A re-evaluation of the Post-Roman

Pottery from Creatures Pet Shop,

Romsey, Hampshire
Ben Jervis Archaeological Report 8
By Ben Jervis MA PIFA

INTRODUCTION
This report presents a re-evaluation of the pottery recovered from excavations at Creatures Pet
Shop, Market Place, Romsey. This small excavation was carried out by Test Valley Archaeological
Trust. The archaeological evidence consisted of a number of medieval features, cut into a dark soil
horizon which contained evidence of mid-Saxon iron smelting activity. Feature 37 is a channel which
cuts through the site and may be related to the later Shitlake (Scott et al unpub, 20). The pottery
from the site has been reported on previously by Helen Rees who identified parallels in these wares
with material from Hamwic. The aim of this report is threefold:

 To relate the material to the new Romsey type series and therefore allow comparison with
other sites.
 To discuss the site formation processes.
 To re-assess the dating of the pottery.

A small assemblage of Roman pottery was also recovered (34 sherds), principally from Roman
features. This has also been discussed by Rees and will not be discussed here further. The medieval
assemblage consists of only 75 sherds in a range of typical early medieval fabrics. These will be
discussed in broad terms, before being discussed by site phase. Four site phases were identified in
post-excavation analysis, with phase 3 being divided into 3 sub-phases:

Phase 1: Romano-British

Phase 2: The mid-Saxon iron working layer

Phase 3a: Channel 37

Phase 3b: Features cutting channel 37

Phase 3c: Medieval layers

Phase 4: Post-Medieval layers

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.
THE MEDIEVAL POTTERY
Many of the pottery fabrics are represented by single sherds (table 1). Types not known elsewhere
are described below. This is the case for flint tempered ware, of the course variety paralleled in the
latter phases of Hamwic and the flint and sand tempered ware of Newbury type (Lorraine Mepham,
pers. comm) as well as the mid-Saxon organic tempered ware. There are 2 sherds of flint and sand
tempered ware, which appears to be of later Saxo-Norman date. There are also single sherds of
finer sandy wares and fine sandy wares with flint (described below), whilst 2 sherds of Winchester-
type ware are present. The bulk of the assemblage therefore appears to be of Saxo-Norman date,
and this is supported by the presence of 12 sherds of Wessex Coarseware, a common 12th-14th
century type in Romsey. There are also sherds of later medieval sandy wares MQ3, MQ4 and Late
Medieval Organic Tempered ware, all of which are believed to date to the latter part of the 14th
century. A single sherd of FQfe4 is present, this fabric is described below, as is a single sherd of post-
medieval Verwood-type ware.

%ge %ge
Ware SC SC SW SW
Roman 34 31% 386 28%
Mid Saxon Organic Tempered 1 1% 13 1%
Flint tempered ware 1 1% 3 0%
Flint and sand tempered ware 2 2% 18 1%
Flint and sand tempered ware (Newbury
type) 1 1% 12 1%
FQ2 1 1% 14 1%
FQF3 1 1% 5 0%
Wessex Coarseware 12 11% 129 9%
Winchester-type Ware 2 2% 13 1%
Laverstock-type Ware 1 1% 3 0%
FQfe4 1 1% 7 1%
MQ3 32 29% 419 30%
MQ4 2 2% 93 7%
Late medieval organic tempered sandy
ware 17 16% 245 18%
Verwood 1 1% 19 1%
Total 109 1379
Table 1: Wares Present at Creatures Pet Shop

Descriptions of wares not recognised elsewhere:

FQfe4 is a white/buff ware with abundant, fine sized quartz grains. There are common, rounded iron rich clay
pellets and common, larger, angular black and white flint fragments. This may be a Surrey type dating to the
th th
13 -14 centuries.

FQF3 is a fine sandy whiteware, with occasional, large, angular flint inclusions. It may be of 13th century date
on the basis of the presence of similar fabrics in contexts of this date at the Newton Lane excavations.

This pottery can now be discussed by phase (table 2). All of the 27 sherds from the Roman phase 1
are Roman in date and will not be discussed here.

PHASE 2: MID-ANGLO SAXON

Pottery was only recovered from the thick dark soil layer, context (4) which contained evidence of
mid-Saxon iron working. A large sherd of mid-Saxon organic tempered ware may be contemporary
with this layer. The only other mid-Saxon type is a small sherd of flint tempered ware. Sherds of later
Anglo-Saxon/Saxo-Norman types are also present, perhaps suggesting that the metal working
continued into the later part of the period. These consist of a single, moderately sized, sherd of FQ2
(a fine sandy ware), 2 moderately sized sherds of Wessex coarseware and a single small sherd of
Phase: 1 2 3a 3c 4 Total
Ware SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW ASW SC SW

Roman 27 283 10 6 72 12 1 31 31 34 386

Mid Saxon Organic Tempered 1 13 13 1 13
Flint tempered ware 1 3 3 1 3
Flint and sand tempered ware 2 18 9 2 18
Flint and sand tempered ware (Newbury type) 1 12 12 1 12
FQ2 1 14 14 1 14
FQF3 1 5 5 1 5
Wessex Coarseware 2 25 13 3 12 4 5 23 5 2 69 35 12 129
Winchester-type Ware 1 8 8 1 5 5 2 13
Laverstock-type Ware 1 3 3 1 3
FQfe4 1 7 7 1 7
MQ3 1 3 3 31 416 13 32 419
MQ4 2 93 47 2 93
Late medieval organic tempered sandy ware 17 245 14 17 245
Verwood 1 19 19 1 19
Total 27 283 10 7 66 9 12 114 10 56 782 14 7 134 19 109 1379
Table 2: Quantification of Fabrics at Creatures Pet Shop by Phase
Winchester-type ware. A sherd of MQ3 is intrusive, so some of the later Anglo-Saxon types may be
too.

PHASE 3A: CHANNEL 37

Other than the 6 sherds of residual Roman pottery all of the sherds from this feature are Saxo-
Norman in date. They consist of 2 small sherds of Flint and Sand Tempered Ware and a sherd of Flint
and Sand Tempered Ware of Newbury type (identified by Rees as a chalk tempered ware). Three
small sherds of Wessex Coarseware are also present.

PHASE 3C: MEDIEVAL LAYERS

No pottery was recovered from features of phase 3b date. The pottery from phase 3c is noticeably
later than that from phase 3a. There are 5 small sherds of Wessex Coarseware and a small sherd of
Winchester-type ware present, these may all be residual. There are 31 sherds of MQ3, a late 14th
century sandy ware, which are moderately sized and 2 large sherds of MQ4, a sandy ware of similar
late 14th-early 15th century date. There are also 17 moderately sized organic tempered sherds. On
the basis of comparison with types from Southampton and also from excavations at 11 The Hundred
this can be suggested to be a late medieval, rather than Anglo-Saxon, type.

PHASE 4: POST-MEDIEVAL LAYERS

Most of the pottery from these layers is residual, including a sherd of Roman pottery, a small sherd
of FQF3 (a fine flint and sand tempered ware, possibly of 13th century date), 2 large sherds of
Wessex Coarseware and small sherds of Laverstock-type ware and FQfe4, possibly a Surrey
Whiteware. The only contemporary sherd is a large sherd of Verwood-type.

CONCLUSIONS
Due to the small size of the assemblage, it is not possible to make any judgements about the pottery
of Anglo-Saxon Romsey in any detail. What can be determined is that most of the Anglo-Saxon
material from this site is probably of late Anglo-Saxon or Saxo-Norman date. There is only evidence
of 13th-14th century occupation in the form of residual sherds of Laverstock-type ware and a sherd of
possible Surrey Whiteware. Phase 3c would appear to date to the late 14th century, with the
assemblage consisting of types common in features of this date elsewhere in Romsey.