Welcome to the history of York

Little is known about York immediately after the withdrawal of the Roman garrisons from Britain in the early 5th century. There are very few traces of the Anglo-Saxons who we know settled in the area during the 5th and 6th centuries. This remains a challenge for the York Archaeological Trust in the future.

The 8th century helmet found at Coppergate

Our work has led, however, to a greater understanding of the later Anglian period. Documents show that York was important enough for King Edwin of Northumbria to be baptised here in 627, and by the 8th century the city had a reputation throughout western Europe for learning and scholarship. Despite this, we found little real evidence from this period until the mid 1980s when we discovered 7th–9th century buildings near the River Foss in Fishergate, well outside the Roman centre, and at last the lost centuries began to unfold.

Trade

Documents indicate that York was a thriving commercial city by the 8th century and our excavations by the River Foss at Fishergate have uncovered what might be a wic (a trading settlement) set up to serve York’s ecclesiastical and royal centre. In particular, fragments of very fine glass vessels, pottery and lava quern stones show that there were trading links between York and northern France, the Low Countries and the Rhineland. Other goods including raw materials and foodstuffs were imported from other parts of England, amongst them stone from Yorkshire and the Lake District, and pottery from East Anglia.
Craft

Excavations have uncovered evidence for many Roman manufacturing processes. Tools and substantial amounts of debris show that metalworkers were producing a wide range of utensils, tools, jewellery and other artefacts in iron, copper, silver and lead. At Coppergate, unusual evidence for glass production has been unearthed within a military workshop complex and across the Ouse, in Tanner Row, large quantities of leather offcuts, shoe fragments and pieces of tent have been preserved. Pottery and tile kilns were situated near the River Foss, just outside the fortress walls. Initially, vessels and roof tiles were made primarily for the army but they were also used elsewhere in the city. Not all workshop production was exclusively for a local market and it is likely that many of the jet objects found in the western Roman empire were made in York.
Domestic

Excavations at Fishergate unearthed traces of Anglian buildings and some of their internal fittings, including nails, keys, handles and wooden chest hinges. A range of domestic utensils, including iron knives, were recovered along with a few fine glass vessels, metal implements and, most commonly, pottery. Environmental evidence suggests that rushes were used either for roofing or strewn on the floor, perhaps both. Finds of counters of stone, bone and pot suggest that the inhabitants of Eoforwic were as fond of board games as their Roman predecessors or their Viking successors.
Mitary

The Trust has recovered fragments of Anglian swords and horse equipment, including spurs and harness bits, but by far the most impressive of the finds from this period is a magnificent 8th century helmet unearthed in Coppergate by a mechanical digger and painstakingly conserved by the Trust. This iron and brass helmet must have belonged to a Northumbrian of very high rank, possibly Oshere whose name is included on a decorative band running across the top of the helmet. The craftsmanship of the helmet, and in particular the design of intertwined animals and linked mail neck guard, shows very fine artistic and technical skills.
Dress

A wide variety of personal items have been recovered from excavations in Fishergate. These include hooks and pins for fastening garments, silver and copper alloy strap ends, and buckles, often decorated with animal motifs. Keys and personal implements, held together as chatelaines, would have adorned the belts of women of high status. We have also excavated rings, earrings and colourful glass beads and pendants, and our discovery of an emerald bead and fragments of garnets suggests that a few people in York were wearing some very fine jewellery indeed..
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Accommodation in York.

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