Blue Bridge Lane
&
Fishergate House
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An archaeological excavation was undertaken by Field Archaeology Specialists (FAS) Ltd on the site of the Mecca Bingo Hall at Blue Bridge Lane, York in association with Mike Griffiths & Associates on behalf of Rank Leisure. Fieldwork was undertaken between July 2001 and July 2002, following a programme of evaluation carried out during December 2000 and January 2001. The excavation encountered 1285 deposits dated from the Roman period to the 20th century of which 245 deposits were sampled for assessment, yielding well in excess of 4242 litres of sediment. The majority of material derived from pit features, many of Anglian date, but ditches, post holes, scoops, kilns, layers and a well were also represented. The amount of sediment taken, which ranged from 1 to 100 litres, and its subsequent treatment, depended upon the deposit and feature type, the amount of sediment available, and the potential of this material to be informative when combined with stratigraphic and dating evidence. Dependent upon their potential and volume, samples were subjected to one or a number of three processing techniques of increasingly fine recovery. As a result, sediment from 87 contexts were subjected to fine-mesh sieving, samples from 216 contexts was processed through flotation in a Sir~f (water recycling) tank, and thirteen tubs from thirteen contexts were retained for further analysis due to potential preserved uncharred organic content. Nine of these retained samples were subjected to more detailed laboratory assessment along with 20 Sir~f washovers selected on the basis of archaeological importance and abundance of charred organic matter. In addition, a large volume of sediment was processed in the field through wet coarse-sieving within a 10mm mesh.
The aim of the excavation was to record and characterise archaeological deposits for the purpose of data retrieval in advance of their destruction through development. The aim of the sediment analysis was twofold: to maximise the amount of data recovered from the excavated sediments and, to establish the character of the archaeological sediments in terms of the presence and preservation of uncharred and charred organic material such as plants and insects that could be further studied toward the elucidation of past diet, living conditions and building materials as well as the reconstruction of site formation processes and waste disposal management.
Sir~f flotation was used for samples with potential for waterlogged preservation of organic materials, for fine charred organic matter (such as carbonised seeds and grains) or with particularly small finds. Samples were washed down within a 1mm mesh held inside a water recycling flotation (Sir~f) tank with the light fraction washed over into a 250 micron mesh. This light fraction was kept wet, as was the heavy residue if it contained uncharred organic material. Where there was evidence of uncharred material within flotation samples, and where the original sample size allowed, c. 10 litres was retained for more detailed and thorough processing and analysis. Fine-mesh sieving was used for samples of large volume or lower priority where there was a likelihood of very small finds (such as beads and fish bones) and involved disaggregating material within a 2mm mesh with the aid of a hose. The residue of this process was then dried out. Dried residues from flotation and fine-mesh sieving were screened using 2mm and 5mm test sieves, producing three fractions (<2mm, 2-5mm and >5mm),all of which were retained but only the larger two were sorted for cultural and environmental materials. With the exception of the large residue from F29 C1112, other wet residues were not screened, merely being rapidly sorted and re-bagged. Notes were made on the abundance (rare, occasional, common or very common) and retention (discarded, sampled or kept) of these objects. Samples subjected to coarse-sieving tended to be those with little potential for organic remains, either due to preservation (following Sir~f flotation of a proportion of the sample), or because of deposit status, or, for finds recovery when a large sample had already been processed for environmental remains. Such material was washed down within 10mm mesh using a hose gun. Any finds were separated and kept while the rest of the residue was immediately disposed of. The nine samples subjected to more detailed assessment used the usual methods of Kenward et al. (1980) involving disaggregation and sieving but were 'washed over' and dried rather than paraffinated because of a perceived lack of insects. Plant remains and other components of the dried washovers from this process and their residues along with those from the 20 selected Sir~f washovers were recorded briefly by 'scanning', identifiable taxa and other components being listed directly to a PC using Paradox and Access software. A summary of the action taken on each sediment sample can be found in Appendix 1.
The proportions of dry residue components from flotation can be found in Appendix 2 and those from fine-mesh sieving in Appendix 3. Samples subjected to flotation have the suffix 'flot', to fine-mesh sieving 'fms' and to laboratory flotation'T'. A summary of plant remains from these samples can be found in Appendix 4.
F4 C1006/flot
Flotation of the entire 6L sample produced a small light fraction containing
a large amount of modern rootlets and some carbonised seeds. Fish bone and
hammerscale were rare within the small residue.
F4 C1029/cs (11th century)
10L was coarse-sieved producing small amounts of animal bone, coarse pottery
and cbm.
F4 C1031/flot (11th century)
Flotation of 30L produced a light fraction containing a small amount of charcoal
and a lot of modern organic matter including leaves and grass. The gravelly
residue contained a small amount of charcoal.
F4 C1041/flot
Flotation of 30L produced a very small light fraction. The residue contained
a high proportion of mortar and bone was rare (including an amphibian pelvis).
F4 C1041/cs
10L was coarse sieved for small finds producing a large amount of mortar while
cbm, animal bone and charcoal were more occasional.
F13 C1058/cs (Anglian)
10L was coarse sieved producing a lot of animal bone and the occasional fragment
of cbm.
F13 C1059/cs (Anglian)
10L was coarse sieved yielding animal bone, cbm and coarse black pottery.
F13 C1061/cs (Roman)
10L coarse sieved. A moderate amount of animal bone was recovered, along with
some coarse pottery and cbm.
F13 C1061/fms (Roman)
The residue contained occasional fragments of bone (including fish, amphibian,
bird and mammal) but iron, hammerscale, flint, mollusc (including oyster),
cbm and charcoal were only rarely present. Slag and plaster were also recovered.
F13 C1064/flot (Roman)
Flotation of a 30L sample produced a large light fraction containing a significant
quantity of charred material including seeds and grains. The residue contained
a large amount of animal bone, including mammal, fish, amphibian and bird
(some burnt) while charcoal was more occasional. Glass, pottery, iron, slag/hammerscale,
vfa and carbonised organic (hazelnut shell) were rare. Marine mollusc shell
was observed during processing but dissolved.
F13 C1065/flot (Anglian)
A 30L sample was subjected to flotation and produced a significant quantity
of carbonised material in the light fraction. Detailed assessment indicated
that the charcoal derived from a number of tree taxa, including oak, ash and
willow/poplar/ aspen while oat, barley and wheat grains along with a field
bean, traces of weed and fused plant ash were also identified. The residue
contained a large proportion of animal bone, including fish and amphibian
(some burnt or calcined) and charcoal was very common. Charred organic (including
hazel nutshell and grain) was present, while cbm, vfa and slag/hammerscale
were rare. Also retrieved were a small fragment of blue decorated glass and
part of a decorated loom?/fishing? weight.
F13 C1065/fms (Anglian)
Within the dirty residue charcoal and bone (sometimes burnt and including
fish, mammal and amphibian) were common while hammerscale, slag, flint and
iron fragments were rare. There was a single fragment of glass.
C1089/cs (Roman)
A 10L sample was coarse sieved for small finds yielding a small amount of
cbm fragments.
F38 C1140/flot (12th century+)
Flotation of 10L produced a moderate amount of charcoal in the light fraction.
In the residue, bone (including fish and small mammal) and charcoal were occasional
while hammerscale and pottery were rare.
F13 C1142/flot (Anglian)
The entire 10L was subjected to flotation yielding a moderate light fraction
containing a fair amount of charcoal and including burnt grain. The gravelly
residue contained occasional fragments of animal bone (some burnt) and slag/hammerscale,
while cbm, charcoal, vfa and blue glass were rare.
F13 C1142/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 10L produced a moderate amount of charcoal in the light fraction.
The residue contained frequent animal bone while cbm, and hammerscale were
occasional. Charcoal and vfa occurred rarely and slag was also present.
F13 C1142/fms (Anglian)
The 252g residue produced frequent fragments of bone while cbm was rare. Charcoal
and iron occurred occasionally.
F13 C1142/fms (Anglian)
Within the residue bone (sometimes burnt, mostly unidentifiable) was common
while cbm, charcoal and ferrous material were occasional.
F13 C1143/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of a 10L sample produced a moderate light fraction largely comprising
charcoal. The residue contained occasional bone fragments, some calcined,
including cattle, caprovid and pig. A small amount of cbm, slag and hammerscale
was also recovered along with some burnt clay.
F13 C1144/flot (Anglian)
A 20L sample was floated producing a large light fraction comprising carbonised
material including charred seeds and grains. Detailed assessment identified
oak charcoal along with traces if charred cereal grains which included oat,
barley and wheat along with fused plant ash. The residue also contained a
high proportion of carbonised matter along with less frequent fragments of
animal bone (some burnt). Slag, hammerscale, iron and pottery (Samian ware)
were rare.
F13 C1144/fms (Anglian)
Charcoal and bone (including fish and amphibian) occurred occasionally in
the residue, burnt grain, ferrous material (including hammerscale) and cbm
more rarely.
F13 C1145/flot? (Anglian)
Within the sorted residue charcoal and bone (including caprovid and fish)
were common while hammerscale was rare.
F13 C1145/flot (Anglian)
The residue weighed 856g and contained frequent animal bone, occasional cbm
and charcoal while slag and hammerscale were rare.
F13 C1146/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of a 10L sample produced a moderate light fraction of carbonised
matter including seeds. The residue contained frequent fish, amphibian, mammal
and bird bone, occasional hammerscale and slag while cbm was rare.
F13 C1147/flot (Anglian)
The entire 30L sample was subjected to flotation producing a very large amount
of charred matter including seeds, grains and lumps of charcoal. Detailed
assessment identified plant ash, oak and hazel/alder charcoal along with charred
grains of oat, barley and wheat. The residue (which weighed 670g) contained
animal bone (including fish, small mammal and a cattle mandible), charcoal
and more rarely, hammerscale, slag, iron and cbm. Also found was a small fragment
of a bone comb and a piece of charred hazelnut shell.
F13 C1147/fms (Anglian)
The residue weighed 1600g and contained occasional fragments of charcoal and
animal bone (including fish, bird, amphibian, small mammal and burnt) but
otherwise iron, hammerscale, vfa and mortar/plaster were rare, and there were
single cases of nutshell, flint and glass.
F13 C1148/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of a 30L sample produced a small amount of carbonised material in
the light fraction. Within the residue, bone, particularly of amphibian, was
occasional while hammerscale, charcoal, pottery and cbm were rare.
F39 C1150/flot (13th century+)
The entire 10L sample was floated producing very little in the way of a light
fraction. Within the residue bone and slag/hammerscale were rare and there
was also an iron object.
F43 C1163/flot (Roman 2nd century+)
Flotation of 10L of sediment produced a tiny light fraction and within the
residue pottery, cbm, hammerscale, bone (including fish) and iron (including
a square tack and a nail) were rare while charcoal was present a little more
often.
F44 C1164/flot (12th century+)
Flotation of a 30L sample produced a light fraction containing carbonised
seeds, while bone, tile and metal were observed in the residue.
F44 C1164/fms (12th century+)
The residue was almost completely sterile. There was a moderate amount of
ferrous material including an iron object (but not hammerscale), while bone
(including amphibian and fish) was occasional. Pottery and cbm occurred only
rarely.
F46 C1167/flot (?Roman/?10th-11th)
A 20L sample was floated yielding a large amount of carbonised material, including
seeds and grain, accompanied by some uncharred modern material. Within the
residue, charcoal, bone, cbm and daub were occasional while hammerscale was
rare. There were single fragments each of lead and glass.
F58 C1186/flot (14th century+)
30L was subjected to flotation producing a light fraction containing a few
carbonised seeds and grains. Within the residue cbm was occasional, but other
materials such as pottery, bone (including fish and amphibian), hammerscale,
iron, charcoal, charred organic (including grains) and plaster/mortar were
rare.
F325 C1191/flot (14th century+)
Flotation of a 10L sample yielded a small amount of charred material in the
light fraction. The residue produced frequent cbm and occasional fragments
of charcoal and slag/hammerscale, while pottery, bone (including fish) and
mussel shell were more rare. There were single examples of a burnt seed and
of a tiny copper ring.
C1255/flot (13th century+)
Flotation of a 10L sample produced a small amount of charred material and
a lot of modern roots. Bone (including fish) and hammerscale, along with two
fragments of iron occurred only rarely within the residue. Cbm occurred occasionally.
F219 C1270/fms (14th century+)
The dried residue, weighing 3622g, contained cbm, mortar, pottery, bone and
charcoal.
F125 C1275/flot (14th century+)
A 10L sample was floated producing a small light fraction containing frequent
charcoal, occasional cbm and rare bone, slag and glass along with some carbonised
seeds.
F126 C1276/flot (14th century+)
Roughly 4L of sediment was floated producing a small light fraction comprising
carbonised material including seeds. The residue contained very large amounts
of fish bone, while charcoal was common, cbm occasional and hammerscale rare.
There was a single piece of iron.
F143 C1285/flot
Flotation of a 10L sample produced little in the way of a light fraction.
In the residue, cbm was occasional while bone (including fish), hammerscale,
slag and charcoal were more rare.
C1286/flot (14th century+)
Flotation of 10L of sediment yielded a large amount of carbonised matter,
possibly including seeds. The residue contained a lot of fragmentary cbm,
charcoal was quite common while pottery, bone (including fish) and hammerscale
were more rarely present. There was a single iron nail.
F178 C1292/flot (19th or Med 12th to 13th/Med 12th+)
Flotation of a 10L sample produced a small light fraction comprising charred
matter including grains. The residue largely comprised fragments of cbm while
bone (including fish) and hammerscale were more occasional. Glass, iron and
charred organic (including grain and grape seeds) were rare and there was
a single piece of lead.
F178 C1293/flot
The entire 10L sample was subjected to flotation producing a very tiny light
fraction. Within the residue, daub and cbm were common and hammerscale occasional
while along with a single fragment of glass, bone and charcoal were rare.
F150 C1312/flot (14th century+)
Flotation of all 30L produced a small light fraction containing carbonised
seeds and grain. The residue contained frequent amounts of bone (including
amphibian), cbm and hammerscale, while along with single fragments of iron
and copper alloy, glass (occasionally coloured yellow) and pottery were rare.
Slag was also present.
C1312/fms (14th century+)
The residue contained occasional fragments of charcoal, cbm, bone (including
fish and small mammal) and rare amounts of pottery, glass, mollusc, slag,
hammerscale, mortar/plaster, charred organic and vfa. There was also a bead.
F162 C1314/flot
Flotation of 10L produced a large light fraction of carbonised material, including
grains. Within the residue charcoal and cbm were common while bone and hammerscale
were rare, along with a single carbonised seed. Plaster and daub were also
present.
F161 C1329/flot (14th century+)
A 10L sample was floated yielding a light fraction containing carbonised seeds.
The residue contained a small amount of fish bones and of hammerscale along
with an iron object.
C1331/flot (13th/14th century)
A 10L sample was floated producing a small amount of charred material in the
light fraction. The residue contained occasional fragments of charcoal and
cbm while hammerscale, glass, pottery and bone (mammal, fish and amphibian)
were rare.
C1331/fms (13th/14th century)
The residue weighed 1864g and contained occasional fragments of animal bone
and cbm while pottery and slag was rare and there was a possible glass bead
fragment.
F150 C1332/flot (13th century+)
Flotation of a 30L sample yielded some charcoal and carbonised seeds in the
light fraction while animal bone, pottery, iron, slag, hammerscale, charcoal
and carbonised seeds were present in small quantities within the residue.
F150 C1333/fms (11th+ century)
The sorted residue contained a high proportion of cbm flecks and chips while
bone (including fish, amphibian, mammal and sometimes burnt), iron and hammerscale
were common. Charcoal was relatively rare, as was pottery, and there was a
single piece of copper alloy and three fragments of glass.
F150 C1334/flot (11th-12th century)
Flotation of 30L produced a small amount of charcoal in the light fraction.
The occurrence of pottery, bone (including fish and amphibian), mollusc (including
cockle), hammerscale, carbonised seeds, charcoal, struck flint and cbm was
recorded as 'rare'. Glass was also present.
F150 C1334/fms (11th-12th century)
The sorted residue contained small amounts of artefacts, comprising bone (including
amphibian and fish), charcoal, pottery, cbm, iron, hammerscale, burnt seeds
and grain and a single piece of glass.
F150 C1335/flot (Roman)
A 30L sample was floated and produced a light fraction comprising small amounts
of charcoal and charred grains. The residue contained small amounts of bone
(including amphibian, fish and bird), charred grains, charcoal, hammerscale,
glass, cbm and mortar.
F178 C1336/flot (13th century)
Flotation of 10L produced a small light fraction of charred material. The
residue contained occasional cbm and more rare amounts of pottery, charcoal,
hammerscale and bone (including fish and small mammal).
F164 C1337/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 20L produced a moderate light fraction containing fine charred
material and possible seeds. The residue contained frequent amounts of animal
bone (including fish and pig) and charcoal, while cbm and spherical and flat
hammerscale were more occasional. Slag was also recovered.
F163 C1338/flot (11th century/Anglo-Scandinavian)
Flotation of the entire 10L sample produced a small amount of charred material
in the light fraction. The residue contained occasional fragments of bone
(including fish, amphibian, cattle and caprovid), cbm, charcoal and hammerscale
while slag, iron and pottery were rare and there was a single piece of glass.
F150 C1339/flot (11th century+)
Flotation of 30L produced a light fraction mostly comprising charcoal but
including a few charred seeds. Bone (including amphibian and fish) was common
in the residue while hammerscale was occasional. Charred seeds, cbm and pottery
were rare and there was a single fragment of glass.
F164 C1340/flot
The entire 10L sample was floated producing a small amount of charred matter
in the light fraction. Bone (some burnt) was occasionally present in the residue,
while hammerscale, iron objects, cbm and charcoal were more rare.
F164 C1341/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of a 30L sample produced a very large amount of charred matter in
the light fraction. In the residue, which weighed 2500g, bone (including fish,
amphibian, bird and small and large mammal) was common as was charcoal, while
ceramic (possibly the remains of a mould) and hammerscale was more occasional.
Mollusc, mortar, cbm and slag were all rare. There was a single coin.
F164 C1341/fms (Anglian)
The residue contained frequent bone fragments and rare cbm. Slag, hammerscale,
iron objects charcoal, glass and flint were also present.
F221 C1343/flot
Flotation of c. 10L sample yielded a small residue containing limited amounts
of animal bone, cbm, pottery and hammerscale. Daub, slag, and iron was also
present.
F178 C1347/flot (11th century+)
Flotation of 20L yielded a small amount of carbonised material and some fish
bone in the light fraction. The residue contained occasional sheep and fish
bones and cbm with more rare amounts of pottery, slag, hammerscale and iron
objects. There was a single copper alloy artefact.
F178 C1348/flot (11th century+)
The entire 10L sample was floated producing a small amount of carbonised matter
in the light fraction. Within the residue, cbm was common, while charcoal
and bone (including fish) were more occasional and pottery and hammerscale
were rare. There were several pieces of iron and slag was also present.
F149 C1349/flot
Flotation of 10L produced a large light fraction containing carbonised material
within which seeds were observed. The fine sandy residue contained large amounts
of charcoal while cbm was occasional and both bone (including fish) and hammerscale
were rare. There was a single iron object.
C1351/flot (14th century+)
The residue contained occasional fragments of bone (including fish and amphibian)
and hammerscale/slag while cbm, pottery and charcoal were more rare.
F162 C1352/flot (12th to 13th century/14th century+)
Flotation of 10L yielded a few carbonised seeds in the light fraction while
bone (including fish and small mammal), copper wire and hammerscale were rare
in the residue. Cbm was occasional.
F162 C1353/flot
Flotation of a 10L sample produced a small amount of charred matter in the
light fraction. Within the residue, bone (including fish and sheep), charcoal,
cbm and hammerscale were rare.
F180 C1354/flot
A 10L sample was floated producing a few carbonised seeds in the light fraction.
F183 C1358/flot (14th century+)
Flotation of a 10L sample produced a small amount of charred matter. The residue
contained high amounts of cbm but bone (including fish), mortar, charcoal
and hammerscale were rare.
F58 C1367/flot (14th century+)
Flotation of 20L yielded a few burnt grains in the light fraction. Within
the residue cbm was common while pottery and charcoal were occasional. Mortar,
bone (including fish), hammerscale and burnt grains were rare. There were
one or two pieces of iron and slag and daub were present.
F58 C1368/flot (11th century+/14th century+)
Flotation of 20L produced a small light fraction comprising charcoal and a
few burnt grains along with one or two snail shells. The gravelly residue
contained small amounts of cbm, ceramic, bone (including fish), charcoal,
charred organic (including seeds and grains), glass and hammerscale.
F58 C1369/flot (11th century+/12th century+)
A 20L sample was subjected to flotation producing a moderate amount of charred
matter in the light fraction, including carbonised seeds. Detailed assessment
of the washover indicated the presence of cereal, including rye and possible
lentil. Charcoal was common within the residue, as was cbm while bone (including
fish and bird) was more occasional. Pottery (including green-glazed), iron,
hammerscale and charred organic (which included seeds and grains) were recorded
as 'rare'.
C1370/flot (14th century+)
10L was subjected to flotation, with some damage resulting from the process
of breaking down extensive clay lumps. The light fraction contained some carbonised
seeds and grains while in the residue pottery, cbm, bone (including fish)
and hammerscale were rare.
F186 C1372/flot (14th century+)
Flotation of 10L produced a few carbonised seeds and grains in the light fraction
while the residue contained rare amounts of animal bone, cbm, charcoal, iron
and hammerscale.
F190 C1375/flot (11th century+)
Flotation of a 5L sample produced a small light fraction containing charcoal
and charred seeds. The residue contained occasional cbm and charcoal while
pottery, hammerscale and bone (including fish) were rare.
F190 C1375/fms (11th century+)
The residue contained frequent animal bones (particularly amphibian), charcoal
was occasional and cbm and hammerscale were rare.
F191 C1376/flot (Roman/14th century+)
A 1.5L sample was floated producing a light fraction comprising modern roots.
The residue contained a small amount of bone.
F198 C1383/flot (14th century+)
20L was floated yielding a moderate light fraction of carbonised material.
In the residue, bone (including mammal, amphibian, fish and bird), and hammerscale
were occasional while charcoal and cbm were common. Pottery was rare while
plaster, iron objects and slag were also present.
F198 C1384/flot (12th to 13th century/13th century)
Flotation of 20L yielded a moderate light fraction comprising charred material
including grains as well as unburnt fish bones. The gravelly residue contained
occasional bone fragments (including fish, chicken and mammal) and hammerscale
while pottery, iron objects and charred seeds were rare.
F203 C1393/flot (Anglian)
A 30L sample was floated producing a very small light fraction of carbonised
material. Within the small residue (weighing 640g) bone (including fish and
amphibian), hammerscale, cbm, glass and charcoal were rare and a single droplet
of lead was recovered.
F218 C1401/fms (14th century+)
Bone, cbm, iron and hammerscale were rare while slag and glass were also present.
F223 C1404/flot (11th century+)
The residue produced frequent cbm, occasional animal bone and a ferrous object.
Slag was also present.
F218 C1409/flot (12th century+)
Flotation of 10L produced a small amount of charcoal and carbonised seeds
in the light fraction. Slag was noted in the residue.
F219 C1429/flot (14th century+/early post-medieval L.15th
century)
Flotation of 20L yielded a small amount of charred material and a lot of modern
rootlets in the light fraction. Within the residue, bone, including fish,
was occasionally present, while pottery and hammerscale were more rare. There
was a single piece of copper alloy wire and an iron object.
C1429/fms (14th century+/early post-medieval L.15th century)
The 605g residue contained occasional charcoal, cbm and bone (including fish,
small mammal and caprovid) while mortar, ferrous material, mollusc and pottery
(including brown glazed) were rare.
C1433/flot (12th century+)
A 10L sample was subjected to flotation producing a small light fraction of
charred material. The residue contained occasional fragments of animal bone
(including fish), cbm and charcoal. Pottery and iron were rare.
C1433/fms (12th century+)
The residue, weighing 1532g, contained occasional animal bone and rare cbm,
pottery, flint, slag and hammerscale.
F215 C1435/flot (14th century+)
20L were floated producing a large charred light fraction which included carbonised
seeds. Material from the residue was rather sparse, comprising rare amounts
of bone (including small mammal and fish), hammerscale and a single carbonised
grain. Cbm was occasional and plaster, an iron object and piece of copper
alloy wire were also present.
F215 C1435/fms (14th century+)
The residue, which weighed 2511g, contained frequent cbm, occasional pottery,
bone (including fish, bird and mammal) and charcoal while, mortar, painted
plaster and ferrous material were rare.
F215 C1436/flot (12th to 13th century+)
A 20L sample was processed through flotation producing a small charred light
fraction which included carbonised grain. The residue contained occasional
cbm while bone (including fish and chicken), hammerscale and charcoal were
rare.
F215 C1436/fms (12th to 13th century+)
The residue contained occasional animal bone (including fish and amphibian)
while pottery, glass, flint, iron, hammerscale and uncharred seeds were rare.
F215 C1439/flot (12th to 13th century+/ 14th century+)
Flotation of 10L yielded a large amount of carbonised material. The residue
contained occasional fragments of bone (including fish and amphibian) and
iron, and more rarely, hammerscale.
F215 C1441/flot (14th century+)
Flotation of 10L produced a large amount of charcoal in the light fraction.
Within the residue, cbm and charcoal were common while mortar and bone were
more occasional. Hammerscale and iron (including nails) were rare, while there
was a few sherds of pottery (including pale green glazed).
F198 C1442/flot (14th century+)
Flotation of 30L produced a moderate amount of fine charred material, including
burnt grain. The residue contained a fair amount of bone (including fish,
small mammal and amphibian). Charcoal, cbm and hammerscale were occasional
while iron and pottery were rare. There were single cases of a burnt grain
and several lumps of copper alloy. Slag was also present.
F198 C1442/fms (14th century+)
The residue contained frequent cbm and bone (including fish and amphibian),
and a small amount of hammerscale, iron (including nails) and mussel shell.
There was a single copper alloy stud, pottery was rare and flint and mortar
were also present.
F198 C1443/flot (11th century+)
A 10L sample was floated producing a moderate amount of charred material.
Bone was rare, cbm occasional and hammerscale and slag were present within
the residue.
F198 C1444/flot (12th century+/14th century+)
20L of sediment was subjected to flotation and yielded a large light fraction
of charred matter which included burnt grain. Within the gravelly residue,
cbm was very common while charcoal, bone (including fish, bird and mammal,
of which about 30% was burnt)were slightly less so. Mortar was present occasionally,
while along with a single piece of glass, pottery, iron nail fragments and
hammerscale were rare.
F353 C1449/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 30L yielded a large amount of carbonised material. Within the
residue, bone (including fish and amphibian) was common while cbm and charcoal
were occasional. Hammerscale, slag, iron objects and charred organic material
(including nutshell) were rare, and there were several fragments of glass.
F353 C1449/fms (Anglian)
The residue contained occasional charcoal, iron, hammerscale and animal bone
(including fish, amphibian and mammal and sometimes burnt), rare charred seeds,
two fragments of glass and a single bit of flint.
F223 C1484/flot (12th century+/14th century+)
10L was floated producing a small amount of charcoal in the light fraction.
Within the residue charcoal was common while bone (including fish) and hammerscale
were occasional. There was a single piece of lead and of possible charred
wooden peg.
F219 C1485/fms (14th century+)
The residue weighed 3220g and contained frequent cbm and occasional bone (including
fish and bird). Charcoal, pottery, shell, iron, slag and hammerscale were
all rare while there was a single piece of lead.
C1486/fms (?Pmed (14th+))
Within the residue weighing 2458g, cbm was common, mortar and vfa occasional
but all other materials, comprising bone (including fish, bird and mammal),
mollusc (including mussel and snail), pottery, charcoal, iron, slag and hammerscale,
were rare.
F223 C1489/flot (11th-12th+ century)
Flotation of a 10L sample yielded a moderate amount of charcoal and possible
burnt grain. The gravelly residue contained frequent animal bone (including
fish) while cbm, pottery and hammerscale were rare. Slag was present and two
fragments of glass were also recovered.
F225 C1491/flot (14th century+)
A 10L sample was floated producing a large light fraction with some carbonised
seeds. The residue contained a single iron object. Detailed assessment of
the washover identified oak charcoal, fused plant ash, charred hazelnut shell
and poorly preserved cereal grains.
F225 C1491/fms (14th century+)
Within the residue weighing 733g charcoal and animal bone (including fish,
mammal and burnt) were common, cbm was occasional and ferrous material and
pottery were rare. There was a single nutshell, flint and piece of glass.
F225 C1493/flot (Anglian/12th century+)
Flotation of 10L produced a moderate light fraction of carbonised material
and modern rootlets. Occasional bone was observed in the residue while cbm
and pottery were rare.
F225 C1493/fms (Anglian/12th century+)
The residue contained occasional animal bone (including fish) while cbm, charcoal
and hammerscale were rare.
F225 C1494/flot (Anglian/12th century+)
Flotation of 20L yielded a large light fraction of carbonised material which
included seeds and bark. Detailed assessment of this material identified oak
charcoal but also clasts of burnt bread and possible burnt peat. Fragments
of loom weight, occasionally burnt, comprised around 50% of the residue, while
animal bone (including cattle, pig and fish) and daub, again, occasionally
burnt, along with charcoal were common. Hammerscale was more occasional while
pottery, slag, iron and vfa were rare.
F225 C1494/fms (Anglian/12th century+)
A small residue weighing 344g produced frequent cbm, bone (including bird,
mammal and commonly calcined) and occasional charcoal. There was also some
slag.
F218 C1515/flot (12th to 13th century)
A 10L sample was subjected to flotation producing a small light fraction of
charred material. The residue contained occasional bone (including fish and
small mammal) and charcoal while pottery, cbm, lead, glass and hammerscale
were rare. Slag was also present.
F218 C1515/fms (12th to 13th century)
The residue contained occasional bone while pottery and cbm were rare. Flint,
iron objects, slag and hammerscale were also present.
F241 C1516/flot
Flotation of a 10L sample produced a large amount of charred material in the
light fraction. The residue contained animal bone.
F241 C1517/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 30L producing a lot of carbonised material (including grain)
in the light fraction, along with possible uncharred wood. Detailed assessment
observed fused plant ash, mineralised plant seeds and embryos, fly puparia
and earth worm capsules as well as possible faecal concretions and fish bone.
Within the residue bone was common (including fish and shrew), as was charcoal.
Cbm was present occasionally while mortar and hammerscale were both rare.
F241 C1517/fms (Anglian)
The residue contained frequent animal bone while cbm and pottery were very
rare. Slag, hammerscale, iron objects, charcoal, flint, fossil and seeds were
also present.
F241 C1518/flot (Anglian)
A 10L sample was processed through flotation producing a small light fraction
largely comprising charred material but with one or two possible pieces of
insect chitin. 10L was therefore retained for further analysis. The residue
contained a small amount of bone (including fish) and hammerscale.
F241 C1518/T (Anglian)
A 3L sample was subjected to laboratory flotation producing a small washover
with some moderate sized fragments of oak charcoal. The residue comprised
sand, gravel and cobbles and contained some bone (including fish) possible
faecal concretions, fused plant ash and the charred remains of hazel nut shell,
oat, cereal and possible wheat grains.
F241 C1518/fms (Roman)
The residue yielded occasional fragments of bone (including herring, eel,
fish, amphibian and mammal) while other components such as pottery, cbm, glass,
charcoal, ferrous material (including iron objects, slag and hammerscale)
and charred organic (including grain and nutshell) were present more rarely.
There was a single copper alloy object.
F239 C1520/flot (14th century+)
The entire 10L sample was floated producing a small light fraction. The residue
contained occasional fragments of bone (including fish), charcoal and cbm
while pottery, hammerscale and iron nails were rare. Slag and mortar were
also present.
F239 C1520/fms (14th century+)
The residue contained occasional animal bone and hammerscale while charcoal,
iron and cbm were rare. Slag and mortar were also represented.
F211 C1522/flot (14th century+)
The entire 10L sample was subjected to flotation producing a charcoally light
fraction. Within the residue cbm and charcoal were common while bone was more
occasional with pottery and hammerscale rare. There was a single piece of
glass and plaster was also present.
F211 C1523/flot (14th century+)
Flotation of the entire 10L sample yielded carbonised seeds and a fruit stone
in the light fraction identified during detailed assessment as elder seeds
and a large mineralised plum stone (or similar) while in the residue bone
(including fish) and cbm were common. Hammerscale, iron, pottery and charcoal
was more rare and there was a single lump of copper alloy.
F211 C1524/flot (14th century+)
Flotation of 10L produced a moderate amount of charred material, including
grains, in the light fraction, while within the residue bone and cbm were
common, hammerscale occasional and grape seeds rare. Pottery was also rare.
Detailed assessment identified uncharred and unmineralised seeds of blackberry
and henbane while oat, crushed fishbone, and mineralised woodlouse were also
observed.
F241 C1526/flot (Roman)
30L was floated producing a light fraction containing a moderate amount of
small charcoal fragments. Charcoal was common within the residue and there
were large numbers of animal bones, particularly of small mammals although
cattle, pig, caprovid, goose, bird, fish and amphibians were also represented.
Cbm was occasional while pottery, hammerscale, and faecal concretions were
rare.
F241 C1526/fms (Roman)
Charcoal was common, bone (including fish) occasional while pottery, iron
and hammerscale were rare. Slag and glass were also recovered.
F242 C1527/flot (12th century+)
Flotation of 50L produced a large amount of charcoal and carbonised seeds
and grain in the light fraction. Within the residue charcoal (forming a high
proportion of the residue), cbm and mortar were very common while bone, sometimes
burnt, was more occasional. Other items, such as pottery, mollusc, iron, hammerscale,
carbonised organic material (including seeds) were rare. There was a single
copper alloy pin.
F242 C1527/fms (12th century+)
A large proportion of the residue was composed of charcoal with cbm and mortar/plaster
also common. Bone (including fish and mammal), pottery, copper alloy, ferrous
material (including hammerscale) and charred grain and seeds were rare.
F242 C1528/flot (Post-medieval)
Flotation of 40L yielded a large carbonised light fraction. The residue contained
a lot of evidence of building materials with very large amounts of mortar
while coal, cbm, and bone (including amphibian, fish and small mammal) were
common. Oyster shells, slag, hammerscale and fragments of limestone were occasional
while pottery, iron and glass were present more rarely. There was a single
piece of copper alloy wire.
F242 C1528/fms (Post-medieval)
The residue contained large amounts of charcoal and occasional burnt seeds
(including grape), bone (including fish), iron and hammerscale.
F241 C1531/flot (Roman)
Flotation of 30L produced a small amount of fine charred material and modern
rootlets. Within the residue, bone (including mammal, bird, fish and amphibian)
was common as was charcoal. Pottery (including greyware), hammerscale and
charred organic were more rare while there was a single piece of glass.
F241 C1531/fms (Roman)
Charcoal was very common within the residue while bone (including mammal,
fish, amphibian) was common. Glass, hammerscale and cbm were rare and slag
was also present
F211 C1532/flot
The entire 10L sample was floated producing a very small carbonised light
fraction. Charcoal, cbm and bone (including fish) were occasional in the residue
while hammerscale and charred seeds were rare.
F241 C1533/flot
Flotation of 10L produced a rather small carbonised light fraction with a
few possible burnt seeds. Artefacts, comprising bone (including fish), charcoal
and hammerscale were present only rarely in the residue.
F143 C1534/flot
The entire context, totalling 2L was floated producing a small light fraction
of fine charcoal. The residue contained small amounts of charcoal, hammerscale,
cbm and bone (including fish).
F143 C1535/flot (Roman)
Flotation of a 10L sample produced a small light fraction of carbonised material.
Bone and hammerscale were present in the residue.
F352 C1537/fms (12th century+/14th century+)
The sorted residue yielded occasional cbm, charcoal and bone (including fish
and mammal) while pottery, iron, slag and hammerscale were rare.
C1541/flot (12th to 13th century)
Flotation of the entire 10L sample produced a small carbonised light fraction.
The gravelly, pebbly light fraction contained occasional cbm, but bone (including
fish and bird), pottery, hammerscale and charcoal were otherwise rare.
F246 C1543/flot (Anglian/12th century+)
30L of sediment was processed by flotation producing a moderate sized light
fraction of carbonised material. Within the residue, bone (including fish
and bird), charcoal, cbm, and hammerscale were occasional while there were
single instances of a bone pin (broken) and a hazelnut shell.
F245 C1548/flot (11th-12th century/l.15th century+)
Flotation of 30L of sediment yielded a moderate amount of carbonised material
in the light fraction. In the residue bone (including fish, amphibian and
mammal) was occasional, cbm, pottery and charcoal rare, and there were single
cases of hazelnut shell, iron object and glass bead.
F250 C1560/flot (12th to 13th century+)
A 30L sample was floated producing a small amount of charred material. The
residue, weighing 412g contained rare amounts of bone, hammerscale, glass
and weathered cbm.
F251 C1561/flot (11th-13th century)
Flotation of a 10L sample produced a moderate amount of carbonised material
in the light fraction along with some modern rootlets. Within the residue
bone (including fish, bird and caprovid) was common as was cbm, while charcoal
was occasional and hammerscale, iron, plaster and mortar/plaster rare.
F252 C1562/fms (12th to 13th century+)
The residue weighing 595g was composed entirely of bone, cbm and ceramic.
F253 C1569/flot (Post-medieval?)
Flotation of 20L produced a light fraction containing very little carbonised
material but a lot of uncharred organic matter, mostly modern rootlets. 10L
was retained for further analysis. Within the residue, bone (including fish
and mammal) was occasional while pottery, iron, hammerscale and glass were
rare. There were single cases of burnt nutshell and a flint chip with concoidal
fracture.
F253 C1569/fms (Post-medieval?)
The residue contained occasional bone fragments (including fish, bird and
mammal) while cbm and charcoal were common. Mollusc, pottery, plaster, iron
and hammerscale were rare, and there was a single burnt grain.
F252 C1571/flot (12th to 13th century+)
A 20L sample yielded a moderate amount of carbonised light material along
with modern rootlets. Within the residue, bone (including small mammal, amphibian,
pig, caprovid, cat, rabbit and, in particular, fish) was common, as was pottery,
while hammerscale, carbonised seeds, and glass (including coloured) were rare.
There was a single piece of copper alloy and plaster and iron objects were
also present.
F252 C1571/fms (12th to 13th century+)
Within the residue charcoal, cbm and bone were common (particularly fish,
but including mammal which was occasionally calcined), while pottery, iron,
slag and hammerscale were occasional. Glass, plaster, flint and charred grain
occurred rarely.
F256 C1574/flot (Anglo-Scandinavian)
Flotation of 30L produced a moderate light fraction of fine charred material.
Bone (including fish and amphibian) was very common in the residue and a high
proportion was calcined. Charcoal occurred occasionally while slag, hammerscale
cbm chips and lead were rare.
F256 C1574/fms (Anglo-Scandinavian)
The sorted residue contained bone, hammerscale and seeds.
F125 C1577/flot
Flotation of 10L produced a light fraction containing uncharred seeds. The
wet residue was not sorted, but large numbers of tiny fish bones were observed.
F126 C1580/flot
Flotation of c. 15L produced a light fraction mostly comprising fish bone
with a little charcoal. The residue comprised almost entirely of fish bone
with some larger mammal and bird fragments. Not sorted.
F78 C1581/flot
Roughly 1.5L of sediment was processed through flotation producing a large
charcoally light fraction. The residue contained frequent cbm and occasional
hammerscale; pottery, charcoal and mortar/plaster were more rare and there
was a single fragment of glass.
F126 C1590/flot (14th century+)
Flotation of 10L produced a light fraction containing carbonised matter and
uncharred seeds. The residue largely comprised charcoal and fish bone (mostly
herring) while cbm was present more occasionally. Mussel shell, pottery and
hammerscale occurred rarely and there was a single piece of copper alloy.
F126 C1590/fms (14th century+)
Within the residue bone, especially herring, was very common. Charcoal was
also common while cbm was more occasional. Other components, such as burnt
grain (which had a holey appearance and may have been spoiled), pottery, ferrous
material, vfa and copper alloy, were rare. Glass was also present.
F156 C1592/flot (12th to 13th century+)
A 10L sample was floated producing a very large charred light fraction. Charcoal
comprised a large proportion of the residue and cbm, slag and hammerscale
were occasional. Bone (including fish) was rare and there was a single iron
object.
F122 C1604/flot (14th to 15th century+)
Flotation of 30L produced a light fraction containing a moderate amt of charcoal.
Within the residue charcoal and cbm were common while bone (including fish)
and hammerscale was occasional. Iron, copper wire, mussel shell and carbonised
grain were rare.
F122 C1604/fms (14th to 15th century+)
The residue contained occasional animal bone (including fish and mammal, some
of which was burnt), cbm and ferrous material (including hammerscale). Charcoal,
pottery and mollusc were rare.
C1636/flot (12th to 13th century+)
Flotation of 10L produced only a very small light fraction. Within the residue
bone (including fish), cbm and charcoal appeared occasionally while hammerscale
occurred more rarely, along with a single piece of glass and some lead. Slag
was also present.
C1636/fms (12th to 13th century+)
The residue contained frequent fragments of charcoal and occasional pottery
and cbm. The other components, comprising hammerscale, slag, glass (blue and
colourless), carbonised organic (nutshell and grain) and bone (including fish
and mammal), were rare.
F109 C1640/flot (12th century+)
Flotation of 10L produced a light fraction containing carbonised seeds. Bone
(including fish) and tile was common within the residue while pottery, charcoal
and hammerscale were rare.
F272 C1644/flot
A 20L sample was subjected to flotation yielded very little in the way of
a carbonised light fraction. Within the residue pottery, bone (including fish,
amphibian and small mammal), charcoal, hammerscale and cbm were rare and there
was a single piece of glass. Slag was present.
F273 C1645/flot (Roman)
A sample of c. 20L of sediment was floated producing a large amount of charcoal
including possible burnt seeds. The gravelly residue (weighing 460g) contained
frequent fragments of animal bone (including fish and small mammal) and more
occasional cbm and charcoal. Hammerscale and slag were rare and there were
single fragments of glass, iron nail and of Samian ware.
F273 C1645/fms (Roman)
The residue, which weighed 245g contained frequent fragments of charcoal while
bone (including fish, mammal and burnt) was occasional and both pottery and
cbm rare.
F254 C1650/flot (12th to 13th century)
Flotation of a 10L sample produced a small light fraction comprising charcoal
and burnt grain. The residue (weighing 420g) contained occasional animal bone
and rare cbm, slag, hammerscale and mortar.
F310 C1684/flot
Flotation of 10L produced a small light fraction. Tile, fish bone and nutshell
were observed in the residue. Kept wet and not sorted
F352 C1685/fms (13th century+)
Within the residue cbm was common, charcoal occasional and pottery, bone,
iron and hammerscale were rare.
F352 C1689/fms (14th century+)
The residue contained frequent cbm and occasional charcoal. Bone (including
fish, bird and mammal) was rare, as was charred grain (3), pottery and ferrous
material.
F352 C1692/fms (14th century+)
The residue contained a lot of fish bone and a small amount of pottery, iron
and hammerscale.
F216 C1707/fms
The residue contained occasional charcoal, iron and hammerscale while bone
(including fish, amphibian and bird), glass, flint, cbm and mollusc (including
a single specimen of Discus rotundatus) were rare. Slag was also present.
F401 C1711/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of a 30L sample yielded a large amount of carbonised material in
the light fraction. The residue contained occasional cbm and charcoal and,
more rarely, bone (including amphibian and fish) and hammerscale.
F401 C1713/flot
A 20L sample was floated producing a small amount of carbonised material in
the light fraction. Within the residue, bone (including fish and amphibian)
pottery and hammerscale was rare, as were charcoal and cbm.
C1724/flot (12th century+)
Flotation of 10L produced a small carbonised light fraction. The residue (weighing
170g) largely comprised small fragments of cbm, and apart from occasional
charcoal, artefacts such as iron objects, slag, hammerscale and bone (including
fish, cat and amphibian) were rare.
F329 C1729/flot
A 10L sample was processed by flotation producing a very small charred light
fraction. Within the residue, which mostly comprised of burnt daub, bone was
rare, while charcoal, cbm and hammerscale were occasional.
F329 C1730/flot (13th century+ to 14th century+)
A 10L sediment sample yielded a moderate amount of charred material in the
light fraction. Charcoal was common in the residue, bone (including fish and
amphibian) and cbm occasional, hammerscale and pottery rare.
F333 C1736/flot (14th century+)
Flotation of 30L produced a small amount of charred material in the light
fraction. Within the residue bone (including fish, mammal and amphibian) was
common while charcoal and cbm were present occasionally. Hammerscale, slag,
lead and glass were rare while their were single cases of uncharred seed and
iron nail.
F334 C1739/flot
Residue from a 3L sample contained frequent charcoal and cbm, occasional bone
and more rarely, hammerscale, pottery and mortar.
F334 C1740/flot (Medieval)
Flotation of 20L produced a small light fraction of carbonised matter. The
residue contained a fair amount of cbm with occasional charcoal and bone (including
fish, bird and small mammal). Molluscs (oyster and mussel), pottery, iron
nails and hammerscale were rare.
F77 C1743/flot (13th/14th century+)
Flotation of 30L produced a large light fraction of carbonised material and
fish bones. Bone, particularly fish and sometimes burnt, was very common within
the residue while cbm was quite common. Hammerscale and ceramic appeared more
occasionally as did charcoal, most likely due to the efficiency of the flotation
process. Iron nails occurred only rarely and there was a single rounded copper
alloy object. Slag and coal were also present.
F77 C1743/fms (13th/14th century+)
Charcoal was very common, while bone (mostly fish) was common. There was occasional
hammerscale and iron, including a pin, rare pottery and two fragments of glass.
C1750/fms (11th/12th-13th+ century)
Bone and cbm were present occasionally while pottery, hammerscale and iron
were rare. There were single fragments of glass and of seed.
F351 C1763/flot (11th century+)
A total of 30L was processed through flotation producing a moderate light
fraction of charred material. Within the residue bone (including fish, amphibian,
bird and mammal) was common while hammerscale was rare. There were single
cases of glass and snail shell.
F351 C1763/fms (11th century+)
The residue (weighing 2050g) contained occasional charcoal, cbm and bone (including
fish, amphibian and mammal), while charred organic (including grain and nutshell),glass,
iron and hammerscale were rare.
F208 C1768/flot (12th century+/13th century+)
Flotation of 10L produced a large light fraction of charred material, mostly
of black vfa/carbonised vegetable matter. Within the residue cbm was common,
bone occasional and pottery rare. Hammerscale, charcoal and flint were also
present.
F208 C1769/flot (14th century+/post-medieval)
Flotation of 10L produced a moderate light fraction comprising charcoal and
a few snail shells. The residue contained occasional cbm and hammerscale while
pottery and bone (including fish) were rare. Flint, charcoal and iron nails
were also present.
F353 C1772/flot
A 10L sample was processed through flotation yielding a small light fraction
containing charred grains. The gravel and pebble residue contained occasional
faecal concretions, cbm and charcoal with bone (including fish and amphibian),eggshell,
seeds and hammerscale, occurring more rarely.
F353 C1772/fms
All of the components within the residue were rare and comprised bone (including
fish, amphibian and mammal), iron, hammerscale, cbm, charcoal and mollusc
(oyster).
F357 C1779/flot (12th to 13th century)
The flotation of a 20L sample produced only a small light fraction containing
specks of carbonised material. The rather sterile residue contained small
amounts of bone (including amphibian and fish), charcoal and hammerscale.
F394 C1790/flot (Roman/1st to 2nd century)
Flotation of a 10L sample yielded a small charred light fraction. Bone, mostly
calcined, was common within the residue while unburnt small mammal and fish
bones were rare. Charcoal, cbm and hammerscale were occasional while glass
was rare.
F426 C1791/flot (Roman)
Flotation of 30L produced a moderate light fraction of carbonised material
including seeds and grain. The residue contained quite high levels of hammerscale
but bone (including fish), glass, charcoal and cbm were present only rarely.
Also present were fragments of loom weight and slag.
F426 C1791/fms (Roman)
The residue contained rare amounts of cbm, pottery and animal bone while iron
objects and hammerscale were also present.
F358 C1808/flot
Flotation of 10L produced a small light fraction of carbonised material. The
small and rather barren residue (weighing 160g) contained a small amount of
hammerscale, bone and cbm.
F520 C1811/flot (Anglian)
A sample of 30L was subjected to flotation producing a large light fraction
of charred material including burnt grain. Detailed assessment identified
oat and wheat. Bone (including mammal, fish and amphibian), hammerscale and
lead were occasional within the residue, while glass and charred organic matter
(including nutshell and seeds) were more rare. Slag, iron objects and an amber
bead were also present.
F520 C1820/fms (Anglian)
The residue contained occasional animal bone (including fish, amphibian, mammal
and sometimes burnt), slag, hammerscale, iron, cbm and charcoal. There were
single fragments of Samian ware, copper alloy and iron pyrites, two fragments
of glass and four lead dribbles.
F391 C1844/flot (14th century+)
A sample of roughly 10L was floated giving rise to a small light fraction
of charcoal and burnt grain. The residue contained occasional fragments of
cbm, charcoal and hammerscale while along with a single land snail, bone (including
fish and sometimes calcined) was rare.
F388 C1845/flot (11th century)
20L of sediment was floated yielding a large amount of carbonised material
including grains and seeds. Detailed assessment indicated the presence of
barley, wheat and cereal along with charred hazelnut shell and mineralised
seeds/embryos. Within the residue bone (including fish, amphibian, bird and
mammal and sometimes burnt) was common as was charcoal. Cbm was present more
occasionally while pottery, hammerscale, oyster and charred organic material
(including grain and nutshell) were rare.
F388 C1845/fms (11th century)
The residue contained occasional cbm, iron, slag and hammerscale while charcoal
and bone (including fish, mammal and amphibian) were common. Charred grain,
uncharred seed, mollusc (snail and oyster), crab claw, pottery, vfa, glass
and iron pyrites occurred only rarely.
F381 C1846/flot (Asax/Med 12th to 13th)
Flotation of 30L of sediment produced a large light fraction of charred material
including burnt grains and seeds. Animal bone (including fish, small mammal
and amphibian and sometimes burnt) was very common in the residue and charcoal
was also well-represented. Hammerscale, slag and cbm occurred more occasionally
while pottery was rare.
F381 C1847/flot
Flotation of a 30L sample yielded a large volume of charcoal in the light
fraction and included burnt grain. Within the residue (weighing 1445g) bone
(including fish, amphibian and mammal) was common and, occasionally burnt;
burnt daub, cbm and possible mould fragments were occasional while iron, slag,
hammerscale, charcoal and uncharred seeds (two) were rare. There was a single
piece of worked bone.
F381 C1848/flot (Roman/Anglian)
Flotation of 30L produced a large light fraction of charred material including
burnt grains and seeds. Within the residue bone (including fish, bird, mammal
and amphibian) was common while burnt daub, hammerscale and charcoal was occasional.
There were two fragments each of glass and iron nail and a single sherd of
shelly ware. Slag and worked stone were also present.
F381 C1849/flot (13th century+)
30L was floated giving rise to a light fraction with abundant charcoal and
frequent burnt seeds and grains. The residue, weighing 1400g, contained frequent
fragments of animal bone (including mammal, fish and amphibian with some calcined)
and cbm with charcoal and burnt daub occurring more occasionally. Pottery
(green glazed), oyster shells, hammerscale, slag and glass were rare.
F381 C1850/flot (Anglian)
A 30L sample was subjected to flotation producing a large light fraction of
charcoal, burnt grain and seeds. Detailed assessment identified oak charcoal,
hazelnut shell, barley, rye and oat along with possible fragments of bread,
fused plant ash, faecal concretion and mineralised seeds. Bone was common,
cbm occasional and hammerscale and pottery were present in the residue which
largely comprised charcoal fragments.
F381 C1851/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 30L produced a large light fraction of charred material including
burnt grain. Detailed assessment indicated the presence of oak and ash charcoal
along with fused plant ash, charred oat, barley and wheat, hazelnut and bread
fragments. Faecal concretions and mineralised seeds and fly puparia were also
present. The residue contained occasional bone (including fish and sometimes
calcined), hammerscale, charcoal and cbm. There was a single piece of copper
alloy and pottery and seeds were rare. Slag, flint and daub were also present.
F381 C1851/fms (Anglian)
Within the residue bone (including fish, amphibian, mammal and burnt fragments)
and charcoal were common, iron and hammerscale were occasional, while charred
and uncharred seeds, cbm and lead occurred more rarely. Slag and fossils were
also present.
F381 C1852/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 10L produced a light fraction containing a moderate amount of
charcoal and some possible burnt seeds. Within the residue bone (including
fish, horse, caprovid and pig), charcoal and hammerscale were occasional and
iron was rare.
F381 C1853/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 20L produced a light fraction containing a high proportion of
carbonised material along with some uncharred seeds. A 10L sub-sample was
retained for further analysis. Charcoal was common in the residue (which weighted
760g in total), while cbm and bone (including fish, bird and mammal and sometimes
calcined) were occasional. Mollusc, slag and hammerscale occurred rarely and
there was a single drop of glass.
F381 C1853/T (Anglian)
Laboratory flotation of a 3kg sub-sample produced a moderate amount of charcoal,
some identified as ash along with barley and possible wheat. Evidence for
faecal material comprised concretions (much of it bone-rich) with mineralised
fly puparia and seeds (including apple) as well as traces of eggs of the intestinal
worm Trichuris.
C1855/flot (Roman)
Flotation of 10L yielded a small amount of charcoal in the light fraction.
The residue contained hammerscale and both animal bone and pottery were rare.
F381 C1858/flot (Anglian)
In total, a 30L sample was subjected to flotation and produced a moderate
amount of charred material in the light fraction along with some burnt grain
but also some uncharred organic matter. The residue of 10L was kept wet and
not sorted and a further 10L was retained for further analysis. The residue
of a 20L was dry-sorted, containing frequent faecal concretions, fragments
of animal bone (including fish, amphibian and small mammal) and seeds (both
charred and uncharred) as well as, more rarely, hammerscale, slag, iron, plaster
and cbm.
F381 C1858/T (Anglian)
A 3kg sub-sample was subjected to laboratory flotation and produced evidence
for faeces in the form of bone-rich concretions, mineralised seeds, worm eggs
and fly puparia as well as moderate numbers of Trichuris intestinal worm eggs.
Barley was also identified.
F381 C1858/fms (Anglian)
The residue contained occasional bone, and more rarely, cbm, seeds, glass
and hammerscale.
F381 C1859/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of a 20L sample produced a light fraction mostly comprising fish
bone. Within the residue charcoal was occasional while bone (including fish,
bird and amphibian), hammerscale, cbm, and uncharred organic material (including
apple seeds) were rare. A large number of faecal concretions were also recorded.
F381 C1849/T (Anglian)
Laboratory of a 3kg sample produced a small amount of charcoal with a residue
of sand and olive coloured concretion (which contained no worm eggs). Traces
of mineralised seeds/embryos.
F381 C1859/fms (Anglian)
Bone (including fish, amphibian and mammal), cbm and hammerscale were all
rare.
F381 C1860/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 10L produced a residue containing a large amount of charred material
and occasional land snails. Within the residue (total weight =585g) bone (including
fish, mammal and burnt), and charcoal were common, cbm appeared occasionally
while molluscs, slag and hammerscale were rare.
F396 C1864/flot (12th to 13th century+)
A 10L sample was floated producing a small light fraction comprising of charred
organic matter. The residue contained rare bone while charcoal, flint and
hammerscale were also present.
F359 C1866/flot
Flotation of a 10L sample produced a very small amount of charcoal in the
light fraction. The residue contained occasional bones (including fish) and
charcoal, hammerscale, iron and charred organic (including grain and apple
seeds) were rare. There was a single piece of glass and two pieces of copper
alloy.
F13 C1880/flot (Anglian)
20L of sediment was floated, yielding a large amount of carbonised material
in the light fraction. In the residue, bone, a large proportion of it burnt
and possibly human, was common, charcoal occasional and hammerscale, slag,
iron, pottery and cbm were rare. There was a single damaged burnt grain and
a blank.
F13 C1881/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 20L produced a high yield of carbonised material, including seeds
and grains and also some uncharred seeds and grains in the light fraction.
A 10L sample was retained for further analysis. Within the residue charcoal
was common, bone (including fish, amphibian, mammal and sometimes burnt) was
occasional and cbm, hammerscale, charred and uncharred seeds were rare.
F13 C1881/T (Anglian)
Laboratory flotation produced a small washover containing oak charcoal, charred
hazelnut shell, cereal, barley, wheat and possible rye. Mineralised fly puparia
were also observed.
F13 C1881/fms (Anglian)
The residue was very dirty and contained a lot of fine material. Bone (including
fish and amphibian), charred organic (nutshell and grain), iron and hammerscale
were rare. Slag and flint were also present.
F402 C1883/flot (Roman)
Flotation of 30L produced a large amount of charcoal in the light fraction.
The residue contained occasional charcoal and cbm and more rarely, bone (including
fish, amphibian and small mammal), nutshell, mollusc iron and hammerscale.
F397 C1884/flot (Roman)
Flotation of 30L produced a small amount of charred matter and small bones
in the light fraction. Within the residue bone (sometimes burnt) and cbm were
occasional, charcoal and pottery more rare. Hammerscale, slag and seeds were
also present.
F397 C1884/fms (Roman)
The residue had a rather greenish tinge suggestive of a faecal component.
Animal bone (including fish) was occasional, as was ferrous material (including
slag and hammerscale). Cbm, pottery and charcoal were rare and there were
two fragments of glass.
F13 C1904/flot (Anglian)
A 20L sample of sediment was floated producing a high yield of carbonised
material and also some possible uncharred seeds and grains. 10L of sediment
was retained for further analysis. The residue contained frequent charcoal,
occasional bone and some hammerscale, slag, and rare amounts of pottery.
F13 C1904/T (Anglian)
Laboratory assessment of a 3kg sample produced oak charcoal and the charred
remains of hazelnut shell, barley and possible oat as well as mineralised
fly puparia.
F13 C1904/fms (Anglian)
The residue was very dirty and found to contain frequent charcoal and animal
bone (fish, amphibian and calcined) and rare amounts of burnt grain, iron
and hammerscale.
F408 C1906/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 30L produced a large amount of carbonised material in the light
fraction, including burnt seeds and grain. Detailed assessment highlighted
evidence for thatch in the form of sedge nutlets and wetlands plants as well
as impressions of monocotyledonous plant leaves on charred clasts. Charred
oat (including the awn), barley (including rachis) and wheat were also present,
and these, along with chaff, could have been imported with straw, possibly
for thatching. In the residue, charcoal was very common, bone (including fish
and sometimes burnt) was occasional, cbm, burnt grains and seeds and hammerscale
were rare.
F13 C1908/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of a 30L sample produced a small amount of carbonised material in
the light fraction. Within the residue bone (including fish, amphibian, bird
and mammal, sometimes burnt), charcoal and cbm were occasional while hammerscale,
slag and flint were rare. There were single instances of carbonised seed and
glass.
F397 C1909/flot (14th century+)
A 5L sample was floated producing a light fraction containing one or two bits
of charcoal. There were few artefacts in the sandy residue, with charcoal,
hammerscale and cbm occurring rarely and accompanied by a few fragments of
animal bone.
F408 C1911 (Anglian)
Laboratory analysis of a 3kg sample produced a small amount of charcoal and
unidentified seeds and grains. Within the sandy residue cbm was rare, as was
bone (some calcined) and slag/hammerscale.
F13 C1913/flot (Anglian)
20L of sediment was floated producing a light fraction with a high yield of
carbonised material including seeds and grains along with frequent uncharred
organic matter including further seeds and grains. A 10L sample was retained
for further analysis. More detailed assessment identified oak and alder charcoal
along with charred oat and barley grains. Within the residue, charcoal was
very common and bone (including fish, amphibian and mammal, sometimes burnt)
was common. Marine mollusc was observed occasionally while hammerscale, iron
object and uncharred seed husks were rare. There was also a fragment of bone
comb.
F13 C1915/fms (12th to 13th+/Med 14th+)
The residue contained animal bone, seeds and hammerscale.
F424 C1916/flot (12th to 13th century)
Flotation of 30L produced a moderate quantity of charred material in the light
fraction, along with burnt grain. Hammerscale was occasional in the residue,
but bone (including fish), charcoal and cbm were rare. Slag and iron objects
were also present.
F424 C1918/flot (12th to 13th century+)
Flotation of a 30L sample produced a small carbonised light fraction. The
residue contained occasional bone (including fish and amphibian), charcoal
and cbm while hammerscale, copper alloy and pottery (green glaze) were rare.
F357 C1919/flot (Anglo-Scandinavian 10th-11th century)
A 30L sample was floated producing a small charred light fraction. Charcoal
was occasional within the residue, but bone (including fish, amphibian and
mammal), pottery, cbm and hammerscale were rare. There was a single fragment
of burnt nutshell.
F427 C1922/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 30L produced a light fraction containing charcoal and carbonised
seeds. Within the residue, bone (including fish, amphibian and mammal) was
rare, as were mollusc, charcoal, pottery and cbm. Hammerscale was more occasional
while flint and faecal concretion was also present.
F427 C1922/fms (Anglian)
The residue contained occasional charcoal, iron and hammerscale while cbm
was rare and there were single examples of fish bone, glass, fossil and a
bead.
F427 C1936/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 30L produced a light fraction comprising a moderate amount of
charred and uncharred organic matter including seeds and grains. A further
10L was retained for analysis. The residue, which was kept wet and not sorted,
contained a large amount of faecal concretions (but see C1936/T) and a bone
comb fragment. Charcoal and bone (including fish) were also observed.
F427 1936/T (Anglian)
Laboratory flotation of a 3kg sample produced a small amount of fine charcoal
along with charred wheat grains. The large residue comprised gravel and olive
concreted material containing some unburnt bone although a squash sample failed
to produce any worm eggs that might otherwise indicate a faecal element in
the concreted material.
F437 C1944/flot (Roman)
A 30L sample was floated to produce a light fraction containing a moderate
amount of charred material including grains and seeds along with one or two
small bones. More detailed assessment of this washover identified the charred
remains of oat, cereal and possible wheat. The residue was rather sterile,
containing rare amounts of bone (sometimes burnt), charcoal, cbm, pottery
and slag.
F435 C1945/flot (14th century+)
Flotation of a 30L sample produced a light fraction containing carbonised
material including seeds. Within the residue, cbm occurred occasionally while
pottery, bone (including bird, fish and mammal), slag, hammerscale and charcoal
were rare.
F442 C1951/flot (Anglian/13th century)
A 30L sample was subjected to flotation producing a lot of charred material
in the light fraction, including charred grain. Detailed assessment of the
washover fraction identified oak charcoal, barley and weed seeds along with
hazelnut shell. Within the residue, which weighed 921g, bone (including fish
and mammal, sometimes calcined) and charcoal were common, cbm and hammerscale
were occasional and pottery and plaster were rare. There were single cases
of a green glass bead, and iron pin and a fragment of slag.
F442 C1951/fms (Anglian/13th century+)
The residue contained occasional fragments of cbm and ferrous material (including
iron, slag and wire) while charcoal and animal bone (mostly unidentifiable)
were common. There was a single carbonised nutshell.
F458 C1973/flot (Anglian/13th century+)
Flotation of 30L of sediment produced a moderate light fraction of carbonised
material including one or two burnt grains. The residue contained frequent
bone while pottery and cbm were rare. Glass, slag and hammerscale were also
present.
F458 C1973/fms (Anglian/13th century+)
The residue had a slightly greenish tinge suggestive of a cess component.
Animal bone (including fish, amphibian and mammal) was common, charcoal occurred
occasionally while cbm and ferrous material, including iron and hammerscale,
was rare. There was a single purple glass bead and a carbonised seed.
F458 C1974/flot
Flotation of 30L produced a very small carbonised light fraction. The residue
had a greenish tinge, possibly indicating a cess component. Bone (including
fish and mammal) was occasional while iron, cbm, mollusc and seeds occurred
more rarely. Worm casts were common and there was a single tiny fragment of
glass.
F458 C1974/fms
The residue (total weight 3809g), of which 50% was sorted, contained very
rare quantities of bone, pottery, charcoal, glass and hammerscale.
F457 C1976/flot (Roman)
Flotation of 30L produced a small amount of carbonised material, including
seeds. The residue contained a large amount of bone, much of it burnt, and
charcoal was common. Cbm was more occasional and hammerscale, slag and daub
were also present.
F460 C1977/flot
Flotation of 10L produced a lot of charred grain in the light fraction. Within
the residue pottery, charcoal and hammerscale appeared occasionally while
bone (including fish) and burnt seeds and grain occurred more rarely. Flint,
daub and a possible stone object were also present.
F88 C2000/flot (14th century+)
A 10L sample was processed through flotation to produce a large charred light
fraction which included burnt grain. Bone, cbm and pottery were occasional
in the residue, while flint and slag were also present
F88 C2001/flot (13th century+)
Flotation of 10L produced a moderate amount of charcoal and charred plant
matter within the light fraction. Mortar, slag and hammerscale were present
in the residue and a copper alloy pin/ear scoop was also recovered. Pottery
and cbm were occasional, bone rare.
F442 C2004/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 30L of sediment produced a moderate charred light fraction. Charcoal
and slag were common in the residue while bone (including fish, amphibian
and mammal) and hammerscale were occasional.
F442 C2004/fms (Anglian)
The residue contained frequent animal bone and hammerscale while cbm and iron
were rare. Slag and charcoal were also present.
F442 C2011/flot (Anglian)
A sample of 30L of sediment was floated yielding a moderate light fraction
of charred matter which included burnt grain. Within the residue, charcoal
and bone (including fish and small mammal and sometimes burnt) were occasional
while cbm, pottery and hammerscale were rare. Slag and iron objects were also
present.
F442 C2024/flot
30L was floated to produce a moderate light fraction of charred matter including
burnt grain. The residue contained a lot of animal bone and hammerscale was
also present.
F442 C2026/flot
Flotation of 30L produced a small amount of charcoal in the light fraction.
Charcoal was common within the gravelly residue (weighing 605g), but bone,
cbm (including fish) and hammerscale were otherwise rare.
F458 C2030/flot (Roman)
Flotation of a 30L sample produced a small light fraction of charred material,
including grain. Bone, pottery and hammerscale occurred rarely in the residue
and charcoal was also present.
F458 C2030/fms (Roman)
The residue contained rare bone, hammerscale, glass and seeds.
F458 C2031/flot (Roman)
Flotation of 30L produced a small amount of charcoal in the light fraction.
Charcoal was occasional in the residue but cbm, bone (including fish), oyster
shell, pottery, cbm, slag and hammerscale were all rare. A greenish tinge
to the residue implied a faecal component.
F458 C2031/fms (Roman)
The residue contained rare amounts of bone (including fish and small mammal),
ferrous material, seeds and charcoal.
F458 C2032/flot
Flotation of 10L produced a tiny light fraction of charred material. The residue
was very gravelly with some greenish concreted lumps, which could have been
faecal material. Charcoal was occasional while cbm, mollusc and glass were
rare.
F491 C2039/flot
Flotation of 30L produced a moderate amount of charred material in the light
fraction. The gravelly residue contained occasional fragments of animal bone
(including amphibian and mammal) and charcoal. Cbm, slag and hammerscale were
rare.
C2040/fms (Roman)
The residue contained bone (including fish), ferrous material, charcoal, cbm,
pottery, flint and glass, all of which were rare.
F458 C2041/flot (Roman)
Flotation of 20L produced a very small charred light fraction. Within the
residue, charcoal was occasional while bone (including fish and sometimes
burnt), pottery, cbm and hammerscale were rare. There were single cases of
charred seed and flint.
F458 C2041/fms (Roman)
The residue. Weighing 1044g, had a greenish tinge suggestive of faecal material.
Charcoal was occasional while bone (including bird and mammal), cbm, vfa,
flint, slag, glass and mollusc occurred rarely.
F458 C2043/flot
Flotation of 30L produced a large amount of charcoal and some charred grain
in the light fraction. Detailed assessment identified some of the charcoal
as oak while oat, barley and wheat were also observed. Bone (including fish,
amphibian and mammal, occasionally burnt) was very common within the residue
(which weighed 2208g) while daub, oyster shell and charcoal were more occasional.
Slag and hammerscale were rare and there were single pieces of iron nail,
glass and lead.
F381 C2049/fms (Anglian)
The residue contained frequent animal bone and charcoal, while cbm was rare.
Slag and iron objects were also present.
F381 C2054/flot (Roman L. 2nd century+)
Flotation of 30L produced a moderate light fraction comprising charcoal and
burnt grain and seeds. Within the residue, cbm and hammerscale were common,
bone occasional and glass was rare. There were two pieces of lead and a fragment
of flint.
F381 C2054/fms (Roman L. 2nd century+)
In the residue, cbm and bone fragments (including fish and burnt) were common
while iron and slag were occasional. Charred and uncharred seeds and glass
were rare.
F458 C2055/flot (Roman/L. 2nd century)
Flotation of 20L of sediment produced a small light fraction comprising charcoal
and one or two burnt grains. Bone (including fish), cbm, pottery, iron and
hammerscale were rare within the residue (total weight =1493g) along with
two pieces of lead and two charred seeds.
F458 C2055/fms (Roman/L. 2nd century)
The residue contained rare amounts of bone (including bird and fish), charred
grain, charcoal, cbm, oyster, and ferrous material.
F381 C2062/flot (Anglo-Scandinavian)
Flotation of 30L produced a charred light fraction containing carbonised seeds.
Within the residue bone (including amphibian and fish), cbm and hammerscale
were occasional while slag, iron and charcoal were rare.
F381 C2062/fms (Anglo-Scandinavian)
The residue contained occasional fragments of bone (including fish and small
mammal) and charcoal while hammerscale, charred and uncharred seeds, cbm and
glass were rare.
F381 C2063/flot (11th century)
Flotation of 30L produced a small amount of charred matter including burnt
grain. The residue (weighing 1850g) contained occasional charcoal, cbm and
bone (including fish) while hammerscale, flint, pottery and daub were rare.
There were single pieces of preserved wood, and glass.
F381 C2063/fms (11th century)
The residue contained occasional charcoal and animal bone (including fish
and amphibian) while iron and hammerscale, charred and uncharred seeds plus
a flint flake, were rare.
F503 C2065/flot (13th century+)
Flotation of 30L produced a small amount of charred matter in the light fraction.
The residue contained small amounts of bone (including fish and bird), pottery,
charcoal and hammerscale.
F503 C2066/flot (Roman)
Flotation of 30L produced a small carbonised light fraction. Material in the
residue was rare and comprised pottery, bone (including fish and amphibian),
hammerscale and cbm. There was a single seed, a chrysalis and two glass fragments.
F427 C2089/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of a 6L sample produced a small amount of charcoal in the light
fraction. The residue contained a lot of crusty, greenish and biscuity faecal
concretions. Bone was occasional.
F427 C2090/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 10L produced a small amount of possible uncharred organic material
in the light fraction. The residue contained occasional animal bone while
faecal concretions and charcoal were also present.
F427 C2091/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 10L yielded a small amount of charcoal in the light fraction.
The residue, which had a greenish biscuity faecal matrix, contained occasional
bone (including bird and fish) while charcoal and hammerscale were rare.
F427 C2092/T (Anglian)
Laboratory flotation of a 3kg sub-sample produced a small washover of charcoal.
The moderate to large residue comprised gravel and olive coloured concretion,
a squash of which suggested organic content but intestinal worm eggs indicative
of faecal material were absent. Traces of mineral-replaced seeds and of bone
were observed.
F273 C2093/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 30L produced a lot of charcoal in the light fraction and left
a residue in which bone (including fish and mammal, occasionally burnt) was
common. Charcoal was present occasionally while hammerscale and pottery were
rare. There was a single piece of blue glass. Detailed assessment identified
plant ash, charred bread or bark as well as traces of oat, bread and other
wheat and barley while crushed fish bone as well as possible faecal concretions
were also present.
F273 C2093/fms (Anglian)
In the residue (total weight 262g), bone (including fish and caprovid) and
charcoal occurred occasionally while cbm, mollusc and ferrous material were
more rare.
F273 C2094/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of around 6L of sediment produced a small amount of carbonised material.
The residue contained frequent animal bone (including fish) and occasional
fragments of charcoal, cbm and hammerscale.
F273 C2095/flot (Roman/12th century)
Flotation of 15L of sediment produced a small carbonised light fraction. Bone
(including mamma, fish and small mammal) was common in the residue (which
weighed 865g), hammerscale was occasional while charcoal, cbm, pottery and
organic material, such as wood and a seed, rare.
F273 C2095/fms (Roman/12th century)
Within the sorted residue bone (including mammal, fish and amphibian) was
occasional as was charcoal and seeds (including cherry and apple, some of
which had been burnt and others appeared digested). Iron, hammerscale and
vfa occurred more rarely.
F273 C2096/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of a 15L sample yielded a moderate amount of charcoal and one or
two burnt grains in the light fraction. Within the residue, animal bone (including
mammal, fish and amphibian) was common while cbm, pottery, slag, iron and
hammerscale were rare. There was a single fragment of glass and an iron object.
Flint and charcoal were also present.
F273 C2096/fms (Anglian)
The large dirt residue was half sorted. Bone (including fish, bird) was occasional,
hammerscale and charcoal rare.
F273 C2103/flot (Roman)
Flotation of 25L produced a moderate amount of charcoal and burnt grain in
the light fraction. The residue contained a large number of faecal concretions
and animal bones (including fish, mammal and calcined fragments). Charcoal
and cbm were occasional while charred and uncharred seeds, along with pottery,
flint, iron and hammerscale, were rare.
F273 C2104/flot
Flotation of 25L of sediment produced a light fraction containing a lot of
uncharred organic material all of which appears to be modern contaminant.
In the gravelly residue weighing 1460g, bone and charcoal were rare and there
were single snail shells and burnt grain.
F273 C2104/fms
The residue had a greenish faecal appearance and a large number of faecal
concretions were present. Bone (including fish, amphibian and small mammal)
was common while charcoal, charred grains, ferrous material and cbm were rare.
F351 C2108/flot
Flotation of 30L produced a small amount of charcoal and modern plant matter
in the light fraction. Pottery and bone were rare within the residue.
F351 C2108/fms
The residue contained rare amounts of bone (including fish), carbonised grain,
charcoal, cbm and ferrous material.
F351 C2113/flot (Roman)
Flotation of 30L produced a moderate charred light fraction. The residue weighed
1380g, in which bone (including fish, amphibian, small mammal, mammal and
dog) was occasional while cbm, pottery, vfa, iron, hammerscale, uncharred
seeds and charcoal were rare. There were two pieces of glass and single cases
of a lead strip and a burnt grain.
F351 C2114/flot
Flotation of 30L yielded a moderate amount of carbonised material in the light
fraction, including burnt grain. Within the very gravelly residue, bone (including
amphibian, mammal and especially fish) was common while cbm, glass, iron,
hammerscale and charred seeds were rare.
F351 C2114/fms
The residue contained frequent fragments of charcoal and animal bone (including
fish, mammal and calcined) while cbm, green glazed pottery, iron, hammerscale,
glass (colourless and yellow) and charred organic (grain, bean and nutshell)
were rare.
F351 C2115/fms (11th century)
The residue produced rare amounts of pottery, bone (including fish, mammal
and burnt fragments), charcoal, cbm and ferrous material.
F520 C2120/flot (Anglian?)
Flotation of 30L produced a large charred light fraction with burnt grain
identified during detailed assessment as barley with oat and hazelnut shell
also present. Bone (including fish, amphibian and small mammal) was common
in the residue, as was charcoal. Iron, slag and hammerscale occurred occasionally
and charred organic (including nutshell and seed) and pottery were rare. There
were one or two pieces of lead.
F520 C2122/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 20L produced a moderate light fraction of charred material and
burnt grain. The residue contained occasional iron and hammerscale while bone
and charred organic material (nutshell and seed) were rare. Slag was also
present.
F520 C2128/flot (Roman/12th century)
Flotation of 30L produced a small amount of charred material in the light
fraction. The residue weighing 2420g contained fragments of bone, while cbm,
pottery, plaster, slag, hammerscale, a flint flake and a seed were rare.
F520 C2128/fms (Roman/12th century)
The residue, weighing 980g, contained occasional bone fragments (including
mammal, fish and amphibian) while cbm, mollusc, slag, hammerscale, iron, lead,
pottery and both charred and uncharred seeds were rare. Three was a single
piece of copper alloy and several fossils that might have been used as beads.
F520 C2129/flot (Roman/L. 2nd century)
Flotation of 30L of sediment produced a small light fraction of charred material.
Animal bone, some burnt (including amphibian, fish and mammal), charcoal,
iron, hammerscale and cbm were present occasionally in the residue and there
was a single fragment of lead and flint. Pottery was rare.
F523 C2131/flot
Flotation of 10L produced a small amount of charred material in the light
fraction. The residue (weighing 510g) contained limited amounts of cbm, pottery
and bone. Hammerscale was also present.
C2133/flot (Roman/?1st to 2nd century)
Flotation of 10L of sediment produced a small amount of charred material in
the light fraction. In the residue, bone was occasional, as was cbm, charcoal
and coal. Pottery, vfa, iron and hammerscale were rare.
F537 C2161/flot
Flotation of 10L produced a small amount of fine charred material in the light
fraction and a rather dull residue devoid of finds but for occasional fragments
of charcoal, cbm, iron and hammerscale.
C2172/flot (12th century+)
Flotation of 30L of sediment produced a small amt of charred material in the
light fraction. Bone and iron were occasional, cbm rare and slag and hammerscale
were present in the residue.
F546 C2175/flot (11th century)
Flotation of 10L produced a moderate charred light fraction which included
burnt grain. The residue contained cbm, bone and hammerscale.
F547 C2185/flot (Roman/11th century)
Flotation of 20L produced a moderate light fraction of charred material. The
residue (weighing 330g) contained frequent bone fragments (including mammal,
amphibian and fish), charcoal and hammerscale while along with two glass fragments
pottery and cbm was very rare. Slag was also present.
F547 C2186/flot (Roman)
Flotation of 10L produced a small charred light fraction. Bone and slag were
present within the residue.
F548 C2187/flot (12th to 13th century+)
Flotation of 10L produced a small charred light fraction. Within the residue
animal bone (including fish and some burnt) and hammerscale were occasional
while charcoal and cbm were rare.
C2191/flot (12th to 13th century)
Flotation of 10L produced a moderate amount of charcoal in the light fraction
while hammerscale and bone (including fish) were occasional in the residue.
Slag and pottery were rare.
F546 C2194/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of 10L produced a carbonised light fraction of moderate size which
included some burnt grain. Within the residue (weighing 417g), charcoal, bone
and hammerscale were occasional while cbm, slag and vfa were rare.
F546 C2195/flot (Roman/14th century+)
Flotation of 40L produced a light fraction containing a lot of carbonised
material but also some uncharred organic matter. A 10L sample was retained
for further analysis. The residue contained frequent fragments of animal bone
(including amphibian, fish and mammal, some burnt), and occasional pottery
while hammerscale, iron and charred seeds were rare. There was a single flint
flake and two fragments of glass. Burnt clay was also present.
F546 C2195/fms (Roman/14th century+)
The residue contained animal bone, hammerscale and two charred grains.
F546 C2198/flot (Roman/Anglian)
Flotation of 20L produced a moderate light fraction of charred material, including
seeds and grain. Detailed assessment identified oak and hazel charcoal as
well as hazelnut shell, barley, wheat and possibly oat and burnt bread. Within
the residue (weighing 620g) animal bone, charcoal and cbm were occasional.
Pottery, mortar, iron, hammerscale, and slag were rare.
F546 C2200/flot
Flotation of 10L of sediment produced a small charred light fraction which
included burnt grain. The gravelly residue (weighing 884g) contained rare
quantities of bone (including fish), iron, hammerscale, flint charcoal two
small circular objects and a single piece of green glass.
F546 C2201/flot (Roman)
Flotation of 10L produced a moderate light fraction containing burnt grain.
Within the gravelly residue artefacts were rare, and included bone (fish,
amphibian, cattle), cbm, pottery, charcoal, iron, slag and hammerscale.
C2205/flot (Roman ?1st to 2nd century)
Flotation of a 10L sample produced a small charred light fraction. Iron, slag,
cbm, pottery and bone was present in small quantities in the residue.
C2211/flot (Roman ?1st to 2nd century)
Flotation of around 16L of sediment produced a small charred light fraction.
F557 C2217/flot (Medieval/Roman)
Flotation of 10L produced a moderate light fraction of charcoal and fine charred
material. In the residue animal bone and pottery were occasional, cbm rare.
Hammerscale and slag were also present.
F560 C2229/flot (Anglian)
Flotation of a 1L auger sample produced a very small charred light fraction.
The residue contained small amounts of animal bone, cbm and pottery.
F561 C2232/flot
Flotation of a 1L auger sample produced a small amount of fine charred material.
The residue was sterile but for a piece of glass.
F561 C2233/flot (14th century+)
Flotation of a 2L auger sample produced a very small charred light fraction.
But for a small piece of pottery, the residue was sterile.
F561 C2233/fms (14th century+)
The residue contained occasional cbm, pottery, charcoal and animal bone (including
fish, amphibian and small mammal) while iron, hammerscale, glass, carbonised
organic (nutshell and grain) and mortar/plaster were rare. Slag was also present.
F565 C2243/flot
Flotation of a 1L auger sample produced a small charred light fraction. The
residue was sterile but for a small amount of animal bone.
F565 C2247/flot
Flotation of a 1L auger sample produced a small amount of charred material
in the light fraction. The residue contained small amounts of cbm, animal
bone and a screw.
F567 C2253/flot
Flotation of a 1L auger sample produced a relatively large amount of charred
material and some uncharred organic matter. The residue contained hammerscale
and iron fragments.
With so many samples from different feature types and periods, it is difficult to succinctly summarise the data from flotation and fine-mesh sieving. One overall trend was the generally poor state of organic preservation from most features. This has already been commented upon by O'Connor (1993) in regard to deposits from 46-54 Fishergate, where bone was similarly well-preserved and organic material equally poorly represented. Here O'Connor suggested that organic matter was deliberately collected for manuring local fields, and indeed, from Blue Bridge Lane, there were very few deposits that from their colouration and texture could have been argued to have contained a high proportion of organic matter; rather, many deposits seem to be more clayey or gravelly. The organic material that was present was frequently mineralised and found in association with the olive green soils likely to derive from faecal deposits. However, if organic material was removed for local manuring, which is perhaps not improbable given the peripheral location of the site, then it was done so throughout each period of occupation. Other reasons for a lack of organic material could relate more to preservation, where, despite being so close to the river, features may not have reached the water table, or, were periodically waterlogged, with such intermittent wetting and drying actually encouraging the decomposition of organic matter. Alternatively, the fact that many of the deposits are likely to have developed as middens before being redeposited into pits could mean that a large proportion of exposed organic rubbish could have decomposed prior to final burial. O'Connor also mentioned that the deep foundations of the Gilbertine priory could have served to drain nearby features.
Further limitations to the potential of material from Blue Bridge lane is the matter of deposit recycling as indicated by residual pottery. Indeed, many of the Anglian features are dated not so much by contemporary pottery, but more so by the absence of later pottery and the presence of residual Roman sherds.
Samples from a total of 19 contexts from seven features (mostly pits but also two ditches and a cremation) along with four floating contexts were subjected to assessment. The majority (14) of feature contexts derived from pits F427 and F458 which upon further analysis of the pottery and stratigraphy may be dated to the Anglian period. The overall amount of carbonised matter within the wash-overs tended to be small, and a total of seven contexts contained charred grain or seeds identified during detailed assessment as wheat, oat and barley. There appeared to be no uncharred organic preservation beyond some mineralised seeds in F427 C2092 and F458 C2095 and these, along with a few cases of faecal concretions would indicate that these features had received quite significant amounts of faecal material and are likely to have functioned as cess pits. Without wishing to produce a circular argument, cess pits seem more typical of the nature of activity associated with Anglian settlement rather than that of the less intense occupation of the Roman period. Slag and hammerscale was present in the majority of contexts, albeit rarely, but was actually recorded as occasional from cremation F394 C1790. This could be due to the misidentification of vitrified fuel ash and other cindery pyre products, but might also relate to the destruction of metal objects in the blaze. Charcoal was also more likely to occur in contexts containing slag. Bone, even in most contexts from F427 and F458, was not particularly common.
Of 57 deposits dating to the Anglian period (50 originating from pits), only five (pit F13 C1881, C1904 and C1913, pit F381 C1853 and C1858) contained limited ancient uncharred organic matter. More rarely, uncharred organic material was collected from flotation and fine-mesh sieving samples including pit F273 C2095 and C2103, pit F381 C2063 (single cases), pit F381 C1847 and C2063 and these instances were more commonly of modern contaminant seeds.
Charred organics such as seeds, grains and pulses (as opposed to charcoal per se) were a little more common, but were not widespread nor present in large quantities. All cases were recorded from pits, further supporting the use of F225 as clamp kiln rather than for grain drying purposes. The presence of possible burnt bread from F225 C1494 might also offer an alternative interpretation of a bread oven, but such material has been recovered from a range of features and contexts. The presence of charred bread could mean that loaves were baked in the near vicinity, with burnt off-cuts disposed of close to their site of manufacture (possibly even thrown back into the fire), or, they could be burnt fragments that have passed through the digestive tract. Burnt grain was frequent only from the residues of F13 C1144 and from F381 C1858, while presence from five of the other fourteen contexts containing charred organics was restricted to single examples. Detailed assessment of selected washovers has identified evidence for a range of cereals including oats, rye, club wheat, wheat and most commonly, barley, while field bean and apple were present in a single context and carbonised hazelnut shells were widespread if not common. Overall, the edible plant assemblage seems typical for the period and location. Barley was also the chief cereal recorded from Anglian levels at 46-54 Fishergate (Allison et al. 1996a; b), though this may reflect an origin in, for example, straw from thatch, rather than grain from stores for human use or from domestic fires and so may not properly represent the relative importance of this cereal to the local inhabitants. Further possible evidence for thatch or plant litter is that from pit F408 C1906 which is important in the light of the limited structural remains from Anglian Blue Bridge Lane.
Detailed assessment has indicated through various forms of evidence the use of at least some pit features as cess pits including F13, F241, F273 and F381. Along with concretions and chewed (and in all probability ingested) fish bones, a few mineralised remains (including those of fly puparia likely to be attracted to squalid conditions), mostly (and quite typically) not identifiable, point to the presence in some deposits of probable faecal material (confirmed in at least two cases through the presence of Trichuris eggs in 'squashes' made on samples of 'concretions'). It seems likely that most of these deposits may have contained organic material at some stage, but decay has been so intense that the only vestiges of non-charred organic matter are in the concretions seen in many samples - though these were often bone-rich and may include material from, for example, dog coprolites as well as or instead of faecal matter from humans. Despite the presence of faecal material in a lot of deposits, the origin of many pit contents seems quite heterogenous with charcoal and plant ash, likely to originate from domestic fires, also being common. It is possible that this material was periodically added to cess pits as a means of deodourisation.
Other food remains such as bone were well-represented and included high numbers of fish bones. Small vertebrates, particularly amphibians, were present in moderate proportions and indicate the likelihood that certain features were left open as the fills developed, inadvertently acting as pitfall traps. While the frequency of bone from individual contexts was highly variable (ranging from rare to very common, but never absent), greater concentrations of bone appear to have been present in pits F241 and F273 where frequency was often recorded as 'common', while from pits F13 and F143 proportions, particularly of smaller bones, were generally recorded as 'rare' or 'occasional'. Other food debris such as molluscs was very rare overall, being limited to a few fragments of mussel and oyster shell, while crustaceans appear not to have been exploited and no cases of egg shell were recorded. Pottery was rarely deposited and, as mentioned, was frequently residual Roman material.
Non-organic building materials were rarely common from Anglian deposits, with cbm, where present, generally being recorded as occasional or rare. Daub was even less abundant, being recorded in small quantities from five contexts. Exceptions include pit F381 dump C2054 where cbm was recorded as 'common', and kiln F225 C1494 wherein cbm and daub were recorded as 'common' and fragments of loom weight as 'very common'. It is possible that in this case the cbm and daub may be differentially fired loom weight or, may represent some sort of superstructure built over the kiln. Mortar was restricted to a few fragments from three contexts, as was copper alloy, and iron objects were only a little more frequent. Lead was limited, but there was a noticeable concentration in F520.
Evidence for industrial activity in the form of slag and, more frequently, hammerscale was widespread, but appeared limited in scale, being present in most contexts, but only recorded as 'rare'. F381 seemed unusual in containing a higher number of contexts with occasional, and even common amounts of slag and hammerscale. There appeared to be no correlation between concentrations of charcoal and higher proportions of slag and hammerscale.
Three features of Anglo-Scandinavian date were sampled for flotation, including two contexts from pit F353 and two post holes. The overall results were similar to the Anglian period, with little evidence for non-organic building materials and but for a single piece of egg shell from F353 C1772 and a few charred seeds, food remains mainly comprised animal bone. The amount of slag and hammerscale was consistently low and charcoal was moderate.
Two pits (F388 and F397), two post holes (F190 and F1941), a ditch (F203), a robber pit (F4), a scoop (F426) and a well (F46) were dated to this period. Again, evidence for non-organic building materials was limited, although well F46 C1167 did contain occasional cbm and daub while mortar was very common in robber pit F4 C1041 suggesting that a well-built structure had been removed. Food remains were limited to a small amount of bone (only being common in pit F388 C1845, where mollusc and charred hazelnut and grain (barley) were also present), while scoop backfill F426 C1791 contained an unusually high amount of slag and hammerscale, although there was no corresponding concentration of charcoal.
A total of 22 contexts from 14 features represented nine pits, a hearth, a post hole, a trench, a terrace and a scoop. Three further contexts derived from layers. Preservation of organic matter remained poor, with only pit F546 C2195 containing uncharred organics and, while charred grain (including barley) and seeds were observed within the light fractions of eight deposits (all but one from pits), these were never particularly abundant. There was an overall increase in the amount of cbm, although mortar was still present more rarely. Animal bone was present, mostly occasionally, in almost all contexts, although common only in a handful of pit fills and backfills. Again, a generally low level of slag and hammerscale was present in most contexts, but was notably higher from hearth fill F246 C1543, and charcoal, even from the hearth, was never common.
A total of 80 contexts derived from 40 features including 27 pits, five scoops, two kilns, two postholes, a hearth, a terrace, a levelling deposit and a ditch. Only pit F125 C1577 contained uncharred seeds although charred grain and seeds were present in a further 31 contexts and single mineralised seeds were observed in pits F351 C2113 and F333 C1736. Of particular interest were the mineralised plum stone from kiln F211 C1523 and the charred evidence for lentil from kiln F58 fill C1369. Oat and rye were represented among the charred grain, while uncharred and unmineralised seeds of blackberry and henbane in F211 C1524 may have been intrusive although the same deposit contained evidence of faecal material in the form of crushed fish bone and mineralised woodlouse. It is possible that the kiln, once falling out of use, could have been backfilled with rubbish as there was certainly very little charcoal in any of the kiln deposits likely to relate to their use. As in previous phases, slag and hammerscale was present in virtually all deposits, but generally only rarely. Against this background it was recorded as common in pit F150 C1312 and in kiln F211 C1524 and occasional in 14 other contexts, mostly from pits but also from both post holes, both deposits from scoop F178 (which also contained the only evidence for daub, being common at that), ditch F208 and hearth F391. Pit F269 C1592 was unusual in containing higher levels of hammerscale but also abundant charcoal. The amount of cbm in flotation samples seemed no greater than in previous phases, although F77, F177 and F198 contained deposits with greater concentrations, while small quantities of mortar were present in only twelve contexts, two of which were from kiln F58. Glass was present in twenty contexts, iron in thirty, copper in thirteen and lead in four. Bone was present in most contexts with concentrations most notable in pits F126, F150 and F351. Of interest was the fact that on the basis of the current evidence, no pits contained faecal material, while that which was identified, such as from the kilns, is highly likely to have been redeposited. This could relate to the formalisation of zones of activity under the organisation of the priory.
Overall, the sampling strategy implemented at Blue Bridge Lane has been successful at maximising the efficiency of the recovery of dating and environmental evidence, as well as the collection of a host of smaller artefacts and products pertaining to various activities on the site. This has left a large number of residues which, having been sorted, contain little more than gravel and fine fragments of cbm, charcoal, fragmentary unidentifiable bone and concretions likely to be of faecal origin. As such, it does not seem to be of any great value to retain this vast quantity of inert material. While further analysis of the faecal concretions may prove valuable in the identification of worm eggs, detailed assessment indicated that in the majority of cases the results are likely to be disappointing. There are also a large number of washovers from Sir~f flotation which are currently kept wet. It would be worth drying out these (for greater ease of storage) and, although they are likely to contain burnt grain, seeds and fishbone, actual further work on them is only likely to be valuable within the framework of a specific research objective, for example, tracing the progressive development of pit fills as a means of reconstructing site formation processes; otherwise, detailed assessment indicates that we can expect to accumulate more similar data. Further clues useful in the elucidation of site formation processes are likely to be found during the analysis of the fish and small vertebrate assemblages.
The near absence of uncharred or unmineralised organic material would preclude the necessity for further flotation, although in certain cases where dating evidence is sparse or in particularly bone-rich contexts, it may be worth coarse sieving material.
Finally, a small amount of charred and mineralised vegetable matter was sorted from samples. A cursory examination of this material by a palaeobotanist would be of value in both further identifying exploited plant taxa but also in determining deposits with mineralised, and therefore probable faecal, content.
Table 1: Summary of action carried out on samples from Blue Bridge Lane, York.
apc > monographs > blue bridge lane & fishergate house > archive > specialist assessment reports > soil samples, bbl
