Blue Bridge Lane
&
Fishergate House
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Excavations on the adjoining sites of Fishergate House and Blue Bridge Lane, both located to the south of the Roman colonia and fortress at York and situated between the Ouse and the Roman and later approach road, Fishergate, were carried out by Field Archaeology Specialists Ltd.
A single feature on the southernmost site, Fishergate House, could be assigned to the Anglian period, while fifteen finds-producing features on the Blue Bridge Lane site could be assigned to this period. Most of these features are pits whose original organic contents have compressed and decayed causing the subsequent depressions to be filled with later material. Subsequent disturbance to the Anglian levels, and the recycling of material from the Anglian ground surface, has also led to Anglian pottery being redeposited in later features.
A total of 244 sherds of pottery of Anglian date were recovered, representing no more than 155 vessels and weighing in total 2.788kg. One hundred and forty-six of these sherds come from stratified deposits on the Blue Bridge Lane site and forty-six sherds come from the Anglian feature on the Fishergate House site (Table 1). The total for Blue Bridge Lane, however, includes four sherds of Badorf ware which, it is argued here, are actually of later 9th-century or later date.
| Blue Bridge Lane | Fishergate House | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NoSh | NoV | Wt | NoSh | NoV | Wt | |
| Residual | 44 | 39 | 368 | 6 | 5 | 51 |
| In Anglian deposits | 146 | 100 | 1763 | 46 | 9 | 598 |
| In Roman deposits | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||
| Grand Total | 191 | 140 | 2137 | 52 | 14 | 649 |
Seven groups of Anglian wares were present on the two sites: Badorf ware (BADO), imported black and grey burnished wares (BLBURN), quartz sand-tempered ware with a polished, rounded quartz sand (ESGS), Ipswich ware (IPS), Lincolnshire shell-tempered wares (MAX), a putative unidentified import (MSAXIMP) and coarse sand-tempered wares with a quartz sand derived from sandstone (SST). The distribution of sherds of these wares across the two sites is show in Table 2.
| Blue Bridge Lane | Fishergate House | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cname | NoSh | NoV | Wt | NoSh | NoV | Wt |
| BADO | 5 | 3 | 96 | |||
| BLBURN | 16 | 16 | 137 | |||
| ESGS | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||
| IPS | 3 | 3 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| MAX | 128 | 82 | 1393 | 44 | 7 | 563 |
| MSAXIMP | 1 | 1 | 24 | |||
| SST | 38 | 35 | 476 | 6 | 5 | 59 |
| Grand Total | 191 | 140 | 2137 | 52 | 14 | 649 |
Badorf ware was produced at a number of sites in the Vorgebirge region on the west side of the Rhine, to the south of Bruhl. It was the most common product of this industry during the later 8th to 10th century, replacing Walberburg ware, which is much coarser, and being in turn superseded by Pingsdorf ware during the later 10th century.
Five sherds from, at most, three Badorf ware vessels were recovered from Blue Bridge Lane. None come from stratified Anglian deposits. One sherd was sampled for thin-section and chemical analysis for comparison with samples from Flixborough and Lundenwic(V2555).
The three vessels all contain sparse rounded quartz grains, c.0.3mm to c.3.0mm across, sparse rounded light-coloured clay pellets up to 3.0mm across, sparse angular red clay/ironstone fragments, c.0.2mm to c.2.0mm across and sparse muscovite flakes up to 1.0mm across. The groundmass is fine-textured but contains abundant muscovite laths of silt grade. The vessels all have a cream body but with a redder core.
Similar light-firing clays occur widely and there are several similarities between the sampled sherd and wares produced in West and North Yorkshire in the medieval period. However, the rounding of the quartz sand grains distinguishes the ware from local medieval whitewares with a similar texture. Figure 1 shows that the Blue Bridge Lane sample is closer in composition to samples of Badorf vessels from Flixborough and Lundenwic than it is to Thorner ware and York Gritty ware, the second of which can be very similar in colour and texture.
Figure 1 here
The sherds from C1167 probably come from a relief band amphora and have a hand-smoothed exterior and scraped interior. That from C1492 comes from a thinner walled vessel with its throwing marks visible on both surfaces. Both pitchers and jars are known with similar curvatures and wall thicknesses. The sherd from C1858 comes from the rim of a jar with a rounded, everted rim with lid-seating (Figure 2).
Figure 2 here?
Badorf ware is certainly present in late 8th to mid-9th century contexts in England, mainly at the wic sites of Ipswich and Lundenwic, but is also present at 46-54 Fishergate. However, it is also found in contexts where there is no other evidence for mid-Saxon occupation, where a later 9th to 10th century date is most likely (for example, in the City of London, Vince and Jenner 1991). Sherds have also been found at King's Lynn, where they are likely to be of later 11th or 12th century date although such a late date is exceptional in England. In the York area a mid-9th century hoard was found at Bolton Percy in a Badorf ware jar (illustrated by 1981) and the ware is present at Coppergate (Mainman 1990).
Sixteen sherds of grey burnished wares were found at Blue Bridge Lane. All have the same fabric, the most common fabric in this ware on sites throughout eastern England. The fabric contains sparse to moderate rounded quartz grains, up to 0.5mm across, some of which are polished, and moderate rounded red clay pellets, up to 2.0mm across. The groundmass is extremely fine-textured and by eye the only inclusions which can be discerned are muscovite laths, mostly less than 0;05mm across. A feature of the fabric is that it is laminated and soft fired, so that it often spalls or completely disintegrates in the ground. The vessels usually have a brown or red oxidized core and grey margins and surfaces. Sometimes, the surface is blackened, but none of the Blue Bridge Lane sherds have this black surface. Although the fabric contains no distinctive mineral suite, the combination of features suggests that the Early to Mid-Saxon imports came from a single source, probably located somewhere in the Pas de Calais.
The sherds from Blue Bridge Lane come from a maximum of nine vessels, possibly as few as six. The shape of the vessels is mainly uncertain, although some appear to come from tall barrel-shaped jars or pitchers and two from F13 come from the lower body of a biconical vessel. All have burnishing on the exterior.
Several vessels included by Professor Evison in her corpus of Merovingian wheelthrown pottery vessels in Anglo-Saxon graves belong to this fabric group, indicating that the production site was in operation in the later 6th to early 7th century. It is also present in pre-Ipswich ware contexts at Ipswich (Coutts 1992, 154). It is also present in early 8th century contexts at Saxon Southampton (Hodges 1981, Classes 13 and 14.5), Barking Abbey (Blackmore and Redknap 1988) and Lundenwic.It therefore seems that without information on the precise form and decoration of the vessel, only a broad date range can be given. However, it does seem that the ware is more common earlier in the Mid-Saxon period than later.
A single handmade sherd containing rounded, polished quartz grains was identified by eye and was too small to thin section or sample chemically. Rounded, polished quartz grains are a feature of lower Cretaceous strata, but in Yorkshire the typical arenaceous deposits are replaced by the Speeton Clay (which only outcrops in the Vale of Pickering) and the Red Chalk (which does contain quartz grains, but in a calcareous matrix). The vessel is likely to be of northeast Lincolnshire origin (or further a field).
The sherd probably comes from a jar.
ESGS is present in the Lincolnshire Wolds in the early Anglo-Saxon period and a stamped vessel of 6th century date from Doncaster belongs to this fabric group. However, at Flixborough, there are some vessels which appear to be contemporary with the earliest phase of Mid-Saxon occupation. Before the end of the Mid-Saxon period, it seems that pottery production had ceased in the northeast Lincolnshire area and Northern Maxey-type wares were used instead.
Four sherds of Ipswich ware were identified at Blue Bridge Lane. All are undecorated and from their size probably come from medium-sized jars rather than spouted pitchers such as that found at Lurk Lane, Beverley. One was thin sectioned and an ICPS sample taken (V2566).
One hundred and seventy sherds of shell-tempered pottery were recovered from deposits dated to the Anglian period and a further sixty-five sherds were recovered from later deposits. All were examined in detail by Jane Young and assigned to ware groups defined at the City of Lincoln (forthcoming) and Flixborough (Young and Vince forthcoming). As a result of this study, it seems that 195 sherds are of Anglian date and the remainder are of Anglo-Scandinavian or post-conquest date. Nine sherds from stratified Anglian deposits and thirty-one sherds from later deposits are of this post-Anglian date. The majority of the Anglian sherds are of Northern Maxey-type ware (MAX) with a small number of sherds of Early Lincolnshire Fine Shelled ware (ELFS). The Northern Maxey-type wares were assigned to fabric groups depending on the quantity and size range of the shell inclusions. Subfabrics A to G were first defined at Lincoln, where they form the vast majority of the Anglian Maxey-type wares. Of these, only subfabrics B and E were present in this Fishergate assemblage. Subfabric B is, in central Lincolnshire, the most common subfabric found but at York it is rare and in this collection accounts for three definite and a further four possible examples. Subfabric E, characterised by the presence of echinoid spines, is rare at Lincoln and more common at sites in northern Lincolnshire, such as Flixborough. Five examples of this subfabric were present in this collection. The remaining subfabrics have not been recorded in central Lincolnshire. Some, such as U.1 and U.3, were first defined at Flixborough whereas the remainder, U.5 to U.9, were first defined in this collection. This latter group form the majority of the Northern Maxey-type ware present, most of which consists of two subfabrics, U.6 (forty-seven sherds) and U.7 (107 sherds).
Twelve samples of shell-tempered ware from Anglian contexts at Blue Bridge Lane and Fishergate House were taken for thin section and chemical analyses (Table 3). They were chosen primarily on the practical grounds that (a) some typological features were present; (b) the sherds were not leached, so that the shell inclusions remained; (c) the sherds were large enough for a thin section and chemical sample to be taken and still leave a substantial amount of the sherd intact.
For this reason, not every subfabric identified in the collection was sampled. The samples include examples of subfabrics B, U.5, U.6, U.7 and U.9 together with examples of ELFS, and two Anglo-Scandinavian or medieval wares (LFS and LEMS).
| TSNO | Site | DN | Action | Context | context group | period code | cname | subfabric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V2550 | YBB01 | TS;ICPS | 1881 | F013 | MSAX | MAX | U.9 | |
| V2551 | YBB01 | TS;ICPS | 2004 | F442 | MSAX | MAX | U.7 | |
| V2556 | YFH00 | DR1 | TS;ICPS | 1120 | F64 | MSAX | MAX | U.5 |
| V2557 | YFH00 | TS;ICPS | 1120 | F64 | MSAX | MAX | U.9 | |
| V2558 | YBB01 | TS;ICPS | 1970 | F459 | LFS | |||
| V2559 | YBB01 | TS;ICPS | 1857 | F388 | MSAX | LEMS | ||
| V2560 | YBB01 | DR 58 | TS;ICPS | 1880 | F013 | MSAX | MAX | U.7 |
| V2561 | YBB01 | DR 41 | TS;ICPS | 1353 | MAX | U.7 | ||
| V2562 | YBB01 | DR 54 | TS;ICPS | 2194 | F546 | MSAX | MAX | U.6 |
| V2563 | YBB01 | DR 53 | TS;ICPS | 1904 | F013 | MSAX | MAX | U.6 |
| V2564 | YBB01 | DR 63 | TS;ICPS | 2011 | F442 | MSAX | ELFS | |
| V2565 | YBB01 | DR 64 | TS;ICPS | 1922 | F427 | MSAX | MAX | B |
In thin section, they fall into two groups, a division also reflected in their chemical composition.
The main group contains the following inclusion types:
The groundmass consists of optically anisotropic baked clay minerals and abundant dark brown nodules. These vary in size but are mainly spherical.
The second group consists of a single sample, V2557 (subfabric U.9), and contains the same range of inclusions as the rest (no echinoid shell or spines were noted), but with a slightly higher proportion of rounded quartz sand.
The characteristics of these fabrics are the same as that of shell-tempered wares from the Lincoln area, where the shell appears to be derived from the Great Oolite formation. This outcrops on the eastern, dip, slope of the Jurassic ridge to both the north and south of the Witham Gap (e.g. Potterhanworth, 6km south of Lincoln). The Great Oolitic formation includes abundant oyster shell and is a loosely-cemented rock, with much clay. Since the shell sand includes freshly broken fragments it is possible that the shell sand was obtained from a hillside talus or possibly the limestone brash subsoil which forms on top of outcrops of the rock, although it could have been produced from weathered limestone, sieved to control particle size. The quartz sand is ultimately derived from the Triassic sandstones which outcrop to the west and southwest, but is probably present as windblown cover sand, which favours the subsoil origin of the inclusions. The micrite fragments in V2557 are probably concretionary limestone, present in the parent clay. The parent clay is probably a weathered Jurassic clay. The lack of mudstone fragments distinguishes it from the Lias clays used in the Lincoln pottery industry, which were apparently quarried from the sides of the Witham Gap.
Chemical analysis of the samples shows that the Subfabric B sample has a high F1 score, two samples from the 46-54 Fishergate site have high F2 score and the U.9 sample, which was petrologically distinctive, has a strong negative F2 score (Figure 3). The remaining samples show no clear differences in composition. High F1 scores are due high weightings for some of the Rare Earth elements (Samarium, Europium, Neodymium, Lanthanum, Dysprosium and to a lesser degree Yttrium) and for Iron. High F2 scores are due to Chromium, Titanium and Lithium.
Figure 3 here
Comparison of the York Maxey-type wares with those from sites in Lincolnshire shows that with the exception of the Subfabric B sample, which is an outlier with a high F1 score, the York samples form a distinct group, having moderately high F1 scores and negative F2 scores. In this same cluster are samples from Bottesford (five samples), Flixborough (three samples only) and Belton (on the Isle of Axholme, nine samples). There is therefore a concentration of sites around the lower Trent valley.
Figure 4 here
Thirty-four vessels could be assigned to a form (Table 4). The only positively identified form present is the jar (see Figure 2, Nos 4 to 11). These vessels varied in size although none were complete enough for their diameters to be determined. The vessels have flat bases and slightly globular or almost cylindrical bodies. Rim forms include vertical flat-topped forms, and everted rounded forms. Some examples have external beading. Several vessels had suspension lugs, in one case definitely with a triangular shape.
Sooting is often found on the exterior of the jars and sometimes also on the interior. Kettle fur and selective leaching of the internal shell inclusions indicates that some vessels were used to boil water and others used to contain, and/or heat an acidic liquid.
| Form | B | B/U.3 | B/U.7 | E | U.3 | U.5 | U.6 | U.7 | U.7/B | U.8 | U.9 | Grand Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JAR | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16 | ||
| JAR? | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||
| LARGE VESS | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||
| JAR, LARGE | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| SMALL VESS | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| JAR, LARGE LUGGED | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| JAR, LUGGED | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| JAR, SMALL LUGGED | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| JAR/BOWL, SMALL | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| LUGGED VESS | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| TINY FORM | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Grand Total | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 34 |
The majority of the Northern Maxey-type wares from Fishergate and Blue Bridge Lane are of fabrics which are not paralleled in detail elsewhere (Sub-fabrics U.5 to U.9). Fabrics B, E and U.3 occur more widely, for example at Flixborough. However, these fabrics can only be dated broadly on these other sites. They are probably present from the later 7th to the mid-9th century. No examples of Fabric A, which is especially common in the earlier parts of the Flixborough sequence, were present at Fishergate, although this does not mean that there are no later 7th century vessels in the collection.
The vessel forms and surface treatment of the Northern Maxey-type ware from Fishergate also give little clue as to the date of the collection, within the later 7th to mid-9th century bracket, except for an everted-rimmed jar (sub-fabric U.3), which can be dated typologically to the later 8th to mid-9th century.
The sherds of ELFS, however, definitely date from the latest part of the Mid-Saxon period or to the earlier part of the Anglo-Scandinavian period, i.e. to the later 8th to mid-10th century. These include the jar rim from F442 (see Figure 2, No 2) and body sherds from F13 and F353 (and residual sherds from F186).
Samples of the handmade quartz sand-tempered wares from the 46-54 Fishergate site were thin-sectioned and chemical analyses taken as part of the Northhumbrian Kingdom Anglo-Saxon Pottery Project. The results of this study showed that there were several distinct fabrics within this group, although all contained at least some fragments of quartz and sandstone derived from the Millstone Grit. The samples were divided into groups as shows in Table 3. Nine samples of these wares from Blue Bridge Lane were taken and could all be assigned to a previously-defined subfabric (Table 3). There were, however, no examples of SST C/D or SST E from Blue Bridge Lane or Fishergate House and the relative proportions of the wares found differs. Two samples have slightly different characteristics in thin-section and chemical compositions to any previous samples and are here given the subfabric codes SST G and SST H.
| Inclusions | Groundmass | No of samples | YBB01 samples | YBB01 (Visual ID) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SST A | Coarse Millstone Grit-type sandstone and its constituents; rounded limestone | Quartz and muscovite silt | 1 | None | None |
| SST B | Polished, rounded quartz grains, fine-grained sandstones; Rhaxella chert | Quartz and muscovite silt | 1 | V2568 | 1 |
| SST C/D | Fine-grained micaceous Millstone Grit-type sandstone and its constituents; chaff | Clean clay | 5 | None | 2 |
| SST E | Biotite granite; Millstone Grit-type quartz and sandstone; micrite | Clean clay | 2 | None | None |
| SST F1 | Coarse feldspathic sandstone (from the Millstone Grit) | Coarse quartz and muscovite silt | 6 | V2567, V2569, V2570, V2571, V2573, V2574, V2576 | 29 |
| SST F2 | Coarse feldspathic sandstone (from the Millstone Grit) | Clean clay | 2 | None | None |
| SST G | Mudstone; Medium-grained sandstone fragments and their constituent grains | Quartz and Muscovite silt with dark brown rounded grains | None | V2575 | 4 |
| SST H | Subangular quartz sand; basic igneous rock | Quartz and muscovite silt | None | V2568 | 1 |
The following inclusions were noted in the thin-section:
The groundmass consists of anisotropic baked clay minerals, moderate angular quartz silt, moderate muscovite and moderate dark brown rounded grains, all up to 0.05mm across.
Although this sample is similar in texture to those from 46-54 Fishergate, there is no sign of muscovite in the sandstone. The parent clay is a weathered mudstone and the mudstone fragments present are relicts of this rock. The rounded opaque grains were present in the parent clay (some were observed in the mudstone fragments). The sandstone and quartz, however, come from an orthoquartzite which may have weathered in situ or have been redeposited in a detrital sand. In the York area, the nearest sources of such materials would be the Millstone Grit of west Yorkshire or the Middle Jurassic mudstones of north Yorkshire. Similar fine-grained sandstones are present in both areas. These materials, however, are probably common in glacial tills in the Vale of York.
The chemical analysis indicates a lower MgO, CaO, Na2O, MnO, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Sm content and a higher Sc, V, Zr content than in the remaining SST samples from Blue Bridge Lane. Factor analysis of the YBB chemical data shows that the sample is distinct in its composition (see Figure 3 and 4). It can be separated from the majority of the samples by its F2 score (Figure 3) and from the Anglo-Scandinavian and later medieval samples by its F3 score (Figure 4).
Figure 5 here
Figure 6 here
The following inclusions were noted in thin-section:
The groundmass consists of optically isotropic baked clay minerals together with angular fragments of quartz, chert, plagioclase feldspar and unidentified accessory minerals up to 0.1mm across.
The rock and mineral suite present in this sample suggests an origin in an east coast boulder clay. Similar fabrics have been noted at West Heslerton, in the Humber estuary, on either side of the river, and in the Lindsey Marshes.
Chemical analysis shows that samples from Easington, on the Holderness peninsula, are clearly distinguishable, but that samples from West Heslerton, sites on the Yorkshire Wolds and at Barton upon Humber are all similar. The chemical composition is also similar to that of the SST B sample from 46-54 Fishergate.
The following inclusion types were noted in the seven thin sections of this fabric from Blue Bridge Lane:
The groundmass consists of optically anisotropic baked clay minerals with moderate to abundant angular quartz and feldspar ranging from c.0.1mm to 0.2mm and sparse muscovite laths up to 0.1mm across. The overall frequency of the coarse silt inclusions and their grain size varies slightly from sample to sample.
There is less clear evidence for the source of the parent clay than with the SST C/D sample and the fine angular sand might indicate the frost-shattering of Millstone Grit and therefore either a boulder clay or glacial lacustrine clay. The coarser inclusions are mainly, if not entirely, of Millstone Grit origin and the quantity of feldspars would class the parent rock as an arkose.
The chemical composition of the samples is very similar and probably indicates that all came from the same source. No difference was seen between the SST F samples from YBB01 and those from 46-54 Fishergate, or between those samples and the SST C/D samples from the same site. However, the latter site did include four samples with compositions similar to those of the Humberware waste from Blue Bridge Lane. The two different matrices, SST F1 and SST F2, did not have distinct chemical compositions.
Figure 7 here
The two SST E samples, which in Figure 5 plot as part of this group, have different F1 scores, although this may be due to the biotite and feldspar inclusions rather than to a difference in the parent clay.
Comparison of the quartz sand-tempered wares from the Fishergate sites with four from the FAS excavations at Heslington, which appear to predate the Fishergate settlement (Figure 6) show that these too appear to have a similar chemical composition to subfabrics C/D, F1 and F2 (differences do exist in the compositions of these samples, but are probably due to post-burial alteration and are not noted if the affected elements are excluded, as in the analyses presented here).
Figure 8 here
The petrological and chemical analyses therefore suggest that the majority of the quartz sand-tempered ware at the Fishergate site was made from similar raw materials, probably at a single site. Differences in the tempering and groundmass noted between subfabrics C/D, F1 and F2 do not seem to be reflected in the chemical composition. However, alongside these 'local' wares there are others (Subfabrics A, E and G), which probably come from further afield, although probably also within the Vale of York.
Figure 7 shows the results of a factor analysis of these early to mid Anglo-Saxon wares together with samples of Anglo-Scandinavian Handmade ware 1 from Coppergate. In thin-section, they are very similar to the SST F1 and F2 fabrics, although with micrite inclusions which, if once present, have not survived in the Fishergate samples. The latter sherds are distinguished from the majority of the Fishergate and Heslington Hill samples by their F3 scores but have similar F1 and F2 scores. Four samples from the 46-54 Fishergate site have similar low F3 scores. This may indicate a difference in source, or perhaps in burial conditions (the HM 1 samples have a higher K2O and lower Zn content than the earlier vessels).
Figure 9 here
All of the sherds probably come from jars. The curvature of some sherds suggests that the come from medium-sized vessels (with girth diameters in the 100-150mm range), while large vessels (with girth diameters in excess of 150mm) are also present. Bases are flattened with a rounded base angle and rims are rounded and rolled out, without a sharp neck angle (see Figure 2 Nos 13, 16 and 17). Two of the SST G sherds come from a medium-sized vessel with a flattened base (see Figure 2, No 14).
Over half of the sherds have no traces of use (27, 64%) while ten have external sooting, three have 'kettle fur' scale on the inside and one has a burnt food deposit on the inside. Three sherds probably come from the same vessel found in F381 in which the inner surface has spalled, leaving the grit inclusions standing proud. This happened during use, since the spalling is covered with kettle fur.
As Figure 6 demonstrates, there is no difference in the chemical composition of the Heslington Hill quartz sand-tempered wares and the SST C/D and F1 samples from Fishergate and therefore in theory featureless sherds of this fabric from the Fishergate sites could be of early Anglo-Saxon date. However, none of the featured sherds have rim forms, base forms or decoration characteristic of the early Anglo-Saxon period. Most of the vessels have a difference in chemical composition from those of Anglo-Scandinavian date from Coppergate, although a few of the 46-54 Fishergate samples could, on this evidence, be of Anglo-Scandinavian date, or they may indicate that the shift in source took place after the Blue Bridge Lane and Fishergate House sites were abandoned. Visually, and in thin-section, it would be difficult or impossible to distinguish any of these groups without typological information.
Table 6 shows the mean number of sherds per vessel and the mean weight of sherds of Roman, Anglian, Anglo-Scandinavian and later medieval date from the Anglian pits on Blue Bridge Lane. In most cases, the Anglian sherds are larger, and with more sherds per vessel, than the earlier or later material and this is consistent with the suggested dating of these features. There are others, however, where there is no such difference. For example, F273, F351, F388, F458 and F546. Furthermore, there are six Anglian features which produced only Roman sherds (F143, F395, F408, F417, F437 and F508).
Accepting the date of the features, it seems clear that several of them were not used for rubbish disposal, which is consistent with their interpretation as cess pits. Pottery in these features was clearly an accidental or at least incidental content and it may be that in these cases even the Anglian pottery found in the feature fills is secondary, i.e. on breakage it been disposed of elsewhere. The Anglo-Scandinavian pottery in these features has been separately listed here to test the possibility that the site was abandoned at some point in the Mid-Saxon period and that when the site was first re-occupied in the Anglo-Scandinavian period the fills had consolidated and were backfilled to the top at that stage. In fact, there is only one feature which produced only intrusive Anglo-Scandinavian pottery (F164) and the mean size of the sherds, and the number of sherds/vessel shows that in all cases there is little difference between the Anglo-Scandinavian and the later intrusive pottery present. The date of the intrusive pottery varies but probably includes instances where the boundary between an Anglian pit fill and a later intercutting feature was unclear as well as vertical contamination through cracking and subsidence of the pit fill. Assuming, however, that there is no continuous occupation on the site from the Anglian to the Anglo-Scandinavian period (unlike at Coppergate), then it is easy to reconstruct the uncontaminated Anglian assemblage, although it is obvious that odd sherds of Anglian pottery could also be intrusive if there is evidence for Anglo-Scandinavian and later intrusive sherds.
| Feature | Roman | Anglian | Anglo-Scand | Later med | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sh/Vess | Mean Wt | Sh/Vess | Mean Wt | Sh/Vess | Mean Wt | Sh/Vess | Mean Wt | |
| F13 | 1.04 | 5.13 | 1.21 | 12.52 | 1 | 1.5 | ||
| F143 | 1 | 2.5 | ||||||
| F164 | 1 | 1 | 1.83 | 26.81 | 1 | 8 | ||
| F225 | 1 | 1.33 | 1.08 | 12.85 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5.22 |
| F241 | 1 | 2.57 | 1.5 | 32.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14.5 |
| F273 | 1 | 3.57 | 1 | 4.33 | 1 | 4.5 | 1 | 4 |
| F351 | 1 | 9.09 | 1.5 | 7.75 | 1 | 8.5 | 1.17 | 8.21 |
| F353 | 1 | 14 | 5.5 | 13.77 | ||||
| F359 | 1 | 6 | ||||||
| F381 | 1 | 4.45 | 1.33 | 10.58 | 1 | 6.15 | 1.14 | 6.54 |
| F388 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8.5 | 1.38 | 9.96 |
| F402 | 1 | 13.5 | ||||||
| F408 | 1 | 3 | ||||||
| F417 | 1 | 4.67 | ||||||
| F427 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 104 | 1 | 7 | ||
| F437 | 1 | 2.67 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| F442 | 1 | 39.75 | 2 | 11.64 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| F458 | 1 | 2.59 | 1.5 | 4.08 | 1 | 2 | ||
| F508 | 1 | 4 | ||||||
| F520 | 1 | 3.5 | 1 | 7.5 | 1 | 2.33 | 1 | 1 |
| F546 | 1.05 | 10.99 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 26.2 |
| Grand Total | 1.01 | 6.48 | 1.55 | 13.13 | 1 | 5.98 | 1.13 | 8.59 |
Cess pit F13
Of the sixty sherds in this feature, twenty-nine
are of Roman date. One is of late 11th to 13th century date and one is later
medieval. The remaining twenty-nine sherds are of Anglian date. Most were
shell-tempered (three sampled for thin-section and chemical analysis), five
are burnished greywares (probably from four different vessels) and five are
coarse quartz sand-tempered (two sampled for thin section and chemical analysis).
The shell-tempered ware includes ELFS, dating the deposit to the later 8th
century or later.
Pit F143
Only two sherds of Roman pottery.
Pit F164
Of the eleven sherds recovered from this feature,
all but one (Roman) are of Anglian date. Nine are shell-tempered and one
a burnished greyware.
Bonfire kiln F225
Of the twenty-one sherds from this feature,
six are of Roman date, five are intrusive (all probably later 14th century)
and the remaining ten are of Anglian date. They include eight sherds of quartz
sand-tempered ware (one sampled for thin-section and chemical analysis),
one shell tempered and one burnished greyware.
Cess pit F241
Of the eighteen sherds from this feature,
ten are of Roman date, three are intrusive medieval (dating as a group to
the mid-12th century) and the remaining three sherds are of Anglian date.
They consist of a burnished greyware and two sherds from the same quartz
sand-tempered vessel, sampled for thin-section and chemical analysis.
Cess pit F273
Of the seventeen sherds from this feature,
ten are of Roman date, three are intrusive (one pre-conquest and two later
14th century) and the remaining four sherds are of Anglian date. They consist
of two sherds of quartz sand-tempered ware and two shell-tempered ware sherds.
Pit F351
Of the seventy-three sherds from this feature,
seventeen are of Roman date and forty-eight are of medieval date (a mixture,
ranging from the 12th to the 14th century). The remaining eight sherds are
of Anglian date and all are shell-tempered.
Pit F353
Of the twenty-five sherds from this feature, three
are of Roman date and the remainder are of Anglian shell-tempered ware, representing
two vessels (see Figure 2, Nos 9 and 10). One of these is of ELFS, dating
deposition to the later 8th century or later.
Cess pit F359
One sherd of Roman date was recovered from
this feature.
Cess pit F381
Of the seventy-four sherds recovered from
this feature, twenty-one are of Roman date, thirty-three are of Anglo-Scandinavian
or later date and twenty are of Anglian date. The intrusive finds include
a high proportion of Anglo-Scandinavian pottery, but even within this period,
the sherds form a mixed assemblage. The Anglian finds include the Badorf
ware jar rim, eleven shell-tempered sherds, one of which was drawn (see Figure
2, No 8), two Ipswich ware jar sherds and six quartz sand-tempered sherds
(two of which were sampled for thin section and chemical analyses).
Rubbish pit F388
Of the thirty-three sherds from this feature,
two were of Roman date, twenty-seven were intrusive medieval date (mostly
of later 12th century date) and three were of Anglian date. These include
two shell-tempered sherds, one of which was sampled for thin-section and
chemical analyses), and one grey burnished ware.
Pit F402
Five sherds were recovered from this feature, all
of which are of Anglian date. They include four shell-tempered sherds, one
of which was drawn (see Figure 2, No 11) and one grey burnished ware.
Pit F408
A single sherd of Roman date was recovered from
this feature.
Pit F417
Three sherds of Roman date were recovered from
this feature.
Pit F427
Five sherds were recovered from this feature, three
of which were of Roman date, one of medieval date (later 12th century or
later) and one of Anglian shell-tempered ware, sampled for thin-section and
chemical analyses.
Pit F437
Four sherds were recovered from this feature, three
of which were of Roman date and one of medieval date (later 11th century
or later).
Cess pit F442
Thirty-six sherds of pottery were recovered
from this feature, of which six are of Roman date, one of medieval date (later
12th century or later) and the remaining twenty-eight sherds of Anglian shell-tempered
ware. Two of these vessels were sampled for thin-section and chemical analysis
(V2551 and V2564). One of these is classed as ELFS and should date to the
later 8th century or later (see Figure 2, No 2).
Cess pit F458
Thirty-six sherds of pottery were recovered
from this feature, of which twenty-seven are of Roman date, three of medieval
date (one later 12th century or later and two later 14th century) and six
of Anglian date. Five of those sherds were shell-tempered (including an everted
rimmed jar of subfabric U.3, dated by Jane Young to the later 8th to mid-9th
century), and the sixth was of Ipswich ware.
Pit F508
A single sherd of Roman date was recovered from
this feature.
Pit F520
Twenty-four sherds of pottery were recovered from
this feature. Thirteen were of Roman date, one of medieval date (later 12th
century or later) and ten of Anglian date. These include seven sherds of
shell-tempered ware, two grey burnished ware (one with a sherd link to a
sherd in F13) and one quartz sand-tempered sherd, which was sampled for thin-section
and chemical analyses.
Pit F546
Thirty-six sherds of pottery were recovered from
this feature, of which twenty-seven are of Roman date, six of medieval date
(all later 12th century or later) and three of Anglian shell-tempered ware,
one of which was sampled for thin-section and chemical analyses.
Cess pit F64
Of the sixty-one sherds recovered from this
feature, fifteen were of Roman date and the remaining forty-six of Anglian
date. The latter include forty-three sherds of shell-tempered ware, two of
which were sampled for thin-section and chemical analyses, a sherd of Ipswich
ware, a sherd from a possible imported vessel and a sherd of quartz sand-tempered
ware.
Eighty-one sherds of Anglian pottery were recovered from later levels at Blue Bridge Lane. The assemblage has a very similar composition to that from the stratified features (Table 4). One of the two Ipswich ware sherds was a jar rim (see Figure 2, No 3) and three sherds were sampled for thin section and chemical analysis (Badorf ware, quartz sand-tempered and shell-tempered ware). The percentage of Badorf ware is higher (4.9% vs 0.6%) as is that of Ipswich ware (but based on two sherds). The proportions of grey burnished, shell-tempered and quartz sand-tempered wares is, however, nearly identical. This is strong evidence to suggest that these residual sherds were either disturbed from similar features or from horizontal strata contemporary with them and that there was not any earlier or later activity preceding or post-dating the pit digging.
| period code | BADO | BLBURN | ESGS | IPS | MAX | MSAXIMP | SST | Grand Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 57 | 12 | 81 | ||
| MSAX | 1 | 11 | 2 | 130 | 25 | 169 |
The mean weight of the residual sherds is lower than that from the stratified features for the grey burnished, shell-tempered and quartz sand-tempered sherds, by a factor of over two (ratios of 2.5, 2.2 and 2.3), but for the Badorf ware and Ipswich ware the residual sherds are actually larger (by ratios of 7.7 and 2 respectively). However, the number of sherds involved is so low that this may not be significant.
Seven residual Anglian sherds were recovered from Fishergate House, two of which were shell-tempered and five quartz sand-tempered. As at Blue Bridge Lane, the sherds are smaller than those from the stratified feature, by factors of 2.7 and 1.5. Here too, the residual sherds could have been disturbed from an Anglian feature of similar date to that excavated on the site.
None of the handmade Anglian wares have features which suggest an early Anglo-Saxon date, although it is entirely possible that body and base sherds of this ware are indeed that early. The grey burnished and shell-tempered wares are of later 7th to mid-8th century date, while a national survey of Ipswich ware has suggested that the ware is first produced in the later 7th century, but that the market for the ware was limited to East Anglia until the early 8th century (P. Blinkhorn, pers. comm.).
One might expect the Anglo-Saxon ceramic sequence in the York area to start with a phase in which most of the pottery is of quartz sand-tempered ware, followed by the introduction of the shell-tempered and grey burnished wares, then Ipswich ware, then the various Anglo-Scandinavian wares found in Period 4 at Coppergate. There is no convincing evidence to show that the first of these phases existed at Fishergate and none of the sixteen stratified Anglian assemblages contains only sandstone-sand tempered sherds. Therefore, at the earliest, this part of the Fishergate settlement seems to have been settled by the later 7th century.
Ipswich ware is uncommon on these two sites in comparison to its frequency at 46-54 Fishergate and at Coppergate. While this might be due to a difference in activity between the two sites, it might also indicate that these more southerly sites were abandoned earlier than the 46-54 Fishergate site. The latest sherd from the stratified assemblages is the Badorf ware jar rim from F381. This feature, however, also produced the largest assemblage of late 9th early to 10th century sherds of any found in the Anglian pits. However, the other two sherds of Badorf ware, both residual, are larger and fresh in appearance. Furthermore, neither of these residual sherds is associated with late 9th early to 10th century wares, but both occur alongside quartz sand-tempered ware sherds.
If the Badorf wares are indeed associated with the Anglian settlement then it must have continued until at least the later 8th century. Without them, an early 8th century date would be likely, to account for the low frequency of Ipswich ware sherds.
The 46-54 Fishergate site produced a much larger Anglian assemblage that that from the two Fishergate sites under examination here (Mainman 1990, Table 56).
Two wares found at 46-54 Fishergate are not found on either Blue Bridge Lane, or Fishergate House. These are grass-tempered ware (GTW in Table 8) and Mayen ware (MW in Table 4). However, both of these were rare (twenty-seven sherds and five sherds respectively out of a total just from the stratified Anglian material of 712 Anglian sherds). No stratified sherds of Badorf ware were noted at 46-54 Fishergate, although a single undecorated body sherd, probably from an amphora, was found in a later deposit. With these exceptions, the range of pottery found at the three sites is comparable.
| Site/phase | BADO | BLBURN | ESGS | IPS | MAX | MSAXIMP | SST | MW | GTW | Grand Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YBB01 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 188 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 251 |
| YFH00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 53 |
| 3z | 0 | 39 | 0 | 13 | 74 | 24 | 53 | 1 | 12 | 216 |
| 3c | 0 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 34 | 2 | 28 | 1 | 6 | 89 |
| 3b | 0 | 119 | 0 | 16 | 63 | 25 | 85 | 2 | 9 | 319 |
| 3a | 0 | 30 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 4 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 88 |
| Total 3 | 0 | 203 | 0 | 36 | 191 | 55 | 195 | 5 | 27 | 712 |
Table 5 shows the sherd counts listed in Table 4 presented as a percentage of the total for the site and/or phase. There appear to be systematic differences between the 46-54 Fishergate site and the other two. The grey burnished ware sherds are much more common at the former site, as are other imports. Ipswich ware is also two or three times as common, while the frequency of shell-tempered ware is much lower. Finally, and somewhat surprisingly, there is a higher proportion of quartz tempered ware at the 46-54 Fishergate site. This is shown graphically in Figure 3. It seems therefore that there is a trend for the shell-tempered ware to become more and more frequent as one goes south and for all other wares, both imported and local, to drop in frequency accordingly.
| Site/phase | BADO | BLBURN | ESGS | IPS | MAX | MSAXIMP | SST | MW | GTW | Grand Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YBB01 | 2% | 6% | 0% | 1% | 75% | 0% | 15% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| YFH00 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 85% | 2% | 11% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| 3z | 0% | 18% | 0% | 6% | 34% | 11% | 25% | 0% | 6% | 100% |
| 3c | 0% | 17% | 0% | 3% | 38% | 2% | 31% | 1% | 7% | 100% |
| 3b | 0% | 37% | 0% | 5% | 20% | 8% | 27% | 1% | 3% | 100% |
| 3a | 0% | 34% | 0% | 5% | 23% | 5% | 33% | 1% | 0% | 100% |
| Total 3 | 0% | 29% | 0% | 5% | 27% | 8% | 27% | 1% | 4% | 100% |
Figure 10 here
In all three Fishergate sites examined to date, only a small proportion of the pottery used at the settlement was locally produced. This local pottery accounts for 27% of the sherds present at the 46-54 Fishergate site and does not alter appreciably in the four Period 3 phases. At Blue Bridge Lane, it accounts for 15% of the pottery found and at Fishergate House it accounts for 11%. Analysis of these wares using thin-sections and chemical analyses indicate a wider range of fabrics at the 46-54 Fishergate site, although there is no guarantee that the sampling at any of the three sites was representative.
Non-local wares from central and north Lincolnshire form only about a quarter of the pottery found at the 46-54 Fishergate site but over three quarters of that at the other two sites, rising as one goes south. These wares could have arrived at York overland, via the Trent crossing at Littleborough and then following the Roman road through Doncaster and Tadcaster, skirting around the Humber wetlands. However, no examples of these shelly wares have been found in South Yorkshire, or elsewhere on this route. Instead, it is likely that the pottery was carried either across the Humber at one of the ferry crossings and thence overland to York or, more likely by boat. The embarkation point could either be on the Trent, for example the Mid-Saxon predecessor of Torksey, or on the south bank of the Humber. There is evidence for at least two centres of production of Northern Maxey wares, one in central Lincolnshire (i.e. close to Lincoln) and the other further north, closer to Flixborough and Brigg.
The chemical analysis of the Blue Bridge Lane and Fishergate House shell-tempered wares seems to indicate that they are more similar to vessels from the Isle of Axholme than to those from Lincolnshire, east of the Trent, but those from the 46-54 Fishergate site are not. The differences between the two groups is, however, based on elements which are quite likely to have been affected by burial conditions and this result, while interesting, should not be relied upon. However, the thin-section and chemical analyses do confirm that the shell-tempered wares found in Anglian York were made in Lincolnshire.
The Ipswich ware found at Fishergate is found in much higher quantities than at any other site in Yorkshire, even though it only forms a small percentage of the pottery found at any of the three sites. Other finds from Yorkshire include a single vessel from Beverley (Watkins in Armstrong and Evans 1991), two vessels from Sewerby (Vince 2004), and a vessel from Bridlington (Didsbury, pers comm). All are coastal finds and there is little doubt that this ware was distributed by boat, with little re-distribution inland.
The remaining wares found at Fishergate are all continental imports, whose source has been discussed in detail by Mainman (1993). The grey burnished wares probably originated in the Pas-de-Calais region and were therefore probably brought to England through a trading centre such as Quentovic and then, via the east coast to York. Mayen ware and Badorf ware, however, were produced in the Rhine valley and shipped down the Rhine and then across the North Sea, perhaps directly to Ipswich and then, again, around the east coast to York. The percentage of these imports is higher at Fishergate than at any site so far discovered in Lincolnshire and this suggests that there were two distinct trade routes by which these pots arrived in York: a short distance route from the Trent or south side of the Humber estuary, and a long distance route, perhaps direct from Ipswich.
MSAX in the period column indicates that the sherd comes from an Anglian deposit
| No | Drawing ID | period | Feature | Context | subfabric | TSNO | Fig Caption |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DR 61 | MSAX | F381 | 1858 | BADO JAR everted lid-seated rounded rim. Sooted on outside of rim | ||
| 2 | DR 63 | MSAX | F442 | 2011 | V2564 | ELFS JAR globular body with flat topped, externally beaded rim. Sooted on exterior. There is a circular hole on the shoulder, made post-firing but apparently in antiquity (i.e. not a pick hole). | |
| 3 | DR 49 | 1999 | IPS JAR everted rim sooted exterior. | ||||
| 4 | DR 53 | MSAX | F013 | 1904 | U.6 | V2563 | MAX JAR cylindrical body with sharp shoulder and rounded, beaded rim. Sooted on outside. |
| 5 | DR 54 | MSAX | F546 | 2194 | U.6 | V2562 | MAX JAR cylindrical body with sharp shoulder and rounded, beaded rim. Sooted on outside. |
| 6 | DR 64 | MSAX | F427 | 1922 | B | V2565 | MAX JAR globular body with flat-topped vertical rim. Sooted on exterior. Leached interior and exterior (post-burial) |
| 7 | DR 58 | MSAX | F013 | 1880 | U.7 | V2560 | MAX JAR, LARGE everted rounded rim |
| 8 | DR 59 | MSAX | F381 | 1846 | B | MAX JAR, LARGE flat-topped, beaded rim | |
| 9 | DR 56 | MSAX | F353 | 1449 | U.7 | MAX JAR, LARGE LUGGED globular body with flat-topped vertical rim and traces of added lug. Leached interior. | |
| 10 | DR 55 | MSAX | F353 | 1449 | U.7 | MAX JAR, LUGGED globular body with flat-topped vertical rim and traces of added lug. Leached interior. | |
| 11 | DR 62 | MSAX | F402 | 1883 | B/U.3 | MAX JAR, SMALL LUGGED everted flat-topped rim with traces of applied lug. Sooted on inside of rim | |
| 12 | DR 41 | 1353 | U.7 | V2561 | MAX LUGGED VESSEL flat-topped probably vertical rim. Triangular lug. | ||
| 13 | DR 38 | 1331 | SST F1 | V2576 | SST JAR everted rim. sooted on outside. | ||
| 14 | DR 57 | MSAX | F241 | 1517 | SST G | V2575 | SST JAR globular body with flattened base. Sooted on outside and possible kettle fur on interior. |
| 15 | DR 66 | F039 | 1150 | SST F1 | SST JAR slightly everted rim. | ||
| 16 | DR 67 | F226 | 1492 | SST F1 | SST JAR slightly everted rim. Sooted on exterior. |
see also:
apc > monographs > blue bridge lane & fishergate house > artefacts & environmental > ceramics > anglian
