64 
NOTES ON EXCAVATIONS 
AT 
26, and 27, HIGH OUSEGATE, YORK. 
-s- 
By GEORGE BENSON, A.R.LB.A. 
T HESE excavations were commenced in September, 1902, 
and completed by the end of January, 1903. The area 
has a frontage of 46 feet to High Ousegate and stretches to 
Coppergate, a distance of ninety-four feet. Nearly the whole 
area has been dug out from kerb level at Mr. Pickering's, in 
High Ousegate, for a depth of 10 feet 6 inches. The material 
was a black warp deposit, matted with brushwood, pieces of 
leather, bones and horns of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, etc., 
tusks of boars, cut antlers of red and fallow deer, and 
orcasionally oyster shells. A thin light-coloured strawy band, 
two inches deep, occurred here and there, and gave out a 
strong odour that savoured of manure. The deposit was very 
compact and could be cut vertically, and on digging into it 
vapours were emitted similar to steam. Amidst this subsoil 
were a number of horizontal timber balks, about g" x 9'' 
rebated, and a quantity of piling, the positions of which were 
noted and a plan and sections made (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5), these 
indicate that the area was the site of tanpits. 
The pit towards High Ousegate rested on a twelve-inch bed 
of puddled clay, the centre pit had a nine-inch bed of yellow 
sand, whilst the one at Coppergate end had, at the bottom, a 
lime deposit hve inches in thickness. 
Towards Coppergate was a wickerwork stockade, formed by 
a double row of birch posts, one row upright, the other sloping 
towards it on the eastern side, at the base the posts were six 
inches apart. The posts were three inches in diameter and 
