report 25 newport rd aldershot

8/8/2019 Report 25 Newport Rd Aldershot

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A Pottery Production Site at Newport

Road, AldershotBen Jervis Archaeological Report 25

By Ben Jervis MA PIFA.

INTRODUCTION

This report summarises the pottery from 3 assemblages recovered from Newport Road, Aldershot.

These are all part of the Basingstoke Museum Old Collection (Sites A1957.32, A1956.23, 1983.22).

Together the assemblages consist of 376 sherds, weighing 9.3kg. The pottery is principally in 2

fabrics, MQfeq4 and MQfeq5. It is suggested that these were produced at the site, on the basis of

wasters being present. These would seem to have been produced within the Coarse Border Ware

tradition (see Pearce and Vince 1988). All of the pottery is unstratified.

THE POTTERYFABRICS

In total 7 fabrics are present within the assemblage (table 1). These can be split into products of the

site (fabrics MQfeq4 and MQfeq5) and pottery consumed at the site (fabrics MQ20, FQ31, Tudor

Green, Post Medieval Sandy Ware and Border Ware).

Fabric SC SW Rim %

FQ31 1 4

MQ20 6 112

MQfeq4 320 8159 389

MQfeq5 46 988 55Tudor Green 1 10 2Post Medieval SandyWare 1 2

Border Ware 1 26

Total 376 9301 446

Table 1: Composition of the Assemblage by Fabric.

The fabrics can be described as follows:

Fabric MQfeq4 is buff/pink in colour with a grey/black core. Inclusions consist of common, medium sized,

rounded quartz grains, between a quarter and half of which are iron stained. The fabric has a coarse, sandy

texture.

Fabric MQfeq5 is similar to MQfeq4 but better fired with a finer matrix.

Fabric MQ20has buff surfaces with grey core. It has a sandy matrix with common, medium sized, sub-rounded

quartz grains.

Fabric FQ31 is an orange fine sandy ware with sparse-common, rounded, fine sized quartz grains.

Tudor Green is a fine whiteware, previously defined by Pearce and Vince (1988). Border Ware has

been defined by Pearce (1992). The Post Medieval Sandy Ware is a fine, highly fired sandy ware.

The vast majority of sherds are in fabric MQfeq4. There are 46 sherds of fabric MQfeq5 and 20 of

fabric MQ20. Other fabrics are represented only by single sherds. Fabric MQfeq4 bares some


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resemblance to Coarse Border Ware as defined by Pearce and Vince (1988, 9), in that it has

inclusions of sub-rounded iron stained quartz, but flint was not observed in any quantity.

VESSEL FORMS

Sherds from bowls, jars and jugs are present in fabric MQfeq4. The majority of sherds are from jars

and bowls, with only 3 fragments identified as coming from jugs (table 2). The most common jar rimform (8 examples) is the clubbed, rounded form which is slightly everted (table 3). There are 2

examples of a similar form, which is slightly thickened. This rim form is known on Coarse Border

Ware vessels (e.g. Pearce and Vince 1988 no. 465). There are 7 examples of an everted, rounded,

hammerhead form, also known on Coarse Border Ware forms (e.g. Pearce and Vince 1988 no. 469).

Other forms are less common. Simple, everted rims with both rounded and squared profiles are

present (e.g. Pearce and Vince 1988 no. 484). There are 4 examples of an inturned rim with a flange

(e.g. Pearce and Vince 1988 no. 473) and a single example of a flattened hammerhead rim (e.g.

Pearce and Vince 1988, no. 467). There is a single example of a beaded rim and 2 examples of a

version of the flanged rim which is pinched at the shoulder. The bases present are fairly flat with an

obtuse basal angle, typical on Coarse Border Ware jars and a single strap handle may be from a

handled jar (e.g. Pearce and Vince 1982 no. 478). Only one example is decorated, with coming

around the shoulder. Glaze is rare on these vessels, one vessel has a splash of bright green glaze on

the interior and another a splash of clear glaze on the exterior. In fabric MQfeq5 there are 6 jar rim

sherds from a single vessel. This vessel has a clubbed form and is decorated with applied strip

decoration and has a partial bright green interior glaze. The forms and general lack of decoration on

these vessels corresponds well with the known corpus of Coarse Border Ware jar forms.

Form SC SW Rim%

BOWL 18 490 107

JAR 38 1378 252JUG 3 159 15

UNID 261 6132 15

Total 320 8159 389

Table 2: Vessel Forms present in fabric MQfeq4.

Formal Component: SC SW Rim%

Clubbed, rounded. Slightly everted. 8 367 77

Simple, rounded, everted 2 26 10

Thickened, everted, clubbed, rounded. 2 135 30

Rounded hammerhead, everted. 7 266 60

Rounded flange, slightly pinched at shoulder join. 2 47 7

Innturned with flattened, straightedged flange. 4 191 46

Everted, thickened with a slight bead. 1 19 5

Simple, straight edged, everted 4 97 12

Hammerhead, very flat. 1 16 5

Unid. Body sherd 3 81

Flat based, obtuse 3 119

Strap Handle 1 14

Total 38 1378 252

Table 3: Jar Formal Components Present in Fabric MQfeq4.


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Several bowl rims are present in fabric MQfeq4.The most common form are clubbed, flanged rims

which are common amongst Coarse Border Wares (e.g. Pearce and Vince 1982, 501-4) (table 4).

There are 4 examples with flattened hammerhead rims (e.g. Pearce and Vince 1982, 506). Other

forms are less well represented. These include a rounded, hammerhead form (e.g. Pearce and Vince

1982, 502) and a simple, straight edged form (e.g. Pearce and Vince 1982, no. 510). A single example

is thickened and flat topped, with slight clubbing. This form has not been identified by Pearce and

Vince. These vessels are rarely glazed and never decorated. There are 3 examples with splashes of

bright green glaze on the interior. No bowls are present in fabric MQfeq5. As with the jars, the forms

present can be paralleled elsewhere and Coarse Border Ware bowls are rarely decorated (Pearce

and Vince 1982, 65).

Rim Form SC SW Rim%

Simple, rounded, everted 2 22 7

Bowl rim. Inturned and bevelled inwards. 3 109 17

Rounded hammerhead, everted. 1 38 12Thickened, flat topped with a slight roundedclub. 1 47 5

Flanged rounded. Bowl rim. 5 96 22

Simple, straight edged, everted 2 55 14

Hammerhead, very flat. 4 123 30

Total 18 490 107

Table 4: Bowl Rim Forms Present in Fabric MQfeq4.

Only 3 sherds could be positively identified as coming from jugs. One example has a clubbed,

rounded rim and a strap handle with thumbed grooves. It is otherwise undecorated. Whilst the exact

form is not paralleled in Pearce and Vinces (1988) catalogue, the individual components are. The

rim form is a common occurrence (e.g. Pearce and Vince 1988, no. 429) and handles with thumbed

grooves (although with further decoration) are also illustrated (e.g. Pearce and Vince no. 442).Another jug has an inturned rim with a flattened, straight edged flange, similar to that on conical

jugs (e.g. Pearce and Vince 1988 no. 420) and cisterns (e.g. Pearce and Vince 1988 no. 435). This

example is also undecorated and unglazed. One undecorated slightly sagging, thumbed base is also

present (e.g. Pearce and Vince 1988 no. 432). No jugs were identified in fabric MQfeq5.

A total of 261 sherds of fabric MQfeq4 could not be assigned to a particular vessel form. These

include 41 flat or slightly sagging bases, a simple strap handle and a double rod handle, a type not

present in Pearce and Vinces catalogue. The majority of sherds are body sherds however. Most

(177) of these are undecorated and unglazed (table 5). Two examples have applied strip decoration

and one has thumbed applied strip decoration. Four examples have a partial, exterior, bright greenglaze. One of these also exhibits combed decoration. There are 11 examples with partial, interior

bright green glazes and single examples with a dark green exterior glaze, a partial interior and

exterior clear glaze and a partial interior and exterior bright green glaze.


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Glaze Decoration SC SW

Bright green exterior,partial

Combed horizontallines 1 28

None 3 33

Bright green exterior, partial Total 4 61

Bright green, interior, partial 11 166

Dark green, exterior 1 6

Clear, interior and exterior, partial 1 10

Bright green, exterior, partial 1 25

Unglazed

Applied strip 2 21

Thumbed applied strip 1 14

None 177 4097

Unglazed Total 180 4132

Total 198 4400

Table 5: Decoration and Glaze on Undiagnostic MQfeq4 Body Sherds.

In fabric MQfeq5 there are 9 base sherds which could not be assigned to a specific vessel form and

31 undiagnostic body sherds. Of these, 16 have a partial, bright green interior glaze. Two have a dark

green exterior glaze, one of which also exhibits impressed dots. Ten examples are unglazed, 3 of

which exhibit applied strip decoration. Three examples have partial, clear, exterior glazes.

The sherds present at this site suggest that this production centre was operating within the Coarse

Border Ware tradition, producing forms well known from excavations in London. It was one of a

number of centres producing these wares. The forms are principally jars and bowls and are generally

undecorated. The lack of decoration and of jug sherds, implies that the centre focussed on the

production of relatively plain, utilitarian vessels. Amongst the other wares present only one sherd

could be assigned to a specific vessel form, a Tudor Green bowl.

CONCLUSIONSThis small collection would seem to indicate the presence of a small production centre producing

utilitarian Coarse Border Ware vessels. The variability in rim forms suggests either change over time,

or a general lack of standardisation in form. It is possible some of the sherds were consumed, rather

than produced here. The forms present are generally paralleled within the London corpus (Pearce

and Vince 1988). Based on the London evidence, it would seem that the centre was in operation

during the late 14th

century.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Pearce, J and Vince A 1988. Surrey Whitewares. LAMASS Special Paper 10.

Pearce, J 1992. Border Wares. HMSO.

report 25 newport rd aldershot

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