New SMA Monograph Out Now!

Posted On: November 26th, 2025

The next monograph published by the Society is out now. Excavations at the Austin Friary, Hull, Yorkshire, 1994 and 1999. Part 1: The Stratigraphic Sequence will be number 45 in the series, and has been written by Dave Evans. It is the first volume of three regarding the excavations at the Austin Friary; the second monograph about the finds is currently with the printers and will follow shortly. The third will discuss the skeletal remains and environmental evidence.

The Austin Friary at Hull was founded in 1316/17 as a daughter-house of York friary. It would be the very last of the Order to surrender to the Crown, on 10 March 1539. The monastic house was located in the heart of the medieval Old Town, next to its market place. It was excavated in 1994 and 1999 prior to re-development of the site.

The excavations recovered substantial elements of the built friary and the layout of over 70% of the entire precinct can now be reconstructed. Anaerobic waterlogged conditions favoured the survival of organic remains and structures. Some 260 articulated burials were recovered,
associated with important sepulchral remains, including 44 oak coffins, a significant assemblage of textile remains and a wealth of dress-accessories. Almost all the coffins, which can be closely dated, were made of imported Baltic oak, making this the largest assemblage of medieval Baltic oak to have been found in England.

At the Dissolution, the friary seems to have escaped major damage to its fabric, and within a year much of it had been converted into a large secular holding. Some of its buildings would still be standing to their full height as late as the 1790s, albeit with substantial modifications and changes of use. Later activity on the site includes the development and use of three public houses, the construction of a Georgian Butchers’ Shambles and a Victorian Market Hall. In 1941, the whole area was bombed and largely raised to the ground during the Hull Blitz.

Monograph 45 is A4 size and 362 pages long. It can be purchased directly from Routledge and SMA members have a 30% discount on all Routledge books. To benefit from this, please log in the Members Area page of the SMA website and find the discount code and link to Routledge.