Anglo-Saxon Hungate

After c.410 Britain ceased to be part of the Roman Empire and York, like the rest of the country, faced changing political, economic and social circumstances. New immigrants, the Anglo-Saxons, landed on Yorkshire's coasts and gradually their settlements spread further west towards the city.

The 5th and 6th centuries are archaeologically elusive in York. The evidence at Hungate, based on the lack of late Roman pottery, suggests that Roman activity may have declined there from c.360 onwards. Anglo-Saxon burials have been found on the edges of Roman cemeteries elsewhere in the city but only rarely; if we are lucky we might find some here.

Anglian cremation vessel from York

In the course of the 7th and 8th centuries York began to re-emerge as a political and economic centre as well as a royal and ecclesiastical focus. By 627 the city was part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria and was the seat of a Christian bishop. International trade with Europe grew and York (now known as Eoforwic), functioned as a wic - a specialised type of settlement where international and local trade networks came together under the authority of a strong political figure. Excavations at Fishergate on the River Ouse provided evidence for manufacturing, trade and commerce typical of this type of settlement and further evidence of similar activity has been found along the river banks of both the Rivers Ouse and Foss.

The Hungate site offers an important opportunity to search for further evidence of the re-emergence of York as an urban centre. Pottery of this period found during earlier excavations offer some hope that Anglo-Saxon evidence survives, and the riverside area has been identified as a shallow, gently shelving waterfront; a place which might have been ideal for beaching vessels for unloading or repair.