Anglo-Scandinavian Walmgate: New Structural and Palaeoenvironmental Evidence for 10th Century Jorvik

Abstract From the 20th–22nd September 2021 York Archaeology conducted an archaeological watching brief on a sewer repair in Walmgate, York. The work was undertaken for Avove Utilities Ltd. in response to an Operations Notice from the City of York Council and involved the monitoring and recording of repairs to a sewer trench. The earliest observed deposits were Anglo-Scandinavian in date. These included highly organic deposits and the remains of a timber structure dated by dendrochronology to AD 958–981. The timbers comprised two upright planks and one horizontal plank, with wicker work to the rear. Organic deposits had accumulated against the woodwork, the analysis of which yielded information relating to diet, the arable economy, the local environment, and the selection and use of fuel in Anglo-Scandinavian York.