Pottery from the Ufford Test-Pits (2005)
Paul Blinkhorn
Pottery Types
Roman Greyware. This was one of the most common types of roman pottery, and
was made in many different places in Britain. Many different types of vessels were
made, especially cooking pots. It was most common in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD,
but in some places, continued in use until the 4th century. The pottery from Ufford
was probably made at Castor near Peterborough, where there was a large and
important Roman pottery industry.
Roman Oxford Ware. This was first made around the middle of the 3rd century, and
carried until close to the end of Roman occupation, in the early 5th century. It was
made in a range of forms which were imitating Samian ware, a high-quality Gaulish
(French) pottery which was imported into Britain in large quantities until the 3rd
century.
Nene Valley Colour-coat Ware. This was first made around AD175, and became
extremely common during the 3rd and 4th century. It gets its name from the fact that
vessels were coated liquid clay (slip) in colours such as red, blue and black. Cups,
beakers and bowls were some of the most common types made. It was made at
Castor near Peterborough.
St Neots Ware. Made at a number of as-yet unknown places in southern England
between AD900-1100. The pots are usually a purplish-black, black or grey colour, but
the clay from which they were made contains finely crushed fossil shell, giving them
a white speckled appearance. Most pots were small jars or bowls.
Stamford Ware. Made at several different sites in Stamford in Lincolnshire between
AD850 and 1150. The earliest pots were small, simple jars with white, buff or grey
fabric, or large jars with painted red stripes. By AD1000, the potters were making
vessels which were quite thin-walled and smooth, with a yellow or pale green glaze
on the outside, the first glazed pots in England. These were usually jugs with handles
and a spout, but other sorts of vessel, such as candle-sticks, bowls and water-bottles
are also known. It appears to have been much sought after because it was of such
good quality, and has been found all over Britain and Ireland.
Lyveden Ware. Made at Lyveden in Northamptonshire between AD1225 and 1400.
The clay used for this pottery is very easy to recognise has it contains small, eggshaped fossils known as Ooliths. The earlier pots are quite crude, as the potters did
not thrown them on a wheel, but built them by coiling. The clay fabric is usually grey
with buff or orange surfaces. The main types of pot are jars, but also jugs with a
poor-quality green glaze, and vertical stripes and dots painted with white clay.
Around AD1300, the potters changed to wheel-throwing their pots, resulting in betterquality vessels, but stopped decorating them with slip designs.
Lyveden ware is found all over the east midlands and East Anglia, and some pots
have been found in Norway. They were probably shipped from King’s Lynn along
with the Grimston ware.
Potterspury Ware. Made in the village of the same name in Northamptonshire,
between AD1250 – 1600. Pots usually buff, pink or red in colour, sometimes with
patches or spots of green glaze. Made from a clay which gives the surface a slightly
sandy texture. The most common pots are jars, bowls and jugs common, but lots of
other types for use in the house and kitchen were also made.
Midland Purple ware. Made and used between AD1450-1600. Very hard, red to
dark purplish-grey in colour, usually with a dark purple to black glaze. Wide range
of different pots made such as jars, bowls and jugs.
Staffordshire Slipware. Made between about AD1640 and 1750. This was the first
pottery to be made in moulds in Britain since Roman times. The clay fabric is usually
a pale buff colour, and the main product was flat dishes and plates, but cups were also
made. These are usually decorated with thin brown stripes and a yellow glaze, or
yellow stripes and a brown glaze.
White Salt-Glazed Stoneware. Delicate white pottery made between 1720 and
1780, usually for tea cups and mugs. Has a finely pimpled surface, like orange peel.
Staffordshire Manganese Ware, late 17th – 18th century. Made from a fine, buffcoloured clay, with the pots usually covered with a mottled purple and brown glaze.
A wide range of different types of pots were made, but mugs and chamber pots are
particularly common.
Iron-glazed Earthenware. Made between about 1690 and 1800. Hard, brick-red
clay fabric. The most common vessels were large bowls with a thick black glaze,
coloured with iron, on the inner surface.
‘Victorian’. A wide range of different types of pottery, particularly the cups, plates
and bowls with blue decoration which are still used today. First made around
AD1800.
Ufford Results
Test Pit 1
TP Context
1
2
1
3
Iron-glaze
No
Wt
1
14
Victorian
No
Wt
1
6
26
20
Date Range
1690 – 1900
1800 – 1900
Most of the pottery from this test pit is less than 200 years old, although one piece
may be a little earlier. This would suggest that the site was not occupied until after
then end of the medieval period.
Test Pit 4
TP Context
4
1
Lyveden
No
Wt
1
15
Victorian
No
Wt
2
4
Date Range
1225 – 1900
This test pit only produced pottery from the top layer, but one of the pieces is
medieval. It may be that the site was a field in the medieval period, and the pottery
was brought to the field in a load of domestic rubbish which was being used as
manure.
Test Pit 5
TP Context
5
1
5
2
5
3
5
4
5
5
Manganese
No
Wt
1
26
Victorian
No
Wt
11
92
10
22
12
56
2
16
2
2
Date Range
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1690 – 1900
Most of the pottery from this test pit dates to after 1800, although an earlier piece was
found in the lowest level. It is part of a mug, of a type that was common in the 18 th
century. The fact that this was in the lowest excavated context means that there may
be earlier, undisturbed archaeology below the depth which was reached.
Test Pit 6
TP Context
6
2
6
4
Manganese
No
Wt
1
1
White Salt glazed
No
Wt
1
1
Date Range
1690 – 1900
1720 – 1780
Very little pottery came from this test pit, but what there is suggests people were
living here in the 17th – 18th centuries.
Test Pit 7
Stamford
TP Context No
Wt
7
1
7
2
2
9
7
3
7
4
Midland Purple
No
Wt
1
Iron-glaze
No
Wt
2
23
1
22
Victorian
No
Wt
1
11
6
48
10
28
1
8
13
Date Range
1800 – 1900
900 – 1900
1450 – 1900
1690 – 1900
Most of the pottery from this test pit dates to after 1690, but earlier sherds were also
found. Both late Saxon and medieval pottery were present, and this shows that people
were living in this part of the village from the earliest days of its existence. The pot
was mixed up with later types, but digging to a greater depth may uncover preserved
archaeological remains dating to the Saxon or medieval period.
Test Pit 9
TP Context
9
1
9
2
Victorian
No
Wt
8
34
29
336
Date Range
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
All the pottery from this test pit was Victorian, and suggests that the site was
unoccupied before that time.
Test Pit 11
TP Context
11
1
11
2
11
3
11
4
11
5
11
6
11
7
Potterspury
No
Wt
1
15
Iron-glaze
No
Wt
2
1
Victorian
No
Wt
23
36
9
12
31
61
32
84
21
50
29
53
7
26
26
9
Date Range
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1250 – 1900
1690 – 1900
Most of the pottery dated to 1690 or later, but a single piece of medieval pottery was
also found. It may be that people were living here at that time, or the area may have
been fields, as people at that time used their household rubbish as fertilizer for their
crops.
Test Pit 12
TP Context
12
1
12
2
12
3
Roman greyware Colour-coat St. Neots ware
No
Wt
No
Wt
No
Wt
4
12
1
1
10
10
Iron-glaze
No
Wt
1
1
3
1
Victorian
No Wt Date Range
1
1
1800 – 1900
100 – 1800
200 – 1800
Most of the pottery from this test-pit is Roman. It was all in the upper layers of the
test pit, which suggests that the area was fields during Roman times, and the people
were putting their household rubbish on the land as manure, although it is possible
that modern ploughing could have destroyed Roman buildings and brought the finds
up towards the surface.
Test Pit 13
TP
13
13
13
Context
1
2
3
Roman greyware Oxford ware
No
Wt
No
Wt Date Range
1
16
100 – 200
1
2
100 – 200
2
13
2
4
100 – 380
All the pottery from this test-pit is Roman. It was all in the upper layers of the test
pit, which suggests that the area was fields during Roman times, and the people were
putting their household rubbish on the land as manure, although it is possible that
modern ploughing could have destroyed Roman buildings and brought the finds up
towards the surface.
Test Pit 14
Victorian
TP Context No
Wt
14
2
3
8
Date Range
1800 – 1900
All the pottery from this pit dated to the 19th century, although digging deeper may
reveal earlier remains.