Blue Bridge Lane
&
Fishergate House
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Roman CBM represented approximately c.3.5% of the assemblage (c.22kg) and included roof tile; tegulae and imbrices, although all the fragments were small and most were abraded, much of the material being redeposited in Anglian pits. Some excavated deposits contained only Roman CBM and although some are later in date (F43, C1163: F44, C1164; F389, C1782; F425, C1786; F442, C1951; F520, C2120; C2184; F546, C2201, C2205) it was present in sufficient quantity to suggest Roman building in the vicinity. The fabrics were limited to the typical range of fabrics known in York. Conversely the CBM from Fishergate House presented only a residual amount of Roman material. Roof tile in the form of two tegulae and three imbrices were recovered as well as brick fragments, which suggests there was little by way of Roman building on the more southerly site.
Twelve tegulae and thirty-one imbrices were identified during analysis. Only two tegula flanges were completely intact; one with a Betts' Lower cutaway type F (F43, C1163) (Betts 1985, 160). Two tallymarks were also noted on Roman brick fragments from F389; one has a deep knife-cut tally on the side of the brick in the form of an 'X' (Plate 1), the other has a larger possible 'X' mark on the sanded side (Plate 2). Betts (ibid 204) suggests that these tallymarks may be an indicator of military tile production.
Plate 1
Plate 2
Brick fragments were also found, but again were generally small and abraded. Some brick fragments may actually have been from tegulae, but no distinguishing features could be identified and were subsequently defined as brick fragments. One brick fragment, possibly a product of military tile kilns at Peaseholme Green, York, displayed a partial, but deeply struck, stamp of the 9th legion and may date the context to the late 1st to early 2nd century (C1782B) (Plate 3). The stamp is only partially preserved, but ]X-HISP[ is half-intact. The stamp was compared to Betts' legionary stamp series (ibid. 209-10), but no match was found and the piece may represent a new tile stamp in York. Only sixteen pieces of Roman brick were recovered from the Fishergate House site; the remains of most of these were fragmentary, but one survived with a partial finger executed signature, although the surviving portion was not sufficient to identify the mark.
Plate 3
One small fragment of box flue tile was also recovered. Additionally, the evaluation assessment noted the presence of hypocaust tile and burnt brick.
Roman CBM from excavation in the 1980s was recovered from Roman ploughsoil or was redeposited in later features. Some of the present assemblage had been redeposited in later features, but a proportion came from features and deposits dated to the Roman period. Enough of a range of forms is now known from the site to suggest Roman building in the area of Blue Bridge Lane, although the smaller and less varied remains from Fishergate House suggest less Roman activity to the south of the site. The range now includes, roof tile and brick (including a total of four 9th legion stamps), floor tile, hypocaust tile, flue tile, opus signinum, and chimney pot. These suggest the nearby buildings may have been relatively sophisticated, supplied by the military market and included tegulated roofing systems, plaster and tile floors, and Roman heating systems. The assemblage is broadly dated to the 1st to 4th century.
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