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Post-Roman Pottery from selected sites
in Basingstoke, Hampshire.Ben Jervis Archaeological Report 23
By Ben Jervis MA PIFA
INTRODUCTION
This report summarises the pottery from 3 sites in Basingstoke. All of the sherds are part of the Willis
Museum Old Collection, held by Hampshire County Museums Service. The bulk of the pottery is of
early medieval date, however there are smaller quantities of high, late and post- medieval pottery
present (table 1). The majority of wares can be paralleled either at Brighton Hill (Rees 1995) or
Basing House (Allen and Anderson 1999). The pottery will be characterised by type and then
discussed by site.
Ware SC SW
Max
VC
Wessex Coarseware 1 11 1
Early Medieval Sandy Ware 16 726 5
Flint and Sand Tempered Ware 87 2935 23
Kennet Valley B 29 1366 13
London-type Ware 17 812 5
Surrey Whiteware 2 203 1Iron Rich, Micaceous SandyWare 6 1182 1
Transitional Sandy Ware 1 27 1Border Ware 7 534 6
Red Border Ware 7 822 6
Raeren-type Stoneware 3 476 3
Frechen Stoneware 2 75 2
Total 178 9169 67
Table 1: Composition of the Assemblages Considered.
THE EARLYMEDIEVAL POTTERY
Two principle groups of early medieval pottery are present, gritty wares, generally with flint
inclusions, and sandy wares. The gritty wares fall into Rees group 1 at Brighton Hill.
Wessex Coarseware
A single sherd of Wessex Coarseware is present. This is a coarse sandy ware, common in west and
mid-Hampshire. It is believed to date from the 12th
-14th
centuries.
Flint and Sand Tempered Wares
These wares are a sub-group of the Brighton Hill Group 1 wares, probably corresponding with fabrics
21 and 22. These are the most common early medieval wares in Basingstoke, and 87 sherds are
present, representing a maximum of 23 vessels. Flint and Sand tempered wares are widespread
throughout Hampshire in the early medieval period. It is possible that the vessels relate to theKennet Valley A ware tradition, but limiting this ware type to the Kennet Valley probably creates an
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artificial distinction between wares from this area and those produced and consumed elsewhere in
Hampshire. Similar flint tempered wares are present at Basing House, where they are dated to the
12th
-13th
centuries (Allen and Anderson 1999, 61). Three fabrics are present:
Fabric FMQ8 is black throughout, with common sub-rounded quartz grains and occasional, coarse sized,
angular flint fragments. Occasional fragments of chalk are also present. Brighton Hill fabric 22?
Fabric FMQ9 Coarse flint tempered ware. Has buff surfaces with a white core. There are common, medium
sized quartz grains and larger, coarse sized, angular flint fragments.
Fabric FMQfe1 is unevenly fired, can be black throughout or have oxidised patches. There are sparse-common
sub-rounded quartz grains with common, larger angular, flint fragments and occasional black iron ore. Coarser
than FMQ8.
Most (70) of the sherds could be attributed to jars, with a maximum of 9 vessels being present. All of
the rims present are simple, rounded, everted forms and examples of both sagging and flat bases are
present. All of the sherds are undecorated and unglazed.
Early Medieval Sandy Ware
These wares probably equate to Brighton Hill group 2 (Rees 1995), but are of a type which is fairly
ubiquitous in west and central Hampshire in the early medieval period. The ware are all coarse sandy
wares, with one tripod pitcher being present. This is decorated with combed decoration and has a
clear glaze. The majority of the remaining sherds in the group have a partial, clear glaze. Several
fabrics are present:
Fabric FQ1 is grey-buff throughout, sometimes with orange surfaces. There are abundant, densely packed sub-
angular/sub-rounded fine sized quartz grains.
Fabric FQ2 is buff/grey throughout. The only inclusions are moderately abundant fine quartz grains.
Fabric FEQ8 is an early medieval sandy ware. It is grey/buff throughout, with common rounded and sub-
rounded iron stained quartz grains. Quite well fired.
Fabric FQ28 is buff throughout. There are common sub-rounded fine sized quart grains in a fairly fine matrix.
Probably an early medieval sandy ware.
13TH-14TH CENTURYPOTTERY
Pottery of this date is not common in these assemblages, and the bulk of the material appears to
have been sourced from Surrey to the east, rather than from western Hampshire.
Kennet Valley B Ware (Brighton Hill Group 1)
There are 29 sherds of this ware, which is tempered with flint and chalk. These have been dated to
the 13th
-14th
centuries in Newbury (Vince et al 1997). Eight jars are represented one has a thickened
rim and three have hammerhead rims. Both forms are common amongst these wares elsewhere.
None of the sherds are decorated. At Brighton Hill, these wares belong to group 1 (Rees 1995). Three
fabrics are present:
Fabric MQcfarg1 is a wheelthrown sandy ware. Buff throughout with common, rounded, chalk inclusions, with
occasional iron rich clay pellets and larger angular flint fragments. The fabric is hard and pimply.
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Fabric MQfefc1 is a coarse sandy ware, with oxidised surfaces and a grey core. Inclusions consist of common,
medium sized, sub-rounded quartz grains with black iron ore and angular, patinated flint with common,
rounded chalk.
Fabric MQcf5 is grey/buff throughout. There are common, medium sized, sub-rounded quartz grains with small
angular flint fragments and rounded chalk fragments, with occasional shell.
London-type Ware
There are 17 sherds (5 vessels) of London-type Ware. This has been identified at Basing House
(Anderson and Allen 1999, 61-2) and is a well made, hard fired, slightly micaceous, oxidised sandy
ware. It is one of the most abundant types of pottery in London and Basingstoke marks the eastern
limit of its distribution in any quantity. The types present here probably date to the 13th
-14th
century.
Three fabrics are present in this group:
Fabric MQmic3 is an oxidised ware with orange surfaces and a buff core. There are common sub-rounded and
sub-angular, medium sized quartz grains and micaceous surfaces.
Fabric MQ14 is a hard, wheelthrown, buff coloured fabric with a light grey core. Common-abundant, sub-rounded, medium sized quartz grains. Very occasional black iron ore. Possibly Basing House fabric 3.1 (London-
type Ware).
Fabric MQ15 has a similar matrix to MQ14, but there are occasional flecks of mica and the surface is reduced,
whilst the surfaces are bright orange. Possibly also a London-type Ware.
Five vessels are represented, a jar with a thickened rim, a jug with bright green glaze, 2 jugs with a
clear glaze (one of which has a thickened rim) and a tripod pitcher. The jar has thumb impressed
applied strip decoration and one of the jugs has a slashed handle.
Surrey Whiteware
There are 2 sherds from the base of a single Kingston-type Ware jug (Pearce and Vince 1988). This
has a bright green, external glaze and is a flat form, with thumb impressions and a slightly acute
basal angle.
LATER MEDIEVAL AND EARLYPOST MEDIEVAL WARES
A small number of sherds are of types known to date to the 15th
-17th
centuries. The presence of Iron
Rich, Micaceous Sandy Ware with these wares suggests that this also dates to this period. Most of
the pottery is of Surrey type, with both white and red Border Wares being present.
Iron Rich, Micaceous Sandy Ware
A single vessel (6 sherds) are present. The vessel is a jar with a simple everted rim and a flat base. It
is undecorated and unglazed. The fabric can be described as follows:
Fabric FQargmic2 is an oxidised sandy ware with common, sub-rounded, fine sized quartz grains, occasional
oxidised clay pellets and micaceous surfaces.
Transitional Sandy Ware
A single sherd of Transitional Sandy Ware is present. These fine, wheelthrown, well fired sandy
wares are common in 15th century assemblages from south and west Hampshire, generally being
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most abundant outside of the area supplied by Surrey products. The sherd is an unglazed flat,
thumbed jug base. The fabric is as follows:
Fabric MQ3 is an oxidised sandy ware with sparse, medium sized quartz inclusions.
Border Ware
There are 14 sherds of Border Ware, representing 12 vessels. This is a fine, well made earthenware
produced at several centres on the Surrey/Hampshire border (Pearce 1992). Both White and Red
Border Ware are present. A dish, a jar and a pipkin are present amongst the white Border Wares and
a bowl. A costrel, a dish and a pipkin are present amongst the Red Border Wares. Based on the
forms, the sherds probably date from the late 16th
-early 17th
centuries (Pearce 1992).
Rhenish Stonewares
Five sherds of Rhenish Stoneware are present, 3 of Raeren-type and 2 of Frechen-type. The Raeren-
type sherds are all from mugs, the Frechen-type sherds are from jugs.
SUMMARY
Two key patterns emerge through the pottery, which confirms those observations made based on
the assemblages from Brighton Hill (Rees 1995) and Basing House (Anderson and Allen 1999). Firstly,
the majority of the wares are of Kennet Valley type, principally Kennet Valley B ware, although its
present, in relation to type A, is probably due to chronology. Whilst these plain, utilitarian wares
were sourced locally, the glazed sandy wares are principally of Surrey type, a pattern present both in
the medieval and post-medieval period. This conforms to a pattern of supply of these wares present
across the northern part of east Hampshire, for example in Alton. The presence of London-type
Ware is unusual as this has not been identified elsewhere in Hampshire , however its presence also
points to supply from the Surrey area.
THE SITES
Three small groups were studied from Basingstoke and the assemblages are summarised below.
Co-Op Site (table 2)
The assemblage from the Co-Op site consists of 128 sherds, representing a maximum of 38 vessels.
The assemblage is principally of early medieval date, with Flint and Sand Tempered Wares making up
the bulk of the pottery. There is a 13th-14th century element to the group, with Kennet Valley B
Ware and London-type Ware also being present.
Ware Name SC SW
Max
VC
Wessex Coarseware 1 11 1
Early Medieval Sandy Ware 16 726 5Flint and Sand TemperedWare 84 2809 21
Kennet Valley B 21 950 10
London-type Ware 6 436 1
Total 128 4932 38
Table 2: The Pottery from the Co-Op Site.
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Woolworths Site (table 3)
The majority of the pottery in this group dates to the 13th-14th century. Both coarsewares and
sandy wares are present, including London-type Ware and Kennet Valley B Ware. There are also
sherds of Surrey Whiteware. There is a later (16th century) element to the assemblage, with sherds
of Border Ware, Raeren-type Stoneware and Transitional Sandy Ware being present.
Ware Name SC SW Max VC
Flint and Sand TemperedWare 3 126 2
Kennet Valley B 8 416 3
London-type Ware 11 376 4
Surrey Whiteware 2 203 1
Transitional Sandy Ware 1 27 1
Border Ware 3 89 3
Raeren-type Stoneware 2 302 2
Total 30 1539 16
Table 3: Pottery from the Woolworths Site.
BLB Site (table 4)
This is a small post medieval group, consisting of 20 sherds (max 13 vessels). The majority of sherds
are Border Ware, but Rhenish Stoneware and Iron Rich Micaceous Sandy Ware are also present.
Ware Name SC SW Max VC
Iron Rich, Micaceous SandyWare 6 1182 1
Border Ware 4 445 3Red Border Ware 7 822 6
Raeren-type Stoneware 1 174 1
Frechen Stoneware 2 75 2
Total 20 2698 13
Table 4: Pottery from the BLB Site.
Summary
All of the assemblages have different compositions, but this is due to chronology rather than any
spatial patterning. Therefore, they must be considered together to give a general impression of the
pottery consumed in the area, rather than allowing us to study internal patterns.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Allen, D and Anderson, S. 1999, Basing House, Hampshire. Excavations 1978-1991. Hampshire Field
Club Monograph 10.
Pearce, J and Vince, A. 1988, Surrey Whitewares, London and Middlesex Archaeological Society.
Pearce, J. 1992, Border Wares, London: HMSO.
Rees, H. 1995 in Fasham Keevill, G and Coe, D. 1995, Brighton Hill South (Hatch Warren): An Iron Age
Farmstead and Deserted Medieval Village in Hampshire, Salisbury: Wessex Archaeology Report 7,116-25.
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Vince, A, Lobb, S, Richards, J and Mepham, L. 1997, Excavations in Newbury, Berkshire 1979-1990,
Wessex Archaeology Report 13.