Upchurch and North Kent (Roman) Pottery

A ceramic typology for northern Kent, first to third centuries A.D. By Jason Monaghan

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Pictures of Shell tempered fabrics - Page 249

H1/4hp - H – shell,  1 - variation,  /  4 - Higham, h - shell, p - pitch-painted

(Background grid to pictures in cm squares)

Picture still to be added here

Picture of fabric of sherd of Shell Tempered Ware pictured above
(scale in millimetres)

 H1/4h

Colour           : orange or blue-grey.
Section         : as surface or contrasting shade.
Texture         : rough.
Hardness      : soft.
Fracture        : irregular.
Surface         : ‘corky’ appearance when shell leaches out.
Decoration    : thumbnail impressions or stabbing around jar shoulders. Grooves, cordons and occasional
                        burnished areas.
Manufacture : hand built, wheel finished rim, often knife trimmed near base.
Inclusions     : Shell, abundant, very coarse, i, F.
                       Quartz, sparse, fine and coarse, i, R.
                       Greensand, occasional, medium, i, R.
                       Chalk, occasional, coarse, i, A.
                       Flint, occasional, fine-very coarse, i, A.
                       Grog, occasional, medium-coarse, i, A.
                       Mica, occasional, very fine, i, F.
                       Voids, occasional, medium-very coarse, i, I.

Variations :
H1/4hp: As above, but the vessel rim and shoulder are painted with pitch. 

H1/6h: As above. Shell is moderate, medium, i, F.


H2/4
Colour          : Orange-pink or blue-grey.
Section        : as surface or contrasting shade.
Texture        : rough.
Hardness     : soft.
Fracture       : laminar-irregular.
Surface        : 'corky' when shell leaches out.
Decoration   : cordons, grooves, some occasional burnish.
Manufacture : wheel thrown.
Inclusions     : Shell, abundant coarse, i, F.
                       Quartz, moderate, fine, w, SA.
                       Quartz, sparse, medium & coarse, i, SA.
                       Greensand, occasional, medium, i, R.
                       Charcoal, occasional, coarse, i, I.
                       Chalk, occasional, coarse, i, A.
                       Flint, occasional, coarse, i, A.

Note :
A very similar fabric was produced in the same area in the 14th century, but the surface is a darker grey, with lighter buff-grey sections.

Fabric definitions - Fabrics are listed according to temper. Where fabrics from different production sites are very similar, only the most typical is described in full. The remainder are listed in numerical order. Only Upchurch and Thameside fabrics are described, those of Thameside Essex and West Kent being beyond the scope of this work. The philosophy of the chosen system is outlined in chapter 4.

Temper Codes   C - chaff,   F - flint,   G - grog,   H - shell,   I - no temper,   S - sand

Production Area    1 - Upchurch, including Hoo and all Medway marshes.   2 -Isle of Grain.
     Codes              3 - Higham and the High ground above the Thames.       4 -Cliffe parish.   
                              5 - Shorne parish and marshes to the east of Chalk.       6 -Cooling and Halstow marshes.

Technical Variations   b - burnished.      h -hand made body (rim may be wheel finished),
                                    p -pitch-painted,  s -slipped.

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