St. Mary Bishophill Junior and St. Mary Castlegate

St. Mary Bishophill Junior: This report is an account of two periods of archaeological activity at the church: the first, an excavation in the area north of the north aisle by Mr L. P. Wenham in 1961-3 and 1967; and the second, a detailed survey of the fabric of the tower made in 1980 by C. M. Briden and others. A note is included of the results of R. L. Kemp’s trial excavation in Trinity Lane nearby, carried out in 1981. This section of the report records and discusses the post-Roman discoveries made by L. P. Wenham immediately to the north of the church of St. Mary Bishophill Junior, which stands on a plateau south-west of the River Ouse within the medieval walled city and the Roman colonia. It has been produced by R. A. Hall in consultation with L. P. Wenham, on the basis of a preliminary draft report by L. P. Wenham and in conjunction with a consideration of the plans, notebooks, photographs and finds from the site which are now housed in the Yorkshire Museum. The report retains the feature coding of L.P. Wenham’s records, with additions where these are considered helpful. Objects mentioned but not described here will be treated in detail in AY 12 and AY 17. A discussion of the Roman discoveries will appear in AY 4/2. The Tower of the Church of St Mary Bishophill Junior: The church of St Mary Bishophill Junior is sited on the crest of the pronounced ridge on the western bank of the River Ouse within the area of the Roman and medieval walled city. It is not quite the highest point within the walled city as the ridge continues to rise gently to the north, but at a level of c.18m OD and some 12m above the level of the river it shares with the church of the Holy Trinity a topographical prominence within the city. It has also some prominence within York’s historiography, as the church and particularly its west tower have long been counted amongst the oldest standing ecclesiastical remains within the city.