Stone in Archaeology Database

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Tadcaster stone was known in Roman times and the walls of Roman York (Eboracum) were all faced with magnesian limestone. There are even a few Saxon crosses, such as the 10th century fragment found in Newgate constructed from this material. Limestone was first quarried specificially for the Minster in York after the fire of 1137, and then for the eastern arm in 1160-75. From here on several quarries including Thevesdale (1225-1423), Huddleston (1385-1544) and Stapleton (from 1300 - 1403) provided stone for the Minster with lesser quantities coming from Doncaster (1400-16), Bramham (1419-22) and Hampole (1512-30) (Gee 1981: 247). Many well known modern quarries including Jackdaw, Smaws and Lords still supply stone for many important buildings today.