York Archaeological Trust
There were three copper alloy objects. Small find 15 is a possible pin shank, and small find 26 is a medieval buckle. Small find 20 appears to be a sheet offcut.
Small finds 5 and 6 are both horn cores. Small find 2 is a tooth plate fragment from a single-sided composite comb, and small find 17 is a skate. Small find 21 may be an unworked fragment.
Small find 23 is a counter or pot lid made from a Roman pot sherd (see pottery assessment).
Both small finds1 and 18 are vessel fragments which may be Roman or modern.
Small find 4 is a spindle whorl of Anglo-Norman form.
Small find 3 appears to be an unworked flint fragment.
This assemblage contains some probable Anglian or Anglo-Scandinavian objects, namely the comb fragment (small find 2) and the skate (small find 17), a spindle whorl of Anglo-Norman form (small find 4), and a copper alloy buckle (small find 26) of medieval date. The horn core fragments (small finds 5 and 16) could be Anglian – medieval or later .
Small find 2 is an unidentifiable copper alloy coin – further conservation treatment may enable identification.
The only antler object is small find 1 which is an offcut, and likely to be Anglian or Anglo-Scandinavian in date. The bone comb tooth plate small find 3 is of similar date. The toggle/buzz bone small find 8 could be contemporary.
Small find 4 appears to be a Roman tessera.
All of this small assemblage appears to be Roman or Anglian/Anglo-Scandinavian.
Medieval pins (small finds 1, 4 and 24) and probable pin-making debris (small finds 12, 13 and 22) were recovered. Small finds 5 and 30 are both lace tags of c.14th – 16th century date, and small finds 8 and 10 are both medieval bar mounts from belts; small find 42 may be a medieval pendent belt mount. Other miscellaneous objects include a hinge (small find 3), a possible needle (small find 11), a perforated plate (small find 25), an offcut (small find 9) and fragments (small find 29) of sheet, and unidentifiable lumps or fragments (small finds 28, 46-8, 52 and 66).
Small find 2 is a tube of unknown function, and small finds 36-7 are waste fragments.
Small find 51 is a post-medieval tobacco pipe, small find 19 a crucible fragment, and small finds 57 and 60 pot lids/counters cut from medieval tiles.
Small find 6 appears to be post-medieval window glass.
Small find 49 has been identified as a leather workers’ honestone.
Small find 35 may be a struck flake.
All this material appears to be of medieval or later date.
Small find 6 is a Roman fibula brooch fragment. The remaining copper alloy comprises a strip (small find 9), a sheet fragment (small find 13) and an unidentified object (small find 18).
Small find 2 is an unidentified lead alloy fragment.
Small find 3 is a 13th – 16th century parchment pricker/stylus.
Small finds 17 and 19 are pot lids/counters, the latter made from a 13th century York glazed ware sherd. Small find 10 is a post-medieval tobacco pipe fragment.
Both glass fragments (small finds 1 and 5) appear to be of medieval window glass
Small find 15 appears to be an unworked flint fragment
Apart from the Roman brooch fragment, this assemblage appears to be largely from the period of the 13th-16th centuries.
Small find 3 is a post-medieval tobacco pipe fragment, and small find 12 a counter/pot lid cut from a medieval tile.
All the glass fragments (small finds 1, 4-6 and 9) appeared post-medieval or modern.
This appears to be a small, post-medieval group of material.
Small find 26 appears to be a post-medieval pin. Small find 35 is a small chain fragment, small find 51 is a rod; both are of unknown date.
Small finds 37 and 00043 may be butchered fragments rather than artefacts. Small finds 44 – 45 are both pinners’ bones, used in the manufacture of non-ferrous pins, and probably of 15th – 17th century date. Small find 62 appears to have been shaped but may be unfinished. Small find 28 is a post medieval or modern button.
Small finds 5, 12–14, 17, 21-22, 27, 30-32, 34, 64, 74 and 80 are all post-medieval tobacco pipe fragments. Small find 72 is a pot lid or counter made of medieval tile. Small finds 76-7 appear to be mould or crucible fragments.
Small finds 6-10, 29, 40, 46 and 78 are all vessel glass fragments. All appear post-medieval apart from small find 78 which may be medieval.
Small find 73 is a hone of unknown date.
Small finds 41-2 and 66-7 are fragments of plaster; small find 41 appears to retain traces of paint.
Perhaps a late medieval – post-medieval group of material, with indications of pin-making provided by the pinners’ bones, although there is no other debris as one might expect.
Small find 2 is a tobacco pipe fragment of post-medieval date.
Both glass finds (small finds 1 and7) appear to be modern.
Small find 3 is a fragment of modern plaster
All the datable finds appeared to be post-medieval to modern in date.
Small find 1 was a glass fragment of probably post-medieval date.
The single find is probably of post-medieval date.
Small finds 2 and 3 are post-medieval tobacco pipe fragments.
Small find 1 is a fragment of post-medieval vessel glass
All finds are post-medieval
Small find 200 is a silver coin of Trajan (AD.96/8-117).
Small finds 62-64 represent belt accessories, comprising a forked spacer buckle (small find 62), a strap guide (small find 63) and a mount (small find 64); all came from the same context (20028). Another possible mount is small find 69. All are likely to be 13th/14th – 15th century in date. Small find 119 is the foot from a cast vessel, probably a 14th – 15th century cooking vessel. Rods and wire (small finds 1, 8, 19, 22, 35, 38, 45) were recovered from several contexts – these may have been used to make pins, such as small find 27. Miscellaneous objects include discs (small finds 4 and 66), hooks (small finds 26 and 40), plate fragments (small finds 42 and 46), strip fragments (small finds 36, 88, 120 and 155) and unidentified object (small find 47); unidentified fragments comprise (small finds 41 and 90).
Apart from a window came fragment (small find 21), all the lead alloy finds were unidentifiable (small finds 20, 49, 111 and 218).
An offcut was the only antler artefact which was found (small find 195). The bone objects included two pinners’ bones (small finds 43 and 184) which may be 15th –17th century in date, a pricker or stylus (small find 87), probably 13th – 16th century in date, and two miscellaneous worked fragments (small find 65 and 196). Small find 125 is an unworked bone fragment.
Pot lids and counters of medieval tile were found (small finds 186, 191 and 221); small finds 2 and 130 are post-medieval tobacco pipe fragments.
Of four glass fragments (small finds 44, 50, 86 and 212), only small find 50 appeared identifiable (medieval window glass).
Small find 187 appears to be a Roman tessera, small find 160 is a lava quern fragment
which is most likely to be from the Anglian or Anglo-Scandinavian period, and small
find 189 is a medieval mortar fragment. Small find 202 is an unidentified fragment,
while small find 14 is possibly a gemstone fragment.9.10.8 Flint
Small find 216 is a possible flake.
There was a single find, small find 146, from this trench, comprised of two shoe fragments and a number of offcuts.
The find was recovered from Context 20060, a pit fill. The footwear components appear to be of late medieval date (14th/15th century).
The material consists of a turnshoe sole seat from a two piece sole and a waist fragment from the same sole. There is also a number of offcuts from leatherworking activity, of both primary and secondary offcut types.
Small find 185 was of uncertain identification, but was thought possibly to be a fragment of worked shale
There appears to be evidence of activity here from the Anglian/Anglo-Scaninavian to post-medieval periods; a couple of Roman objects may indicate previous activity here also. Late medieval – post-medieval pin-making was clearly undertaken here.
Medieval dress accessories include a 14th – 16th century multifoil mount (small find 27), and a possible lace tag (small find 34) which probably dates to 13th-14th centuries. Small find 23 is a buckle of uncertain date. Miscellaneous objects include a tack (small find 5) and a tiny ring with shank (small find 6); small find 39 and 48 are unidentified. The remainder of the copper alloy assemblage comprises sheet offcuts (small finds 17, 25, 28, 31, 38, 41 and 47), pins (small finds 26, 29, 36, 43 and 46) and pin-making debris (small finds 16, 30, 35, 37, 42 and 54).
Both small find 3 and 24 appear to be manufacturing debris
Small finds 19-20 and 49 are all antler offcuts, probably from the manufacture of combs; small find 21 is an unfinished ?bone comb tooth plate. All these pieces are likely to be Anglian or Anglo-Scandinavian in date.
Small finds 32-33 and 40 are all post-medieval tobacco pipe fragments; small find 58 is a lid/counter made from a re-used tile. Small find 11 is of unknown function and date.
Small find 15 may be a linen smoother fragment of Anglo-Scandinavian or medieval date. Small find 50 appears to be medieval window glass.
Small finds 52-53 are both lava quernstone fragments, and are likely to be Anglian or Anglo-Scandinavian in date.
Three finds, comprising seven footwear fragments and a quantity of leatherworking waste.
Context Small find number Description
24053 (Dump) 14 Primary and secondary offcuts
24057 (Dump) 18 Footwear components (probably 15th century), waste
24057 (Dump) 45 Footwear components (probably 15th century), waste
Small find 14 is comprised entirely of primary and secondary offcuts, indicative of manufacturing.
Small find 18 comprises a waist fragment from a turnshoe sole, and an edge fragment from a similar sole. The waist fragment is narrow, a feature diagnostic of a late medieval – probably fifteenth century – date. There is also a quantity of secondary offcuts (some possibly primary) and tertiary trimmings.
Small find 45 consists of a turnshoe sole (left foot) with the seat torn away; the pointed toe from a late medieval turnshoe sole; an uppers fragment from a side-laced shoe or boot of similar date; two turnshoe sole edge fragments; and an unidentified fragment, also from a turnshoe. There is a quantity of leatherworking waste, including primary offcuts (large), secondary offcuts and tertiary trimmings.
The footwear components are of a type commonly found in York and elsewhere and add little to the body of knowledge. The offcuts suggest manufacturing activity and a few are particularly diagnostic of footwear manufacture. Tanning or other leather processing activity is attested to by the presence of primary offcuts. One of the larger offcuts has a stamped mark, which may be a tanners’ mark and warrants further investigation.
Tanning in this area is hinted at by local place name evidence (Gillian Fellows-Jensen in Carlisle, Cameron and Mould, in preparation), and oak bark (used in the tanning process) has been found in the excavations at nearby Layerthorpe Bridge (Hall in Carlisle, Cameron and Mould, in preparation). This leather assemblage may be seen as adding to this small body of evidence for an important medieval industry in this area, about which relatively little is known. Further excavation may shed more light upon leather manufacturing and processing activity in this part of York.
This group contains Anglian/Anglo-Scandinavian – late medieval/post medieval material with possible comb-making in the former and pin-making, hide processing/tanning, shoe-making and cobbling in the latter.
Small finds 1, 2 and 5 are post-medieval tobacco pipe fragments. Small find 6 is a pot lid or counter cut from a medieval tile
Small find 3 comprises two fragments of probably modern plaster
Probably a post-medieval group.9.13 Trench 33 (YORYM:2000.11)
Small finds 3, 5 and 8 are all post-medieval tobacco pipe fragments.
Small finds 6-7 and 9 are post-medieval vessel fragments.
Small find 4 is comprised of undated plaster fragments.
Another small post-medieval group.
Table of non-ferrous materials (indicating date and nature of assemblage)
| Trench no. | Roman | Ang/Ascan | Med. | Postmed. | Domestic | Indust. | Neither | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8 |
x |
x |
? |
|||||
|
11 |
x |
x |
? |
|||||
|
12 |
x |
x |
x |
|||||
|
13 |
x |
x |
x |
|||||
|
14 |
x |
x |
||||||
|
15 |
x |
x |
? |
|||||
|
16 |
x |
x |
||||||
|
18 |
x |
x |
||||||
|
19 |
x |
x |
||||||
|
20 |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|||
|
24 |
x |
x |
x |
x |
||||
|
25 |
x |
x |
||||||
|
33 |
x |
x |
There were c.100 iron objects from Hungate not counting nails (c.200), most of which come from medieval contexts. They include (context number followed by small find number):
Awl (context 33002) small find 1, punch (context 20036) small find 93, pincers (context 15007) small find 23, socketed fork (context 24061) small find 57, bell case (context 20085) small find 85 and twelve knives or parts of knives – (context 15032) small find 50; (context 15019) small find 59; (context 15019) small find 60; (context 20005) small finds 15, 16 and 18 (tang only); (context 20016) small find 31; (context 20028) small find 98; (context 20070) small find138; (context 20077) small find 161; (context 12013) small find 7; (context 12015) small find 41.
These were recovered from (context 20044) small find 101; (context 8024) small find 22; and (context 12013) small find 26.
A large pierced strap (?once part of a hinge strap) was recovered from (context 15002) small find 15; a latch rest from (context 20033) small find 176; a hinge pivot from (context 20047) small find 199; a U-eyed hinge from (context 8025) small find 7, chain links (plated) from (context 11081) small find 9, a small strap terminal from (context 20033) small find 112; and a casket fitting from (context 20025) small find 118.
A key (plated) was recovered from (context 15007) small find 65 and a lock plate and mechanism from (context 20005) small find 17.
Fragments identified as parts of horseshoes were recovered from (Context 20000) small find 23; (context 20013) small find 51 and (context 20016) small find 67.
An arrowhead was recovered from (context 20016) small find 30 and an arrow tip
from (context 12007) small find 59.
A small strip with an eye at one end was recovered from (context 8015) small find 14 and a three pronged item from (context 12015) small find 41.
This is an assemblage of ironwork typical of what would be expected from medieval occupation-derived deposits in York. Objects of interest from a typological point of view are few but include knives from Trench 15 (small finds 50 and 59) which are probably Anglo-Scandinavian and knives context from Trench 20 (small finds 15 and 16) which are late medieval and have non-ferrous shoulder plates. Small find 7 from Trench 12 appears to be quite a large knife and may have remains of its sheath surviving. Trench 24 small find 57 is a socketed fork very similar to an Anglo-Scandinavian example from Coppergate (AY17/6 2989). Trench 20, small find 85 is a small medieval bell case, which may be copper plated. Trench 20, small find 118 is a casket fitting with a decorative terminal which is tin plated; it is medieval and similar to examples from Bedern and Coppergate. Trench 20 small find 17 is a typical medieval lock with both the mechanism and plate surviving which probably came from a chest.
The objects referred to in the previous paragraph should be conserved with a view
to illustration. Investigative conservation is required for the two objects of unknown
function (8.14, 12.41). Plating on key 2.65 and chain links 10.9 should be identified.