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Post-Roman Pottery from Newton Lane
Link Road, Romsey, Hampshire
Ben Jervis Archaeological Report 7
By Ben Jervis MA PIFA
INTRODUCTION
This report summarises the Post-Roman pottery from excavations at the Newton Lane Link Road,
Romsey, carried out by Test Valley Archaeological Services in 19??. The earliest features to be
identified were prehistoric layers, possibly of Bronze Age date. There are also a number Roman
features. The earliest medieval activity is a single Anglo-Saxon feature. There are a series of medieval
pits. A pottery report is present in the site archive. This was produced by Helen Rees. This reportdeals with the Roman pottery in some depth, but the medieval pottery is not discussed in such
detail. Therefore the decision was made to reassess this material, as part of the authors PhD
research.
The types mentioned here are defined in Jervis, B. Forthcoming Medieval Pottery from Romsey: An
Overview and fabric descriptions have been lodged with Hampshire Museum Service.
A total of 9 stratigraphic phases were identified, based on the stratigraphic sequence and pottery
spot dating carried out by Helen Rees:
Phase 1: Prehistoric.
Phase 2: Roman
Phase 3: Anglo-Saxon
Phase 4: Medieval (12th
-14th
Centuries)
Phase 5: Late Medieval-Early Post Medieval (15th
century)
Phase 6: 16th
-17th
Centuries
Phase 7: Later 17th Century
Phase 8: 18th
-19th
Century
Phase 9: Modern and unstratified
This report will briefly summarise the pottery from the site as a whole before discussing the pottery
by stratigraphic phase, with selected features being discussed in depth. The discussion will focus on
defining the date (both of features and the pottery) and understanding the site formation processes.
The pottery from the Shitlake will be considered separately. This will be followed by a summary of
the vessel forms present and a discussion contextualising the pottery.
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SUMMARY OF THE POTTERY
A total of 2212 sherds, weighing 32kg were recovered from the excavations (table 1). Of these, 445
were of Roman date and will not be discussed in any depth. The assemblage generally consists of
Ware SC
%ge
SC SW
%ge
SWRoman 445 20% 4965 16%
Mid Saxon Organic Tempered 3
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Border Ware 5
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ase: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
re SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW
man 4 14 4 110 1249 11 26 340 13 54 532 10 36 323 9 113 1090 10 90 1249 14 1 7 7
d Saxon Organic Tempered 2 10 5 1 2 2
Qorgf1 1 9 9
nt tempered ware 2 17 9 1 6 6 1 13 13
nt and sand tempered ware 88 1666 19 10 80 8 38 372 10 10 106 11 1 15 15
nt and sand tempered ware (Newbury type) 1 5 5
alk tempered ware 6 65 11 3 26 9 1 17 17 1 5 5
nchester-type Ware 1 10 10 1 8 8 13 153 12
e sandy ware 4 32 8 11 167 15 4 22 6 3 105 35ssex Coarseware 317 3134 10 89 1251 14 212 2278 11 62 899 15 5 103 21
verstock-type Ware 23 309 13 3 84 28 28 698 25 7 78 11
cal Whiteware 8 45 6 4 33 8 2 13 7
uth Hampshire Redware 32 545 17 7 31 4 20 193 10 5 117 23
uthampton Sandy Ware 2 15 8 6 28 5 10 88 9 3 49 16
rrey(?) Whiteware 1 9 9 1 18 18
rset Red Painted Ware 1 9 9
rset whiteware 8 28 4
rmandy Gritty Ware 1 6 6
ntonge Whiteware 3 17 6
Q1 1 14 14
Q3 4 21 5 1 3 3
12 1 16 16
2 8 119 15 6 130 22 10 75 8 2 28 14
4 3 27 9
arg1 1 19 19 3 9 3
arg2 9 41 5 4 76 19 5 38 8 3 23 8 1 8 8
arg3 1 16 16
argmic1 1 15 15
F1 6 120 20
F2 1 11 11 1 36 36 2 23 12 3 17 6
fe3 2 133 67
cal Pink Sandy Ware 2 10 5 1 3 3
feq1 2 24 12 2 21 11
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Q3 6 51 9 3 27 9 14 159 11 2 17 9 1 10 10
Q4 20 175 9 10 104 10 25 263 11 11 169 15
Qargf1
Qfe2 1 13 13 1 5 5 1 8 8
Qfe3 2 16 8
Qfe6 1 4 4
Qmic1 1 13 13
e medieval organic tempered sandy ware 1 15 15 3 64 21 2 9 5 2 22 11
e medieval sandy ware 2 37 19 9 194 22 2 24 12 1 20 20
rder Ware 2 4 2 2 9 5
dor Green 2 3 2 1 1 1 15 32 2 2 3 2-MQmic 1 56 56
st Medieval Brown Glazed 3 14 5 9 21 2
st Medieval Redware 1 21 21 1 10 10 7 171 24 3 48 16
st Medieval Sandy Ware 4 91 23 1 32 32
rwood 10 104 10 18 680 38 82 2117 26 122 3290 27 19 929 49
rian Micaceous Redware 3 98 33
eren-type Stoneware 5 89 18 1 16 16
echen-type Stoneware 1 6 6
sterwald Stoneware 1 36 36
stol-Staffordshire Slipware 1 3 3 2 9 5
Glazed Ware 3 10 3 1 11 11
eamware 1 1 1 3 14 5
affordshire White Salt Glazed Stoneware 1 1 1 1 1 1
rcelain 1 2 2
glish Stoneware 1 9 9 6 100 17
fined Earthenware 2 10 5
id 1 27 27 1 4 4 1 6 6
and Total 12 89 7 110 1249 11 26 340 13 625 7189 12 227 3424 15 645 8271 13 362 6596 18 40 1219 30
Table 2: Summary of Pottery by Phase (Phase 1-8)
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PHASE 3(ANGLO-SAXON)
All of the pottery (26 sherds) from this phase are of Roman date (table 2). There are intrusive Anglo-
Saxon types in the prehistoric layers, with both the organic and chalk tempered wares likely to be of
this date.
PHASE 4(12TH-14TH CENTURIES)
In this phase a new channel was dug to the Shitlake and several groups of pits were dug. A total of
28% of the sherds (23% by weight) were recovered from features belonging to this phase (table 2).
Around half of the pottery is in the form of Wessex Coarsewares, with Flint and Sand Tempered
Wares accounting for 14% of sherds (23% by weight). There are small quantities of medieval glazed
sandy wares. Residual material is present, 9% of sherds are Roman in date, whilst there are also
small quantities of intrusive later types. The following types of undefined date are also present:
FEQ1 Is a buff sandy ware with moderately abundant, sub-rounded iron stained quartz. It may be a form of
Dorset Whiteware. Only 1 sherd was recovered, from a phase 4 feature. If this is a form of Dorset Whiteware itwould be contemporary with this deposit.
FEQ3 is brown/orange throughout with moderately abundant, rounded, medium sized, iron stained quartz
grains. Four small sherds were recovered from phase 4 features, with a further small sherd coming from a
phase 6 feature. At 11 The Hundred and 15 The Hundred a later medieval (14th
-15th
century) date was
suggested for this ware and this site provides no reason to question this.
FQ2 Is buff/grey throughout sandy ware with moderately abundant, fine sized quartz grains. Eight moderately
sized-large sherds were recovered from phase 4 deposits and 6 from phase 5 deposits. Therefore this ware
could date to either phase. At 11 The Hundred it was suggested that this may be a Saxo-Norman type. Whilst
this remains possible its presence in later features suggests that it may in fact be a 13
th
-15
th
century type. Giventhe fact that such sandy wares are ubiquitous in assemblages from this area it is possible that fabric FQ2 had a
long period of currency and that differences in decoration or form, rather than fabric, may indicate temporal
distinctions. The sherds from phase 4 are from layers and therefore are not in an overly secure context.
FQ4 Is a wheelthrown sandy ware which is oxidised throughout. The only inclusions are sparse fine quartz.
Three small sherds are present is phase 4 deposits. A 12th
-14th
century date for this is ware is supported by its
presence in features of similar date at 11 The Hundred.
FQarg1 is buff/white throughout. It has common, fine, sub-rounded quartz grains with occasional iron rich clay
pellets. Possibly Minety type? One relatively large sherd (19g) was recovered from a phase 4 deposit. Smaller
sherds were recovered from later deposits but the difference in fragmentation level suggests that these sherds
are residual. Therefore, this ware is likely to date to this phase.
FQF1 has anoxidised core with grey surfaces. It is wheelthrown and fairly well fired. There are inclusions of
moderately abundant fine, sub-rounded quartz grains and a similar quantity of fine, angular flint which is
generally patinated. There are 6 sherds present in phase 4 deposits and these are relatively large (ASW: 20g).
On this basis it can be suggested that this is a 12th
-14th
century type.
FQF2 is a fine sandy ware with occasional, large, angular flint inclusions. Sherds were recovered from deposits
of 4, 5, 6 and 7 date, the largest sherd coming from a phase 5 deposit. The small quantity of sherds makes it
impossible to assign this ware to a particular phase.
FQfe5 has been identified in Southampton where it is termed Local Pink Sandy Ware and dates to the 13th-14th
century.
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FQfeq1 is buff throughout. There are abundant, sub-rounded fine sized quartz grains with occasional sub-
rounded iron stained quartz. Two, moderately sized sherds were recovered from phase 4 deposits, whilst 2
sherds were recovered from phase 6 deposits. It probably relates to Wessex Coarseware and is therefore likely
to be of 12th
-14th
century date.
MQ3 is an oxidised sandy ware with sparse, medium sized quartz inclusions. There are six sherds from phase 4deposits but larger sherds are present in phase 5 and 6 deposits. On this basis, and the fact that it also occurs in
later deposits at 11 and 15 The Hundred, it can be suggested that this is a 14th
-15th
century type.
MQfe2 Is white/buff throughout. It has moderately abundant, medium sized quartz inclusions, with occasional
black iron ore. One moderately large sherd was recovered from a phase 4 deposit. Smaller sherds in later
deposits are likely to be residual and therefore this is probably a 12th
-14th
century ware.
MQfe3 Has oxidised surfaces and reduced core. There are abundant medium sized quartz inclusions, with
common black iron ore. There are 2 small sherds from phase 4 deposits. It is not possible on this basis to
suggest a date for this ware.
Context: 60
Ware SC SW ASW
Roman 1 8 8
Flint and sand tempered ware 9 60 7
Wessex Coarseware 33 341 10
Laverstock-type Ware 4 67 17
FEQ3 3 15 5
FQ2 2 59 30
FQarg2 4 18 5
FQF2 1 11 11
MQ4 1 7 7
Total 58 586 10Table 3: The Pottery from Pit 59
There are 2 pits of this date in Area A, features 59 and 101. Both are cut by the later pit 61. Pit 59
has a single fill (60). It contained 58 sherds (ASW: 10g) (table 3). Most of the sherds are of Wessex
Coarseware, however there are larger sherds of Laverstock-type Ware and FQ2. There are small
sherds FQarg2 and MQ4. These may be intrusive from the later disturbance, the general character of
the pit being 13th
-14th
century in date. Due to the later disturbance it is not possible to make any
conclusions about the depositional history of this feature. This is also true of pit 101 which had a
single fill (114) which contained only 3 sherds, 2 of which are Roman in date (table 4).
Context: 114
Ware SC SW ASW
Roman 2 18 9
Wessex Coarseware 1 18 18
Total 3 36 12
Table 4: The Pottery from Pit 101
In area B there are 2 groups of features, separated by modern drainage features. Pit 247 is believed
to be the earliest feature. It contained 26 large sherds of Flint and Sand Tempered Wares and 10
smaller sherds of Wessex Coarseware Table 5). These wares, and the absence of any glazed sandy
wares, suggests a date early in the phase. There are however 3 moderately sized sherds believed to
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be of later date (late medieval organic tempered ware and MQ4). It is possible that these are
intrusive.
Context: 248
Ware SC SW ASW
Flint and sand tempered ware 26 945 36Wessex Coarseware 10 71 7
MQ4 2 23 12
Late medieval organic tempered sandy ware 1 15 15
Total 39 1054 27
Table 5: The Pottery from Pit 247
There are three further pits, 261, 244 and 375. Pit 261 has 2 fills (262 and 265) and some sherds are
also labelled with the cut number (table 6). Context (262) contained 3 moderately sized sherds of
South Hampshire Redware. There are further 12 large sherds of this ware is (265). This layer also
contained 3 large sherds of Flint and Sand Tempered Ware and sherds of Wessex Coarseware, FQF1
and Laverstock-type Ware. A 13th-14th century date is appropriate for this pit. The large size of sherds
suggests that the pit contains a secondary, rather than tertiary rubbish deposit. There is an intrusive
sherd of Verwood-type. Four sherds of MQ4 may suggest that the fill dates to the later part of the
14th
century or may also be intrusive.
Context: 261 262 265 Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Roman 1 18 18 1 18
Flint and sand tempered ware 2 59 30 3 70 23 5 129
Wessex Coarseware 2 19 10 1 10 10 9 96 11 12 125
Laverstock-type Ware 1 14 14 1 14
South Hampshire Redware 3 49 16 12 274 23 15 323FQF1 4 85 21 4 85
MQ3 1 5 5 1 5
MQ4 4 48 12 4 48
Verwood 1 2 2 1 2
Total 5 83 17 5 77 15 34 589 17 44 749
Table 6: The Pottery from Pit 261
Pit 244 has 2 fills, (243) and (369). Layer (369) only contained 3 small, residual sherds of Roman
pottery (table 7). There are a further 2 sherds of Roman date in (243). Sherds are generally smaller
than in pit 261 (ASW: 10g). There are large sherds of South Hampshire Redware, whilst other 13th
-
14th century types including Dorset Whiteware, Laverstock-type ware and Wessex Coarseware are
present. Small sherds of FQ1 and Dorset Red Painted ware may be residual. There is also one sherd
of FQF1 and 2 sherds of MQfe3, both of which may be of phase 4 date. There are intrusive elements,
2 small sherds of Verwood-type. It is possible that sherds of MQ3 and MQ4 may also be intrusive.
The presence of residual material may suggest that at least some of the deposit consists of
redeposited material.
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Context: 243 369 Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Roman 2 19 10 3 23 8 5 42
Flint and sand tempered ware 4 35 9 4 35
Fine sandy ware 1 3 3 1 3
Wessex Coarseware 29 253 9 29 253Laverstock-type Ware 8 78 10 8 78
South Hampshire Redware 4 113 28 4 113
Dorset Red Painted Ware 1 9 9 1 9
Dorset whiteware 4 15 4 4 15
FQ4 2 24 12 2 24
FQF1 1 16 16 1 16
MQ3 1 11 11 1 11
MQ4 2 14 7 2 14
MQfe3 2 16 8 2 16
Verwood 2 18 9 2 18
Total 63 624 10 3 23 8 66 647
Table 7: The Pottery from Pit 244
Pit 375 has a single fill (332). This contained 11 sherds (table 8). Sherds of Flint and Sand Tempered
Ware, Wessex Coarseware, Laverstock-type Ware, FQF1 and FQfeq1 are likely to be contemporary
with the deposit, whilst a small sherd of Chalk Tempered Ware may be residual. The fact that there
is such little residual material may indicate relatively quick deposition. It is possible that the sherds
of FQF1 cross-fit between these pits.
Context: 332
Ware SC SW ASW
Flint and sand tempered ware 2 29 15
Chalk tempered ware 1 7 7
Wessex Coarseware 5 30 6
Laverstock-type Ware 1 23 23
FQF1 1 19 19
FQfeq1 1 22 22
Total 11 130 12
Table 8: The Pottery from Pit 375
These pits are predated by layer 361, which contained 62 small sherds (ASW: 6) (table 9). Most of
these (35 sherds) are of Wessex Coarseware. There are 8 residual Roman sherds, as well as a single
sherd of MQorgf1 (Anglo-Saxon organic tempered ware with flint). Larger sherds of Chalk Tempered
Ware and Fine Sandy Ware may be contemporary with this layer, whilst some of the smaller sherds
may be residual. Sherds of MQ4 may be intrusive.
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Context: 361
Ware SC SW ASW
Roman 8 35 4
MQorgf1 1 9 9
Flint and sand tempered ware 7 27 4
Chalk tempered ware 1 15 15Fine sandy ware 1 18 18
Wessex Coarseware 35 224 6
Laverstock-type Ware 4 25 6
FEQ3 1 6 6
FQfeq1 1 2 2
MQ4 3 17 6
Total 62 378 6
Table 9: The Pottery from Layer 361
South of the modern drainage trenches a complex of postholes and gulleys were observed. The
gulley 139 is the earliest feature. It contained 16 sherds which are generally small (ASW: 8g) (table
10). There are sherds of Flint Tempered and Flint and Sand Tempered wares, Wessex Coarseware
and Local Whiteware. Whilst some of these sherds may be residual/intrusive the pottery suggests a
13th
-14th
century date. The largest sherd is a sherd of Roman pottery, demonstrating that a residual
element is present. There are three postholes which contained pottery. Posthole 142 contained 2
large sherds of Wessex Coarseware, but also a large sherd of MQ4 and a small, residual Roman
sherd. Posthole 149 contained 3 small sherds of Wessex Coarseware, whilst posthole 151 contained
a small sherd of Flint and Sand Tempered Ware. Whilst the larger sherds in posthole 142 may have
been deliberately deposited as post packing, the smaller sherds are probably residual/redeposited.
Pit 190 has a single fill (194). This contained 6 moderately sized sherds of Wessex Coarseware and a
single moderately sized sherd of Southampton Coarseware. These support a 13th
-14th
century date.
Context: 194
Ware SC SW ASW
Wessex Coarseware 6 64 11
Southampton Sandy Ware 1 13 13
Total 7 77 11
Table 11: Pottery from pit 190
The largest pit in area C is 373. This had 2 fills which contained pottery, (304) and (368). The fills are
cessy and contain fragments of building debris. There are 7 small sherds in (304), although 2 sherds
of MQ3 are larger (table 12). Layer (368) contained one large sherd of Wessex Coarseware. The
fragmented nature of much of the material suggests most was redeposited, perhaps to seal cess
deposits. The larger sherds may represent secondary waste, perhaps deposited with the building
debris. This would suggest that the site levelling took place towards the end of phase 4. The cessy
spread (305) probably derives from this same event. This contained 2 very small sherds of Wessex
Coarseware.
Pit 373 and layer (305) are overlain by layer (226) which also contained building debris. The layer has
a mixed assemblage, containing small sherds of Wessex Coarseware, Local Whiteware, FQarg2, MQ3
and Verwood, with larger sherds of FQ2 and Fqarg1 (table 13). This is clearly a mixed layer, which
cannot be dated securely on the pottery alone.
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Feature: 139 141 149 151
TotalContext: 140 142 150 152
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Roman 1 18 18 1 7 7 2 25
Flint tempered ware 1 5 5 1 5
Flint and sand tempered ware 3 23 8 1 6 6 4 29
Wessex Coarseware 9 76 8 2 51 26 3 15 5 14 142
Local Whiteware 2 6 3 2 6
MQ4 1 23 23 1 23
Total 16 128 8 4 81 20 3 15 5 1 6 6 24 230
Table 10: The Pottery from Gulleys and Postholes South of Modern Drainage Trench
Context: 304 368 Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Roman 1 2 2 1 2
Wessex Coarseware 3 9 3 1 21 21 4 30
Local Whiteware 1 4 4 1 4
MQ3 2 26 13 2 26
Total 7 41 6 1 21 21 8 62
Table 12: Pottery from Pit 373
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The larger sherds may relate to the actual demolition debris, whilst the smaller sherds may be
residual/intrusive.
Context: 226
Ware SC SW ASW
Wessex Coarseware 9 56 6Local Whiteware 1 9 9
FQ2 1 25 25
FQarg1 1 19 19
FQarg2 1 5 5
MQ3 1 4 4
MQfe2 1 13 13
Verwood 2 6 3
Total 17 137 8
Table 13: The Pottery from Layer 226
Pit 400 and its fill (401) is sealed by the clay floor (399). There are 21 sherds (ASW 28g) (table 14).
Sherds of Flint and Sand Tempered Ware, Wessex Coarseware, Laverstock-type Ware and, perhaps,
South Hampshire Redware, are probably contemporary with the deposit, whilst a single sherd of
Roman pottery is residual. A sherd of flint tempered ware may be residual. This is a secure pit which
is relatively closely datable to the 13th
-14th
centuries. The large sherds suggest that this may be a
secondary waste deposit, although this may, in part, be due to the fact that it was not disturbed.
Context: 401
Ware SC SW ASW
Roman 1 4 4
Flint tempered ware 1 12 12
Flint and sand tempered ware 4 186 47Wessex Coarseware 12 316 26
Laverstock-type Ware 1 60 60
South Hampshire Redware 2 8 4
Total 21 586 28
Table 14: The Pottery from Pit 400
The recording of other features in this phase is confused and therefore it is not possible to say
anything about the pottery from these features. A range of depositional histories are present
amongst the phase 4 pits. Pit 261 appears to contain at least some secondary waste, whilst pit 244
consists principally of redeposited material. Pit 375 also appears to have been filled quickly,
principally with secondary waste. Larger sherds in pits 373 and 400 may also be demonstrative ofsome secondary deposition. The depositional pattern here is much different to that at 11 and 15 The
Hundred, where the majority of material in pits was redeposited. These are not sealed pit groups of
complete vessels however, and often seem to relate to demolition and the remodelling of the area.
PHASE 5:14TH-15TH CENTURIES
As with phase 4, 2 pit clusters have been assigned to this phase. A boundary ditch was also dug along
Newton Lane. Some postholes have been assigned to this phase, but there is no clear structural
evidence.
A total of 227 sherds were recovered from features of this phase, 39% of which are of WessexCoarseware and 16% (9% by weight) are Roman, demonstrating a high degree of residuality (table
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2). A further 8% of sherds (20% by weight) are of Verwood-type. This may demonstrate that
Verwood was introduced into Romsey during the 15th
century, but it is more likely that these sherds
represent an intrusive element. The only other major type in this phase are MQ4 (4% of sherds).
Other wares were only present in small quantities. These include three small sherds of Saintonge
Whiteware, residual from phase 4 and 2 large sherds of a late medieval sandy ware (contemporary
with the phase). Sherds of Post Medieval Redware, Creamware and Refined Earthenware are
intrusive. Other wares present in this phase, not present in phase 4, are:
FQarg3: Is a wheelthrown, grey/buff throughout sandy ware with abundant fine quartz with occasional iron
rich clay pellets. It is potentially of late medieval date, although only 1 sherd is present, of moderate size (16g).
FQargmic1: Has oxidised surfaces and a reduced core. It is wheelthrown and inclusions consist of moderately
abundant sub-rounded fine quartz with occasional larger grains, sparse iron rich clay pellets and flecks of mica.
This type of ware is a typical late medieval well fired sandy ware and the 1 moderately sized (15g) sherd is likely
to be contemporary with this phase.
FQfe3: Is a Late Well Fired Sandy Ware. It has brown surfaces with a grey core. There are sparse fine quartz
inclusions, with occasional black iron ore .Two large sherds were recovered from phase 5 deposits and are likely
to be contemporary.
MQmic1: One sherd is present, of moderate size (13g). This is a typical late medieval sandy ware and is likely to
be contemporary with the phase.
PM-MQmic: One large sherd is present and is likely to be contemporary with this phase.
Feature 13 is a ditch, with a single fill (12). The ditch runs east-west, parallel to Newton Lane. There
are only 3 small sherds present, 2 of Wessex Coarseware and one of FQarg2, a later medieval type
which may be contemporary with the deposit.
Pit 97 is west of the Shitlake which had 3 fills, all of which contained building rubble (table 15). Fill
(118) may be clay capping, the secondary fill (98) was a dark, gravelly silt which contained domestic
refuse and the primary fill (99) is a charcoal layer. The excavator suggests that it is unlikely that this
pit was a cess pit and that instead it may have been a hearth or bonfire. The pit contained 21 sherds,
however 15 of these have been assigned to the cut number and should be considered as unstratified
within the pit. Layer (99) only has 1 small sherd of Fine Sandy Ware assigned to it, and this may be
residual. The same may be true of 2 small sherds of Wessex Coarseware and 1 small sherd of
Laverstock-type ware from fill (98) and small sherds of Roman and Flint and Sand Tempered Ware
from (99). The 15 sherds assigned to context (97) are generally larger and later in date. There arelarge sherds of Late Medieval Sandy Ware, Late Medieval Organic Tempered Sandy Ware, MQ4 and
FQargmic1, all of which may be contemporary with the filling of the pit. Smaller sherds of South
Hampshire Redware, Flint and Sand Tempered Ware, Roman pottery and Wessex Coarseware may
be residual. If we assumed that these sherds relate to context (98) then we can propose the
following filling sequence for this pit. The charcoal layer represents a burning event and the pit was
then sealed with a mixture of contemporary domestic waste (the building material and later
medieval sherds) and redeposited soil (which contained the residual earlier sherds). The pit was then
capped with a clay layer, which contained small residual pottery sherds. Therefore as with some
phase 4 pits, this feature would appear to have been filled, in part, with a secondary, rather than
tertiary waste deposit.
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Context: 97 99 98 118 Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Roman 1 14 14 1 6 6 2 20
Flint and sand tempered ware 2 14 7 1 11 11 3 25
Fine sandy ware 1 2 2 1 2
Wessex Coarseware 5 71 14 2 4 2 7 75
Laverstock-type Ware 1 2 2 1 2
South Hampshire Redware 1 7 7 1 7
FQargmic1 1 15 15 1 15
MQ4 2 68 34 2 68
Late medieval organic tempered sandy ware 2 59 30 2 59Late medieval sandy ware 1 27 27 1 27
Total 15 275 18 1 2 2 3 6 2 2 17 9 21 300
Table 15: The Pottery from Pit 97
Feature: 147 155 161 179
TotalContext: 148 156 161 179 180
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Roman 2 5 3 2 5
Fine sandy ware 1 5 5 1 5
Wessex Coarseware 3 12 4 1 2 2 2 19 10 2 7 4 1 21 21 9 61
South Hampshire Redware 1 6 6 1 6
Southampton Sandy Ware 1 7 7 1 7
Local Pink Sandy Ware 2 10 5 2 10
MQ4 1 4 4 2 7 4 2 5 3 5 16
Total 5 21 4 3 9 3 3 26 9 7 28 4 3 26 9 21 110
Table 16: Pottery from Features East of the Shitlake
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Gulley 84 is the only other feature of this phase located to the west of the Shitlake. It contained 3
very small sherds of Wessex Coarseware and Flint and Sand Tempered Ware, all are probably
residual.
Pit 209 is located to the east of the Shitlake. Like pit 97, it also had a clay capping (175). The lower fill
is (218), a gravelly silt. The excavator suggests that this was a cess pit. Layer (218) contained 1 large
sherd of Laverstock-type Ware and layer (175) contained a large sherd of FQF2, it is unclear how
these came to present in the pit fill.
There are a number of postholes and smaller features to the east of the Shitlake which are difficult
to interpret (table 16). The first of these is pit 127 which was badly truncated by a later pipe trench
and its recording was also confused. It contained 1 small sherd of MQfe2. Posthole 147 contained 5
small sherds of Wessex Coarseware, Fine Sandy Ware and MQ4. Given their size, their presence in
the feature is likely to be the result of the redeposition of soil in the filling of the posthole. The sameexplanation can be extended to the 3 small sherds (Wessex Coarseware and MQ4) in feature 155
and the 3 small sherds in posthole 161. Posthole 179 contained 10 sherds, including a large sherd of
Wessex Coarseware and smaller sherds of South Hampshire Redware, Local Pink Sandy Ware and
MQ4. All are potentially redeposited, however the large sherd of Wessex Coarseware may have
been deliberately selected to be used as post packing.
A further group of postholes were located in the southwest part of Area C (table 17). They have only
been tentatively assigned to this phase on the basis of their stratigraphic position. Posthole 224
contained 2 small sherds of South Hampshire Redware, both potentially redeposited. Posthole 227
contained 31 sherds, with a high ASW (22g). Small sherds of South Hampshire Redware and MQ3may be redeposited, whilst larger sherds of Wessex Coarseware and Fine Sandy Ware may have
been selected as post packing. It is possible however that these sherds too were redeposited. If
these sherds were selected then the posthole may, potentially, belong to phase 4, rather than phase
5. The remaining postholes, 251 and 408, only contained small sherds of Wessex Coarseware, which
are likely to be redeposited. Pit 410 is also part of this complex, this also contained only 3 small
sherds of Wessex Coarseware, which are likely to be redeposited.
The linear feature 294 may relate to phase 5 structures on Middlebrook Street, however the fill
consists only of 2 small sherds of Wessex Coarseware which are likely to be residual. Therefore, it is
not possible to provide an accurate date for this feature. The feature also contained a worn piece ofgilded alabaster, the excavator suggests that this may have been retained to be burnt to produce
plaster.
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Feature: 224 227 251 408 410
TotalContext: 225 227 252 408 411
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Fine sandy ware 3 61 20 3 61
Wessex Coarseware 26 631 24 3 5 2 1 10 10 3 22 7 33 668
South Hampshire Redware 2 5 3 1 2 2 3 7
MQ3 1 2 2 1 2
Total 2 5 3 31 696 22 3 5 2 1 10 10 3 22 7 40 738
Table 17: Pottery from Features in Area C
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Pit 353 is to the west of a group of postholes (which did not contain pottery) and the linear 294. Fill
(353) has a mixed pottery assemblage (table 18). Three large sherds (ASW: 24g) of FQarg2 are likely
to be contemporary with the filling of the pit, whilst 2 small sherds of Saintonge Whiteware are
residual (dating to the 13th century). There are 3 moderately sized sherds of Fine Sandy Ware and 4
larger sherds of Wessex Coarseware. These may be redeposited within the fill, which also contained
building rubble.
Context: 354 Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW
Fine sandy ware 3 44 15 3 44
Wessex Coarseware 4 82 21 4 82
Saintonge Whiteware 2 5 3 2 5
FQarg2 3 72 24 3 72
Total 12 203 17 12 203
Table 18: Pottery from Pit 353
Pit 363 is part of the same group as pit 353, but its ceramic assemblage has a different character
(table 19). The ASW is 7g, rather than 17g and consists of 3 small sherds of Wessex Coarseware,
moderately sized sherds of Southampton-type Sandy Ware and Saintonge Whiteware (both of phase
4 date) and small sherds of MQ3 and MQ4. This pit also contained a large quantity of brick and tile.
Both pits appear to have been filled with a mixture of demolition rubble and redeposited pottery,
with small quantities being contemporary with the filling events.
Context: 362 Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SWWessex Coarseware 3 14 5 3 14
Southampton Sandy Ware 1 12 12 1 12
Saintonge Whiteware 1 12 12 1 12
MQ3 1 7 7 1 7
MQ4 2 10 5 2 10
Total 8 55 7 8 55
Table 19: Pottery from Pit 363
A great deal of residual pottery is present in features of phase 5 date. In some features, such as pit
97, it is clear from the differential degrees of fragmentation that late medieval types were deposited
as secondary waste, mixed with redeposited earlier material. Although this pit was filled with
secondary waste, others such as pit 259, pit 353 and pit 363 were filled principally with redeposited
pottery. Pottery from structural features is also largely residual/redeposited. By considering the
filling of these features in some depth it is possible to confirm that certain types (FQarg2, MQ4,
MQ3) are likely to be of later medieval date.
PHASE 6(16TH-17TH CENTURIES)
Phase 6 features contained the highest quantity of pottery (645 sherds) (table 2). Many of the sherds
are residual however, with sherds of Wessex Coarseware, Roman pottery, Flint and Sand Tempered
Ware and Laverstock-type Ware all accounting for relatively high proportions of the phase 6
assemblage. A single sherd of Normandy Gritty Ware is residual in this phase. Verwood-type waresare common (13% sherds; 26% by weight), whilst small quantities of Rhenish stoneware are also
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present in phase 6 deposits. Larger sherds of Iberian Micaceous Redware, Post Medieval Sandy
Wares and small sherds of Border Ware and Bristol-Staffordshire Slipware are contemporary with
these deposits. Sherds of Staffordshire White Salt Glazed Stoneware, Refined Earthenware and
English Stoneware are all intrusive. Sherds of the following undated types are present in phase 6
deposits, but not in earlier deposits:
FQ12 is a very fine, powdery white ware with few visible quartz inclusions. One sherd, of moderate size, was
recovered from a phase 6 deposit. Its date must remain undefined.
MQfe6 has oxidised surfaces, grey core. Inclusions consist of common medium sized, sub-rounded quartz grains
and larger, with sub-rounded pieces of black iron ore. Only one small sherd is present in a phase 6 deposit and
may be residual.
The features suggest considerable change to the area in the 16th
century, with a group of industrial
features being present and beaten clay floors being present along Middlebridge Street. There are
also a number of pits dated to this phase.
In Area A (the northern end of the site), there are 7 pits. Pit 9 has a single fill (8). Ten large sherds of
Verwood-type are present, along with a single large sherd of Post Medieval Sandy Ware (table 20).
Smaller sherds of Border Ware and Raeren-type Stoneware may also be contemporary with the
deposit, but potentially redeposited, whilst a sherd of Fine Sandy Ware is potentially residual. The
presence of large and closely dated sherds suggests that (8) is a secondary waste deposit, dating the
closing of the fill to the early 17th
century.
Context: 8
Ware SC SW ASW
Fine sandy ware 1 12 12Border Ware 1 1 1
Post Medieval Sandy Ware 1 51 51
Verwood 10 250 25
Raeren-type Stoneware 1 8 8
Total 14 322 23
Table 20: Pottery from Pit 9
In contrast, pit 15 appears to have been filled with redeposited material (table 21). The fill (14)
contained 243 sherds, which are generally small (ASW: 9g). Even sherds of 16th
-17th
century types
are relatively small, the largest being a sherd of Post Medieval Sandy Ware (19g). There are a range
of earlier types, the most common being Wessex Coarseware, including a single sherd of NormandyGritty Ware and sherds of 13
th-14
thcentury glazed sandy wares. The pit was clearly filled with a
dump of redeposited soil, perhaps garden soil, which had accumulated over several centuries.
Pit 19 only contained 12 sherds (table 22). These are generally small sherds of earlier types,
suggesting the presence of redeposited material. There is a larger sherd of Late Medieval Sandy
Ware, which may illustrate a mixture of secondary and tertiary waste was present in the fill. 2 Small
sherds of Verwood-type may also be redeposited.
Pit 25 does seem to contain a mixture of redeposited/residual earlier material, including small
sherds of Roman pottery, Wessex Coarseware and MQ3, with contemporary secondary waste,
evidenced through large sherds of Late Medieval Sandy Ware and Verwood-type Ware (table 23).
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Context: 14
Ware SC SW ASW
Roman 8 55 7
Flint and sand tempered ware 16 137 9
Winchester-type Ware 13 153 12
Wessex Coarseware 134 1190 9Laverstock-type Ware 8 61 8
Local Whiteware 2 22 11
South Hampshire Redware 5 38 8
Southampton Sandy Ware 8 77 10
Normandy Gritty Ware 1 6 6
FEQ3 1 3 3
FQ2 7 37 5
FQarg1 3 9 3
FQarg2 3 14 5
FQF2 2 23 12
MQ3 9 81 9
MQ4 16 204 13Late medieval sandy ware 1 11 11
Post Medieval Sandy Ware 1 19 19
Verwood 5 52 10
Total 243 2192 9
Table 21: The Pottery from Pit 15
Context: 18
Ware SC SW ASW
Roman 2 12 6
Flint and sand tempered ware 2 12 6
Wessex Coarseware 4 23 6
Southampton Sandy Ware 1 4 4
Late medieval sandy ware 1 22 22
Verwood 2 9 5
Total 12 82 7
Table 22: The Pottery from Pit 19
Context: 24
Ware SC SW ASW
Roman 4 44 11
Wessex Coarseware 4 72 18
Laverstock-type Ware 7 379 54
MQ3 1 10 10Late medieval sandy ware 2 77 39
Verwood 2 59 30
Total 20 641 32
Table 23: The Pottery from Pit 25
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There are also 7 large sherds of Laverstock-type ware. These almost certainly have to be redeposited
given the date of the feature, but demonstrate that even large sherds can be residual or redeposited
within a feature. A further possibility is that these sherds are a transitional late medieval type,
bridging the Laverstock and Verwood-type wares. Such a ware has been observed in eastern
Wiltshire (Lorraine Mepham, pers. comm).
Pit 30 contained only 6 small sherds, but 2 of these, sherds of Tudor Green and Late Medieval Sandy
Ware, can be dated to the 16th
century (table 24). The fill of this pit would appear to be redeposited
however and was certainly not a big rubbish deposit, on the basis of the pottery at least.
Context: 30
Ware SC SW ASW
Roman 3 18 6
Late medieval sandy ware 1 2 2
Tudor Green 1 1 1
Unid 1 6 6
Total 6 27 5
Table 24: The Pottery from Pit 30
Pit 35 contained 13 small sherds, all are small and pre-date this phase (table 25). They consist of
Roman pottery, Wessex Coarseware, Laverstock-type Ware, South Hampshire Redware and Local
Whiteware. The fill of this pit, if it does date to this phase, clearly consists of redeposited material.
Context: 34 40 Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Wessex Coarseware 5 66 13 4 9 2 9 75
Laverstock-type Ware 1 3 3 1 7 7 2 10
Local Whiteware 1 7 7 1 7South Hampshire Redware 1 9 9 1 9
Total 7 76 11 6 25 4 13 101
Table 25: The Pottery from Pit 35
All of these pits principally contain redeposited waste, with the exception of pit 9. Some contain a
mixture of tertiary and secondary waste deposits. Clearly these were not dug as rubbish pits as they
were closed with redeposited soil.
Pit 61 is a large pit, which lies closer to the Shitlake than the pits discussed above. It contained only
14 sherds and the excavator suggests the small quantity of waste present and its proximity to the
Shitlake may indicate that it was a cess pit (table 26). There is clearly a redeposited element to the
pit fill, with small sherds of Roman pottery, Flint and Sand Tempered Ware and Wessex Coarseware
being present. Moderately sized sherds of FQ2 and MQ4 may also be redeposited, whilst 7 larger
sherds of Verwood-type may be contemporary with the pit. The presence of small quantities of
redeposited waste is consistent with the interpretation of this as a cess pit, with redeposited soil
being dumped in the feature as a sealing layer.
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Context: 87
Ware SC SW ASW
Roman 2 22 11
Flint and sand tempered ware 1 5 5
Wessex Coarseware 1 5 5
FQ2 2 34 17MQ4 1 12 12
Verwood 7 132 19
Total 14 210 15
Table 26: The Pottery from Pit 61
In the centre of the site there are a number of industrial features, consisting of lime tubs, wells and
hearths. The lime tubs were used for slaking lime and consist of a wooden barrel, set into a small pit
and packed in with clay or gravel. The upper part of the pits were cut back and lined with roof tiles.
Four of these are present in this area, suggestive of major building works taking place in the 16th
-17th
centuries.
Tub 75 cuts pit 97, which is of phase 5 date. Only 5 very small sherds were recovered from the upper
fill (80). With the exception of 2 small Roman sherds, these can all be dated to phase 6, consisting of
sherds of Border Ware, Raeren-type Stoneware and Verwood-type ware (table 27).
Context: 80
Ware SC SW ASW
Roman 2 4 2
Border Ware 1 3 3
Verwood 1 21 21
Raeren-type Stoneware 1 4 4
Total 5 32 6Table 27: The Pottery from Limetub 75
Tub 176 contained a higher quantity of pottery (25 sherds) (table 28). From context (192), the gravel
packing, 2 small sherds of Roman pottery and a small sherd of Fine Sandy Ware were recovered, all
likely to be residual. Context (193) is a patchy packing fill of 176. This contained larger sherds of
contemporary pottery, sherds of FQfe3 and PM-MQmic, which are typical later medieval to early
post medieval transitional types, with large sherds of Post Medieval Redware and Verwood-type
Ware. There is also a moderately large sherd of MQ3 present, which could be contemporary with
these late medieval types. These larger sherds may represent packing material, contemporary with
the placement of the barrel. The pottery from both phases is suggestive of the packing beingdeposited in this phase, implying they were in use during the 16
thor 17
thcenturies, with tub 176
perhaps being slightly later than tub 75 on the basis of the larger quantity of Verwood present in the
packing deposit.
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Context: 192 193 Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Roman 2 6 3 2 22 11 4 28
Flint and sand tempered ware 2 14 7 2 14Fine sandy ware 1 6 6 1 6
Wessex Coarseware 1 20 20 1 20
FQ2 3 22 7 3 22
FQfe3 2 133 67 2 133
MQ3 1 18 18 1 18
PM-MQmic 1 56 56 1 56
Post Medieval Redware 1 21 21 1 21
Verwood 9 566 63 9 566
Total 3 12 4 22 872 40 25 884
Table 28: The Pottery from Limetub 176
East of the Shitlake are a further group of features, well 173, tiled hearth 165 and a clay storage pit202. There is a second hearth 433 and two pits, 259 and 345, which contained copper working
debris. Well 173 and hearth 165 are very close together but it is unclear whether they were used
contemporaneously or whether 165 cuts 173. It is unclear when the well 173 was dug. The lower fills
(contexts (219), (214) and (191)) contain very little pottery and sherds are generally small (table 29).
Context (219) contained small sherds of South Hampshire Redware and Tudor Green. Context (214)
contained 6 moderately sized sherds of phase 6 wares; Tudor Green, Verwood and a very small
sherd of Tin Glazed Ware. Context (191) contained a single sherd of Wessex Coarseware, with 2
small sherds of Tudor Green and a moderately sized sherd of Post Medieval Sandy Ware. Context
174 contained 25 sherds of mixed material. These sherds include 2 large sherds of Roman pottery,
moderately sized sherds of Flint and Sand Tempered Ware, Wessex Coarseware and Laverstock-type
Ware, with a sherd of possible Surrey Whiteware. Sherds of later types are generally larger, and a
range of late-early post medieval sandy wares are present in this deposit, along with sherds of Tudor
Green, Brown Glazed Ware (possibly of Alderholt type), Post Medieval Redware and Verwodd-type
Ware. All of this suggests that the well was filled with a dump of redeposited material, mixed with
some contemporary secondary waste during phase 6, with the Tin Glazed Ware, Verwood and Post
Medieval Redware suggesting that this occurred in the 17th
century. No pottery was recovered from
the hearth.
Pit 216 was used for the storage and weathering of clay. The lower fills contained no waste and
appear to have been deliberately kept clear of domestic debris. The upper fills contain small
quantities of pottery, most of which is likely to be redeposited (table 30). Context (134) contained
small sherds of Wessex Coarseware and South Hampshire Redware, both probably redeposited.
There is also a large sherd of MQ3. This has a late medieval date and is probably also redeposited.
Fill (203) contained sherds of Wessex Coarseware and FQarg2 which are likely to be redeposited,
whilst small sherds of Tudor Green and larger sherds of Verwood may be a dump of secondary waste
used to seal the pit when it went out of use in phase 6.
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Context: 219 214 191 174 Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Roman 2 44 22 2 44
Flint and sand tempered ware 2 27 14 2 27
Wessex Coarseware 1 10 10 3 30 10 4 40
Laverstock-type Ware 2 22 11 2 22
South Hampshire Redware 1 8 8 1 8
Surrey(?) Whiteware 1 9 9 1 9
FQ12 1 16 16 1 16
MQ3 1 23 23 1 23
Late medieval sandy ware 3 72 24 3 72Tudor Green 1 8 8 1 5 5 2 4 2 3 5 2 7 22
Post Medieval Brown Glazed 1 2 2 1 2
Post Medieval Redware 1 10 10 1 10
Post Medieval Sandy Ware 1 12 12 1 12
Verwood 4 66 17 5 83 17 9 149
Tin Glazed Ware 1 1 1 1 1
Total 2 16 8 6 72 12 4 26 7 25 343 14 37 457
Table 29: Pottery from Well 173
Context: 134 203 Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Wessex Coarseware 2 9 5 2 25 13 4 34
South Hampshire Redware 2 15 8 2 15
FQarg2 2 24 12 2 24
MQ3 1 32 32 1 32
Tudor Green 2 2 1 2 2Verwood 6 112 19 6 112
Total 5 56 11 12 163 14 17 219
Table 30: Pottery from Pit 216
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Demolition layers 210 and 211 are of uncertain date, but have tentatively been assigned to this
phase. Some layers (135), (166) and (182) definitely pre-date the industrial features and these
demolition layers. Of these, only (182) contained pottery, consisting of a fragmented mix of phase 4
wares (Wessex Coarseware, Laverstock-type Ware, South Hampshire Redware and FEQ1) (table 31).
Context: 182
Ware SC SW ASW
Wessex Coarseware 7 96 14
Laverstock-type Ware 1 10 10
South Hampshire Redware 2 16 8
FEQ1 1 14 14
Total 11 136 12
Table 31: Pottery from Layer 182
The demolition layer 210 contains a very fragmented and mixed range of material. (table 32) Small
sherds of phase 4 wares are clearly residual, whilst 1 sherd of Tudor Green and 5 small sherds of
Verwood may be contemporary with the deposit. Two small sherds of Refined Earthenware may be
intrusive, or demonstrate that the deposit actually dates to the 19th
century. Clearly it is impossible
to date this layer accurately on ceramic grounds alone.
Context: 210
Ware SC SW ASW
Flint tempered ware 1 6 6
Flint and sand tempered ware 3 30 10
Winchester-type Ware 1 8 8
Fine sandy ware 1 43 43
Wessex Coarseware 14 124 9
Laverstock-type Ware 1 3 3
South Hampshire Redware 3 17 6
Southampton Sandy Ware 3 6 2Tudor Green 1 1 1
Verwood 5 27 5
Refined Earthenware 2 10 5
Total 35 275 8
Table 32: Pottery from Layer 210
Layer 211 is similarly mixed, whilst a single, small sherd of Creamware may be indicative of an 18th
century date, it could equally be intrusive. Most of the pottery in this layer consists of residual and
fragmented medieval types, although there are 2 small sherds of Verwood and a moderately sized
sherd of MQmic1.
Context: 211
Ware SC SW ASW
Fine sandy ware 1 6 6
Wessex Coarseware 9 131 15
Southampton Sandy Ware 1 3 3
FQ2 3 108 36
MQ4 1 3 3
MQmic1 1 13 13
Verwood 2 18 9
Creamware 1 1 1
Total 19 283 15Table 33: Pottery from Layer 211
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A further group of postholes are present, but these were badly truncated by later activity and
principally contain residual pottery. They will not be discussed here.
Several pits appear to have been dug behind buildings on the Middlebridge Street Frontage. Pit 183
contained 16 sherds, including 3 large sherds of Wessex Coarseware and a large sherd of Roman
pottery, all of which are probably redeposited (table 34). Larger sherds of Verwood and sherds of
MQfe6 and Tin Glazed ware are probably contemporary with the pit, however the small quantity ofmaterial makes it difficult to interpret how this pit was filled.
Context: 183 184 Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Roman 1 38 38 1 38
Flint and sand tempered ware 2 11 6 2 11
Wessex Coarseware 3 120 40 3 120
MQfe6 1 4 4 1 4
Verwood 1 19 19 7 103 15 8 122
Tin Glazed Ware 1 8 8 1 8
Total 2 57 29 14 246 18 16 303
Table 34: Pottery from Pit 183
Pit 364 clearly contains a secondary waste deposit, with three very large sherds of Verwood and a
large sherd of Raeren-type stoneware being present (table 35). Smaller sherds of Late Medieval
Organic Tempered Ware, Fine Sandy Ware and Roman pottery are probably residual, possibly
illustrating the presence of some redeposited material in the fill.
Context: 365
Ware SC SW ASW
Roman 1 50 50
Fine sandy ware 2 4 2Late medieval organic tempered sandyware 1 5 5
Verwood 3 442 147
Raeren-type Stoneware 1 25 25
Total 8 526 66
Table 35: Pottery from Pit 364
Pit 345 has 4 fills. The earliest, (378) and (374) contained only small, residual sherds of Wessex
Coarseware and Roman pottery respectively (table 36). Layer (374) is a cess layer, whilst (378) is one
of three gravelly clay layers which seal the pit. Thirty sherds were recovered from (347) including
small sherds of contemporary Bristol-Staffordshire Slipware and Tin Glazed Ware with 5 larger
sherds of Verwood. This layer also contained 3 large sherds of Iberian Micaceous Redware, datable
to the 16th
century. Small sherds of Tudor Green, MQ4 and MQ3 may be residual or redeposited, 8
sherds of Wessex Coarseware and 3 sherds of Roman pottery have to be residual. The sherds of
Iberian Micaceous Redware, all from 1 vessel, suggest that at least some of this material represents
a secondary waste deposit, whilst the residual sherds demonstrate some redeposition. The upper fill
(346) contained 2 large sherds of Verwood-type, with 4 large sherds of Wessex Coarseware and 4
moderately sized sherds of Wessex Coarseware. The mixed nature of this layer may suggest that it is
a slumped garden layer.
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Context: 374 346 347 378 Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Roman 2 5 3 3 28 9 5 33
Wessex Coarseware 4 54 14 8 287 36 1 4 4 13 345
Laverstock-type Ware 4 153 38 4 153
MQ3 1 5 5 1 5
MQ4 3 20 7 3 20
Tudor Green 5 7 1 5 7Iberian Micaceous Redware 3 98 33 3 98
Verwood 2 91 46 5 67 13 7 158
Bristol-Staffordshire Slipware 1 3 3 1 3
Tin Glazed Ware 1 1 1 1 1
Total 2 5 3 10 298 30 30 516 17 1 4 4 43 823
Table 36: Pottery from Pit 345
This pit is cut by pit 259. Both fills of this pit contained only sherds of residual, earlier types, although
the sherds are generally large (table 37). Without the stratigraphic information, it would probably be
spot-dated to phase 4. The excavator suggests that the fill of these pits may have been moved from
elsewhere.
Context: 260 301 Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Flint and sand tempered ware 3 48 16 3 48
Chalk tempered ware 1 17 17 1 17
Wessex Coarseware 10 220 22 10 220
FQ2 1 4 4 1 4
Total 14 285 20 1 4 4 15 289
Table 37: Pottery from Pit 259
Layer (272) is the beaten clay floor of one of the Middlebridge Street buildings. It contained a sherd
of Flint Tempered Ware, 10 sherds of South Hampshire Redware and a sherd of Post-Medieval
Brown Glazed Ware. The medieval wares are clearly residual, the Brown-Glazed Ware may be a
contemporary (primary) rubbish deposit. Layer (403) is an ashy deposit layer which underlay one of
the clay floors. It contained a sherd of Wessex Coarseware and sherd of burnt pottery, both possibly
residual.
As with phase 5, much of the material in phase 6 deposits is redeposited. Some of the pits do
contain a mixture of secondary and tertiary waste however, whilst the lime barrels appear to have
been packed with a mix of redeposited gravel and contemporary sherds. The well was filled with
redeposited soil whilst the clay pit 216 was sealed with redeposited material and secondary waste.
Pits along the Middlebridge Street alignment also appear to have a mixed depostional history, with
pit 345 seemingly having been a cess pit, filled with a mixture of secondary and tertiary waste. The
levels of fragmentation do indicate a distinction between contemporary and earlier types, with a
range of post-medieval sandy wares as well as Verwood appearing to be in currency during this
phase, with small quantities of Tudor Green and Tin Glazed ware also being present. On this basis it
can be argued that Verwood was introduced into Romsey from at least the early 17th
century, if not
earlier.
PHASE 7(LATER 17TH CENTURY)
This phase is characterised by site clearance and levelling activity. There are several clearing layers,((54), (120) and (514)) Layer 54 is a spread of silt loam which contained building debris as well as
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domestic waste. Large sherds of Verwood, Post Medieval Redware and Post Medieval Sandy Ware
are probably contemporary with the demolition activity, dating to the 17th
century (table 38). A small
sherd of Border Ware may also be contemporary. There are 25 sherds of earlier medieval types, all
of which are residual.
Context: 54
Ware SC SW ASW
Roman 3 21 7
Fine sandy ware 1 24 24
Wessex Coarseware 12 160 13
South Hampshire Redware 1 3 3
FQarg2 2 12 6
MQ4 6 102 17
Border Ware 1 7 7
Post Medieval Redware 2 42 21
Post Medieval Sandy Ware 1 32 32
Verwood 13 175 13
Total 42 578 14
Table 38: Pottery from Layer 54
All of the pottery from (120) is residual, consisting of 15 sherds of phase 4-5 wares, including
particularly large sherds of South Hampshire Redware and Southampton-type Sandy Ware (table
39). The source of these sherds is unclear.
Context: 120
Ware SC SW ASW
Flint and sand tempered ware 4 66 17
Wessex Coarseware 6 71 12
South Hampshire Redware 1 59 59
Southampton Sandy Ware 1 38 38FQF2 1 7 7
MQ4 2 29 15
Total 15 270 18
Table 39: Pottery from Pit 120
Two intercutting pits, related to pits 15 and 35 (phase 6) were also dated to this phase, the fills of
both were silty loams. Pit 17 contained 15 sherds of moderate size (table 40). Four sherds of
Verwood and 3 of Post Medieval Redware are likely to be contemporary. The bulk of the material
consists of residual phase 5 (FQarg2) and phase 4 (FQfeq1, South Hampshire Redware, Wessex
Coarseware) wares, whilst 2 sherds of Roman pottery are also present. The entire fill is likely to be
redeposited.
Context: 16
Ware SC SW ASW
Roman 2 46 23
Wessex Coarseware 2 36 18
South Hampshire Redware 1 5 5
FQarg2 1 11 11
FQfeq1 2 21 11
Post Medieval Redware 3 51 17
Verwood 4 49 12
Total 15 219 15Table 40: Pottery from Pit 17
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The fill of pit 49 contains a higher proportion of contemporary material; 24 moderately sized sherds
of Verwood type and small sherds of Tudor Green and Brown Glazed wares (table 41). Large sherds
of Laverstock-type ware and Fine Sandy Ware, as well as a sherd of Wessex Coarseware are residual
whilst a sherd of English Stoneware is likely to be intrusive. Like pit 17 this material was probably
redeposited, based on its mixed and fragmented nature.
Context: 50 51Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Fine sandy ware 1 62 62 1 62
Wessex Coarseware 6 36 6 2 36 18 8 72
Laverstock-type Ware 1 20 20 1 20
Tudor Green 1 2 2 1 2
Post Medieval Brown Glazed 2 6 3 2 6
Verwood 24 386 16 1 120 120 25 506
English Stoneware 1 19 19 1 19
Total 36 531 15 3 156 52 39 687
Table 41: Pottery from Pit 49
Pit 171 was a large pit, just west of the Shitlake channel. It contained a large quantity of animal
bone, particularly horn cores. It also contained 94, generally large, sherds of pottery (table 42).
Contemporary types include 7 small sherds of Brown Glazed Ware and a small sherd of Tudor Green
(possibly residual), 2 large sherds of Post Medieval Redware and 71 large sherds of Verwood. There
are also 5 moderately sized sherds of English Stoneware. These large sherds and the presence of the
horn cores suggests a secondary waste deposit is present within the pit. There is also a redepsoited
element however, with small-moderately sized sherds of several medieval and Roman types being
present in the fill.
Context: 172
Ware SC SW ASWRoman 3 61 20
Wessex Coarseware 2 31 16
FQ2 1 21 21
FQF2 1 7 7
MQ3 1 4 4
Tudor Green 1 1 1
Post Medieval Brown Glazed 7 15 2
Post Medieval Redware 2 78 39
Verwood 71 2208 31
English Stoneware 5 81 16
Total 94 2507 27
Table 42: Pottery from Pit 171
Three further features, 237, an elongated pit, and postholes 235 and 251, form a small complex of
intercutting features at the southern edge of area C. Feature 237 contained a small sherd of English
Stoneware and a residual sherd of MQ4 and posthole 251 contained 3 small sherds of Wessex
Coarseware, all residual in the filling of the feature (table 43).
As with the other pits in the same area, pits 17 and 49 contain a mixture of fragmented redeposited
material, possibly with some secondary waste. A higher quantity of secondary was is present in pit
171, but there is still a redeposited element. All of the 17th
century types present in these deposits
are known from elsewhere (for example Southampton).
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Feature: 237 251 Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Wessex Coarseware 3 5 2 3 5
MQ4 1 4 4 1 4
English Stoneware 1 9 9 1 9
Total 2 13 7 3 5 2 5 18
Table 43: Pottery from Features at Southern Edge of Area C
PHASE 8(18TH-19TH CENTURIES)
Only 40 sherds were recovered from phase 8 deposits, although the excavator believes that the
clearance layers (210) and (211) may actually date from this phase (table 2). Around half of the
sherds are of Verwood-type, with sherds of Post Medieval Redware Porcelain, Staffordshire white
salt glazed stoneware, Bristol-Staffordshire Slipware and Westerwald Stoneware also being present.
There are very few smaller sherds of earlier types. All of the deposits of this date relate to the
Shitlake (considered below).
PHASE 9(19TH-20TH CENTURIES AND UNSTRATIFIED)
A total of 165 sherds were recovered from phase 9 deposits. They will not be discussed in detail hereas most of the pottery came from the topsoil, but a similar range of wares are present to the phase 8
deposits (table 44).
Ware SC SW ASW
Roman 11 161 15
Flint and sand tempered ware 7 42 6
Fine sandy ware 7 107 15
Wessex Coarseware 62 1171 19
Laverstock-type Ware 4 29 7
South Hampshire Redware 2 18 9
Southampton Sandy Ware 2 69 35FQ2 4 21 5
FQarg1 2 16 8
FQarg2 1 7 7
FQfe3 1 45 45
MQ4 7 134 19
MQargf1 1 8 8
Late medieval sandy ware 2 13 7
Border Ware 1 6 6
Tudor Green 3 17 6
Post Medieval Brown Glazed 1 53 53
Post Medieval Sandy Ware 8 169 21
Verwood 33 1122 34Westerwald Stoneware 1 11 11
Tin Glazed Ware 1 26 26
English Stoneware 3 22 7
Unid 1 45 45
Total 165 3312 20
Table 44: Pottery from Phase 9 Deposits
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THE POTTERY FROM THE SHITLAKE
The Shitlake was the main feature in the central part of the site for much of its history. The Shitlake
is a stream channel, meaning that pottery present in its fills will have been subjected to a great deal
of post-depositional movement due to natural erosion and recutting. It has also been disturbed by 2
modern drain trenches. There are also inadequacies in the recording of the feature (see site archive
report).
The earliest stream channel, 113 may be Roman in date, containing 10 sherds of Roman pottery
(table 45). Channel 81 also contained only Roman pottery. The medieval and post-medieval Shitlake
is defined by cut 65, which cut through the silted up Roman channel. The earliest fills of channel 65
are (115) and (66). There were problems with the recording of these contexts, however they will be
taken here at face value as the report does not suggest a better interpretation. The pottery from
(115) is quite closely datable to the 13th
-14th
century, consisting of sherds of Local Whiteware and
Wessex Coarseware. Sherds of Flint and Sand Tempered Ware and Fine Sandy Ware may be earlier
and Roman sherds are definitely residual. Two sherds of FQarg2 may relate to the end of this phase.
All of the sherds are small, and the low quantity demonstrates that rubbish was not deliberately
dumped into the Shitlake. A similar range of types are present in (66), with sherds generally being of
a similar small size. In addition to the types present in (115) there are sherds of South Hampshire
Redware, MQ4, FQ2, Tudor Green and Southampton-type Sandy Ware. Whilst the Tudor Green and
potentially the MQ4 are potentially intrusive, this seems a relatively closely dated, if fragmented
group, not overly affected by post depositional activity, perhaps sherds were protected by the silting
up of the channel.
The pottery from context (63) is equally tightly dated, but to the post-medieval period (table 45).
There are 10 large sherds of Verwood, a large sherd of Westerwald Stoneware as well as sherds of
Bristol-Staffordshire Slipware and sherds of later Creamware and Porcelain, with a small quantity of
residual sherds. Some of these sherds may have been deliberately dumped into the Shitlake, but the
large sherd size may also be due to their younger date, meaning they have not been subjected to
such intense post-depositional attrition.
In the northern part of the site the earliest evidence of the channel is layer (250). The date of this is
unclear, the report suggests a late medieval spot date, but all of the pottery is of Roman date. It was
succeeded by channel 256, filled by (255). This contained 76 sherds of Roman pottery, probably
residual from the recutting of the channel (table 46). The remainder of the pottery would seem to
date the digging of this channel to phase 4, with Wessex Coarseware, Flint and Sand Tempered Ware
and glazed sandy wares being present. There is some evidence of continued use into phase 5,
through the presence of sherds of MQ4 and Late Medieval Sandy Ware, whilst there are also 4
sherds of Verwood-type. Like the fills of channel 65 the pottery is fairly closely dated.
Whilst the Shitlake does not appear to have been a focus of rubbish deposition, the continuous
silting up of the channel means that groups are relatively closely dated, compared to other features
on the site.
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Channel: 81 113 65
TotalContext: 82 112 115 66 63 64
WareSC SW
ASW
SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Roman 2634
0 13 10 51 5 7 34 5 9 127 14 2 25 13 54 577Flint and sand temperedware 11 78 7 4 23 6 1 15 15 16 116
Fine sandy ware 1 8 8 1 8
Wessex Coarseware 9 52 6 11 68 6 2 89 45 22 209
Laverstock-type Ware 2 21 11 2 21
Local Whiteware 2 16 8 2 16
South Hampshire Redware 1 26 26 1 26
Southampton Sandy Ware 1 2 2 1 2
Surrey(?) Whiteware 1 18 18 1 18
FQ2 1 16 16 1 16
FQarg2 2 11 6 1 8 8 3 19
FQarg3 1 16 16 1 16
MQ4 4 33 8 4 33
Tudor Green 2 3 2 2 3
Post Medieval Redware 3 48 16 3 48
Verwood 10 631 63 1 64 64 11 695
Westerwald Stoneware 1 36 36 1 36Bristol-StaffordshireSlipware 2 9 5 2 9
Creamware 3 14 5 3 14
Porcelain 1 2 2 1 2
Total 26 340 13 10 51 5 32 199 6 35 319 9 25 870 35 4 105 26 132 1884
Table 45: Pottery from The Shitlake in the Central Part of the Site
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Channel: 250 256
TotalContext: 250 255
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW
Roman 19 183 10 76 1085 14 95
Flint and sand tempered ware 2 22 11 2 22
Chalk tempered ware 1 5 5 1 5
Wessex Coarseware 18 400 22 18 400
Laverstock-type Ware 5 53 11 5 53South Hampshire Redware 2 50 25 2 50
Southampton Sandy Ware 2 11 6 2 11
MQ3 1 13 13 1 13
MQ4 1 10 10 1 10
Late medieval sandy ware 1 9 9 1 9
Verwood 4 48 12 4 48
Unid 1 4 4 1 4
Total 20 187 9 113 1706 15 133 1893
Table 46: Pottery from The Shitlake (Northern Part of the Site)
VESSEL
FORMS
Due to the fragmented nature of the assemblage and the high quantity of redeposited material, it
was only possible to assign a small proportion of the sherds to particular vessel forms (table 47).
Only jars and bowls were identified in the earliest wares, 2 sherds coming from flint tempered jars,
whilst 5 sherds were from Flint and Sand Tempered bowls, compared to 46 from jars. Bowls and jars
are also present in Wessex Coarseware, whilst a single sherd was also present from a spouted
pitcher and 4 sherds were from tripod pitchers. In phase 4 then, these wares only provided plain
utilitarian vessels. The glazed sandy wares such as Laverstock-type Ware and South Hampshire
Redware were present as jugs, and the Dorset Whiteware sherds are also likely to be from jugs. A
single sherd was identified as a fragment of a Saintonge Whiteware jug. Whilst jars and bowls were
sourced locally then, jugs are present from a range of sources, with the Saintonge vessel suggestingsome supply from Southampton or Poole. Most of the other medieval wares are present principally
as jugs. As at 15 and 11 The Hundred, MQ4 jars and jugs are present within the assemblage, but only
in small numbers. The absence of clear temporal distinctions within the earlier medieval features
means that it is not possible to discuss changes in the forms of Wessex Coarsewares over time.
As is to be expected a wider range of vessels are present in the Post Medieval period. Tudor Green
and Rhenish Stonewares are present both as drinking and serving vessels and the sherds of Bristol-
Staffordshire Slipware are also from drinking vessels. Verwood-type ware is present in a range of
forms, including bowls, bunghole pitchers, chamber pots, jars, jugs, pancheons and tripod pipkins.
These are not present in large enough quantities here to study changes in the types present throughtime, although it may be possible to do this if other sites are also considered.
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Bottle Bowl/ DishB'holePitcher
Chaf.Dish
ChamberPot Cup/Mug Jar Jug Lid Panch.
Spt.Pitcher
TpofPipkin
TpodPitcher Unid Total
SC SW SC SW SC SW SC SW SC SW SC SW SC SW SC SW SC SW SC SW SC SW SC SW SC SW SC SW SC SW
axon Organic Tempered 3 12 3 12
gf1 1 9 1 9
empered ware 2 25 2 11 4 36
nd sand tempered ware 5 234 46 1232 1 30 102 785 154 2281
nd sand tempered ware (Newbury type) 1 5 1 5
tempered ware 6 65 5 48 11 113
ester-type Ware 15 171 15 171
andy ware 1 18 5 132 2 64 21 219 29 433
ex Coarseware 14 492 146 3945 1 151 4 142 582 4106 747 8836
stock-type Ware 1 4 41 1033 23 161 65 1198
Whiteware 6 51 8 40 14 91
Hampshire Redware 47 790 19 114 66 904
ampton Sandy Ware 1 38 2 80 20 131 23 249
y(?) Whiteware 2 27 2 27
t Red Painted Ware 1 9 1 9
t whiteware 8 28 8 28
andy Gritty Ware 1 6 1 6
nge Whiteware 1 12 2 5 3 17
1 14 1 14
5 24 5 24
1 16 1 16
1 21 5 189 3 50 21 113 30 373
0 0 3 27 3 27
1 6 44 6 442 6 90 17 103 23 193
3 1 16 1 16
mic1 1 15 1 15
4 85 2 35 6 120
3 60 4 27 7 87
2 133 1 45 3 178
Pink Sandy Ware 2 10 1 3 3 13
1 1 22 3 23 4 45
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1 11 2 24 1 4 22 225 26 264
1 12 10 190 3 119 59 524 73 845
gf1 1 8 1 8
2 3 26 3 26
3 1 8 1 8 2 16
6 1 4 1 4
c1 1 13 1 13
medieval organic tempered sandy ware 1 52 7 58 8 110
medieval sandy ware 4 133 2 42 10 113 16 288
r Ware 1 7 4 12 5 19
Green 7 22 1 8 15 26 23 56
Qmic 1 56 1 56
Medieval Brown Glazed 2 64 11 24 13 88
Medieval Redware 1 70 11 180 12 250
Medieval Sandy Ware 2 86 11 206 13 292
n Micaceous Redware 3 98 3 98
od 27 1222 2 337 2 71 1 35 14 1406 10 403 1 59 3 168 4 76 220 4465 284 8242
n-type Stoneware 3 77 3 28 6 105
en-type Stoneware 1 6 1 6
rwald Stoneware 2 47 2 47
-Staffordshire Slipware 2 9 1 3 3 12
azed Ware 1 11 1 26 3 10 5 47
mware 1 1 3 14 4 15
rdshire White Salt Glazed Stoneware 2 2 2 2
ain 1 2 1 2
h Stoneware 2 25 5 81 3 25 10 131
d Earthenware 1 7 1 3 2 10
2 25 56 2191 2 337 2 71 1 35 18 222 250 7679 150 3107 2 85 3 168 1 151 4 76 4 142 1268 12353 1763 26642
Table 47: Vessels Present by Fabric
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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Site Formation
Unlike at the sites at 11 and 15 The Hundred, pits here have a wide range of depositional histories,
with a higher proportion containing secondary waste deposits mixed with redeposited material. This
has made it possible to better date some of the wares present in the assemblage, particularly those
of later medieval date. The Shitlake was not a major focus of deposition, although silting has meantthat groups within it are relatively tightly dated. Large layers did not build up in the excavated areas,
suggesting that these pits were dug into yards, rather than being part of cultivated gardens.
Pottery Chronology
The pottery present did not really contribute to an understanding of the earlier part of the ceramic
sequence. It has been possible however to identify several late-post medieval transitional types in
the Late Well Fired Sandy Ware tradition as well as determine that some wares such as MQ3 are
likely to be of late, rather than high medieval date. It has also been able to determine that FQF1 is as
12th
-14th
century type. This is by far the best late medieval assemblage to have been studied from
Romsey and therefore is very important for our understanding of the development of medievalpottery within the town. It is also worth noting the presence of Dorset types and imported pottery
at the site, however these are only in small quantities and generally are residual, meaning that their
presence has not greatly aided our understanding of the ceramic chronology.
Conclusions
This site provides important information to our understanding of medieval pottery from Romsey,
particularly that of the latter part of the period. Unlike at sites in The Hundred, pits often have a
secondary rubbish element, meaning that not all of the pottery is fragmented. That said, many of
the pit fills do have a redeposited element. The presence of imported wares may suggest the site
had a distinct economic status, however with the exception of the later medieval Iberian MicaceousRedware these are residual in later features so cannot be securely related to onsite use. The pottery
from this site will have a key role to play in any future analysis of the later medieval period in
Romsey.