For: Gloucestershire County Council Archaeological Service
Site: 92, Henry Rd, Kingsholm
Site Code: HOYD
Status: spot date
Author: Jane Timby
Date: July 2012
POTTERY AND CERAMIC BUILDING MATERIAL
1
Introduction
1.1
The archaeological evaluation at 92, Henry Road, Kingsholm, recovered some
146 sherds of pottery weighing 1688 g and 70 fragments of ceramic building
material (CBM) weighing 821 g.
1.2
The pottery largely includes material of Roman and post-medieval / modern
date. Medieval finds are conspicuous by their paucity with just a single very
small sherd.
1.3
For the purposes of the assessment the pottery was rapidly scanned and sorted
into broad fabric categories according to type, size and quantity of inclusions
in the clay combined with firing colour. Known named Roman wares were
coded using the National Fabric reference system (Tomber and Dore 1998).
Other more local wares where possible were coded using the Gloucester
Museum type fabric numbers (TF).
1.4
The sorted assemblage was quantified by sherd count and weight and a
summary table produced with provisional spot dates (Table 1). The CBM was
scanned to check for any unusual pieces or marks and quantified by count and
weight.
1.5
Pottery was recovered from four defined contexts within TP 4. The condition
of the sherds was variable but generally quite fragmented with an overall
average sherd size of 11 g; typical of material that has undergone some
disturbance or redeposition.
2
Roman
2.1
The bulk of the assemblage, some 107 sherds, 73.3% of the assemblage, dates
to the Roman period with material mainly dating to the second half of the 1st
century AD into the 2nd century. The group mainly comprises wares of local
manufacture but there are three imported sherds.
2.2
The imports include two sherds of Baetican olive-oil amphorae from Southern
Spain (code BAT AM) and one tiny fragment of South Gaulish samian (code
LGF SA). The latter is likely to date to the 1st century AD.
2.3
The remaining assemblage comprises wares of local origin and these can be
split into wares specifically associated with Kingsholm; wares typical of the
Gloucester City kilns and Severn Valley ware from the local area.
2.4
The Kingsholm wares include five sherds of oxidised sandy ware (Glos TF
36), probably flagon dating to the Neronian period. Also present are several
sherds of a black, micaceous ware, a variant of the local TF 11A fabric from
contexts (402) and (404). The sherds come from a jar or beaker with rusticated
decoration which is very typical of the vessels made at the kiln(s) under the
Rugby Ground and is likely to date sometime within the Flavio-Trajanic
period (later 1st-early 2nd century).
2.5
Most of the Roman sherds are in fabrics TF 11a (oxidised or grey, slightly
micaceous wares) with single pieces of TF 7, a white-slipped variant of
TF11A and TF3A, a mica-slipped variant. All these are likely to date within
the Flavio-Trajanic period. The TF 3A sherd is decorated with small raised
flattened discs and is probably from a beaker or small jar.
2.6
There are few featured sherds but there are 29 sherds, probably from the same
vessel, a jar with a carinated shoulder from (402). This could be a vessel
disturbed from a burial.
2.7
Also of note is the base of a grey ware jar from (404) which has been
modified after firing. A large hole has been drilled through the centre for some
unknown secondary purpose.
2.8
There are 32 sherds present of the local oxidised Severn Valley ware (SVE
OX; Glos TF 11B). This is a long lived industry and unfeatured sherds are
difficult to date but there are two sherds which are early variants (Glos TF
11D) and typical of the 1st century AD.
3
Medieval
3.1
A single very small sherd of oolitic-limestone tempered cooking pot / jar was
present in context (400). This is typical of pottery found in Gloucester from
the early medieval period and may have been made in the Haresfield area.
4
Post-medieval
4.1
The remaining 38 sherds found all date to the post-medieval / modern periods
and are very typical of the range of finds found in Gloucester. Wares of note
include North Devon gravel-tempered ware imported from the 17th century
onwards, Herefordshire Border ware, black iron-glazed earthenware from
possible Bristol or Staffordshire, English and German stone-wares, tin-glazed
ware and various glazed and unglazed red earthenware which were made at a
variety of local sources. Overall the wares appear to span the 17th through to
the 19th century.
5
Ceramic building material
5.1
Some 70 fragments of ceramic building material (CBM) were recovered with
the pottery. The pieces were exceptionally fragmented making any
identification difficult. Where it could be determined it appears to largely
post-Roman in date but there were a few pieces which could potentially be
from Roman roofing tile (tegulae and imbrices).
6
Stratigraphy
6.1
The uppermost horizon (400) produced some 23 sherds of pottery and 28
fragments of CBM. Apart from the one small sherd of medieval date all the
finds date to the later post-medieval period.
6.2
Context (401) produced some 21 sherds of pottery and 30 fragments of CBM.
This pottery assemblage comprised 13 sherds of post-medieval date and eight
Roman sherds. The Roman is residual in a later post-medieval level which
probably dates to the 18-19th century.
6.3
Context (402) produced 84 sherds and 12 fragments of CBM. With the
exception of three post-medieval sherds the pottery is all Roman in date. The
CBM could all be Roman but the pieces are small. It is possible that the three
later sherds are intrusive from the upper level but the bulk of the pottery
suggests a later 1st-early 2nd century date.
6.4
Context (404) produced 18 sherds of Roman pottery and no CBM. The pottery
reflects the same date as (402) and indeed there are possible some sherds from
the same vessel in each.