Medieval Ceramics Volume 36: Journal of the Medieval Pottery Research Group

The report is an attempt to draw conclusions from over 40 years of research on the medieval pottery from Wharram Percy. It charts the period from the 5th to the 17th centuries; 1200 years during which time the sources of pottery used by the inhabitants of the village changed, as did their social and economic network of contacts. Less than half of the pottery comes from stratified contexts, but its distribution across the site nonetheless gives invaluable insights into the excavations and helps to place it within its regional and national context. The report is the culmination of an ambitious project conceived of by Anna Slowikowski, who had worked on the material for many years, but who was prevented from completing the work due to illness. The meticulous detail of her archive will, however, provide future students with an invaluable resource, and it is hoped that this report will serve not only as an overview of the conclusions which can be drawn from Anna’s scholarly work, but as a memorial to her commitment and contribution to the Wharram Percy project.

A re-evaluation of the antler and bone waste from Melbourne Street in Southampton revealed an antler stamp with circular indentations on two tines. Double-pronged antler stamps are known also from West Stow, and from M0en in Denmark. During the early Anglo-Saxon period antler stamps may have been used to decorate ceramics, although few direct comparisons can be made between stamps and stamp impressions and the correlation between them is general rather than specific. In recent decades the number of antler stamps has increased considerably. There are now nine stamps from Hamwic and ten from other middle and late Saxon sites, against just ten from sites of early Anglo-Saxon date. There is little correlation between stamps and stamped ceramics of the middle and late Saxon periods and it is more likely that these stamps were used to emboss vegetable-tanned leather. During the middle Saxon period antler stamps were also used, alongside other implements, to produce impressions on loomweights and there is a strong correlation with objects used by women. This provides the possibility that the stamps themselves were the possessions of women.

This study reopens the book on the Chilvers Coton medieval ceramics ‘industry’. It explores the character of the historic landscape where pottery kilns have been found. It examines evidence of land ownership and land use, casting new light on the possible origins of the industry and its context and spatial extent within the medieval landscape. It considers, for the first time, the archaeological evidence of pottery production at Chilvers Coton in the light of revised ceramic dates. In doing so, and although not the initial purpose, the study addresses a major aspect of one of the current regional research aims for Warwickshire, namely: ‘WM21: Reassessment of, and further work on, the Chilvers Coton production site; the Nuneaton industry is large but its extent is not known’ (Irving 2011, 36).

The history of the Medieval Pottery Research Group (MPRG) would not be complete if it were not for the involvement of the local research groups which either inspired or evolved from the main society. The local groups provide additional meetings to that of the annual conference and allow for the exchange of information at ‘grass roots’ and wider levels. This paper was inspired by Anna Slowikowski’s active participation in the South-East Midlands Medieval Pottery Research group, which under her joint tenure with other organisers, insured that at least two meetings of this group happened each year. In this paper, the present regional organisers of the local groups were asked for a contribution concerning reminiscences of Anna’s involvement or aspects of their involvement with regional groups and what these activities at a local level achieved.

Publication review

Publication review

List of Officers and Council of the Medieval Pottery Research Group 2014-2015

Preliminaries (i.e. coverpage, contents) of Medieval Ceramics 2015

Foreword to the issue