If you think this information is inaccurate please e-mail corrections to North Lincolnshire HER .

Summary

An assemblage of medieval and post medieval pottery and ceramic building material, found during fieldwalking and trial excavation, 2003

Monument Types

• FINDSPOT (MED/PM, Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - None

Associated Finds

• BRICK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Events

• Fieldwalking at Countess Close, Alkborough, North Lincolnshire, 2003
• Trial trenching at Countess Close, Alkborough, 2003 (Ref: CCA2003)

Full description

An assemblage of 380 sherds of medieval and post medieval pottery, found during fieldwalking and trial excavation by Humber Field Archaeology, 2003. This was part of the HLF- funded South Humber Bank Wildlife and People Project.

The distribution of pottery clearly demonstrated occupation of medieval date within the Countess Close enclosure, and the quantity found to the south of the enclosure may suggest the existence of a southern annex. Although there may have been some dispersal through ploughing, the destroyed parts of the enclosure bank and ditch are free of post medieval but not medieval pottery, suggesting that the medieval distribution has not been greatly affected by this destruction. Smaller quantities of post-medieval pottery were found inside the enclosure, the majority being located to the south, probably by manuring and rubbish dumping.

The distribution of medieval brick and roof-tile mirrored that of the pottery, with some exceptions. Within Countess Close earthwork and immediately to the south, only small amounts were found, and those were from the eastern side near the footpath. Further south, the distribution appeared to follow the line of the trackway across the field, which again suggests that demolition material was dumped along a pathway.

The pottery was identified by Alan Vince Archaeological Consultants :

'One hundred and seventy-two sherds were identified as being of post-conquest medieval date. Of these, two might be Yorkshire Gritty ware (YG?) of late 11 th to 13th century date, 32 are of Lincoln Fine-shelled ware (LFS) which is present both before and after the conquest and forms the majority of 12th-century coarsewares in north Lincolnshire. Several of the sherds contain a high rounded quartz sand content and might be the products of a centre further north than Lincoln (NLFS) whilst the remainder were probably made close to Lincoln and exported through there.

There are a number of later 12th- and 13th-century types present, including Scarborough ware (SCAR), Doncaster Hallgate B ware (DONCB), Beverley glazed wares (BEVO, not subdivided into BEVOl/BEVO2), Beverley sandy wares (BEVO SANDY) and a single sherd of Northern Gritty ware of the type found in West Yorkshire (NGRITTY).

Later medieval wares are mainly Humberware of West Cowick type (HUM) or with sandier fabrics for which a Lincolnshire source is likely (HUMB). Coal Measures whitewares are present (CMW) and these include some which are visually similar to the products of the Firsby industry, to the south of Doncaster, and some which are probably Rawmarsh projects and of 16th-century date. A single sherd was identified as a Nottingham Green-glazed light- bodied ware of later 13th to 15th-century date (NOTGL). Much of the Humberware has lost its surface and so it is not possible to distinguish 16th-century from earlier sherds. The general impression is that there is continuous sequence of medieval to post-medieval wares present and with similar quantities of late 12th to 14th and later 14th to 15th-century wares. Thus, apart from the change in pottery sources from a local and Beverley-dominated assemblage to a Humberware-dominated assemblage there is no other sign of disruption either side of the Black Death.

Likewise, there is a complete sequence of transitional late 15th/16th century mid post- medieval wares (Table 6). The earliest of these are Cistercian ware (CSTN) and Bourne D ware (BOU). Although theoretically the Blackwares (BL) and glazed red earthenwares (GRE) might occur in the early 16th century, it is most likely that they are considerably later, and for the Blackwares may well be contemporary in part with the unrecorded late 18th and 19th- century wares.
Four sherds of Frechen stoneware were found. They all appear from their curvature and wall thickness to come from 'belarmine' bottles of early to mid 17th-century date rather than mugs which have a wider date range. Eighteen sherds of brown-glazed earthenware (BERTH) were identified. They probably date to the later 16th, 17th, and early to mid 18th- centuries. Three sherds of late Humberware were identified. These too could be extremely late (LHUM). Four sherds of Chinese porcelain were Identified. They are probably all manufactured in the early 18th century but typically occur in assemblages of much later date since such wares, especially plates (which these four are), were inherited as heirlooms.

A single sherd of tin-glazed ware was present, probably because such wares would not survive long in ploughsoil. It is from a plain plate with a wide flange and is probably of mid 17th century date. Wheelthrown slipware vessels of probable Staffordshire origin were fairly common and include types of later 17th, early 18th and mid 18th-century date (STRE, STCO, STEM, STSL). In addition some of the Blackwares are visually identical to Staffordshire products (STCOAR). Unsourced slipwares were also present (SLIP). 18th-century finewares include a single piece of white salt-glazed stoneware (SWSG) and a sherd of Worcester Porcelain with a deep cobalt blue surface and gold leaf decoration (ENPO). The latter could as easily be a 19th- as an 18th-century example.' [1, 2]

<1> North Lincolnshire HER, 2003, Countess Close trial trench excavations, 18-19, 30-31, 35-37, 49, Figs 11,13 (PHOTOGRAPH - DIGITAL). SLS5168.

<1> Bradley, J., Fraser, J. & Steedman, K., 2004, An Archaeological Evaluation at Countess Close, Alkborough, North Lincolnshire, 18-19, 30-31, 35-37, 49, Figs 11,13 (REPORT - INTERIM, RESEARCH, SPECIALIST, ETC). SLS2687.

<2> Atkinson, D., 2004, HFA Evaluation and Watching Brief Reports, Report 153 p18-19,30-31,35-37,49 Figs 11,13 (COMPUTER DISK/TAPE). SLS2723.

Sources and further reading

Related records

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.