church. An inventory of 1519 includes a note that ornaments belonging to the church been removed by Sir Richard Yorke and given to the church of St John, Micklegate. The evidence is slender, but there is perhaps enough to suggest that in a small and generally poor parish the church was over reliant on the providence of a few wealthy benefactors. The area was becoming very run down. It had long been used as a deposit for dung and offal: in 1409 the parishioners had complained that it was difficult for the priest to get through the service for the smell and the noise of birds and dogs attracted thereto. References to filth and dung in Hungate continued to waft their noisome way through the city records well into the 17th century. Church and parish were probably in decay even before Sir Richard shifted his allegiance and his ornaments to St John, Micklegate. Sir Richard Yorke is buried in the Yorke Chantry in that church. By 1523 there was no parish priest or clerk at the Hungate church, and the parishioners were attending St Andrew's, St Andrewgate. The church was probably demolished shortly after, and the parish was officially united with that of St Saviour in 1585.