VESSEL

Eardisland History and Heritage Group

Eardisland Excavation 2000-2010

Site Summary: Finds were made during the excavation of a mound in the grounds adjacent to the dwelling: Burton Court Eardisland. The trench in which the majority of artefacts were found measured 5 metres by 3 metres. The stratified assemblage of pottery is of regional importance being especially well preserved and evidence for a domestic non-castle medieval site dating from the twelfth to early thirteenth centuries (1100-1250)

Site number: BC 01

Sector: D

Context number: 105

One body sherd of Malvern Chaseware HER (Hereford) B1 - probably produced at Hanley Castle, Worcestershire. from hand made cooking pots.

It measures: 10.7mm high, 23.2mm width, 5.6mm thick; it weighs 0.8 grams.

__________________________________________________________

Sherd specific details:

Fabric Type: Malvern Chaseware HER (Hereford) B1

Fabric Condition: A hard coarse fabric with inclusions

Firing Condition: Exterior: black, Core: dark grey and Interior dark grey

Surface texture:. Exterior very smooth (almost burnished) and no sooting and interior smooth- no sooting or limescale.

Condition of sherds: Poor: abraded

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