Fabric 49 - St Neots type ware


Iron rich clay with abundant fossilised plate shell fragments measuring 3.0mm.
The fabric is brown to black in colour.

Manufacture
Wheel-thrown; Several of the bowls have pronounced throwing grooves.
Decoration
The jars are generally undecorated but the bowls can have roller stamp decoration on the rims.
Unlocated, BEDFORDSHIRE/NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
This fabric was first identified at St Neots but no kiln sites have been identified. It is thought that the pottery was bonfire fired so no kilns may exist. There are a number of possible geological sources which lie in the North Bedfordshire and South Northamptonshire border. Small numbers of bowls and jars have been found in Droitwich and Worcester.
Saxon (Mid 9th to 11th centuries)
The industry starts in the mid 9th century but in Oxford these types of vessels are first found in the mid 10th century and continue in use until the mid 11th century. A mid 11th century end date is confirmed by finds from Worcestershire.

Hardness
Soft

Core colour
Black
Int surface colour
Brown
Ext surface colour
Black
Int margin colour
Brown
Ext margin colour
Brown
DB ID Modified Description Frequency Size Sorting Rounding
85 0 Fossil shell Abundant Coarse Well-sorted n/a