Early guildhall may lie under surface of town’s marketplace

ARCHAEOLOGISTS working on the controversial upgrade of an East Riding marketplace have uncovered a mediaeval wall which could be part of an early guildhall.

Work was stopped after contractors uncovered a “substantial” stone wall and a padstone of a mediaeval timber building 18 inches under the surface of Saturday Market, in Beverley.

Archaeologists believe it may be part of the Archbishop’s Hall, which was used as a guildhall from 1282.

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York has three surviving guildhalls, the Merchant Adventurers, Merchant Taylors and St Anthony’s on Peaseholme Green.

Humber Archaeology Partnership manager Dave Evans said: “I think it is a miracle it has managed to survive given the number of service pipes around there.

“We know from documentary evidence there was an early Archbishop’s Hall somewhere in Saturday Market and there are a number of other structures mentioned in medieval documents, but no-one knows precisely where they were.

“This seems really substantial; stone footings for what was largely a timber building, which was very well made.”

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The town’s merchants and governors started using the hall in the late 13th Century after it was granted to them by the Archbishop in return for their surrender of rights in Beverley Parks.

It is thought that the community’s Magna Carta may have been drawn up in the guildhall in 1359.

Prof Barbara English, of Beverley Civic Society, said: “If it turns out to be the hall it’s a very significant find and we hope it will be protected and preserved.”

East Riding Council backed down over plans to remove setts from the marketplace last month after a massive protest campaign.

The authority confirmed that work in the area had been suspended and it had moved onto the next phase of the scheme while investigations are carried out.

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