Pottery from Mill Green Test-pits (2005)
Paul Blinkhorn
Pottery Types
London Ware. The earliest pots of this type date to around AD1150. Made
somewhere near London, this pottery mainly took the form of jugs, with green or
orange glaze and lots of decoration. The pots were often painted with geometric
designs in yellow liquid clay (slip) before glazing and firing. Fell from use towards
the end of the 15th century.
German Stoneware. First made around AD1450, and still made today. Made at lots
of places along the river Rhine in Germany, such as Cologne, Siegburg and Frechen.
Very hard grey clay fabric, with the outer surface of the pot often having a mottled
brown glaze. The most common vessel type was the mug, used in taverns in Britain
and all over the world. Surviving records from the port of London (‘port books’)
show that millions such pots were brought in by boat from Germany from around
AD1500 onwards.
Red Earthenwares (‘Redware’): Fine sandy earthenware, usually with a brown or
green glaze, usually on the inner surface. Made at numerous locations all over
England. Occurs in a range of practical shapes for use in the kitchens of the time,
such as large mixing bowls, cauldrons and frying pans. It was first made around the
middle of the 16th century, and in some places continued in use until the 19th century.
Delft ware. The first white pottery to be made in Britain. Called Delft ware because
of the fame of the potteries at Delft in Holland. Soft, cream coloured fabric with a
thick white glaze, often with painted designs in blue, purple and yellow. First made in
Britain in Norwich around AD1600, and continued in use until the 19th century. The
17th century pots were expensive table wares such as dishes or bowls, but by the 19 th
century, better types of pottery was being made, and it was considered very cheap and
the main types of pot were such as chamber pots and ointment jars.
Staffordshire Mottled Ware: late 17th – 18th century. Fine, buff fabric, with vessels
usually covered with a mottled purple and brown glaze, which is generally lighter on
the more modern examples. A wide range of vessel forms, but mugs and chamber
pots are particularly common.
White Salt-Glazed Stoneware (‘WSGS’). Delicate white pottery made between
1720 and 1780, usually for tea cups and mugs. Has a finely pimpled surface, like
orange peel.
‘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
Results
All the test pits produced similar results. Most of the pottery dated to the 19th century,
with a few earlier pieces, but still dating to after AD1550. Just one test pit, TP2, had
any medieval pottery, and that dated to around AD1450, meaning that it is very
unlikely that anyone was living in the area of the village covered by the test-pits
during the medieval period.
Test Pit 1
TP
1
1
1
1
1
1
Context
1
2
3
4
5
6
Total
German
Stoneware
No
Wt
1
9
1
9
Redware
No
Wt
1
21
1
9
1
9
19thC
No
27
48
22
23
16
22
158
Wt
120
210
117
116
56
623
1242
Date Range
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1550 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1550 – 1900
1800 – 1900
Test Pit 2
London
German Redware 19thC
Stone
TP Context No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt
2
1
1
3
1
6
6
6
2
2
21 22
2
3
11 36
2
4
3 19 16 43
2
5
15 32
Total
1
3
1
6
3 19 69 139
Date Range
1450 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1550 – 1900
1800 – 1900
Test Pit 3
TP
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
Context
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Total
Redware
No
Wt
1
91
1
26
1
26
19thC
No
Wt
3
25
39
92
13
43
19
57
11
56
14
77
15
39
10
36
124
425
Date Range
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1550 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1550 – 1900
1800 – 1900
Test Pit 4
TP Context
4
1
4
2
4
3
4
4
4
5
4
6
4
7
Total
Redware
No
Wt
2
25
2
58
2
58
Mottled Ware
19thC
No
Wt
No Wt
1
2
22
83
25 104
37 274
5
25
30
92
6
16
5
54
1
2
130 648
Date Range
1680 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1550 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1550 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
Test Pit 5
Redware Mottled Ware
TP Context No Wt No
Wt
5
1
1
5
5
3
5
4
5
5
1
7
5
6
2 25
Total
3 32
1
5
19thC
No
Wt
19
50
15
31
71
44
84
146
Date Range
1650 – 1750
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1550 – 1900
1550 – 1800
Test Pit 6
TP
6
6
Context
2
5
Total
Redware
No
Wt
3
109
3
19thC
No
Wt
25
83
12
80
37
163
109
Date Range
1550 – 1900
1800 – 1900
Test Pit 7
Redware Delft
TP Context No Wt No Wt
7
1
1 16 1
2
7
2
3 35
7
3
1 30
7
4
3 51
7
5
7
6
Total
8 132 1
2
Mottled Ware
No
Wt
1
6
1
6
WSGS
19thC
No Wt No Wt
36 50
68 118
1
2 51 158
42 74
8 14
1 10
1
2 206 424
Date Range
1550 – 1900
1550 – 1900
1550 – 1900
1550 – 1900
1800 – 1900
1800 – 1900
Test Pit 8
Redware
TP Context No Wt
8
1
1
3
8
2
1 11
8
3
Total
2 14
German
Stoneware
No
Wt
1
1
1
19thC
No
8
12
3
23
1
Wt
13
38
8
59
Date Range
1550 – 1900
1550 – 1900
1800 – 1900
Test Pit 9
TP
9
9
Context
1
2
Total
Redware
No
Wt
2
2
34
34
19thC
No
Wt
10
15
11
62
21
77
Date Range
1800 – 1900
1550 – 1900