Monument record MYO2023 - St Helen Fishergate

Summary

This is the suggested site of the pre-conquest church of St Helen Fishergate. This church was listed among the pre-Conquest foundations of the city, as it was granted to Holy Trinity Priory in 1086 as an existing church and toft

Location

Grid reference SE 60688 50980 (point)
Map sheet SE65SW
Unitary Authority City of York, North Yorkshire

Map

Type and Period (0)

Full Description

A medieval cemetery dominated the archaeology of the adjacent development site [Fishergate House], separated only by the route of Blue Bridge Lane itself. This belonged to the hitherto ‘lost’ Church of St Helen, Fishergate. Distinct from St Helen on-the-Walls, this church was listed among the pre-Conquest foundations of the city, as it was granted to Holy Trinity Priory in 1086 as an existing church and toft.46 A radiocarbon assay of two of the earliest burials laid out in stratigraphic ‘strings’, returned dates of ad 680 to ad 890 (GU-12719) and ad 940 to ad 1050 (GU-12722) (Tab 1). The first was unexpectedly early and suggests the presence of an inhumation cemetery contemporary with, and adjacent to, the Anglo-Saxon settlement remains. The origins of the church, already known to pre-date the Conquest, may actually belong to the middle Anglo-Saxon period. Identification with the church of St Helen, Fishergate draws the site into the wider cult traditions of this saint, the mother of Constantine, which gained particular currency in the region from the middle to late Anglo-Saxon period.


CA Spall and NJ Toop, 2008, Before Eoforwic: New Light on York in the 6th–7th Centuries (Article in Journal). SYO190.

Sources/Archives (1)

  • --- Article in Journal: CA Spall and NJ Toop. 2008. Before Eoforwic: New Light on York in the 6th–7th Centuries. Medieval Archaeology volume 52 2008.

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (2)

Related Events/Activities (1)

Record last edited

Dec 24 2019 11:43AM

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