VESSEL

Fabric Type: Malvern Chaseware HER (Hereford) B1 - hand thrown

Fabric Condition: A hard coarse fabric with inclusions

Firing Condition: 1. Exterior black, core - black to dark brown, Interior: Mid-brown 2. Exterior dark grey to black; core and interior - dark grey

Surface texture: 1. exterior smooth lightly sooted and interior rough and heavily evenly limescaled; 2. exterior smooth no sooting and interior rough and limescaledwith possible food residues

Condition of sherds. Good- unabraded

Inclusions: Large common fragments of light - mid grey and white angular grits (max 3.0mm - 0.5mm), Sparse angular quartz (less than 0.1mm), Angular mid-grey - white soft limestone / clacite, small sparse mid grey - mid brown coloured stone (ironstone?)

Glaze: None

Class: Malvern Chaseware HER (Hereford) B1

Comments: Dr. Alan Vince - identified this as Malvern Chaseware HER (Hereford) B1 and states that the most common inclusions within the fabric consists of large angular fragments of igneous rock (up to 4.0mm across) which form up to 10% by volume of the pot. Rounded quartz (up to 1.4mm) is also common at approximately 4% by volume. Other large inclusion sometimes are 1.0mm across include rounded sandstones and metamorphic rocks. Small fragmnets of rounded chert, clay pellets, biotite, and horneblende occur, white opaque iron ore and angular quartz both less than 0.1mm are visible in section. Vessels are usually black or grey thoughout owing to reduction in the firing and the presence of carbon within the fabric.

The earliest 12th century vessels are thin-walled irregularly hand formed and roughly cylindrical cooking pots. Rims are usually everted and angular in profile while a few have a cordon just below the rim. Very little finishing is apparent. The late 12th and 13th century pots are similar although the vessels tend to become slightly larger and thicker walled with smoother profiles.