Journal of the Chester Archaeological Society 58

Excavation of a cesspit yielded pottery of late 13th/early 14th century and also a sample of some 40g of organic matter which, though dried out, was successfully treated in the laboratory to yield recognisable remains. These were mainly fruit stones of bullace and sloe (Prunus domestica ssp insititia (L) C K Schneid and P spinosa L). The stones were embedded in a matrix which yielded 28 other taxa, including many food plants; the only species found in significant quantity was ground (or digested) seed fragments of Agrostemma githago L, known as a violent purgative or even abortifacient.