Urban Neighbourhoods: Social and Spatial Development in York, c.600-1600

This thesis explores the archaeology of neighbourhoods in the city of York, between c.600-1600. Drawing on the rich archive of archaeological data held by York Archaeological Trust, it seeks to map the topographical and morphological development of the urban landscapes of Swinegate and Petergate, adjacent to York Minster. The thesis pioneers the use of GIS technology to draw together excavation and artefact data with that of historic maps, documentary sources, place-name evidence and standing buildings. In so doing, it not only demonstrates the potential of new technologies to reinterpret backlog archives, but also develops new hypotheses about the character of York’s early townscape. The thesis makes an important contribution to our understanding of the immediate post-Roman development of provincial towns such as York, identifying the emergenc e of distinctive ‘estate landscapes’ around the Roman fortress area and exploring how these were gradually replaced by the pattern of streets and burgage plots which characterise the topography of the later medieval city. New light is shed on the survival of monumental Roman structures and route ways into the medieval period, and their gradual transformation through the development of new parish boundaries, streetscapes and institutional property portfolios. The character of York’s medieval neighbourhoods is examined through an analysis of the distribution of building structures, external spaces and material culture, shedding new light on the clustering of particular craft groups in particular neighbourhoods over time. The sensory as well as the material qualities of these occupational neighbourhoods is explored, and related to existing research on property within the city. Finally, the thesis outlines the potential for this distinctively archaeological approach to mapping the archaeology of neighbourhoods to be applied not only to other areas of York, but also other provincial medieval towns and to major archaeological and historical archive data