Post-Roman Pottery from St.

Margaret’s Church, East Wellow,

Hampshire.
Ben Jervis Archaeological Report 14
By Ben Jervis MA PIFA

INTRODUCTION
A small exaction by Test Valley Archaeological Trust at St Margaret’s Church, East Wellow recovered
347 sherds of pottery, weighing 3729, mostly of 12th-14th century date. The site does not consist of
well stratified sequences, rather a series of isolated and very mixed deposits. For this reason the
pottery will be characterised by date, based on analogies with elsewhere, in particular Romsey,
before the pottery from each deposit is considered.

Date Ware Name SC SW

Roman 8 34
Wessex Coarseware 183 1631
Early Medieval Flint and Sand Tempered Ware 14 147
Early Medieval Fine Sandy Ware 2 76
Early Medieval Total 199 1854
Fine Flint and Sand Tempered Ware 1 1
Laverstock-type Ware 23 191
South Hampshire Redware 9 54
Southampton Sandy Ware 11 84
13th-14th Century
Iron Rich Sandy Ware 4 38
Iron Rich Whiteware 2 19
Whiteware with argillaceous inclusions 1 15
Dorset Red Painted Ware 1 17
13th-14th Century Total 52 419
Wessex Redware 19 154
Late Medieval Organic Tempered Sandy
14th-15th Century Ware 1 14
Late Medieval Sandy Ware 2 9
Transitional Sandy Ware 17 141
14th-15th Century Total 39 318
Westerwald Stoneware 1 10
Post Medieval Verwood 11 633
Post Medieval Redware 1 1
Post Medieval Total 13 644
Medieval Chalk Tempered Ware 1 8
Unknown Date Micaceous Sandy Ware with Flint 34 451
Unid. 1 1
Unknown Date Total 36 460
Total 347 3729
Table 1: Composition of the Assemblage.
There are 8 sherds of Roman pottery which will not be considered here. There are 199 sherds of
early medieval (12th-14th century date), 52 which probably date to the 13th-14th centuries, 39 from
the 14th-15th centuries and 13 of post medieval date (table 1). Thirty-six sherds are of types not
known elsewhere and therefore are of unknown date, although they are likely to fit into the 12th-14th
century bracket, on the basis of the character of the rest of the assemblage.

THE EARLY MEDIEVAL PERIOD (11TH-14TH CENTURY)

Three types of early medieval pottery are known, all are paralleled in Romsey. The most abundant
are Wessex Coarseware, produced at several centres in east Wiltshire and west Hampshire. There
are 14 sherds of Flint and Sand Tempered Ware, dated to the 11th-12th century in Romsey and 2
sherds of Fine Sandy Ware which could date to any point in this period. In addition, the 34 sherds of
undated Micaceous Sandy Ware with Flint likely fit into the Flint and Sand Tempered Ware group
and will be discussed here also.

Flint and Sand Tempered Wares

There are 14 sherds of Flint and Sand Tempered Ware. Four fabrics are present:

Fabric FMQ1 is grey/orange with abundant, angular flint and moderately abundant, sub-rounded, medium
sized quartz. This is possibly a Kennet Valley type.

Fabric FMQ3 is grey throughout. There are moderately abundant sub-angular flint with moderately abundant
medium sized, sub-rounded quartz.

Fabric FMQ5 is an oxidised sandy ware with spares-common sub-angular quartz and occasional large flint
fragments. Sherds in Romsey are often glazed, but there are no glazed examples here.

Fabric MQargf1 Has orange-buff surfaces, with a grey core. The inclusions consist of moderately abundant,
medium sized, sub-rounded quartz grains, with occasional sub-rounded iron rich clay pellets and sub-angular
patinated flint.

All of these fabrics are known from Romsey. Only 2 sherds here could be attributed to a particular
form, being from jars/cooking pots. No rims are present. There is one flat base, with an obtuse
angle, typical of the jar forms found in Romsey. None of the sherds are decorated or glazed.

The 34 sherds of Micaceous Sandy Ware with Flint are also likely to belong to this group. Their
micaceous nature is suggestive of a different, perhaps more localised, source however. A single
fabric is present:

Fabric MQ6 is a reduced grey/brown, fairly fine grained fabric with very sparse, sub-rounded quartz grains. It is
slightly micaceous and occasional flint fragments are present.

Five of the sherds were identified as being from jars, 2 of which were rims. Both are simple and
everted, one has a rounded profile, the other is straight edged. There is a single flat base, with an
obtuse angle. Two sherds exhibit a partial glaze, one on the exterior and one on the interior. One
sherd has a handle join, suggesting the presence of either a handled jar or jug. The form, lack of
decoration and occasional glaze is very similar to that amongst the Flint and Sand Tempered Wares,
so it seems appropriate to see this ware as a localised variant of Flint and Sand Tempered Ware.

Early Medieval Fine Sandy Ware

There are 2 sherds of Fine Sandy Ware. This is fairly common in Romsey in Saxo-Norman deposits.
Whilst the bulk of the sherds are probably post-conquest, a small number may be late Saxon in
date, including those produced at the Michelmersh kilns to the north at Romsey (see Mepham and
Brown 2007). It is perhaps surprising then, that they are not common here. Two fabrics are present:

Fabric FQ1 is generally grey-buff throughout, sometimes with orange surfaces. The only inclusions are
abundant sub-angular/sub-rounded, densely packed, fine sized quartz grains.

Fabric FQ2 is similar to fabric FQ1, but the quartz is less densely packed.

One of the sherds is a thickened, everted, straight edged jar rim. Neither sherd is decorated or
glazed.

Wessex Coarseware

Wessex Coarseware is the most common ware present in the assemblage. This is the most common
early medieval coarseware in Romsey and its distribution is wide, across west Hampshire and east
Dorset and Wiltshire. It is likely to have been produced at several centres. The pottery can be broken
into two broad fabric groups:

Fabric MQ1 varies is colour from black to orange. Vessels are generally handbuilt. Inclusions consist of densely
packed abundant sub-angular/sub-rounded, medium sized quartz, with occasional rock fragments which are
likely to be detrital from the sand rather than being added temper.

Fabric MQ2 is similar to fabric MQ1, but the quartz is less densely packed.

Of the 183 sherds present, 26 could be identified as coming from jars and single sherds were
identified from tripod pitchers and jugs/pitchers. Amongst the jars, three main rim forms are
present. All of these can be paralleled amongst the assemblage from Romsey. The most common
form are simple everted rims, with a straight edged profile, although there are a small number with
rounded profiles (table 2). There are 2 flanged examples present, one being rounded and one having
a straight edge. There is a single example of a thickened, straight edged, everted rim. There are 4 jar
base sherds. These are flat, with an obtuse angle.

Rim Rim
Form Rim Profile Angle SC SW
Rounded Everted 1 34
Flanged Straight-
Edged Everted 1 45
Rounded Everted 4 201
Simple Straight-
Edged Everted 10 258
Straight-
Thickened Edged Everted 1 22
Total 17 560
Table 2: Occurrence of Rim Forms on Wessex Coarseware Jars.

Only 4 of the Wessex Coarseware sherds are glazed. One sherd from a jar has a partial clear glaze on
the interior and exterior, 1 sherd has glaze on the interior and 2 have glaze on the exterior. A single
sherd has applied strip decoration.

Summary
In general the early medieval pottery from the site is of similar character to that from Romsey, with
several fabrics known from Romsey being present here. There is some indication of more localised
production however, through the presence of the Micaceous Sandy Ware with Flint. All of the
pottery from this phase is likely to have been locally produced.

THE 13TH-14TH CENTURIES

Based on the evidence from Romsey and the kilns at Laverstock, Wessex Coarseware would seem to
have considered as the dominant coarseware fabric in the lower Test Valley throughout the 13th and
event the early 14th centuries. Several wares can be dated more closely to the 13th-14th centuries
however, largely on the basis of parallels with Romsey and Southampton. These are principally
glazed sandy wares, although there is a single sherd of Fine Sandy Ware with Flint.

Fine Sandy Ware with Flint

Sherds in this group are present in small quantities in Romsey, particularly at the Abbey, and may
reflect exchange with and limited supply from the Kennet Valley to the north. A single, very small,
sherd is present here:

Fabric FQF2 is a fine sandy ware with occasional, large, angular flint inclusions.

Laverstock-type Wares

Unsurprisingly, Laverstock-type Wares are the most common sandy wares present in the
assemblage. These were produced locally at Laverstock, near Salisbury (Musty et al 1969). These
wares are fine, well fired whitewares, which can be highly decorated. They are generally present in
the form of jugs. Of the 23 sherds present here, 11 have positively identified as being from jugs,
representing a maximum of 8 vessels. These include a single thumbed base, typical of these wares.
All of the jugs are externally glazed, with the glaze being clear-bright green in colour. One example
has slipped lines under the glaze. Two sherds (from one vessel) are more elaborately decorated with
flower rosettes.

South Hampshire Redware

There are 9 sherds of South Hampshire Redware. This as iron rich, relatively fine, red sandy ware. It
is the second most common medieval sandy ware in Romsey and is a major component of most
assemblages from southern Hampshire, particularly in Southampton. Of these 9 sherds, 3 (2 vessels)
are from jugs. One of these is decorated with applied pellets, the other with slipped lines under the
glaze. Both are typical forms of decoration on these wares (see Brown 2002).

Southampton-type Sandy Ware

There are 11 sherds in fabrics which appear related to Southampton Sandy Ware. This is an iron rich
sandy ware which is known to have been produced in Southampton (Brown 2002), but is likely to
have also been produced elsewhere. It is relatively common in Romsey, being most abundant at the
Abbey. Only 1 sherd could be assigned to a vessel form, a jug. Two sherds have a partial, clear,
exterior glaze and one sherd has a dark green glaze. Three fabrics are present here and this variation
may be suggestive of more localised manufacture of this ware, perhaps to supply Romsey and other
local consumers:
Fabric MQfe1 has orange surfaces with grey core. There are moderately abundant, medium sized quartz
inclusions, with occasional iron rich clay pellets/red iron ore.

Fabric MQfe7 is similar to MQfe1, but with sparse quartz.

Fabric FQfe6 is a finer version of Fabric MQfe1.

Iron Rich Sandy Ware

Four sherds belong to this group. They are sandy wares characterised by the presence of iron in the
fabric. There are two fabrics present:

MQfe4 is brown/orange throughout. Inclusions consist of common rounded black iron ore, with abundant
rounded quartz grains.

MQfe5 is oxidised throughout. There are sparse, rounded quartz inclusions with occasional black iron ore.

Fabric MQfe4 is present in Romsey, but fabric MQfe5 is not. Two sherds are from a single jar.

Iron Rich Whiteware

There are 2 sherds of Iron Rich Whiteware, both in different fabrics. Neither fabric is known from
Romsey, although fabric MQfe8 may be related to fabric MQfe2 found there. They do however bare
resemblance to a group of iron rich whitewares found there and elsewhere in Hampshire, which
date to the 13th-14th centuries. One sherd is from a jar with a simple, rounded, everted rim. The
other is from an unidentified form, but has an exterior bright green glaze. Two fabrics are present,:

Fabric FQ15 is a very fine whiteware with, occasional larger quartz inclusions and flecks of red iron ore.

Fabric MQfe8 is white/buff throughout. Inclusions consist of moderately abundant, medium sized quartz with
common black iron ore. The fabric is related to fabric MQfe2, which is found in Romsey.

Whiteware with Argillaceous Inclusions

A single sherd is present in this group, which is present in small quantities in 13 th-14th century
assemblages from Romsey. It is a flat base with an obtuse angle, probably from a jar. This ware is
also known from elsewhere in the Test Valley, for example at Abbots Ann (BJAR 15).

Fabric FQarg1(ww) is buff/white throughout, with abundant fine quartz inclusions and and occasional iron rich
clay pellets.

Dorset Red Painted Ware

A single sherd of Dorset Red Painted Ware, a quartz rich buff/whiteware was present. This is dated
to the 13th-14th centuries in Christchurch (Thomson et al 1983) and Southampton (Brown 2002),
where it is present in higher quantities. Small quantities are also known from Romsey.

Summary

The general character of the assemblage is very similar to that from Romsey, however the presence
of some different fabrics is suggestive of some more localised production. The majority of the
pottery would seem to have been sourced locally, both from the known production centre at
Laverstock, to the west and from the east, where it is presumed the more iron rich wares were
produced.

THE LATE MEDIEVAL PERIOD (14TH-15TH CENTURIES)

There are 39 sherds dating to this period, all are in types known from Romsey. The most common
are Wessex Redware and Transitional Sandy Ware, but small quantities of Late Medieval Sandy Ware
and Late Medieval Organic Tempered Sandy Ware are present.

Wessex Redware

Wessex Redware is the most common late medieval sandy ware in Romsey, where it is present in
the form of sparsely decorated jars and jugs. It has also been found in the lower Test Valley, as well
as at Christchurch (Thomson et al 1983) and further north at Abbots Ann (BJAR 15). Two variants are
present here. The most abundant is the coarser type known from Romsey, but there are also 5
sherds of a finer fabric which seem to fit into this tradition. Five of the sherds are from jars, the
remainder could not be assigned to specific vessel forms. Four of these are simple, everted rims, 3
with a rounded profile, 1 is straight edged. Only 1 sherd is glazed and none are decorated. Two
fabrics are present:

Fabric MQ4 is a wheelthrown sandy ware with oxidised surfaces and reduced core. Inclusions consist of
common medium sized, sub-rounded quartz grains. There are occasional fragments of flint or chalk, which are
probably detrital in the sand temper.

Fabric FQ14 has oxidised surfaces with a reduced core. There are common fine sized, sub-rounded quartz
inclusions.

Late Medieval Sandy Ware

There are 2 sherds of Late Medieval Sandy Ware, both in fabric FEQ3, which is present in small
quantities in Romsey:

Fabric FEQ3 is brown/orange throughout with moderately abundant, rounded, medium sized, iron stained
quartz inclusions.

Late Medieval Organic Tempered Sandy Ware

A single sherd of this ware is present. It is dated to the later medieval period in Romsey and a similar
ware was produced at Southampton in the late 14th century (Brown 2002):

Fabric MQorg2 has oxidised surfaces and a reduced core. Inclusions consist of common, medium sized, sub-
rounded quartz, with occasional voids from organic temper.

Transitional Sandy Wares

There are 17 sherds of Transitional Sandy Ware present. These are likely to post date the wares
described above, dating to the late medieval and early post medieval period. These wares are well
fired and wheelthrown. In Southampton they are known as Late Well Fired Sandy Wares and are
fairly ubiquitous in assemblages from West Hampshire. Further east and north they are less
common, as pottery was generally supplied by the Border Ware industry. Four fabrics are present
here, all are known from Romsey:

Fabric FQ6 is a well fired, reduced greyware with common, fine sized sub-rounded quartz grains.
Fabric FQ7 has a grey core with orange surfaces. It is well fired, with common fine quartz inclusions.

Fabric FQarg2 is an oxidised sandy ware with common, sub-rounded, fine sized quartz grains and occasional
oxidised clay pellets

Fabric MQ3 is an oxidised sandy ware with sparse, medium sized quartz inclusions.

Of the 17 sherds, only 21 could be assigned to vessel forms, one being from a jug and one from jar.
The bowl has an everted, rounded, hammerhead rim. Seven of the sherds are externally glazed,
either with a clear or dark green glaze.

Summary

As with earlier periods, the pottery is very similar to that from Romsey, with all of the fabrics being
present there. The assemblage is very fragmented so there were few diagnostic forms.

POST MEDIEVAL WARES

There are 13 sherds of post medieval pottery, principally present as Verwood-type ware. Sherds of
Post Medieval Redware and Westerwald Stoneware are also present.

Verwood-type Ware

Eleven of the 13 sherds are of Verwood-type ware. This is an iron rich sandy ware produced in east
Dorset and west Hampshire. The village of Verwood is generally considered to be the type site for
these wares, but a kiln in the Wellow area has also been identified through fieldwalking so it is likely
that at least some of these vessels were sourced from this kiln. Amongst the sherds, 2 jars and a
pancheon could be positively identified.

Post Medieval Redware

Post Medieval Redware is small but consistently occurring component of assemblages in the west of
Hampshire. It is more common in the east of the county, where it was produced at centres such as
Fareham, as well as further north as part of the Hampshire/Surrey border industry and in West
Sussex. It is an iron rich, red sandy ware, with a glossy clear glaze, which has a bright orange
appearance. The single small sherd could not be assigned to a specific form.

Westerwald-type Stoneware

A single sherd of Westerwald-type stoneware, dated to the 16th-18th century, is present. It is the only
sherd of imported pottery in the assemblage. It is a light grey stoneware, with cobalt blue
underglaze decoration. Westerwald-type Stoneware is fairly common in Romsey, so its presence
here is unremarkable.

Wares of Unknown Date

A single sherd of chalk tempered ware could not be accurately dated. Whilst chalk tempered wares
are a common component of Anglo-Saxon assemblages from Romsey, the single sherd present here
bares some similarity to later medieval sandy wares. It is possible that it is of Kennet Valley type B,
dated to the 13th-14th century:

Fabric MQc3 is black throughout. There are common, medium sized sub-rounded quartz inclusions, with
occasional, large, sub-angular chalk fragments.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
This small assemblage suggests that the village of East Wellow was supplied through the similar
mechanism as Romsey in the medieval period, with the bulk of the assemblage being replicated
there. As in Romsey the bulk of the pottery seems to have been supplied from the industries of east
Wiltshire or west Hampshire, whilst there are small components which could have been sourced
further east. The fragmented nature of the assemblage makes a comparison of forms difficult, but in
general composition the assemblage seems similar to that from Romsey, implying similar patterns of
ceramic use in the village. It must be considered however that the pottery was not recovered from a
domestic context and this limits an further interpretation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brown, D, 2002 Pottery in Medieval Southampton c1066-1510. CBA Research Report 133, York.

Mepham, L and Brown L. 2007, ‘The Broughton to Timsbury Pipeline, Part 1: A late Saxon pottery kiln
and the production centre at Michelmersh, Hampshire’ in Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club
Archaeological Society 62, 35-68.

Musty, J, Algar, D and Ewence, P., 1969 ‘The Medieval Pottery Kilns at Laverstock, near Salisbury,
Wiltshire, Archaeologia 52, 83-150.

Thomson, R, Barton, K and Jarvis, K., 1983 ‘The Pottery’ in K. Jarvis (ed), Excavations in Christchurch
1969-1980. Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Monograph Series 5, Dorchester, 53-
68.