YORYM 1997.103 – COUNTY HOUSE, MONKGATE, YORK

Ceramic Building Materials

S Garside-Neville

Roman material

The Roman material comprises brick (which could be fragments of large tegula, or brick used in hypocausts or walls) and imbrex (which is Roman roof tile). Also present is a fragment of oolitic limestone, which tends to be used as building material on Roman sites.

Medieval material

Peg and plain roof tile were present. This dates from the 13th century onward and is used throughout the medieval period and into the post medieval centuries. One fabric which is associated with the 14th century onwards was present. There was one piece of brick with thickness measurements, which indicate a 14th or 15th century date. This type of brick may also be a 'wall tile' which would have been used as infilling for a timber framed building.

Other material

Daub is present, which may indicate walls made of daub or perhaps an oven. The daub does not appear to be exclusively associated with either Roman or medieval material. There are also fragments of stone of varying types (limestone and sandstone). Of particular interest is the possible ballista ball. Though the identification may not be accurate, the stone seems to be quite unusual and heavy.

Recommendations

The sample should be retained so that it can be fully recorded by a specialist, after which it may be appropriate to discard some of the material. The ceramic material will help contribute to the study of ceramic building materials in this area of the city. The 'ballista ball', and the other examples of stone, should be further investigated by a Geologist.

Context Form/s Date of Spot

material date

1010 Plain, Brick (Med+), Plain (?Post Med- 13th+

med) ?Post med

1011 Daub, Plain Med 13-15th

1012 Peg, Brick (Med+), Brick (45mm) Med 14-15th

1013 Plain Med 13-15th

1014 Mortar, Plain, Limestone, Plain (14th) Med 14-15th

1015 Plain Med 13-15th

1016 Roman brick, Daub, Plain, ?Coal Roman- 13-15th

(Pot) Med

1017 Sandstone, Limestone, Plain, Roman- 13-15th

Imbrex, Oolitic limestone, Med

Roman brick

1017? Plain? Med 13-15th?

1020 Daub, Roman brick (Pot) Roman 1-4th

1021 Roman brick Roman 1-4th

1023 Roman brick, Imbrex (Pot) Roman 1-4th

2000 Plain Med 13-15th

2041 Plain, ?Plain, ?Ballista ball (stone) ?Roman- 13-15th

Med