Fishergate Archaeology
Situated above flood level on a ridge of higher ground just east of the river Foss, people have lived and worked in Fishergate since the end of the last Ice Age. The ridge of glacial moraine became a Roman road, heading south from the city (now the A19) crossing the Foss in Walmgate, and perhaps there was also a Roman bridge near Castle Mills. Another ridge of higher ground ran east from Fishergate towards Siward's Hill and Hull Road, providing an east-west route to a fording point of the Ouse near the confluence of the two rivers.
Soon after the Foss was canalised in 1795, a glass works was established near Castle Mills Lock, eventually growing to fill the area now forming the Fewster Way housing estate (read more about the glass works HERE). The huge factory was closed in the 1980s, and York Archaeological Trust excavated part of the area east of the Novotel. As well as uncovering the medieval Gilbertine Priory of St Andrew, they also found remains of a Norman stone church and it's Anglo-Scandinavian timber predecessor.
Even more exciting was the discovery of a large Anglian site with a variety of crafts being carried out including bone and antler working, iron and non-ferrous metalworking.
Wood and leather working as well as textile production were indicated by the finds. Lava quernstones imported from the Rhineland, and vessel glass from northern France or the Rhineland, as well as significant amounts of imported pottery and numismatic evidence, suggest that the site might have played a special role in international trade. You can download copies of the reports on this investigation from the Yorkshire Archaeology digital archive HERE
In 2000, the Rialto Cinema and buildings adjacent to Blue Bridge Lane were demolished, another archaeological investigation was undertaken, this time by Field Archaeology Specialists (FAS). The redevelopment to build the MECCA bingo hall and multi-storey car park was undertaken by Shepherd Construction, and also included building houses in the grounds of Fishergate House, where further archaeological investigations was made.
The excavations north of Blue Bridge Lane were limited to the areas which would be disturbed by construction of piled foundations, but they were sufficient to discover archaeological remains which demonstrated continuity of settlement and use associated with the Fewster Way discoveries.
Across Blue Bridge Lane, excavations in the grounds of Fishergate House were more extensive and provided further evidence of the Roman cemetery, with burials and cremations dating from the 1st to 3rd century. Roman field systems were uncovered along with evidence for a Romanised building and a road leading to a wharf. Anglian, Anglo-Scandinavian and medieval occupation was demonstrated by discoveries of craft working, similar to those nearby.
One of the most significant discoveries was a large cemetery, with burials mostly dating from the medieval period, but some Anglo-Scandinavian. These burials are considered to be related to St Helen's church, and although the building was not discovered, it was thought to have been under the north wing of Fishergate House.
You can read the really thorough and interesting FAS report on these excavations HERE
Confirming the importance of pre-Norman and Medieval Fishergate, a third church was discovered in 2007 by On-Site Archaeology on the corner of Fawcett Street and Kent Street. This was All Saints, and like St Andrews and St Helens, it had Anglo-Scandinavian origins and was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century. The skeleton of a 15th century Anchoress was found in the apse, and graves of Civil War soldiers were also found in the churchyard. Further Civil War skeletons were discovered just below the road during repairs to Kent Street in 2023.
You can read about the investigations at All Saints church HERE
A short distance south of Kent Street, archaeological trial trench investigations were also undertaken at the site of the former Plumb Base warehouse and showroom, prior to building more student flats. Unfortunately the site had been much disturbed by previous building works and little archaeology was found, apart from Roman and medieval fragments. You can read the report on the investigations HERE
Soon after the Foss was canalised in 1795, a glass works was established near Castle Mills Lock, eventually growing to fill the area now forming the Fewster Way housing estate (read more about the glass works HERE). The huge factory was closed in the 1980s, and York Archaeological Trust excavated part of the area east of the Novotel. As well as uncovering the medieval Gilbertine Priory of St Andrew, they also found remains of a Norman stone church and it's Anglo-Scandinavian timber predecessor.
Even more exciting was the discovery of a large Anglian site with a variety of crafts being carried out including bone and antler working, iron and non-ferrous metalworking.
Wood and leather working as well as textile production were indicated by the finds. Lava quernstones imported from the Rhineland, and vessel glass from northern France or the Rhineland, as well as significant amounts of imported pottery and numismatic evidence, suggest that the site might have played a special role in international trade. You can download copies of the reports on this investigation from the Yorkshire Archaeology digital archive HERE
In 2000, the Rialto Cinema and buildings adjacent to Blue Bridge Lane were demolished, another archaeological investigation was undertaken, this time by Field Archaeology Specialists (FAS). The redevelopment to build the MECCA bingo hall and multi-storey car park was undertaken by Shepherd Construction, and also included building houses in the grounds of Fishergate House, where further archaeological investigations was made.
The excavations north of Blue Bridge Lane were limited to the areas which would be disturbed by construction of piled foundations, but they were sufficient to discover archaeological remains which demonstrated continuity of settlement and use associated with the Fewster Way discoveries.
Across Blue Bridge Lane, excavations in the grounds of Fishergate House were more extensive and provided further evidence of the Roman cemetery, with burials and cremations dating from the 1st to 3rd century. Roman field systems were uncovered along with evidence for a Romanised building and a road leading to a wharf. Anglian, Anglo-Scandinavian and medieval occupation was demonstrated by discoveries of craft working, similar to those nearby.
One of the most significant discoveries was a large cemetery, with burials mostly dating from the medieval period, but some Anglo-Scandinavian. These burials are considered to be related to St Helen's church, and although the building was not discovered, it was thought to have been under the north wing of Fishergate House.
You can read the really thorough and interesting FAS report on these excavations HERE
Confirming the importance of pre-Norman and Medieval Fishergate, a third church was discovered in 2007 by On-Site Archaeology on the corner of Fawcett Street and Kent Street. This was All Saints, and like St Andrews and St Helens, it had Anglo-Scandinavian origins and was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century. The skeleton of a 15th century Anchoress was found in the apse, and graves of Civil War soldiers were also found in the churchyard. Further Civil War skeletons were discovered just below the road during repairs to Kent Street in 2023.
You can read about the investigations at All Saints church HERE
A short distance south of Kent Street, archaeological trial trench investigations were also undertaken at the site of the former Plumb Base warehouse and showroom, prior to building more student flats. Unfortunately the site had been much disturbed by previous building works and little archaeology was found, apart from Roman and medieval fragments. You can read the report on the investigations HERE
News: A developer has bought the MECCA Bingo site (formally the Rialto Cinema - read about it HERE) on the corner of Blue Bridge Lane and proposes to construct large blocks of student flats. As part of the development process, York Archaeology (YA- formally YAT) have been commissioned to undertake extensive investigations across the site, including areas adjacent to Blue Bridge Lane which were not dug in 2000, as they were supposed to be 'undisturbed' by the construction of the now demolished bingo hall.
Before beginning excavations, YA prepared a thorough assessment of the archaeological significance of the site. Their excellent report forms a thorough overview of the history of the site and its environs and can be downloaded HERE
York Archaeology began excavations on the site in the autumn of 2023 and FFH will be adding updates to this page as work progresses.
Friends of York Archaeology were invited to an open day on 23 October 2023 and were treated to a talk by the site manager, Lucy Johnson. Lucy said they have already found evidence of walls, cobbled surfaces and a post-hole building similar to others on the adjacent sites. They have also discovered a planked well full of cow bones and fully excavated the early 19th century ice house, previously uncovered by FAS.
Here are some photos of the archaeologists at work.
Before beginning excavations, YA prepared a thorough assessment of the archaeological significance of the site. Their excellent report forms a thorough overview of the history of the site and its environs and can be downloaded HERE
York Archaeology began excavations on the site in the autumn of 2023 and FFH will be adding updates to this page as work progresses.
Friends of York Archaeology were invited to an open day on 23 October 2023 and were treated to a talk by the site manager, Lucy Johnson. Lucy said they have already found evidence of walls, cobbled surfaces and a post-hole building similar to others on the adjacent sites. They have also discovered a planked well full of cow bones and fully excavated the early 19th century ice house, previously uncovered by FAS.
Here are some photos of the archaeologists at work.
Our First Conference:
Eoforwic: Anglian Fishergate and Pre-Viking York - 7th June 2014, Novotel, Fishergate, York.
Our first ever conference was an enormous success, with almost 90 people attending and the speakers giving excellent presentations. The plenary session at the end was chaired by the then City Archaeologist, John Oxley, and addressed a number of interesting questions raised by the well informed and attentive audience.
The following item is part of the pre-conference documents and outlines the scope of the event and the expertise of the speakers.
What was it all about...
The conference was held at the Novotel in Fishergate, built on part of York’s Anglian trading and manufacturing centre at the time of Alcuin. The aim of the conference was to develop understanding of Eoforwic and its relationship with the royal and ecclesiastical city centre, and make comparisons with other Wic towns in England and the near continent. Roman, Viking-Age and medieval York are now well-known, but what about the centuries from c.450-850, when York slips from the stage only to re-emerge as a centre worthy of capture by the Viking Great Army?
In 1985/6, excavations in Fishergate revealed the most significant evidence of pre-Norman York since Coppergate. (see the reports published by YAT) This was enhanced by work at Blue Bridge Lane in 2001 (see the report HERE), so that a picture of an Anglian settlement began to emerge on the banks of the river Foss. By piecing together archaeological data from old and more recent discoveries, and re-examining it within a framework of well-worked historical evidence, this period is now beginning to take shape.
The archaeological data is disparate and in some cases inaccessible; this conference attempted to pull it together and review what is known, beginning with the period of Germanic settlement, the re-introduction of Christianity, and the time when international trading networks re-awaken the dormant city.
Excavations in the Glassworks site showed the first stage of settlement (dating from the late seventh or early-eighth century AD) with evidence of a planned layout, and its location on the confluence of rivers, combined with artefactual evidence for craft industry and trade, is thought to indicate the existence of a trading wic, from which the name Eoforwic is derived. Occupation ended in the late-ninth century AD.
For an overview of the latest thinking on Anglian York, click HERE to read a paper The Critical Age - Reflections on Anglian York in the 21st Century by Cecily Spall and Nicola Toop, presented to the 'World Class Heritage Conference 2011, sponsored by York Archaeological Forum.
News Update: Ailsa Mainman has published a new and definitive book; Anglian York, available from the publisher or at the Jorvik Centre in Coppergate and at Waterstones. Ailsa has a very readable style (she is also a successful novelist) and she carefully examines the evidence for the emergence of York from the post-Roman period, with trading and small scale manufacturing sites along the banks of the Ouse and Foss. Of particular relevance is her examination of the evidence for a Fishergate Wic on the Novotel site, and her conclusion that the archaeological evidence suggests that it was too small to be properly described as a Wic on its own, but was an extension of a larger settlement along the banks of the Foss centred on Coppergate.
Speakers & the subjects they addressed:
The following item is part of the pre-conference documents and outlines the scope of the event and the expertise of the speakers.
What was it all about...
The conference was held at the Novotel in Fishergate, built on part of York’s Anglian trading and manufacturing centre at the time of Alcuin. The aim of the conference was to develop understanding of Eoforwic and its relationship with the royal and ecclesiastical city centre, and make comparisons with other Wic towns in England and the near continent. Roman, Viking-Age and medieval York are now well-known, but what about the centuries from c.450-850, when York slips from the stage only to re-emerge as a centre worthy of capture by the Viking Great Army?
In 1985/6, excavations in Fishergate revealed the most significant evidence of pre-Norman York since Coppergate. (see the reports published by YAT) This was enhanced by work at Blue Bridge Lane in 2001 (see the report HERE), so that a picture of an Anglian settlement began to emerge on the banks of the river Foss. By piecing together archaeological data from old and more recent discoveries, and re-examining it within a framework of well-worked historical evidence, this period is now beginning to take shape.
The archaeological data is disparate and in some cases inaccessible; this conference attempted to pull it together and review what is known, beginning with the period of Germanic settlement, the re-introduction of Christianity, and the time when international trading networks re-awaken the dormant city.
Excavations in the Glassworks site showed the first stage of settlement (dating from the late seventh or early-eighth century AD) with evidence of a planned layout, and its location on the confluence of rivers, combined with artefactual evidence for craft industry and trade, is thought to indicate the existence of a trading wic, from which the name Eoforwic is derived. Occupation ended in the late-ninth century AD.
For an overview of the latest thinking on Anglian York, click HERE to read a paper The Critical Age - Reflections on Anglian York in the 21st Century by Cecily Spall and Nicola Toop, presented to the 'World Class Heritage Conference 2011, sponsored by York Archaeological Forum.
News Update: Ailsa Mainman has published a new and definitive book; Anglian York, available from the publisher or at the Jorvik Centre in Coppergate and at Waterstones. Ailsa has a very readable style (she is also a successful novelist) and she carefully examines the evidence for the emergence of York from the post-Roman period, with trading and small scale manufacturing sites along the banks of the Ouse and Foss. Of particular relevance is her examination of the evidence for a Fishergate Wic on the Novotel site, and her conclusion that the archaeological evidence suggests that it was too small to be properly described as a Wic on its own, but was an extension of a larger settlement along the banks of the Foss centred on Coppergate.
Speakers & the subjects they addressed:
- Chair: Dr. Peter Addyman, CBE.
- Prof. Katy Cubitt:Belief and worship in Anglian/ pre-Norman Fishergate and York
- Dr. Ailsa Mainman: New understanding of Fishergate and the developing wealth of the city
- Prof. Terry O’Connor: Meat, Markets and Provisioning – the many bones of Fishergate
- Nicola Rogers: The Fishergate artifacts and their significance in showing how people lived and worked
- Dr. Cecily Spall: Eoforwic in context: a brief archaeological tour of 7th to 9th-century trading places in England and beyond
Programme:
9.30-10.00 Registration & refreshments
10.00-10.15 Welcome from Dr Peter Addyman
10.15-11.00 Ailsa Mainman - Putting Fishergate in context with the city
11.00-11.15 Break
11.15-12.00 Katy Cubitt - Belief & worship in Anglian / Pre-Norman Fishergate
12.00-12.45 Cecily Spall - A brief archaeological tour of 7th to 9th-century trading places in England and beyond
12.45-1.45 Lunch
1.45-2.30 Nicola Rogers - Artefacts and their significance for how people lived in Fishergate and the city
2.30-2.45 Break
2.45-3.30 Terry O'Connor - Meat, markets and provisioning – the many bones of Fishergate
3.30-4.00 Plenary, for speakers and attendees to comment
4.00-4.30 Float time
5.00 Thanks & Close
Speaker Biographies:
Dr. Peter Addyman (Chair) set up the York Archaeological Trust in 1972 and directed it for 30 years. During this period the Trust carried out the first major excavation in the Anglo-Saxon settlement in Fishergate. He was formerly a university lecturer at Southampton and at Belfast, during which time he excavated the Anglo-Saxon towns of Lydford, Devon and Hamwih, parallel settlement to Eoforwic, at Southampton. He is currently chairman of York Civic Trust.
Prof. Katy Cubitt is Professor in Early Medieval History in the Department of History. Her work focuses on the church in Anglo-Saxon England. She studied Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic and History at Newnham College, Cambridge and completed her doctoral dissertation at Cambridge on Anglo-Saxon Church Councils 600-850. Katy has published widely on the Anglo-Saxon church, and church councils remain an important strand in her research. She has a strong interest in interdisciplinary study, expressed through her work on Old English literature, especially sermons. Future projects include a book length study of St Wilfrid of York.
Ailsa Mainman is Assistant Director at York Archaeological Trust where she has spent years researching Anglian, Viking-Age and medieval material, mostly ceramics. The connection between Denmark and Kent in the Anglo-Saxon period was the subject of her doctoral thesis. She has publications in The Archaeology of York series and, as a Research Associate at the Dept. of Archaeology at the University of York. She is currently researching the archaeology of the Anglian period in York.
Ailsa is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
Prof Terry O’Connor is Professor of Archaeological Science at York University. His research explores the relations between past peoples and the animals around them, how archaeological bone assemblages form and the sampling decisions taken on site during excavations. In 2013, he published a major book on the animals that have adapted to our homes and settlements and live alongside us. His work also includes livestock, deadstock and animal husbandry in towns across Anglo-Saxon England and Viking Age Europe, including urban assemblages from York. Published work includes a number in the Archaeology of York series, including the Animal Bones from 46-54 Fishergate. He is an Elected Member, International Committee of the International Council for Archaeozoology, and a Board Member and Trustee, York Archaeological Trust. He was President of the Archaeology and Anthropology Section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (2008) and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
Nicola Rogers has a Post-Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester, and a BA Hons (Comb.) in Archaeology and History from the University of Southampton. She is a member of the Institute for Archaeologists and the Finds Research Group AD 700-1700. Nicola has been a member of the Artefact Research Dept. at York Archaeological Trust since 1988, responsible for cataloguing, researching and publishing small finds from Roman through to post-medieval sites in York and elsewhere, and for assessing all small finds from active excavations. She has project managed several English Heritage funded projects, contributed to both academic and popular publications, and initiated and written up many small finds based articles.
Cecily Spall studied British Archaeology at the University of York and gained a Masters degree in Heritage Management at the Ironbridge Institute, University of Birmingham. Since 1997 she has worked for FAS Heritage, based in York, of which she is a Director. Cecily has excavated early medieval sites across Britain, including the Blue Bridge Lane and Fishergate House investigations, where she was also responsible for much of the detailed reporting, now available from this website via the link above.
9.30-10.00 Registration & refreshments
10.00-10.15 Welcome from Dr Peter Addyman
10.15-11.00 Ailsa Mainman - Putting Fishergate in context with the city
11.00-11.15 Break
11.15-12.00 Katy Cubitt - Belief & worship in Anglian / Pre-Norman Fishergate
12.00-12.45 Cecily Spall - A brief archaeological tour of 7th to 9th-century trading places in England and beyond
12.45-1.45 Lunch
1.45-2.30 Nicola Rogers - Artefacts and their significance for how people lived in Fishergate and the city
2.30-2.45 Break
2.45-3.30 Terry O'Connor - Meat, markets and provisioning – the many bones of Fishergate
3.30-4.00 Plenary, for speakers and attendees to comment
4.00-4.30 Float time
5.00 Thanks & Close
Speaker Biographies:
Dr. Peter Addyman (Chair) set up the York Archaeological Trust in 1972 and directed it for 30 years. During this period the Trust carried out the first major excavation in the Anglo-Saxon settlement in Fishergate. He was formerly a university lecturer at Southampton and at Belfast, during which time he excavated the Anglo-Saxon towns of Lydford, Devon and Hamwih, parallel settlement to Eoforwic, at Southampton. He is currently chairman of York Civic Trust.
Prof. Katy Cubitt is Professor in Early Medieval History in the Department of History. Her work focuses on the church in Anglo-Saxon England. She studied Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic and History at Newnham College, Cambridge and completed her doctoral dissertation at Cambridge on Anglo-Saxon Church Councils 600-850. Katy has published widely on the Anglo-Saxon church, and church councils remain an important strand in her research. She has a strong interest in interdisciplinary study, expressed through her work on Old English literature, especially sermons. Future projects include a book length study of St Wilfrid of York.
Ailsa Mainman is Assistant Director at York Archaeological Trust where she has spent years researching Anglian, Viking-Age and medieval material, mostly ceramics. The connection between Denmark and Kent in the Anglo-Saxon period was the subject of her doctoral thesis. She has publications in The Archaeology of York series and, as a Research Associate at the Dept. of Archaeology at the University of York. She is currently researching the archaeology of the Anglian period in York.
Ailsa is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
Prof Terry O’Connor is Professor of Archaeological Science at York University. His research explores the relations between past peoples and the animals around them, how archaeological bone assemblages form and the sampling decisions taken on site during excavations. In 2013, he published a major book on the animals that have adapted to our homes and settlements and live alongside us. His work also includes livestock, deadstock and animal husbandry in towns across Anglo-Saxon England and Viking Age Europe, including urban assemblages from York. Published work includes a number in the Archaeology of York series, including the Animal Bones from 46-54 Fishergate. He is an Elected Member, International Committee of the International Council for Archaeozoology, and a Board Member and Trustee, York Archaeological Trust. He was President of the Archaeology and Anthropology Section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (2008) and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
Nicola Rogers has a Post-Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester, and a BA Hons (Comb.) in Archaeology and History from the University of Southampton. She is a member of the Institute for Archaeologists and the Finds Research Group AD 700-1700. Nicola has been a member of the Artefact Research Dept. at York Archaeological Trust since 1988, responsible for cataloguing, researching and publishing small finds from Roman through to post-medieval sites in York and elsewhere, and for assessing all small finds from active excavations. She has project managed several English Heritage funded projects, contributed to both academic and popular publications, and initiated and written up many small finds based articles.
Cecily Spall studied British Archaeology at the University of York and gained a Masters degree in Heritage Management at the Ironbridge Institute, University of Birmingham. Since 1997 she has worked for FAS Heritage, based in York, of which she is a Director. Cecily has excavated early medieval sites across Britain, including the Blue Bridge Lane and Fishergate House investigations, where she was also responsible for much of the detailed reporting, now available from this website via the link above.