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INTRODUCTION
This report presents a re-evaluation of the pottery recovered from excavations at Creatures Pet
Shop, Market Place, Romsey. This small excavation was carried out by Test Valley Archaeological
Trust. The archaeological evidence consisted of a number of medieval features, cut into a dark soil
horizon which contained evidence of mid-Saxon iron smelting activity. Feature 37 is a channel which
cuts through the site and may be related to the later Shitlake (Scott et al unpub, 20). The pottery
from the site has been reported on previously by Helen Rees who identified parallels in these wares
with material from Hamwic. The aim of this report is threefold:
To relate the material to the new Romsey type series and therefore allow comparison with
other sites.
To discuss the site formation processes.
To re-assess the dating of the pottery.
A small assemblage of Roman pottery was also recovered (34 sherds), principally from Roman
features. This has also been discussed by Rees and will not be discussed here further. The medieval
assemblage consists of only 75 sherds in a range of typical early medieval fabrics. These will be
discussed in broad terms, before being discussed by site phase. Four site phases were identified in
post-excavation analysis, with phase 3 being divided into 3 sub-phases:
Phase 1: Romano-British
The types mentioned here are defined in Jervis, B. Forthcoming “Medieval Pottery from Romsey: An
Overview” and fabric descriptions have been lodged with Hampshire Museum Service.
THE MEDIEVAL POTTERY
Many of the pottery fabrics are represented by single sherds (table 1). Types not known elsewhere
are described below. This is the case for flint tempered ware, of the course variety paralleled in the
latter phases of Hamwic and the flint and sand tempered ware of Newbury type (Lorraine Mepham,
pers. comm) as well as the mid-Saxon organic tempered ware. There are 2 sherds of flint and sand
tempered ware, which appears to be of later Saxo-Norman date. There are also single sherds of
finer sandy wares and fine sandy wares with flint (described below), whilst 2 sherds of Winchester-
type ware are present. The bulk of the assemblage therefore appears to be of Saxo-Norman date,
and this is supported by the presence of 12 sherds of Wessex Coarseware, a common 12th-14th
century type in Romsey. There are also sherds of later medieval sandy wares MQ3, MQ4 and Late
Medieval Organic Tempered ware, all of which are believed to date to the latter part of the 14th
century. A single sherd of FQfe4 is present, this fabric is described below, as is a single sherd of post-
medieval Verwood-type ware.
%ge %ge
Ware SC SC SW SW
Roman 34 31% 386 28%
Mid Saxon Organic Tempered 1 1% 13 1%
Flint tempered ware 1 1% 3 0%
Flint and sand tempered ware 2 2% 18 1%
Flint and sand tempered ware (Newbury
type) 1 1% 12 1%
FQ2 1 1% 14 1%
FQF3 1 1% 5 0%
Wessex Coarseware 12 11% 129 9%
Winchester-type Ware 2 2% 13 1%
Laverstock-type Ware 1 1% 3 0%
FQfe4 1 1% 7 1%
MQ3 32 29% 419 30%
MQ4 2 2% 93 7%
Late medieval organic tempered sandy
ware 17 16% 245 18%
Verwood 1 1% 19 1%
Total 109 1379
Table 1: Wares Present at Creatures Pet Shop
FQF3 is a fine sandy whiteware, with occasional, large, angular flint inclusions. It may be of 13th century date
on the basis of the presence of similar fabrics in contexts of this date at the Newton Lane excavations.
This pottery can now be discussed by phase (table 2). All of the 27 sherds from the Roman phase 1
are Roman in date and will not be discussed here.
CONCLUSIONS
Due to the small size of the assemblage, it is not possible to make any judgements about the pottery
of Anglo-Saxon Romsey in any detail. What can be determined is that most of the Anglo-Saxon
material from this site is probably of late Anglo-Saxon or Saxo-Norman date. There is only evidence
of 13th-14th century occupation in the form of residual sherds of Laverstock-type ware and a sherd of
possible Surrey Whiteware. Phase 3c would appear to date to the late 14th century, with the
assemblage consisting of types common in features of this date elsewhere in Romsey.