Blue Bridge Lane
&
Fishergate House
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Eight thousand, four hundred and forty-nine sherds of pottery from the Field Archaeology Specialists Ltd excavation at Blue Bridge Lane (YBB) and nine hundred and forty-nine sherds from the excavation at Fishergate House (YFH), immediately to its south, were submitted for identification and assessment. Because of the large size of the collection and the limited amount of money available for its study the following strategy was agreed:
High priority was given to Mid Saxon pottery, to the evidence for pottery production on the Blue Bridge Lane site in the 14th century and to dating the medieval cemetery at Fishergate House.
Modern pottery (i.e. anything of later 18th century or later date) was not recorded whilst residual Roman pottery, unless it could be related to disturbed cremation burials, was recorded only by sherd count and weight, with no other details.
The two sites have rather different ceramic histories. In the late 1st and early 2nd centuries there were cremation burials on both sites, but mainly at YFH. Roadside ditches on the YBB site are slightly later, and include some assemblages no earlier than the later 2nd century. There is later Roman pottery from both sites, but mainly later 3rd century rather than 4th century. After this, there is no further pottery deposited on the site until the mid-Saxon period.
Both sites produced moderately large collections of mid-Saxon pottery, of which only a small amount was possibly stratified (there is a high degree of residuality and intrusion on both sites, making it difficult to interpret small assemblages). Most of this pottery is probably of early 8th century date, but there are a small number of sherds of later 8th to mid-9th century date in later deposits.
Activity then continued into the Anglo-Scandinavian period, although only small quantities of pottery were recorded, and probably little or none from stratified assemblages. Activity on both sites increased in the later 10th to mid-11th centuries, and again in the later 11th and 12th centuries. Both sites were also occupied throughout the 12th and 13th centuries, although it was difficult to date small assemblages with any accuracy.
During the 14th century, both sites underwent a change of use. At YBB a pottery kiln was erected and a large number of pits, some interpreted as quarries for clay, were dug. Their backfill produced large quantities of pottery waste. On YFH, however, a cemetery superseded the earlier occupation. The precise date of both of these changes will, be the subject of further work on the pottery.
Very little pottery deposition took place on the site in the later medieval and post-medieval periods. Some of the YBB pits were being filled in the later 14th, 15th and early 16th centuries and there is a scatter of clay pipes on both sites, all of which are of early to mid 17th century date. Otherwise, however, activity of post-medieval date was absent.
Roman pottery from all contexts at YFH was identified according to the system published by Monaghan (Monaghan 1997). For YBB, this work still has to take place, as in order to save time and money the Roman pottery was initially set aside until all the other pottery had been recorded and only selected for study if (a) no post-Roman sherds were found in the same context or other contexts in the same feature and (b) the assemblage consisted of more than one or two sherds. It is assumed that small assemblages, particularly if obviously abraded, even if the only pottery from a deposit are actually residual and only provide a terminus post quem.
The cremation vessels form a small but significant group, consisting of almost solely of Eboracum ware flagons and jars and rusticated jars, all datable to the later first or early 2nd centuries.
Pottery from ditches on YBB shows a wider range of forms and fabrics, as well as including several sherds of early 2nd century or later 2nd century or later date. These ditch fills are probably later than the cremations, which may indicate that the ditches themselves were open whilst the cremation cemetery was in use, or that they are entirely later in date.
A scatter of residual Dales Shelly ware sherds was noted, indicating later 3rd century or later activity, but none of these came from stratified assemblages. Their condition is consistent with having been in the subsoil rather than in features totally destroyed by later activity.
Finally, a very small quantity of calcite-tempered ware and Crambeck greyware sherds were present, all of which were residual. It is clear that little deposition took place on the site in the 4th century.
Forty-six sherds of Mid-Saxon pottery were recovered from YFH and one hundred and seventy-nine sherds from YBB (Table 1). Northern Maxey ware, produced on the Lincoln Edge in Lincolnshire somewhere between Lincoln and the Humber, is the most common ware at both sites and, indeed, the low quantity of other sherds from YFH suggests that the site might have been occupied at a time where this ware was the only coarseware in common use.
Coarse black handmade gritty wares were the next most common, being much more common at YBB than YFH. In appearance, these wares are very similar to the coarsewares found on early Anglo-Saxon settlement sites in Yorkshire and there are indications that at some point in the mid-Saxon period (i.e. the later 7th to mid-9th centuries) pottery ceased to be used on sites in the Wolds and the Vale of Pickering.
Sherds of black burnished wheelthrown pitchers and jars were the next most common find, all of which came from YBB. These vessels were current in the later 7th and 8th centuries. Other wares found include a sherd of coarseware containing polished quartz grains (ESGS). This type is known to have been produced in east Lindsey in the early and mid-Anglo-Saxon periods. Thin section analysis is required to confirm the discovery, which is the first from York.
Other Mid-Saxon wares include Early Lincolnshire Fine Shelled ware, recognised first at Flixborough where it appears in the early 9th century although it seems from finds at Lincoln that it continued in use into the later 9th century (Young & Vince forthcoming). Ipswich ware (of early 8th to mid 9th century date) was uncommon, 3 sherds from YBB and one from YFH. Four sherds of Badorf ware were found, one of which is a jar used for cooking. This ware is thought to have been first produced in the late 8th century and by the later 9th century it was no longer exported to England (although still produced and used in the Rhineland).
The Mid-Saxon pottery contrasts somewhat with that from the Redfern's Glassworks site (Mainman 1993 #20763}). All sites, however, seem to agree that the main period of activity was in the early to mid-8th century. YBB seems to have been occupied into the later 8th to mid 9th centuries whilst YFH might have been occupied only for a sort time in the early to mid-8th century, at which time locally-made pottery was in decline.
Two hundred and eight sherds of pottery of later 9th to 11th century date were found on the sites (Table 2). Most of these were of Torksey-type ware which was produced from the late 9th century onwards at Torksey, on the Trent to the west of Lincoln. However, no sherds with definitely late 9th/early 10th century features were noted and it is likely that none of the sherds is earlier than the mid-10th century. Indeed, only one roller-stamped sherd was present and this suggests that most of the sherds are of later 10th to mid-11th century date.
Sherds of York A ware (aka Mainman's York Anglo-Scandinavian ware) and York D ware were present on both sites. These, by contrast, are unlikely to be later than the mid-10th century in date.
Finally, a single sherd of St Neot's type ware was found at YFH. This ware can be distinguished from Lincolnshire shelly wares at x20 magnification.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the Anglo-Scandinavian pottery from these Fishergate sites is the lack of Lincoln Kiln Type shelly ware, considering the high frequency of its mid-Saxon predecessor, Northern Maxey ware.
A small group of sherds could be of pre-conquest date, but are as likely to be post-conquest (Table 3). They consist of Lincoln Fine-Shelled ware (LFS), Stamford ware (ST) and Pingsdorf ware (PING). In fact, several of the LFS sherds are likely to be misidentified Northern Maxey ware and should be examined in more detail. The Stamford ware is mainly unglazed jar sherds (72 sherds at YBB and 33 at YFH). Mainman has suggested that at Coppergate Stamford wares were particularly common in the period between the decline of Torksey ware in the mid-10th century and the emergence of the York Gritty industry in the later 11th century.
Over 1500 sherds dating to the later 11th century or later were found (Table 4). However, the main ware present, York Gritty ware (YG) was used from the later 11th to the mid-13th centuries and cannot be used to indicate the intensity of activity on the sites in the late 11th to mid-12th centuries. On the other hand, splashed ware vessels have a more limited chronological range (YSP, early to mid-12th century) and these too are much more common that any of the earlier wares. This must indicate a sudden increase in activity, probably from the later 11th century onwards. The only other ware datable to this period is a handmade coarseware from eastern England (GSS) which has been found on sites along the east coast, from Scotland down to Lincolnshire. It is possible that the three sherds, all from YBB are from one vessel but this is still the first recognised occurrence of this ware in York and requires confirmation by thin-section and chemical analysis.
Over a thousand sherds from the two sites are of types which were current in the later 12th and early 13th centuries (Table 5). Given that YG is the main coarseware at the time that these ware were current, it is clear that there is considerable activity at both sites at this time. Wares present include vessels produced at Beverley (BEVO, BEVO1 and BEVO2), Stamford (Developed Stamford ware, DEVS), Central Lincolnshire (LEMS), Northern France (probably Picardy, NFM, Hillewaert 1992), and Scarborough (SCAR, although probably most of the sherds found are of later 13th to early 14th-century date).
The majority of the sherds found, however, are of uncertain origin. They either consist of York Glazed ware (YORK), which Jennings has suggested might be an earlier predecessor of the Brandsby-type industry, (Jennings 1992), or red sandy ware, also of unknown but presumably local origin.
Four hundred and eighty four sherds are of types which first appeared in the later 13th century (Table 6). Many, however, are likely to be of later date, for example the Dutch Red Earthenware (DUTR) is probably of mid 14th century or later date, as is the unglazed Saintonge ware (SAIU) and the Siegburg stoneware (SIEG) and even the Tees Valley ware (TVW) and the Andalusian lustreware (ANDA). Therefore, only a proportion of the Brandsby-type ware is likely to be of later 13th to early 14th century date. This indicates a considerable decline in activity from the preceding period.
The production of a Humberware, visually indistinguishable from Walmgate ware, may belong in this period, although a large proportion of the waste sherds are associated with these probable mid-14th century wares or later types. Several approaches to the dating of the industry can be pursued: firstly, to establish the date of the latest assemblages on the site which do not include waste; secondly to examine the range of wares which occur alongside the waste and thirdly, to look for typological parallels for the various vessel forms and rim, base, spout and handle typology.
Thirty-nine sherds of types which are definitely of later 14th or 15th century date were found (Table 7). All are from YBB, but given the scarcity of these types this need not mean that no pottery of this date was deposited at YFH. Sixteen sherds are of Hambleton ware, produced in the Hambleton Hills (including a recent discovery of waste from Castle Howard). This is datable to the 16th century. A single sherd of Low Countries Greyware was found (LCGR) this is common at port sites in the later medieval period but does not usually travel inland, unlike the Dutch Red Earthenware, which was produced in the same area and possibly in the same kilns. The remaining sherds are of Langerwehe stoneware (LANG) and a few sherds which might be either Langewehe or Raeren stoneware (LARA). These stonewares were produced from the mid-14th century onwards and examples from YBB include types of 14th and 15th century dates.
Seventy-nine sherds of later 15th to mid-16th century date were recorded (Table 8). Those from YBB include types which are not current after c.1550, such as Raeren stoneware (RAER) and Tudor Green ware (TUDG) whilst those from YFH are of types which although they may start earlier are current in the later 16th or early 17th centuries, such as Blackwares (BL) and glazed red earthenwares (GRE).
Thirty-two sherds of later 16th, 17th and early 18th century date were recorded (Table 9). Both sites include types of late 16th to mid 17th century date, such as Midlands Yellow ware (MY), which despite the name was also produced in Yorkshire, for example at Wrenthorpe (Moorhouse & Roberts 1992) and Frechen stoneware together with a few Staffordshire wares (Brown Stoneware, of very late 18th and early 18th century date, STBRS; Staffordshire wheelthrown slipwares, STSL, of later 17th to mid-18th century date and mottled wares, STMO, of early 18th century and later date). The rarity of these finds indicates a lack of activity on the sites.
Forty-five fragments of clay tobacco pipe were recorded (Table 10), most of which came from YFH. Except for four fragments from YFH the stems all have a bore diameter which is indicative of an early to mid 17th century date. Two stamped heels were also present, 'IS' and 'AB'. The lack of later 17th and 18th century pipes may be part of a general trend for snuff to replace clay pipes as the preferred way of taking tobacco.
Only four Roman cremations produced pottery (Table 11). F267 produced a single fragmentary greyware jar. F319 produced two fragmentary vessels, an Ebor 1 flagon and a greyware rustic ware jar. F320 produced two complete vessels, a Ebor 1 flagon and a rustic ware jar. F321 produce one primary Ebor 1 flagon and sherds from several fragmentary vessels in the grave backfill. These sherds include an unusual greyware jar (YATG00), a local greyware jar and sherds from a whiteware vessel (YATP00). Although these latter sherds might come from a disturbed, earlier cremation they include types which are not present in any surviving grave and they may, for example, represent vessels used in grave-side ceremonies immediately prior to the burial. It is interesting to note that some of the pottery from these cremations is extremely well-preserved but other vessels have lost their surfaces, presumably because the vessels were less well fired or the grave fill was closer to the Roman ground level, exposing the vessels to chemical weathering. A third possibility is that there are differences in the biological and chemical activity of different parts of the site.
As a group, these cremation vessels clearly belong to the later 1st to early 2nd century. There are no burnished vessels, which may indicate a date prior to c.120 when the widespread trading of Dorset BB1 seems to have started a province-wide fashion. The rustic ware vessels, however, are of fabric YATR02, which superseded YATR01. There is therefore no evidence for burials on the site in the earliest phases of use of the fortress.
Other Roman pottery from deposits dating to the Roman period is rare. Two small sherds came from context 1341. They are of types which could be contemporary with the cremations although one of these sherds is abraded and the layer was clearly exposed to weathering, if not agricultural disturbance.
F297, a gully, produced a small collection of Roman pottery (4 sherds). One of these, a local greyware lid, was notably fresh and could have been derived from a cremation burial (perhaps being used with a greyware or rustic ware jar) although two of the other sherds were abraded. Here too, it is possible that the gully is actually later in date that the cremation cemetery but contains no contemporary pottery.
A larger collection occurs as residual sherds in Mid Saxon or later deposits. This pottery, amounting to 111 sherds, 1363 gm, includes a high proportion of pottery of late 1st to 2nd century date, including a preponderance of flagon sherds and unidentified closed wares in Ebor 1 fabric which are quite likely to have come from flagons. Eleven of these sherds have fresh breaks and surfaces. These sherds presumably came from disturbed cremations and were found in the fill of the following features: F129, F263, F281, F283, F284 and F288. However, they include sherds from five burnished vessels and if these are indeed from disturbed burials then this is evidence for the continuation of use of the cemetery into the 2nd quarter of the 2nd century.
The residual Roman pottery also includes sherds which are clearly of much later date, all of which are abraded and small. These include Central Gaulish Samian ware, Nene Valley colour-coated ware beakers (YATC01) of later 2nd century or later date and a sherd of calcite-tempered ware (YATK01) of later 3rd or 4th century date. However, the majority of the sherds are of similar date to the cremation cemetery, but include several wares and forms not found in the cemetery. These include sherds of 'black sand' amphora fabric, almost certainly from a Dr2-4 amphora (YATAP00) and Dressel 20 amphora. Such vessels could occur in graves, but only those of high status. They may be further evidence for grave-side ceremonies. Interestingly, there are no sherds of mortaria nor beakers present and most of the late 1st/2nd Bcentury forms could be used for feasting (flagons B 46 sherds, plus 24 closed forms, jars B 34 sherds, platters - 3 sherds and Samian vessels, mostly too small to identify a form, but including bowls such as Dr38).
A single pit appears to date to the mid Saxon period, F65. However, even this pit contains two sherds of intrusive pottery, of late 10th/11th century and 16th century date. ignoring these sherds, which come from context 1338, the remaining sherds form a coherent assemblage of early-to-mid 8th century date, containing Northern Maxey wares a single sherd of Ipswich ware and a sherd of possible imported pottery (MSAXIMP).
Pit 125 might also be of mid Saxon date, but contains three sherds of Torksey ware (one from the primary fill and two from the secondary backfill) compared with four sherds of early to mid Saxon coarsewares (SST). It is arguably more likely to be a later Anglo-Scandinavian feature containing some residual pottery.
Two features contained single sherds of York A ware (F161 and F229) and might therefore date to the later 9th to mid 10th centuries.
Two other pits (F129 and F150) date to the later 10th or 11th centuries or later, together with one hearth (F183). Of these, F129 produced a moderately large assemblage, of 42 sherds (372gm) consisting entirely of Torksey ware sherds (mainly jars, but including a bowl, a lamp and a sherd from a large container with direct thumbing) apart from a sherd of York D ware from the primary fill. The lack of Stamford ware and the presence of the York D ware suggest a mid/late 10th century date for the filling.
Five pits, two post holes and a gully produced sherds of York Gritty ware jars with no later types. Of these, Pit 177 produced an assemblage which suggests a mid/late 11th century deposition date since it contains mostly Torksey ware sherds with single examples of Stamford and York Gritty wares. Two features produced just sherds of York Gritty ware (F228 and F242) and three produced sherds of York Gritty ware jars and splashed ware jugs (F214, F215, F241 and F323). These are probably to be dated to the later 11th to mid-12th centuries. A sherd of intrusive post-medieval pottery was present in the fill of F214 (context 1404).
Three features contained sherds of York glazed ware (and should be later 12th century or later in date. Of these, F239 produced a mixed assemblage, from the secondary packing of a post hole. F242 produced a small assemblage where the York ware consists of an unglazed jar and the remaining sherds are of later 11th to mid-12th century types. This suggests a mid/late 12th century date for this assemblage. Finally, F302 produced a small assemblage containing sherds of York glazed ware jug and North French Monochrome ware jug. Both types indicate a later 12th or early 13th century or later deposition date.
There are no pit fills of late medieval date, which is consistent with the site having been given over to burial during this period, and two features produced sherds of 16th to early 17th century pottery. F103 contained a sherd of Frechen stoneware, probably from a narrow-necked bottle (of the type colloquially known as Belarmine bottles). This would date to the early to mid-17th century. F104 produced a single sherd of brown-glazed earthenware (BERTH). This ware is also typical of the early to mid-17th century.
Seventy one sherds of pottery came from ditch backfills. F282 and F283 produced only small assemblages giving a later 11th century or later deposition date. F284 produced a small collection of later 11th to mid-12thcentury date. F281 produced 34 sherds which form a coherent later 12th or early 13th century assemblage, containing not only York glazed ware but also Beverley ware and Developed Stamford ware. The assemblage from F282 contained only four sherds and is similar to that from F281with the exception of a sherd of Brandsby-type ware. Finally, two ditch fills produced sherds of Humberware. F263 contains a range of residual wares alongside 9 sherds of Humberware whilst F274 produced single sherds of Humberware and York glazed ware.
Sixty five medieval graves produced sherds of pottery, totalling 143 sherds. The most common wares present date to the later 10th and 11th centuries (Torksey and Stamford wares), accounting for 55 sherds. In 25 graves these were the latest sherds present. 21 sherds date to the later 11th to mid 12th centuries, and in 12 contexts these are the latest sherds present. Eight sherds of Brandsby-type wares were present, and in four graves these were the latest type present. Twenty two sherds of later medieval pottery were present, and in 13 graves these were the latest types present. Finally, there were four sherds of 16th century or later pottery and three clay tobacco pipe stems from the graves. The latest datable sherd was of Staffordshire Mottled ware (STMO) and is of very late 17th or early 18th century date.
It is likely that the few finds of 16th century or later date are intrusive and should be discounted. For the remainder, the pottery evidence could be interpreted either as indicating a long-lasting medieval cemetery, established in the later 10th or 11th centuries and surviving until the later 14th to 15th centuries, or it could be interpreted as a late medieval cemetery in which the grave cuts disturbed earlier medieval occupation.
The mean sherd weight for the various grave assemblages was calculated and indicates that the size of the later medieval sherds is greater than that of earlier wares, and that there is no diminution in size of these earlier wares between those graves with no late medieval sherds and those with late medieval sherds. The mean sherd weight therefore points to all of the pottery in grave fills earlier than the later 14th century being residual and this in turn points to a substantial amount of later 10th or 11th century occupation on the site beforehand (unless soil was deliberately imported in order to raise the ground level for burial). This is shown graphically in figure 1 although a single large sherd of a Ryedale ware bowl weighing 55gm distorts the pattern. The late medieval pottery from graves with late medieval pottery in their fills has an average weight of 31gm whereas no other group of pottery has a mean weight greater than 20gm.
Figure 1. Comparison of mean sherd weight against sherd date
From a study of the pottery, it seems most likely that the cemetery superseded occupation of the site (with the possible exception of some of the ditches) and that it was of short-lived duration. The pottery is consistent with a mid-14th century date and a Black Death context would fit well. However, it cannot be said that the pottery finds prove the case for this being a short-lived plague overspill cemetery as they would be equally consistent with a longer period of use, from the mid-14th to some time in the mid-15th century.
One hundred and eighty sherds of pottery were recovered from horizontal deposits, mostly overlying the cemetery and medieval features but including three earlier layers. Layer 1501 produced a sherd of Stamford ware which gives a deposition date of 11th century or later. Layer 1401 produced 11 sherds of later 11th century or later date. Layer 1609 produced a sherd of York glazed ware jar, indicating a later 12th century or later deposition date.
The majority of the pottery in these horizontal deposits comes from four layers, 1003, 1005, 1439 and 1516. Most of the pottery in these layers is of later medieval date (66 sherds) together with 74 sherds of earlier medieval date, similar to that in the earlier features. Fourteen later sherds were present and these are a mixture of 11 early 17th century wares and 19th century wares (3 sherds). These layers also produced 28 fragments of clay tobacco pipe stem, all with early to mid-17th century bore diameters.
The pottery and clay tobacco pipes provide evidence for activity on the site from the later 1st to early/mid-2nd century and then from the 8th to the 19th centuries. However, the intensity of that activity seems to fluctuate through time. The post-Roman site sequence starts in the 8th century, but there is very little pottery of this date present and only one feature which can be dated with certainty to this period. Activity is also present but limited in the later 9th to mid-10th centuries but in the later 10th to mid-11th century there is a huge increase in activity, represented both by stratified assemblages from features and by residual pottery, particularly in grave fills. This level of activity continued into the later 11th to mid-12th centuries and on into the later 12th to early 13th centuries. There is, however, a lack of pottery which can be reliably dated to the later 13th to early 14th centuries. It is not possible to say that there was no activity at this time since Brandsby ware was in use at this period and later, but there is a lack of any other diagnostic late 13th to early 14th century pottery. It therefore seems that there is a gap between the occupation of the site and its use for burial and it is unlikely that all deposits associated with activity at this period have been removed during preparation of the site for use as a cemetery. Similarly, there are no diagnostic sherds of later 15th to 16th century date from the site and there was probably also a gap between the use of the cemetery and the activity represented by the various finds in the overlying soil level and odd features, most of which can be dated to the early to mid-17th century with a few sherds of later 17th or early 18th century date. With their exception, there is no pottery present which dates to the later 17th or 18th century whilst the later pottery is limited in quantity and probably dates to the mid-19th century or later.
The Blue Bridge Lane site is immediately north of the Fishergate House site and immediately south of the Redfern's Glassworks site excavated by YAT (Mainman 1993). It has a different archaeological sequence to either of these sites, however. In the Roman period there is only one cremation burial and the most prominent features were roadside ditches, including those of a spur off the main road, the predecessor to Fishergate. In the Mid-Saxon period, there is no stratigraphic evidence for occupation, and it is moot point whether any of the small quantity of residual Mid-Saxon pottery need have been derived from occupation deposits on the site rather than being refuse from occupation to the north or south. In the Anglo-Scandinavian to early Norman periods there is evidence for settlement, mainly in the form of post-hole buildings rather than pits, ditches or wells. This occupation seems to continue into the early 14th century. At this point in the sequence the site was terraced and a pottery kiln constructed on the site. The majority of the excavated deposits on the site contain sherds of this pottery, a variety of Walmgate ware. Some of these deposits contain later 14th and 15th century wares alongside the kiln waste, but whether they indicate that the kiln had a long period of use is doubtful. It is more likely that the quantity of waste on the site was so great that it forms a background to all subsequent archaeological deposition. There is a small quantity of 16th and 17th century material, but little of this material comes from pits or other cut features and it is likely that the land use at that time did not entail pit digging. No pit groups of 17th or 18th century date were present on the site whilst 19th century assemblages were not assessed.
Only stratified assemblages of Roman pottery will be examined in detail since there is a high percentage of small, abraded sherds in later assemblages and it was not thought that their study would add much to the history of the site. It is clear from those, however, that pottery of later 3rd century date is present on the site (mainly Nene Valley Colour-Coated ware and Dales Shelly ware), even though the stratified assemblages are all earlier. Pottery of 4th century date (principally Crambeck wares and calcite-tempered wares) is uncommon, suggesting a change in land-use on the site in the later 3rd/early 4th century.
In the event, it proved to be difficult to determine whether or not some assemblages of Roman pottery were stratified in Roman deposits or not, since they typically consist of a handful of extremely small and abraded sherds and come from deposits listed as the fills of post holes. Table 12 lists those contexts thought to contain contemporary groups of Romano-British pottery (1.2 indicates a later 1st to early 3rd century date; 1.2* indicates the presence of intrusive sherds;1.2+ indicates a tpq of late 1st century, whereas the deposition date is probably in the Anglo-Saxon or later periods; 2.2 indicates a late 2nd century or later deposition date and 3.2 indicates a later 3rd century or later deposition date).
Surprisingly little pottery of Mid-Saxon date was present on the Blue Bridge Lane site. This is not only true of stratified assemblages but also of sherds residual in later deposits. On the other hand, the residual sherds are of a moderate size and do appear to have come from the fills of features rather than a scatter in the subsoil. Thus, there is some evidence that the mid-Saxon settlement continued into this area, but clearly as an extensive rather than intensive occupation.
About a third of the sherds found were of sandstone-tempered coarsewares, another third were Northern Maxey ware vessels and the remainder consisted of imports, such as Ipswich ware, black burnished ware and Badorf ware. The latter indicates activity in the later 8th century or later whilst all the remainder are probably of early to mid-8th century date.
Table 13 lists contexts dated to the mid-Saxon period, all of which have a tpq of early 8th century, since all the later sherds were found in residual contexts. Many of these contexts, however, have only produced residual Roman sherds whereas those marked 8.1* contain intrusive medieval or later material.
Sherds of late 9th to mid-11th century pottery were found on the Blue Bridge Lane site and some of these sherds are of moderate size. However, a number are quite small and probably derive from soil horizons, before being incorporated into later deposits.
There are sherds of York Anglo-Scandinavian ware from the site, including moderate-sized fragments, indicating that the occupation which gave rise to them probably started in the late 9th or early 10th centuries, since after that date only Torksey ware and Stamford ware appear to have been current. However, the majority of the sherds are of these latter two wares, indicating, as at Fishergate House, that it was in the century before the Norman conquest that the suburb began to fill up. Torksey ware seems to have ceased manufacture in the mid-11th century and Stamford ware briefly became the most common ware in York. The quantity of Stamford jar sherds from the site suggests that, as at Fishergate House, this mid-/late 11th century phase is represented at Blue Bridge Lane. Finally, there are a few sherds of Rhenish red-painted ware, which might be of pre- or post-conquest date.
Table 14 lists contexts which have a tpq in the Anglo-Scandinavian period. All are likely to be late 10th century at the earliest and it is quite likely that the smaller assemblages, for example from posthole fills, are residual.
There are a large number of assemblages which contain no pottery types later than the mid-12th century. Many of these are, however, extremely small and consist of single sherds. Many of these come from the fills of post-holes. The main wares present at this time are all present either earlier (e.g. Stamford ware) or later (i.e. York Gritty ware, Beverley glazed ware and Splashed ware) and assignment of a feature to this period on the basis of the pottery alone is not possible. Therefore, the list give here (Table 15) will contain assemblages from features which are actually of later 12th century or 13th century date. Furthermore, some of the small assemblages containing only Stamford ware sherds, listed above, are likely to be contemporary with those listed here.
A large number of assemblages contain either York glazed ware or Brandsby-type ware without any Humberwares. They are thus datable to the later 12th to early 14th centuries. Although it would be possible to differentiate these groups further this would require a detailed study of the material, and such a study was specifically excluded from the assessment. Although a few of these whiteware sherds are easily assigned to either York Glazed ware or Brandsby-type ware, a number of the assemblages contain small, undecorated, copper-mottled lead-glazed sherds which cannot be assigned to either ware without microscope examination. In terms of the site history, it is clear that there is more activity in the earlier part of this period than the later and several diagnostic York glazed ware vessels were recognised, including tubular-spouted jugs and fragments of 'seals' or large medallions.
Three of these contexts contained Humberware (1513, 1541 and 1864) and none of the Humberware from these deposits was noted as being waste. It is therefore very likely that these deposits pre-date the start of pottery production on the site.
| period | context group | description | context | 40 | 550 | 650 | 700 | 750 | 800 | 850 | 950 | 1000 | 1050 | 1140 | 1150 | 1250 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.3 | Layer | 1717 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 12.3 | Layer | 2157 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 12.3 | Recovery context | 1995 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | Recovery context | 2169 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 12.3 | Soil spread | 1636 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 12.3 | Soil spread | 2172 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 12.3 | Spread | 1410 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 12.3 | Spread | 1999 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 4 | |||||||||
| 12.3 | Spread | 2045 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 12.3 | Spread of levelling deposit | 1255 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 13 | |||||||||
| 12.3 | F004 | Final backfill of pits (cut Anglian feature) | 1006 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 4 | |||||||||
| 12.3 | F004 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1028 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F004 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1029 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F004 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1030 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F004 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1031 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 12.3 | F004 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1039 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 12.3 | F044 | Backfill of pit | 1164 | 47 | 3 | 8 | 101 | 5 | 2 | |||||||
| 12.3 | F078 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1553 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 12.3 | F078 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1616 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 12.3 | F078 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1622 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F078 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1625 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F182 | 1149 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F213 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1403 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 12.3 | F213 | 1405 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 12.3 | F230 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1505 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 12.3 | F232 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1501 | 2 | 12 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 12.3 | F237 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1510 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 6 | ||||||||
| 12.3 | F241 | Backfill of pit/post-pit | 1517 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F241 | Backfill of pit/post-pit | 1518 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| 12.3 | F241 | Backfill of pit/post-pit | 1526 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| 12.3 | F241 | Backfill of pit/post-pit | 1531 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 12.3 | F241 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1529 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 12.3 | F246 | Fill of hearth | 1543 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 12.3 | F250 | Backfill of foundation trench | 1560 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||
| 12.3 | F252 | Backfill of pit | 1571 | 6 | 2 | 15 | 176 | 1 | ||||||||
| 12.3 | F252 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1570 | 2 | 11 | 18 | 1 | |||||||||
| 12.3 | F284 | Secondary backfill of scoop | 1649 | 1 | 9 | 26 | ||||||||||
| 12.3 | F315 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1696 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F317 | Primary fill of posthole | 1702 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 12.3 | F337 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1747 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F347 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1760 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F357 | Backfill of cess pit | 1779 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 12.3 | F357 | Fill of cess pit | 1919 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F357 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1777 | 7 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F388 | Backfill of pit | 1845 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F388 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1857 | 1 | 17 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 12.3 | F395 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1788 | 2 | 8 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 12.3 | F400 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1879 | 5 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F418 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1807 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 32 | 17 | |||||||
| 12.3 | F424 | Backfill of posthole | 1918 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | |||||||||
| 12.3 | F430 | Secondary backfill of scoop | 1784 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F440 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1949 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 12.3 | F459 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1970 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||
| 12.3 | F481 | Secondary backfill of scoop | 2025 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 12.3 | F488 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 2036 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 12.3 | F503 | Backfill of pit | 2065 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |||||||||
| 12.3 | F503 | Primary fill of pit | 2066 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 12.3* | F232 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1509 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| 12.3* | F252 | Primary fill of pit | 1562 | 5 | 95 | |||||||||||
| 12.3* | F388 | Secondary recovery context from pit | 1843 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
| 12.3* | F424 | Backfill of posthole | 1916 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||
| 12.3* | F548 | Backfill of posthole | 2187 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 13.2 | Soil scoop | 1473 | 6 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 13.2 | Soil spread | 1541 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 29 | 16 | 4 | ||||||||
| 13.2 | F084 | Secondary layer in test pit | 1216 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 13.2 | F148 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1311 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 13.2 | F199 | Secondary backfill of stake hole | 1386 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 13.2 | F239 | Backfill of pit | 1520 | 6 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 13.2 | F239 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1512 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 10 | |||||||||
| 13.2 | F239 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1513 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 5 | ||||||||
| 13.2 | F268 | Secondary backfill of scoop | 1634 | 1 | 4 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 13.2 | F313 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1454 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 13.2 | F396 | Fill of cess pit | 1864 | 3 | 9 | 31 | ||||||||||
| 13.2* | F239 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1514 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 12 |
The early to mid-14th century saw the construction of a pottery kiln on the site. The pottery produced is in the Humberware tradition and has a fabric which is very similar to that produced at Walmgate, York. The latter industry is thought to have been of later 14th or 15th century date. The Blue Bridge Lane industry includes unglazed drinking jugs or bottles (i.e. they may not always have handles), a form which is known to have been current in the late 14th century. Several assemblages contain sherds of Humberware and Humberware waste, either with no other wares present at all or just small sherds of residual Roman or medieval date. However, there are also several assemblages which contain Brandsby-type ware which might be contemporary with the Humberware. Both of these assemblage types have been assigned to the early to mid-14th century, on the assumption that this is the date of production. However, it is equally possible that the production waste dates to the later 14th or 15th centuries, in which cases all of these assemblages should be grouped together with those which can definitely be assigned to a later 14th or 15th century date (see below). It is notable that the fill of the kiln itself, produced a sherd of Dutch Red Earthenware, which is uncommon on English sites before the middle of the 14th century.
| Period | Context group | Description | Context | 40 | 550 | 650 | 700 | 750 | 800 | 850 | 950 | 1000 | 1050 | 1140 | 1150 | 1250 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14.2 | 1266 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 14.2 | Definition spit | 1317 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 27 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | Layer | 1136 | 2 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | Layer | 1307 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | Layer | 1550 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 14.2 | Layer | 1651 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 86 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | Layer | 1673 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | Layer | 1679 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | Layer | 2184 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | Recovery context | 1425 | 7 | |||||||||||||
| 14.2 | Recovery context | 1681 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 45 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | Recovery context | 1683 | 34 | |||||||||||||
| 14.2 | Recovery context | 1716 | 1 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | Recovery context | 1719 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | Recovery context | 1732 | 67 | |||||||||||||
| 14.2 | Recovery context | 1809 | 9 | |||||||||||||
| 14.2 | Recovery context for cleaning layer | 1648 | 4 | 4 | 25 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | Recovery context for cleaning layer | 1666 | 23 | |||||||||||||
| 14.2 | Soil spread | 1331 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 5 | |||||||
| 14.2 | Soil spread | 1370 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | Soil spread | 1433 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 51 | 7 | 6 | ||||||||
| 14.2 | Soil spread | 1750 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 4 | 5 | |||||||||
| 14.2 | Soil spread? | 1635 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | Spread | 1166 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 14.2 | Spread | 1667 | 2 | 1 | 42 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | Spread | 1668 | 1 | 61 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | Spread | 1669 | 6 | |||||||||||||
| 14.2 | Spread | 1805 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F038 | Backfill of scoop | 1140 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||
| 14.2 | F038 | Secondary backfill of scoop | 1139 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| 14.2 | F049 | Secondary backfill of manhole | 1172 | 1 | 10 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F050 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1173 | 289 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F051 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1174 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F052 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1175 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F052 | Spread in pit | 1759 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F055 | Secondary backfill of possible posthole | 1178 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F057 | Secondary backfill of scoop | 1184 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F062 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1192 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F086 | Secondary deposit in test pit | 1218 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F087 | Secondary backfill in possible pit | 1224 | 1 | 2 | 11 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F089 | Not a feature | 1231 | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F109 | Backfill of terrace | 1640 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F109 | Secondary backfill of terrace | 1643 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F109 | Secondary recovery context from terrace | 1260 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F121 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1265 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F125 | Primary fill of pit | 1275 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F125 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1579 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F150 | Backfill of cess pit | 1312 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 3 | |||||||||
| 14.2 | F150 | Backfill of cess pit | 1332 | 4 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F150 | Backfill of cess pit | 1333 | 2 | 6 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F150 | Backfill of cess pit | 1334 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||
| 14.2 | F150 | Backfill of cess pit | 1335 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F150 | Backfill of cess pit | 1339 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F151 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1313 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F153 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1182 | 3 | 13 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F156 | 2333 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F161 | Backfill of pit | 1329 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F183 | Backfill of pit | 1358 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F185 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1365 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F186 | Primary backfill of pit | 1372 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 10 | |||||||||
| 14.2 | F186 | Secondary backfill of scoop | 1364 | 1 | 11 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F187 | Secondary make-up of surface | 1180 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| 14.2 | F191 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1376 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F195 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1380 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F211 | Backfill of brick-lined pit | 1522 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F211 | Backfill of brick-lined pit | 1523 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F211 | Backfill of brick-lined pit | 1524 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F211 | Secondary make-up of kiln | 1401 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F211 | Secondary recovery context of kiln | 1525 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F218 | Backfill of pit | 1515 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | |||||||||
| 14.2 | F218 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1409 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||
| 14.2 | F223 | Backfill of quarry pit | 1484 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 15 | 16 | ||||||
| 14.2 | F223 | Backfill of quarry pit | 1489 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | ||||||||
| 14.2 | F226 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1492 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||
| 14.2 | F227 | Backfill of pit | 1495 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 2 | |||||
| 14.2 | F235 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1557 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F235 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1559 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F236 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1431 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 23 | |||||||||
| 14.2 | F236 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1432 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |||||||||
| 14.2 | F240 | Recovery context from pit | 1210 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F240 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1608 | 2 | 3 | 14 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F248 | Secondary backfill of scoop | 1185 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F257 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1576 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F259 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1585 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F259 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1586 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||
| 14.2 | F260 | Secondary deposit in scoop | 1603 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 2 | |||||||
| 14.2 | F274 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1646 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F286 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1654 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F298 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1672 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F325 | Backfill of pit | 1191 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | |||||||||
| 14.2 | F325 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1715 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F330 | Secondary backfill of posthole | 1188 | 13 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F333 | Primary fill of pit | 1736 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |||||||||
| 14.2 | F333 | Secondary backfill of pit | 1734 | 2 | 1 | 29 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F334 | Fill of hearth | 1740 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F351 | Primary refuse backfill of pit | 2113 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F351 | Primary refuse backfill of pit | 2115 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F351 | Recovery context from pit | 2107 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 26 | ||||||||
| 14.2 | F351 | Secondary backfill of pit | 2106 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F351 | Secondary backfill of pit | 2111 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F352 | Backfill of terrace | 1537 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 210 | |||||||||
| 14.2 | F352 | Backfill of terrace | 1685 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 142 | F352 | Backfill of terrace | 1689 | 4 | 1 | 8 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F352 | Backfill of terrace | 1692 | 8 | 4 | 33 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F352 | Secondary backfill of terrace | 1189 | 1 | 28 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F352 | Secondary backfill of terrace | 1538 | 5 | 69 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F352 | Secondary backfill of terrace | 1539 | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 14.2 | F352 | Secondary backfill of terrace | 1687 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 41 | |||||||||
| 14.2 | F352 | Secondary backfill of terrace | 1688 | 3 | 29 | |||||||||||
| 14.2 | F352 | Secondary backfill of terrace | 1690 | 1 | 1 | 60 | ||||||||||
| 14.2 | F352 | Secondary backfill of terrace | 1693 | 30 |
