YORKSHIRE
No.14
ARCHAEOLOGY TODAY
Recording York’s Prehistory Inside: Gas in Hungate News from Osbaldwick
YORK ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST
Yorkshire Archaeology Today Spring 2008 Contents Lights, Pipes and Fights The Hungate Gasworks
Number 14 1
Grave News from Osbaldwick 7 East Side Story Heslington East
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Rations, Raids and Romance York in the Second World War 14 Back to Square One Again St Anthony’s Hall, Aldwark, York 16 Old Bones tell New Tales 19 Pawn to D4
Block D4 Excavation, Hungate 21
Editors: Richard Hall and Lesley Collett Picture editing, design and layout: Lesley Collett Printed by B&B Press, Parkgate, Rotherham Yorkshire Archaeology Today is published twice a year. UK subscriptions: £8.00 a year. Overseas subscriptions: £12.00 (sterling) a year. To subscribe please send a cheque payable to Yorkshire Archaeology Today to: York Archaeological Trust, 47 Aldwark YO1 7BX or through Postgiro/CPP to: ACCOUNT 647 2753 National Giro, Bootle, Merseyside, GIR 0AA Yorkshire Archaeology Today is published by York Archaeological Trust. Editorial and contributors’ views are independent and do not necessarily reflect the official view of the Trust. Copyright of all original YAT material reserved; reproduction by prior editorial permission only. © May 2008 York Archaeological Trust is a registered charity, Charity No. 509060: A company limited by guarantee without share capital in England number 1430801. Tel: 01904 663000 Email: ckyriacou@yorkat.co.uk http://www.yorkarchaeology.co.uk ISSN 1474-4562
Unless stated otherwise, illustrations are by Lesley Collett and Russell Marwood; photos are by Mike Andrews and members of YAT staff: all are © York Archaeological Trust
Cover Photo
Recording Iron Age waterlogged wattle structure, Heslington East near York Photo: Michael Andrews
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The Hungate Gasworks By 1821, every town in the United Kingdom with a population greater than 50,000 had a gas company, and by 1826, most towns of more than 10,000 had this service. York first got a gas supply in 1824, when The York Gas Light Company (hereafter YGLC) set up a gasworks between the River Foss and Monkgate. They maintained a monopoly in the supply of gas to businesses and homes across York for just over ten years, until a rival firm – York Union Gas Light Company (hereafter YUGLC) – established a second company in Hungate in 1837. A recent excavation, undertaken as part of YAT’s on-going Hungate excavations, has been supported by research into a rich archive of directors’ minute books, building committee minute books, letter books, deeds and contracts for both the YGLC and the YUGLC, which shed further light on the construction and development of the Hungate Gasworks and the supply of gas throughout 19th-century York.
The Baines 1822 map of York, with the gasworks excavation area in red
“… when complete the York Union Gas Light Company’s works will rank amongst the best constructed in the Country.” The enthusiastic managing directors of the YUGLC, Charles Heneage Elsley, Robert Cattle and William Stephenson Clark, had high expectations for their rival gasworks, which posed a direct threat to the old company’s strong holding throughout the city. The YUGLC recruited staff from two companies at the forefront of British gas technology. The engineer, Mr Hutchinson, was from the Vauxhall Gasworks in London (established in 1833), and the general manager and clerk, Mr Joseph Braddock, came from Preston Gasworks (established 1815). The site was chosen because it offered a suitable low-level site with good foundations, was positioned close to the river frontage to facilitate easy access to raw materials and, most importantly, because it occupied a central position within the city, reducing the necessary length of their pipe network.
The construction of the Hungate gasworks and the laying of pipes throughout the city took just over a year to complete. By May 1838, 720 service pipes were laid across York’s central area including Pavement, Parliament Street, Coney Street and Lendal, through the marketplace, and around the Minster in Petergate, Stonegate and Goodramgate. To the north of the city they reached Monkgate, Gillygate and Bootham, to the east they crossed the River Foss to Walmgate and Lawrence Street, and to the west they crossed the River Ouse to Skeldergate, Micklegate, North Street and Blossom Street.
‘Now my men, fill up this hole.’ Determined not to let the new company undermine their business, the YGLC took
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every opportunity to disrupt their rival’s operations, not least by engaging in a price war and accusing them of damaging their pipe network. YGLC did not have a good record for setting reasonable gas prices; York City Corporation had refused to renew its contract for gas street lighting in 1828, reverting to oil lamps until the company reduced the annual charge by a third. Yet only in the face of competition did YGLC seriously re-consider its gas charges, reducing them from 10s to 6s 8d per 1000 feet. The YUGLC, undaunted, continued to match its rival’s prices.
1852 Ordnance Survey map of the Hungate area; trenches of the gasworks excavation area is shown in green
men from the Old Gas Company arrived on the ground with shovels, and filled up the trenches. On the return of the men belonging to the New Company they renewed their avocations, and threw out the earth which their opponents had put into their trenches. This warfare was again renewed on Wednesday; a body from the old company proceeded about noon again to fill up the trenches, and the other men as quickly threw out the earth as it was thrown in. Of course a large concourse of people was quickly congregated together but by the interference of the police we understand that no personal injury was inflicted, except some slight blows received by the men, from the earth and rubbish, which flew in every direction...’ (Yorkshire Gazette,
More detrimental to the new company was the accusation that they had damaged the old company’s pipes. YGLC took matters into its own hands and actively sought to prevent the new company from laying pipes, attracting the media’s attention:
YUGLC were later found guilty of causing damage to the old company’s pipes, incurring a substantial fine of £533 5s 6d.
‘On Saturday last the Union Gas Company proceeded to lay their mains in the public streets, and continued doing so without interruption until Tuesday, when, whilst the workmen were at dinner, a strong force of
Although the YUGLC made every effort to defy the old company’s obstacles, the two were unable to co-exist and in 1844, less than ten years after the establishment of YUGLC, the two companies were amalgamated to form
18th February 1837).
In April 1847, the Hungate site was put up for sale and in 1850 it was divided into lots and sold to Henry Leetham the flour miller and William Bellerby, timber merchant and sawyer.
The Excavation Between October and December 2007, a team of archaeologists from YAT excavated the site of the YUGLC’s works on Palmer Lane, Hungate. Opportunities to examine York’s industrial heritage have until now been very small in scale; this large site is of particular interest as the gasworks in question operated only for 13 years from 1837, and was therefore an early and relatively undeveloped example. Like all gasworks before the 1970s, this works produced gas by slowly carbonising, or ‘cooking’ coal in large ovens or ‘retorts’ and drawing off the various liquids and gases, including the ‘inflammable air’ that
was used to light the buildings of companies and individuals who signed up with the supplier. The documentary archive includes contracts issued for each element of the works. In particular, significant details survive for the construction of the large Retort House, where the furnaces burned around the clock every day of the year, and of the two massive circular gas-holders, up to 14m wide, which were positioned in cavities up to 5m deep. These were brick-built, and lined with ‘puddled’ clay, to keep their internal water tanks from leaking.
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the York United Gas Company. For the first few years, operations were run from both the Hungate and Monkgate sites. However, this eventually proved to be too much of a financial burden and, in May 1845, the Hungate works were closed and all operations conducted from the subsequently enlarged Monkgate site.
It was rapidly apparent that these gasholders were not the tall ‘telescopic’ structures with which we are familiar today. The brick walls had been demolished and their below-ground elements mostly removed, leaving very little evidence behind, except that the original construction cuts and clay lining did survive. It was clear from the form of these, and from a closer study of the original contracts, that these gas-holders were essentially subterranean structures. Further research revealed that until the 1840s, most gas-holders only stood about two feet high, with a heavy cast-iron lid, and that the majority of the gas was therefore stored underground. The word ‘gasometer’ is a misnomer from the very early days of coal-gas production when they were thought of as measuring devices. Very quickly, however, storage
General view of gasworks and sawmill buildings, looking south-east
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of the Retort House in the southern part of the trench, but no sign of it was found to survive. However, a brick-lined cellar, and the remains of a large cast-iron pipe, were found, amidst the remains of walls and floors associated with the Hungate Sawmill, which was built over the gasworks’ site in 1852, seemingly destroying all of the gasworks save the central chimney.
Gasworks chamber, looking east
became the main function of these structures, and the term ‘gas-holder’ became the accepted one. The retort house, as can be seen from the 1850 sale plan of the gasworks, was a large rectangular building with a chimney in the centre. We know from the original contracts that this chimney was octagonal in shape, and also that it survived into the late 19th century, long after the rest of the gasworks had gone. The contracts stipulated high quality brickwork and large stone foundations. The excavation should have located the northern wall
First Annual Report of the York Union Gas Light Company, May 1837 (York City Archives, Acc. 128, 20)
One reason for this demolition may have been found in the minute book records of the engineer, Mr Joseph Braddock. In addition to the financial difficulties experienced by YUGLC in the 1840s, it is clear that the works themselves were not in the best condition. Braddock expressed a wide range of concerns, from the poor state of the retorts to the degradation of the gas-holder lids. He included an alarming description of the Retort House, which appears to have subsided so badly that one corner had cracked and the roof had become damaged. The YUGLC directors’ confidence in the suitability of the ground was clearly misplaced, as the recent excavation proved that the whole area had been built up by at least 1.5m with loosely dumped soils, almost certainly deriving from the construction of the river walls. It is very probable that this contributed to the dilapidation of the Retort House.
Original main gas pipe with later addition
It was also possible to corroborate suggestions that the Hungate works were becoming obsolete. Several cast-iron pipes were found, with lead-sealed joints which suggested they were gas-pipes; by the 1840s, wrought iron was increasingly being used instead. Nothing was found with these pipes to suggest any sophisticated form of pressure-regulation, and Braddock’s 1844 report does mention the works’ lack of a device known as a ‘governor’ which was used to control the flow of gas into the gas-holder. Without this, the pressure within the holder was difficult to manage. Several complaints made by the YUGLC’s customers of inconsistent supply may have had their origin in this lack of technological development. So, with the Hungate works’ equipment increasingly old-fashioned and in need of expensive repair, the amalgamation of the new company with its jealous rival probably sealed the fate of the Hungate site. Given the impressive quantity of documentary evidence, the archaeological evidence for the Hungate gasworks may appear fairly slight. This is due to the major re-work-
The one surviving chamber of the gasworks was preserved by its being re-used during the sawmill phase. The remains of a sliding door and threshold lead to a cellar, where a large wrought-iron pipe was found to have been inserted into a much older castiron one. Further analysis confirmed a suspicion already aroused by the archaeological sequence, namely that the original gas main from the Retort House to the gas-holders had been re-used. It eventually became clear that a gas-supply had been connected to the sawmill sometime after 1880, possibly in conjunction with a modernisation which included an early example of an electricity supply, evidenced by the remains of the iron conduit which carried it, found sealed beneath the cobbled sawmill yards. The Hungate area was transformed by the construction of the gasworks. In the early 19th century, the land on the river frontage to the south of Palmer Lane was characterised by orchards and gardens, as shown on Baines’s map of 1822. However, from the mid-1830s onwards, the river frontage site was used for a diverse range of industries of which the gasworks was one of the first examples. YUGLC supplied gas to some businesses and houses in the Hungate area. William Greenwood on Stonebow Lane had gas in his workshops, Mr Jackson in Hungate and Matthew Rymer in Peaseholme Green had gas in their buildings and John Hart, a Hungate butcher, also requested gas. The company also laid a main in Palmer Lane.
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ing of the works’ buildings by the sawmill which replaced it in 1852. The gas-holders were completely removed, with a huge robber-cut clearly visible in the trenches dug through this area. The Retort House appears to have been subsumed into a larger range of buildings. The remains of these buildings show that, in marked contrast to the surviving gasworks remains, the sawmill was built using much cruder materials and with far less care. The surviving walls had insubstantial foundations, and the bricks were of a poorer quality.
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However, only the larger homes of wealthy inhabitants were supplied from the outset; the widespread adoption of gaslight in private households was not established until after 1850. Many of the poorer tenants of Hungate were probably without gas until later in the 19th century. Further archaeological and documentary work into Hungate will reveal the extent of services in the neighbourhood. It has been gratifying to investigate a part of York’s industrial history through archaeological and documentary evidence, especially in an area where land use changed dramatically during the 19th century. Services like
piped gas were being produced relatively early in the history of public utilities, bringing the benefits, and perhaps some of the problems, which one would as readily associate with modern times as one would with the mid-19th century. Ian Milsted and Jayne Rimmer
The authors wish to acknowledge the co-operation and assistance of Hungate (York) Regeneration Ltd, The York City Archives and The National Gas Archives in Warrington, where the YUGLC and YGLC records are held. Also thanks to Judith Hoyle, Hungate Community Volunteer, for identifying the story in the Yorkshire Gazette.
MEMORIES WANTED! York Archaeological Trust will shortly be embarking on an oral history project centred on Barley Hall. The area encompassed will be that bounded by Church Street, St Sampson’s Square, Davygate, Stonegate and Low Petergate. Coffee Yard, Swinegate, Finkle Street, Little Stonegate and Grape Lane will all be included. Local historian Van Wilson will be carrying out interviews with people who have lived or worked in this area for a long period of time. The project will culminate in a book, the third in the Trust’s Oral History Series, and an exhibition. If you are interested in being interviewed for this project, please contact Christine Kyriacou at York Archaeological Trust, 47 Aldwark, York YO1 7BX Tel: 01904 663006 Email: ckyriacou@yorkat.co.uk
Y
ork Archaeological Trust carried out a watching brief in late August and September 2005 at the suburban village church of St Thomas, Osbaldwick, necessitated by proposals to extend the vestry and porch. The church had been heavily modified in 1964–7, with the addition of a new south transept, entrance porch, vestry and organ chamber along with other internal alterations almost doubling the size of the church. The excavations during this work were overseen by L.P. Wenham and located a number of burials on the south side of the church. The work in 2005 meant that the service trenches, which
re-used the line of the 1960s services, had to be deeper to conform to modern regulations. This required an archaeological watching brief, in the course of which it became clear that the work of Wenham had not uncovered all the burials in the area. The need to deepen the service trenches meant that several burials had to be excavated but luckily, in discussion with the site engineer, it was possible to alter the footings for the new building making them shallower and very few burials had to be disturbed within the footprint of the new building. The Trust’s involvement therefore soon changed from routine watching brief to full excavation and recording of graves and burials affected by the building work, in accordance with Church of England, Council for the Care of Churches and English Heritage guidance for dealing with Christian burials. At the end of the excavations and prior to the opening of the new building all burials were returned to St Thomas’s for reburial. So what do we know about the church of St Thomas? It is located on high ground at the eastern end of Osbaldwick and, prior to the alterations of the 1960s, was very similar to churches in surrounding villages of York such as Murton and Askham Bryan. It consisted of a four-bay nave and chancel, predominantly of 12th century date with 13th to
Perhaps the most famous person to be buried in the churchyard is Mary Ward whose gravestone was moved inside the church during the alterations of the 1960s. She was born in 1585 near Ripon into a Catholic family. Two of her maternal uncles, John and Christopher Wright, were involved in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. In 1606 she entered a convent at Saint-Omer in France but decided to take a more pro-active route and established a religious community of her own at Saint-Omer in about 1609 and opened schools for rich and poor. She set up communities and schools in cities across Europe and in England established the first community of Catholic women after the Reformation of the 1530s. The concept of nuns working in the community instead of being enclosed in convents was not well received by the Catholic Church, and in 1631 Mary Ward’s foundation was suppressed by Pope Urban VIII. Mary returned to Yorkshire in 1642, and settled at Heworth outside York where she died in January 1645. Her followers somehow managed to persuade the vicar of Osbaldwick to bury her at St Thomas’s, which at the time would have been illegal.
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Grave News from Osbaldwick
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Possible medieval burial
15th century additions. The earliest reference to the church is that of a priest in a document witnessed and signed by Geoffrey of Osbaldwick, c.1137–40. The church and village was attached to the York Minster Prebend of Strensall in 1485 and remained so until 1852. At this time the Ecclesiastical Commissioners sold the land, and the church was heavily restored between 1877 and 1878. The work in 2005 provided an opportunity to investigate the footings of the east end of the church that had not been modified in the 1960s. The east wall of the church had been built directly onto the natural clay sand but there was no evidence for a foundation trench as the area in front of the wall had been heavily disturbed by later service trenches. The foundations of the wall had been built in bands. The bottom band consisted of large cobbles and fragments of roughly squared limestone and mottled sandy clay. The next band consisted of a layer of clay with a further layer of cobbles and clay onto which was set the ashlar block work of the upper part of the wall. The earliest burial identified during the work was within the pipe trench, cut directly into the natural clays within a narrow grave cut. The arrangement of the skeleton implied that the body was within a shroud, and may have dated to the medieval period. Within the area of the footprint of the building the only burial with dating evidence was the upper body of a male that had been truncated by the service trench for the 1960s building. The backfill of the grave contained 15th/16th century pottery.
The majority of the burials encountered during the Trust’s excavations dated to the 18th or 19th centuries and ranged from young to old, male and female. In accordance with the new guidance on the excavation of burials within churchyards, only that part of a burial liable to disturbance could be excavated. As a result very few complete burials were excavated and subsequently very little could be said about these individuals. Preservation of the skeletons was also highly variable, dependent on the natural geology which was either sandy clay or clay. Those buried in the sandy clay were found to be the worst preserved. The absence of dating evidence meant that the dates assigned were based on the shapes of the coffins and their fittings, which bear a strong resemblance to forms recorded during the crypt clearance of 18th-century burials at Christ Church, Spitalfields, London. The bestpreserved coffin excavated at Osbaldwick was possibly from the 19th century and had been constructed with boards joined with nailed butt joints. There were also several tacks to hold a fabric lining in place. An infant burial of either 18th- or 19th-century date had a coffin represented by a dark stain around the body and the presence of iron nails, some of which suggested a decorative board at the head end of the coffin. The 1960s building had been built around a large granite slab that marked the position of a double burial. The alterations necessary for the new service trenches resulted in one end of this grave falling within the excavation area. The inscription on the grave slab reads:
Here Lyeth the body of Mr Richard Wright who Lived as Partner with William Hutchinson Gentleman of the City of York In Great Union for 35 years Remarkable for justice and fidelity Who Died April 5th AD 1747 Aged 60 years Here Also Lieth the Body of William Hutchinson Esq Who Departed the Life January 5th 1772 Aged 89.
The excavations showed that there was indeed a double burial below the grave slab and that the earlier of the two grave cuts had disturbed an even earlier burial. The earlier of the double burial, presumably Richard Wright, was within a wooden coffin that appears to have had some form of tin plate decorations on the lid. The grave had later been reopened, presumably for the burial of William Hutchinson. He had been buried in a wooden coffin, also apparently decorated on the outside, which had been set directly above the earlier coffin. The rotting of the wood meant that the two burials had partly collapsed into each other. Only the skull of the upper burial was removed as it would have been disturbed by the construction of the present services. At the request of the Vicar, the skull was reburied within the grave cut out of the way of any disturbance. This offered us the chance, so rare in dealing with burials, to look in more detail at
Part of the inscription on Richard Wright and William Hutchinson’s grave slab
To the Memory of WILLIAM HUTCHINSON Esq of this City who served the office of SHERRIFF in 1724 paid the fine for that of ALDERMAN 1740 and departed this life on the 5th of January 1772 A partiality to the place of his birth In which he lived for eighty nine years Led him to distinguish by his Will The RECTOR and the POOR of this parish of three hundred pounds
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the life of one of York’s 18th-century residents. William Hutchinson’s will, dated 5th September 1770, provides detailed information about his personal affairs and commitments to the community (BIA, Prog/Exch., Prob Reg 116, fols. 7v-10v). This revealed that he was a man of affluent means, with family and acquaintances in the York area and further afield in Dublin. There are no indications that he married, nor does he appear to have had any children. He divided his estate between his extended family and friends and various churches and charities within York and Osbaldwick. Hutchinson owned several properties and gardens in York, including a house and other properties in Coppergate and Ousegate, gardens and grounds near Fishergate and Castlegate Postern, all of which he left to his friend Henry Myers, senior. In addition, Hutchinson divided over £2000 between his friends and family. Hutchinson appears to have had connections with the church of St Michael, Spurriergate, York as well as St Thomas’s in Osbaldwick. To the former he left £300 and requested that £5 be distributed among the poor of the parish after his funeral. He also made provision for the vicar of St Thomas’s and the poor of that parish, and arranged for a marble monument to be erected in each church to commemorate his benefactions. The monument at St Michael’s survives. It is described by Nikolaus Pevsner as one of the finest works by the Fishers, masons in the city. It is of grey and white marble richly carved with an ox, a lion’s head and topped with an obelisk and a putto (a figure of a naked male baby, usually winged). The inscription provides more biographical detail about William Hutchinson:
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The personal message on Hutchinson’s gravestone provides an interesting contrast with the public duties listed on the monument in St Michael’s. Among his other charitable donations, he left £100 to the County Hospital outside Monk Bar in York, £100 to the Blue Coat Boy’s School in St Anthony’s Hall, Peasholme Green, and £50 to the Grey Coat Girl’s School in Marygate. His concern for the education of poor children extended to Osbaldwick and Murton, where he bequeathed 40s (£2) to a schoolmaster to teach four boys or girls how to ‘read and write’. In his will, Hutchinson specified that he wished to be buried ‘…near the remains of my late dear friend and worthy partner Mr Richard Wright deceased…’ His gravestone confirms that these wishes were carried out after his death, just over a year later, on the 5th January 1772. The relationship between the two men requires further elucidation. That Wright was described as Hutchinson’s ‘partner’ suggests a number of possibilities; that they were business partners, close friends or perhaps had a deeper emotional relationship. The fact that they requested burial together, and the explicit description on the gravestone: ‘Lived as Partner… in Great Union for 35 years…’ may suggest that the latter interpretation is the more likely. Hutchinson outlived Wright by 25 years. In his will, Hutchinson also referred to two other living male “partners”, Henry Myres the younger and his nephew Richard Hearon, both of whom worked as “tea and china men”, but no further details about his relationship with these men were given, and it is not clear whether these relationships were of a business or emotional nature. Although many of the burials relate to unknown individuals, the excavation at St Thomas’s Church in Osbaldwick provided a rare opportunity to investigate the life of one of York’s former residents through the archaeological and documentary record. William Hutchinson’s will provided rich information about his lifestyle, revealing that he was a man of large personal fortune which he distributed to his family and friends, but also to the poor of York and its surrounding villages. That he requested burial with a male partner may also
raise questions about attitudes towards expressions of sexuality in the 18th century. Further investigations into the burials at St Thomas’ and funerary monuments in early modern York as a whole could shed more light on burial practices across the city.
William Hutchinson’s memorial in St Michael’s, Spurriergate
Gareth Dean and Jayne Rimmer
17th- and 18th-century examples of comparable monuments are described by Jean Wilson in an article entitled “ ‘Two Names of Friendship, but one Starre’: Memorials to Single-Sex Couples in the Early Modern Period”, in Church Monuments (Journal of the Church Monuments Society) 10, 1995, 70–83.
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EAST SIDE STORY Excavations at Heslington East, York In the wake of consent for the University of York’s new expansion to the east of Heslington, York Archaeological Trust has been busy investigating large blocks of this greenfield development land. As long ago as 2003 the Trust was involved in evaluating the site via field-walking, geophysical survey and the excavation of over 100 evaluation trenches. That early work highlighted a number of areas of strong archaeological potential, including the areas known as A1 and A2, which are being excavated by the Trust, and Area A3 which will be investigated by the University’s own Department of Archaeology as part of a longer-term training and community programme.
YORK
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Osbaldwick
Heslington Development area
Fulford 0
Location of the development area Below: Aerial photograph of the development area showing Area A1 and A2
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A6
Area A1 lies on gently sloping ground on the southern side of the moraine ridge of Kimberlow Hill and covers an area of over 2 hectares. A short distance to the south of A1, Area A2 occupies over 4 hectares of low-lying ground. These sites form the largest areas ever archaeologically excavated in the locality of York. To date A1 has been completely stripped of overburden and excavation has commenced. A2 has been only partially stripped owing to waterlogged conditions; this task will recommence once the ground has dried sufficiently. This up-date on the Trust’s work is therefore concerned primarily with Area A1. A1 and A2 contain remains from the prehistoric to medieval / post-medieval periods. The prehistoric remains consist of a rectilinear lattice of field boundary ditches together with a series of ring-ditches and a handful of pits and other features. Provisional examination of the finds suggests that all these features relate to a period in the mid-late Iron Age, centred around 300 BC. Excavation is now confirming that most of the field
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2 miles
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4 km
boundary ditches were in use over that same time period. The distribution of the ring-ditches also appears to form part of a regular pattern. They tend to occur in clusters, in each of which both large (in excess of 8 metres in diameter), and small (around 4m diameter) ring-ditches are present. In all cases the features are located in corner areas of the prehistoric fields or enclosures. So far, all the excavated large examples appear to be roundhouses whilst the smaller ones may represent ancillary structures of some sort. Prehistorians have traditionally interpreted structures, or complexes, such as these as likely to be occupied by an extended family group. The big question relating to the roundhouse complexes is whether the observed
12 Waterlogged wattlework revetting the base of a possible stockpond.
distribution indicates several family groups in contemporary occupation, in something like a scattered hamlet, or one, or a small number of, families moving around the immediate landscape at fairly regular intervals. This question is likely to be answered by a combination of a) the number of times the structures have been replaced within any one cluster, b) the pottery sequences within the clusters and c) radio-carbon dates from suitable materials within the various and successive struc-
tures. Given the abundance of pottery and clear evidence for a succession of structural re-buildings in many of the ring-ditch complexes, we are optimistic that we will go at least some way to answering this question. Although some limited evidence for metal-working has been recovered, it is probable that the economy of the site was primarily agricultural. The keeping of livestock seems to be attested by the presence of what is being interpreted as a large stock-pond in the northern part of Area A1. Although only partially excavated this deep, steep sided, rectangular hollow has revealed an access ramp revetted close to its base by wattle-work. Larger pieces of timber and a number of stakes have also been recovered from this feature, which represents the first waterlogged organic material of Iron Age date to be recovered from the York area. The palaeoenvironmental potential of the waterlogged fills of the pond may go a considerable way in helping to reconstruct the later prehistoric environment of the locality. The location of the pond at what appears to be the junction of several ditches is interesting and may well relate to ease of access from a number of separate demarcated areas. There is no obvious trackway linking the various parts of the field and ring-ditch systems as is commonly found on sites of this date in eastern Yorkshire. One of the questions we are presently trying to address
Excavated quadrant in north-west corner of possible stock-pond
in our fieldwork concerns how such movement was managed. Pointers may be found in several areas of A1 and A2 where narrow, often tapering, gaps between two ditches occur. Work in progress suggests that there may have been a more substantial trackway immediately south of the pond, though as yet the case remains far from proven. The range of Iron Age finds is quite limited, consisting of pottery, pot boilers, one large lump of metal slag, one piece of iron and a small strip of lead. Owing to acidic soil conditions the only bone to survive at the site is either burnt, mineralised or is predominantly enamel (i.e. tooth fragments). Finds analysis may yet yield significant information from this material. The distribution of the Iron Age artefacts has proved of some inter-
est, with an increased density of finds closer to roundhouses. There are known to be significant Roman remains in the nearby Area A3 and yet, remarkably, only an extremely small quantity of Roman period finds has been recovered from A1. The majority of these originated within the single feature of Roman date so far identified, a curvilinear ditch of unknown purpose. Later remains at the site relate to medieval ridge and furrow and post-medieval – modern agricultural features. Excavation will soon commence in Area A2 which is known to be of high archaeological potential. Findings from this work will appear in Yorkshire Archaeology Today in the near future. Mark Johnson
Sealing deposit of lighter brown soil overlying Iron Age ditch (foreground)
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One of the ring ditches, cut by a modern land drain
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Rations, Raids and Romance: York in the Second World War Following on from its hugely successful revision of Van Wilson’s book on Hungate ‘Rich in All but Money: Life in Hungate 1900-1938’, York Archaeological Trust has just published the second in its new oral history series entitled ‘Rations, Raids and Romance: York in the Second World War’ by Van Wilson.
Members of the local Home Guard parade outside the Mansion House (Photo: Maurice Bowling) Entertainment played a vital role in keeping up the country’s morale during the War Bert Keech Band plays at the De Grey Rooms for a radio broadcast, 1944 (Photo: York Oral History Society)
In 2005, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the Trust conducted an oral history project, Home Front Recall, recording the memories of York people who had lived or worked on the home front during the war. These memories form the basis of this new book, together with other material by Van Wilson and the York Oral History Society. Considerable historical research and a large number of photographs also help to bring to life this critical period in York’s history. Seeing York in World War II through the eyes of those who remember it, ordinary people living through extraordinary times, makes for fascinating ‘viewing’. There are stories from firemen and air raid wardens who dug out women and children trapped under two or three storeys of rubble; from members of the Home Guard who trained long hours in their determination to protect their country; from families who took in other people’s children to keep them safe
from the bombing; and from women in factories making munitions, handling dangerous materials and often doing what had been ‘men’s work’. Other interviewees recall being evacuated to the country, and in one instance abroad for the whole of the war. They recall time spent ploughing and working on the land to increase the nation’s food production; as observers and gunners seeking to defend the cities and towns; as men and women trying to keep their families fed and, when
Aftermath of an air raid: Poppleton Road School on the morning after a bombing raid, 1942 (Yorkshire Gazette and Herald)
15
they managed to acquire a few eggs or a chicken, sharing them with their friends and neighbours. Performers who travelled around providing music and entertainment to lift the spirits and increase morale record their experiences. Prisoners of war and conscientious objectors are also included. One lady commented, “We didn’t do anything special, we just got on with it”, and that seems to sum up the views of those we interviewed. By allowing us to record their memories, the hardships as well as the joys, they are ensuring that these stories, this ‘living history’ will be kept for future generations. The Trust is most grateful to the Friends of York Archaeological Trust, Sheldon Memorial Trust, Patricia and Donald Shepherd Charitable Trust and the Yorkshire Architectural and York Archaeological Society for helping to fund this project, to the York Oral History Society for use of some of their material, and to The Imperial War Museum and Heritage Lottery Fund for sponsoring the original Home Front Recall project.
During the war, women played an important role in the Services as well as working on the land and in factories on the Home Front Above: Nancy Dawson (second from left) and fellow members of the ATS (Photo: Nancy Dawson) Below: Women factory workers making munitions at Rowntree’s (Photo: York Oral History Society)
Van Wilson and Christine Kyriacou
‘Rations, Raids and Romance: York in the Second World War’ by Van Wilson York Archaeological Trust Oral History Series: 2 £9.99 (£11.99 including postage and packing) 232 pages, 134 black and white photographs ISBN 9781 874454 427 ‘Rich in All but Money: Life in Hungate 1900-1938’ by Van Wilson York Archaeological Trust Oral History Series: 1 £9.99 (£11.99 including postage and packing) 158 pages, 60 black and white photographs ISBN 978 1 874454 403 Both books are available from Christine Kyriacou, York Archaeological Trust, 47 Aldwark, York YO1 7BX Tel: 01904 663006 Email: ckyriacou@yorkat.co.uk Also available from JORVIK shop and local bookshops
Back to Square One (again!)
16
R
Ian Milsted recording bay timber underpinning pit
egular readers may remember the article in Yorkshire Archaeology Today issue No.11 about the Trust’s monitoring work at St Anthony’s Hall, a fine medieval guild hall on the corner of Aldwark and Peasholme Green, not far from Hungate and the River Foss. The watching brief on the work on the Hall is now at an end and, as predicted, continued to produced unexpected and interesting discoveries right up to the conclusion. The final underpinning pits for the Hall’s front wall on Peasholme Green confirmed that the ground originally sloped from Aldwark towards the River Foss. The south-west end of the wall had been cut down into this natural slope, and the building’s footings sat directly on the underlying glacial deposits, on average 1m below the present internal floor level or 0.5m below present street level. In contrast, at the north-east end of this wall the foundations had been stepped internally and increased to a greater depth. The glacial deposits disappeared below the base of the excavation and the wall sat on substantial footings of timber piles, clay and cobbles. The variation between the internal floor levels and the street at the north-east corner of the hall – in excess of
1.5m – suggests that the ground level of the present Peasholme Green has been lowered at the front of the hall; this is also suggested by drawings from the late 18th century. One of the final underpinning pits showed that integral to the south-east wall was a stone-built drain; the falling ground level removed the need to dig a deep trench to accommodate it. The sides and floor of the drain were constructed of slabs of limestone while its roof was made of large limestone blocks. Where the wall ran over the drain, the capping was made of three carefully-cut slabs up to 15cm thick. The drain had been partly blocked and a new brick drain that ran along the inside of the south-east elevation, probably dating to the 18th century, fed into it. Externally it was also possible to see that the drain had been remodelled in brick where it exited the building. From the underpinning works to the south-east and north-east end elevations of the Hall it is possible to support the construction sequence put forward, initially by Eric Gee of the Royal Commission and more recently by Kate Giles from the University of York. They suggest that the earliest part of the Hall was towards Aldwark, with con-
17
struction progressing to the north-east. This conclusion was based on the structural evidence but the underpinning shows the northeast wall, within a broad construction trench, abutted the south-east wall. The north-east wall also had less substantial foundations and its masonry rested on the top ‘step’ of the foundation of the south-east wall. This evidence indicates that the south-east elevation was built first. More recently a programme of underpinning has taken place within the hall to support the original pad stones at the base of the bay timbers of the undercroft. Evidence for the construction of the present hall was seen in all but one of the underpinning pits; a uniform spread of mortar and limestone chippings appears to relate to levelling or construction debris overlain by clay sand. This may have been the make-up for the medieval floors, but nothing survived of these. Above these levels there was extensive dumping to raise the ground level; the excavated artefacts suggest that this occurred in the 18th and early 19th century. Interestingly, it appears that concern over the bay timbers is not new, as one had clearly had the pad stone reset. A large cut filled with rubble associated with this produced two George III pennies (1760 – 1820). It is possible that this resetting can be related to the documented restoration works of the early 19th century. Crucially, the latest work has produced tantalising evidence for structures and activity predating the hall. Below the construction levels for the hall, a sequence of thin spreads of alternating charcoal-rich silts and sands may represent floor levels or occupation horizons. In two pits there was evidence for what may be the remains of footings for walls. One of these footings was not very substantial, consisting of a vertical-sided cut filled with mortar and limestone chippings. Another foundation was far more substantial, with vertical sides and a flat base which was 1.1m below the present floor level or 0.6m below the construction point for the hall. The lower part of the trench had bands of clay and limestone, presumably forming a foundation material; the upper part of the cut appeared to be a robber or demolition cut filled with limestone rubble, a few
architectural fragments, and pieces of wall plaster, tile and what may be fragments of glazed floor tile. The higher cut appeared to truncate a sequence of mortar, fine pebble and silt floor surfaces presumably representing an earlier structure. Initial impressions are that these sections of possible walling are on alignment more or less north-south/east west which does not correspond with the present hall. The presence of this earlier foundation trench had obviously been of concern when the pad stone for the bay timber was installed as there appeared to be a deliberate cut, not seen at any other pad stone, filled with cobbles and limestone, onto which the pad stone was bedded. The one underpinning pit that did not produce any evidence of earlier structural remains was nonetheless intriguing. Driven through the uniform mortar construction levels for the present hall was a sequence of post holes. Their function is far from clear. Below the mortar levels was exposed a sequence of charcoal-rich deposits which produced an extensive assemblage of Roman pottery, possibly Ebor wares, that correspond to the Roman material observed in the earlier underpinning work. Monitoring also took place during restoration of the standing building, often involving the removal of large sections of plaster and cladding from the walls. Upstairs, in the south-east aisle adjacent to the Hall, the removal of a cement skim for the floors put
Roof timbers
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Internal framing exposed by the removal of later plaster
Roof bosses in the Hall; (above) the pig, a symbol of St Anthony (patron saint of pigs and skin diseases, amongst other things) and (left) a phoenix
in during the 1950s exposed an earlier, wellpreserved split oak plank floor. Other work removing plaster revealed numerous earlier doors and windows and confirmed the position of some architectural features shown on early drawings; in one underpinning pit, three stones forming a door jamb were exposed showing that the substantial limestone drain (see above) would have run through the middle of the doorway. The removal of the 1950s staircase at the junction of the southwest and north-east walls exposed a blocked recess, one side of which clearly formed part of a window opening. The majority of the exposed archaeology relating to the standing buildings was recorded photographically, but some areas of the exposed timber framing were recorded by the University of York, in conjunction with Dr. Kate Giles. This careful recording and analysis has raised the possibility that an earlier timber-framed building had been incorporated into the later hall. The erection of a large scaffold within the hall also allowed an unprecedented opportunity to examine the roof timbers, not only of the main hall but the side aisles, and raised many issues concerning its construction that we hope to resolve in further post-excavation analysis. During the restoration the opportunity was also taken by English Heritage to take samples from many of the timbers for dendrochronology With work now complete on the site and the Hall set once more to become home to a guild, the Guild of Quilters, the process of post-excavation analysis can begin. The first task will be to piece together the archaeology recorded in some 60 separate holes over the last 18 months. Hopefully, combining the archaeology, the survey of the standing building and the dendrochronological dates, we will be able to add a wealth of new understanding to this important guild hall. The outstanding results from this work would not have been possible without the cooperation of the York Conservation Trust and the site foreman Ian Daniels. Gareth Dean
19 Schmorl’s nodes are regularly observed in the spines of human skeletal remains, but how they form, and whether they cause acute or chronic pain, is not clearly understood. In the search for a better understanding of these nodes the skeletal collection from the Gilbertine Priory of St. Andrew, Fishergate was studied. What are Schmorl’s nodes? They are areas of bony damage seen in the vertebral bodies of the spine, caused by the central, more fluid nucleus of the intervertebral disc rupturing due to excessive pressure, with some of the contents being forced into the vertebrae above and below the affected disc. This damage is completely different to the back condition known as ‘slipped disc’, where the much stronger fibrous, shock-absorbing layers of the outer rings of the intervertebral disc bulge or fray, causing pressure on the nerve roots which in turn produces acute arm or leg pain or, if the spinal cord is compressed, a loss of feeling and control of the legs.
The structures of the intervertebral disc
Differentiating Schmorl’s nodes from all the other disorders that alter the profile of the vertebral body was one of the first requirements of this research. X-raying groups of vertebrae with various different end plate changes was undertaken. Comparing the radiographs with those of clinical patients proved very useful, with two types of adult Schmorl’s nodes being seen.
The first group produced images of Schmorl’s nodes where only a horseshoe shape of small holes was visible in the end plates of the vertebrae (the outer hard bony surfaces), with rough active Schmorl’s nodes underneath.
X-ray of Schmorl’s nodes
The second group was clearly visible as nice smooth round concavities in the end plates of the vertebrae. These Schmorl’s nodes had healed so that the inner structural bone had been covered by a layer of hard cortical bone. One example of healed Schmorl’s nodes was observed in the vertebrae of SK356, one of the skeletons from the 1985-6 Fishergate excavation. His healed Schmorl’s nodes were the imprint of a past compression injury most likely to have been the outcome of falling or jumping from a height and landing on his feet, causing repetitive compressions of the intervertebral discs by the vertebrae. The effect of the accident would have been the rupturing of the nucleus, allowing the contents to be pushed around the end plates of the sub-adult vertebrae producing areas of disruption to the underlying softer bone. Just as a broken leg heals, so do Schmorl’s nodes if no further injury occurs, as has happened in this instance. Compared with this individual’s battle injuries, Schmorl’s nodes may seem insignificant,
20
Unearthed presents SK356 to Jorvik visitors
One of SK356 ‘s healed Schmorl’s nodes
but if they occured in childhood they would have caused acute localized pain. Knowledge of such pain has been gained by studying the recorded clinical histories of modern children with similar patterns of Schmorl’s nodes, whose injuries were typically caused by falling out of trees, off ponies or from gymnastic equipment and landing on their feet, or landing in a sitting position, so that the spine absorbs the force of impact.
In carrying out this research, I was greatly aided by York Archaeological Trust’s new storage system for human remains. Boxes contain layers of trays each holding related bones, for example the vertebrae and sacrum, with each bone in a separate space, allowing ease of access and reducing the handling of bones not required for this work.
ARCHAEOLOGY
Janet McNaught
York Archaeological Trust Training Excavation
30th June – 19th September 2008 Costs start at £50 for a one-day taster and £185 for a one-week module. Accommodation is available. For more information contact: Training Dig, York Archaeological Trust, 47 Aldwark, YORK, YO1 7BX, ENGLAND email: trainingdig@yorkat.co.uk fax: +44 (0) 1904 663024 Check out the website for more details:
www.dighungate.com
21
Pawn to D4
Block D4 excavation, Hungate Yorkshire Archaeology Today 12 (2007) included a report on the excavation of some Early Modern yards in Block E of the Hungate development. Later in 2007 there was another opportunity to investigate a sample of the Early Modern townscape in Block D of the Hungate site. As was the case with the Block E trench, the reason for the excavation was to examine and record the archaeological features that would be affected by the construction of a basement car park in the middle of Block D. The site lay on the north-east side of Dundas Street, some 25m north of Palmer Lane. The main excavation was preceded by an evaluation phase, comprising three trenches, each about 10m square - hence the designation D4, this being the fourth excavation in Block D. One aim of the three evaluation trenches was to locate any Roman burials that formed part of the cemetery found in evaluations to the west of Dundas Street. As reported briefly in Yorkshire Archaeology Today 13 (2007), no evidence for a Roman cemetery was found in the evaluations. Consequently the focus of the D4 excavation shifted to the Early Modern development of the area into
high-density housing. As the trench measured 25m long (south-west/north-east) by 15m wide and was up to 2m deep, it was expected that considerable evidence for Early Modern housing and occupation would be found. It was also hoped that information on the land use of the area extending back into the medieval period would be revealed, and that interpretations could be augmented through the input of historian Jayne Rimmer’s summation of the documentary evidence.
Trench D4 looking southwest, showing 21-22 Dundas Street (top left), 25 Palmer Lane (bottom left) and 7-12 Dundas Place (right)
Location of Block D4 excavation in relation to the 1909 Ordnance Survey map
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part of strengthening the defences of York Castle in 1069. The levelling deposits were cut by pits of 12th-century date. Another phase of levelling, apparently late 14thcentury in date, may have been prompted a renewed threat of inundation by the rising waters of the King’s Pool; it was followed by further pit digging, dating to the 15th century. The ground surface sloped down to the north-east, as all of this medieval activity was encountered at the south-west end of the trench. The earliest activity reached at the north-east end of the trench was levelling of 15th-century date, which was cut by a 16thcentury brick-lined well.
The Baines 1822 map of York, showing the newly established Dundas Street and 20-22 Dundas Street built
21-22 Dundas Place, looking north-west, showing the houses (left), cess pits with later toilets (right), the scullery extension to No. 22 (with scale) and the lead water pipes and ceramic drains.
The earliest layers encountered were Anglo-Norman levelling deposits, mostly redeposited natural clay. Their top surface was at around 8.0m OD (above Ordnance Datum), and they were laid down probably to counteract the threat of flooding from the King’s Pool. This Pool was a lake that formed upstream of the dam across the River Foss,
A change in land use in the 17th century is indicated by a series of parallel linear trenches at the north-east end of the trench. They were cut into levelling deposits which raised the ground surface to 8.2m OD, and were aligned north-east/south-west. At the southwest end of the trench another group of parallel linear trenches were found cut into the 15th-century pits. They were associated with 18th-century finds and were aligned southwest/north-east, which suggests they were an activity separate from the other trenches. All these features are thought to have been horticultural trenches. Maps of York from those times depict the area filled with regular
23 allotments, which perhaps provided food for the local urban population. By the 19th century the situation seems to have changed again, as the horticultural trenches were covered by a layer of soil cut by several irregular rubble-filled pits, which are jointly interpreted as a garden soil with plant beds. Maps show the area increasingly populated by houses with large gardens during the first half of the 19th century.
rear extensions, apparently sculleries, were added to each of the houses. At about the same time, a row of brick houses with small backyards containing cess pits was built to the north-west of the passageway and perpendicular to Dundas Street; these houses are identified as Nos. 7-12 Dundas Place, which first appear on the 1852 Ordnance Survey map. The Dundas Street and Dundas Place houses were occupied by tenants and were evidently speculative developments for rent.
The pace of development in this part of Hungate seems to have increased during the second quarter of the 19th century. At the south-west end of the trench, at least two brick houses were constructed. They were presumably built along the newly established Dundas Street and have been identified as Nos 21 and 22 Dundas Street. It is recorded that William Waind built these houses not long after purchasing the land at the corner of Dundas Street and Palmer Lane. Soon afterwards small backyards with cess pits were added to each of the houses, although No22 was reduced in width to form a passageway providing access from Dundas Street to the land behind the houses. A little later brick
A sequence of insubstantial brick structures in the east corner of the trench are considered to have been little more than sheds, and indicate that the area of land behind Nos 2122 Dundas Street and south-east of Dundas Place continued for a time as the garden to the rear of Palmer Lane. However, during the third quarter of the 19th century these structures were replaced by what is thought to have been a two-up two-down dwelling forming part of a range on the north-east side of the property, and the garden was replaced with a hard cindery yard surface. Maps show that the Palmer Lane frontage was occupied by several buildings, leaving only a narrow entrance into the yard behind. The transformation of this
25 Palmer Lane looking south-west
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part of the Hungate area from horticultural land and genteel housing with big gardens to densely packed terraced housing and yards had taken about 35 years. Subsequent developments reflect how different landowners invested in their properties. Towards the end of the 19th century, the individual cess pits in both Nos 21-22 Dundas St and Dundas Place were replaced with toilets and drains, apparently flushed by tipper mechanisms fed by rainwater. This change is similar to that observed with the Lower Dundas Street properties investigated in the Hungate Block E excavation. Such tipper flush toilets were undoubtedly an improvement on the cess pits, but the lack of a reliable water flush or a water seal enclosing the human waste prompted sanitation engineers to criticise their use almost as soon as they were introduced. In the early 20th century piped water was added at Nos 21-22 Dundas Street, providing a water supply to the house and a reliable flush for the toilet, but this improvement was not made at Dundas Place and the tipper flushes continued in use until the houses were demolished in 1937. In the yard along Palmer Lane the twoup two-down was extended into a 3-bedroom
1930s photograph of Waudby’s Yard, showing the front elevation of 25 Palmer Lane (courtesy York City Archives)
house with tiled or wooden floors and piped water. This house, 25 Palmer Lane, was unusually large and well-appointed for the area. It is documented that the Waind family sold the land to William Waudby in 1887, and there is a builder’s plan of the new house dated 1891. The yard was known as Waudby’s Yard from then on, and the new house is thought to have been the residence of the landowner. The Block D and E excavations tell a similar story of medieval marginal land being reclaimed from the King’s Pool and used for horticultural purposes during the postmedieval period. In the early 19th century a landscape of houses with large gardens developed, but soon after it was subsumed by densely packed housing with poor quality sanitation that persisted until the area was cleared in the 1930s. However some variations have emerged, such as the addition of plumbing and flushing toilets in some properties, and the construction of a large house for the landowner’s use. As more areas on the Hungate development are investigated, hopefully we will see not only more of the bigger picture, but also the variations and the human stories behind these variations. Kurt Hunter-Mann
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In this issue...
Osbaldwick
Heslington East St Anthony’s Hall
www.yorkarchaeology.co.uk