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BAR 620 2015 HOBSON, CLAY & BROWN THE ROMANS IN HUDDERSFIELD– A NEW ASSESSMENT
B A R
The Romans in Huddersfield – A New Assessment Huddersfield and District Archaeological Society
Excavations in the vicus of Slack Roman fort 2007, 2008 and 2010
Barry Hobson Granville Clay Gerrie Brown
BAR British Series 620 2015
The Romans in Huddersfield – A New Assessment Huddersfield and District Archaeological Society
Excavations in the vicus of Slack Roman fort 2007, 2008 and 2010
Barry Hobson Granville Clay Gerrie Brown
BAR British Series 620 2015
Published in 2016 by BAR Publishing, Oxford BAR British Series 620 The Romans in Huddersfield – A New Assessment © The authors individually and the Publisher 2015 The authors' moral rights under the 1988 UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act are hereby expressly asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be copied, reproduced, stored, sold, distributed, scanned, saved in any form of digital format or transmitted in any form digitally, without the written permission of the Publisher.
ISBN 9781407314068 paperback ISBN 9781407323053 e-format DOI https://doi.org/10.30861/9781407314068 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library BAR Publishing is the trading name of British Archaeological Reports (Oxford) Ltd. British Archaeological Reports was first incorporated in 1974 to publish the BAR Series, International and British. In 1992 Hadrian Books Ltd became part of the BAR group. This volume was originally published by Archaeopress in conjunction with British Archaeological Reports (Oxford) Ltd / Hadrian Books Ltd, the Series principal publisher, in 2015. This present volume is published by BAR Publishing, 2016.
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CONTENTS THE ROMANS IN HUDDERSFIELD – A NEW ASSESSMENT�������������������������������������������������������� 1 ABSTRACT������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 1 LOCATION������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 1 EXPLORATION AND EXCAVATIONS AT SLACK - A SUMMARY����������������������������������������� 3 SLACK FORT IN THE WIDER CONTEXT���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5 HDAS AND THE SLACK PROJECT�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6 FIELDWORK���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7 THE NORTH WEST FIELD����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7 DISCUSSION�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17 CONCLUSION����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18 APPENDIX A (Hilary Cool)������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 19 ROMAN VESSEL GLASS FROM THE EXCAVATIONS AT SLACK��������������������������������������� 19 THE TYPES PRESENT���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20 THE NATURE OF THE ASSEMBLAGE������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 21 THE GLASS FROM THE EXCAVATIONS OF 1968 AND 1969����������������������������������������������� 22 THE GLASS FROM THE EXCAVATIONS OF 2007 AND 2008����������������������������������������������� 23 BIBLIOGRAPHY (Glass)������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 23 THE ROMAN GLASS OBJECTS FROM THE EXCAVATIONS AT SLACK��������������������������� 24 BIBLIOGRAPHY�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24 THE ROMAN WINDOW GLASS FROM THE EXCAVATIONS AT SLACK��������������������������� 25 APPENDIX B - PART 1 (David Griffiths)�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26 ANALYSIS OF THE ROMAN POTTERY RECOVERED DURING EXCAVATIONS IN 2007- 8 AT SLACK ROMAN FORT���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26 APPENDIX B - PART 2 (David Griffiths)�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 28 ANALYSIS OF THE ROMAN POTTERY RECOVERED DURING EXCAVATIONS CONDUCTED BY BRIAN HARTLEY IN 1968-9 AT SLACK ROMAN FORT����������������������� 28 CONCLUSION����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 29 CATALOGUE�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 31 FABRIC DESCRIPTIONS ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 32 BIBLIOGRAPHY (Pottery)���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 35 2007 FINDS BY TRENCH LOCATION�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 36 2008 FINDS BY TRENCH LOCATION ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 38 1968 FINDS BY TRENCH LOCATION ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 51
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1969 FINDS BY TRENCH LOCATION�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 59 APPENDIX C (Kay Hartley).................................................................................................................. 70 THE MORTARIA FROM EXCAVATIONS AT SLACK 1968-9 AND 2007-8���������������������������� 70 BIBLIOGRAPHY�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 78 APPENDIX D (Gerrie Brown)�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 80 REPORT ON UNPUBLISHED EXCAVATIONS CARRIED OUT AT SLACK ROMAN FORT IN ADVANCE OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE M62 MOTORWAY BY B. R. HARTLEY.��� 80 INTRODUCTION������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 80 LOCATION����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 80 HARTLEY PRELIMINARY REPORT����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 80 EXCAVATIONS AT SLACK 1968-9�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 80 THE POTTERY����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 82 THE GLASS���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 83 1968 SUMMARY�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 84 1969 SUMMARY�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 86 HARTLEY ARCHIVE SUMMARY��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 89 APPENDIX E EXTRACT FROM RADIOCARBON DATING CERTIFICATE������������������������������ 91 APPENDIX F BIBLIOGRAPHY (Main Report)���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 92 APPENDIX G ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 93
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ABSTRACT Work on the vicus of the Roman fort at Slack, Huddersfield, by HDAS during three seasons of excavation in 2007, 2008 and 2010 has led to a reconsideration of the dates of Roman occupation, taking it well into the 3rd and possibly 4th centuries AD. As on many other Roman military sites, the vicus area has had little attention and the possible continuation of the civilian area as a place of note on the Roman road has not been fully investigated. Radiocarbon dating and pottery analysis show convincingly that there was considerable late activity in the vicus area adjacent to the fort and the Roman road from Chester to York. KEYWORDS Dating, Roman, Slack, Pottery, vicus, B. R. Hartley. LOCATION Slack Roman fort is located 5.5 km west of Huddersfield (NGR SE 084 174). It is one of several first constructed in the Agricolan period along the line of the military way between the Legionary bases at Chester and York.
FIG. 1. LOCATION OF SLACK ROMAN FORT - NO LONGER VISIBLE ABOVE GROUND The site has been known since the 18th century and the first extensive excavations were carried out in 1865-66 by the Huddersfield Archaeological and Topographical Association which later became the Yorkshire Archaeological Society. More advanced excavation techniques were used in the 20th century, and the following diagrams show the location of the most significant activities. The following overall site plan is reproduced with the kind permission of Elizabeth Hartley and it shows the excavation trenches from1968-69. There is some debate about the structure and position of the annexe boundaries to the east and west of the fort. (See appendix D for more information on the Brian Hartley excavations.)
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BARRY HOBSON, GRANVILLE CLAY, GERRIE BROWN
FIG. 2. EXCAVATION AREAS AT SLACK ROMAN FORT IN ‘MODERN’ TIMES
FIG. 3. SITE PLAN FOR 1958-63 EXCAVATIONS FROM YAJ VOL. 42
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Fig. 4. Site plan for 1968-69 excavation
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EXPLORATION AND EXCAVATIONS AT SLACK - A SUMMARY In The History of Manchester (1771) the Rev. John Whitaker discusses the Roman site to the east of Castleshaw which he says is situated in the ground ‘vulgarly denominated Slack in the township of Longwood’. He goes on to comment that this station is named as Camulodunum in the Geography of Ptolemy (ii, 6, 10) and Cambodunum in the Antonine itineraries (468, 6). Allowing for a confusion of spelling it could be assumed that Slack was an active settlement when both these documents were compiled in the second and third centuries. A paper On the Roman Hypocaust discovered at Slack was presented to the Huddersfield Archaeological and Topographical Association by J.K. Walker Esq. MD on the 3rd June 1865, which discussed this finding. (‘General Meeting of the Association’ - June 1865 p. 29-35.) On November 15th 1865 the London Times had a short article mentioning that amongst other finds the Association had discovered a building, 68ft by 64ft, the outer walls of which were nearly 3ft in thickness and near to this building a hypocaust was discovered. In an article entitled On the Roman Station at Slack, Fairless Barber renewed the debate, which had apparently continued unabated, about the name of the Slack site and the possibility that there was another station at Greetland. Barber emphasises the fact that the Roman road from Mancunium to Leeds and Tadcaster (Calcaria) passes within a few yards of the Slack site, indicating its importance. (YAJ vol.1 1870). The first ‘modern’ excavations of the fort were carried out by P.M. Dodd and A. M. Woodward between 1913 and 1915. (YAJ vol.26 1922). In their report (p. 89) they continued the debate about the Antonine Iter II, where the name Cambodunum appears, and concluded that ‘The claims of Slack to be identified with Cambodunum are weakened rather than supported by the chronological evidence from the excavation’. The report also comments (p. 83) that ‘although the area outside the fort was not exhaustively examined
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown it may be stated with reasonable certainty that we have nothing here beyond the annexes, common outside Romano-British forts, designed to accommodate camp-followers, and sometimes after a lapse of years, developing into a town which outlived the fort. Of such development there is no trace at Slack’. (Authors’ italics). Their dating of the fort by the ceramic finds suggested that there had been an occupation period between AD 85 and AD 125-130 at the latest. However the coarse wares tended to suggest that these dates might be extended to AD140. This dating is also associated with the dates of the building of Hadrian’s Wall and the Antonine Wall and also has some correlation with the abandonment of the fort at Castleshaw, alleged by Haverfield to be not long after AD 125. (Slack, Greetland, Cambodunum. Francis J. Haverfield. YAJ vol. 23 p. 395-398). In his book Huddersfield in Roman Times (Huddersfield 1925) (p. 47), Ian Richmond, using the data from Dodd and Woodward, confirms Haverfield’s date of AD 125 as the abandonment of the Slack fort, stating that refurbishing of the fort ceased after ‘only one block of the new stone barracks ever was completed’. Further excavation was carried out in the fort and its surrounds between 1958 and 1963 by J. Hunter, T. Manby and J. Spaul. (YAJ vol. 42). A number of trenches were dug in the northern part of what they assumed to be the annexe to the fort. Little evidence of habitation was demonstrated except for some stones in trenches C/63 and D/63 (see FIG.3) which were thought to be, possibly, the floor of a building. In the discussion of the pottery from these trenches they infer that occupation was most intensive from AD 125-160 and occupation down to AD 200 was possible. They suggest (p. 87) that ‘the plentiful amphora fragments, pieces of fine pottery and glass vessels all serve to indicate the prosperity of the annexe’s occupants’ and that ‘the final withdrawal of the soldiers c. AD 140 did not end occupation of the annexe’. In 1968 and 1969 Brian Hartley excavated some trenches to the north of the fort prior to the construction of the M62 motorway which was to destroy the Roman road. The results of this work have not been published but Gerrie Brown, a member of the HDAS, was granted access to the Hartley archive and a summary of his report appears as an appendix to this paper. In 1990 there was a trial excavation at Outlane Golf Club prior to the extension of the club house. A report by West Yorkshire Archaeological Services in November 1990 revealed that some Roman tile fragments had been found, but nothing else of significance. (WYAS Report No 122). In 1992, because of the possibility of widening of the M62 to the south, the HDAS undertook a small excavation in the field thought to be the north west part of the annexe (SE 0832 1750). A boundary ditch was discovered, cut into the bed-rock. It yielded little information and unfortunately did not coincide with the geophysical survey carried out by Dr Arnold Aspinall. (Spence, B.1993 Unpublished HDAS archive report). In 1994 excavations were conducted by West Yorkshire Archaeological Services in advance of the construction of a stable block. No archaeological features or stratified deposits were found. (WYAS Watching Brief Report No. 158). In 1995 there was a further excavation by West Yorkshire Archaeological Services on behalf of Yorkshire Water during the installation of a new pipeline. This revealed enclosing ditches, internal roads, walls and paved and cobbled surfaces within the vicus of Slack fort. The report suggests the possibility of continuation of use of the vicus in the 3rd century AD. This dating comes from spot samples of the pottery finds including three groups of Dressel 20 amphorae which were imported from Spain from the 1st to 3rd century. There is also a grey ‘sandwich’ horizontal jar rim dated 2nd to 3rd century. The pottery finds confirmed previous dating, although in (2.2) attention is drawn to the statement by Hunter, Manby and Spaul that ‘The annexe, although attached to the fort, seems to have continued in importance after
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The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment the fort declined, perhaps due to its positioning on the Roman road from York to Chester’. (WYAS Watching Brief Report No. 478). (See also note in Britannia 1997 vol. 28 p. 419). From this brief summary of the investigation of the site over the previous two hundred years a number of conclusions can be drawn. Firstly, as with many Roman military sites, the vicus area has had scant attention, but more importantly, apart from one or two pointers, the possible continuation of activity in the civilian area adjacent to the Roman road has been little investigated. The lack of evidence within the fort does not preclude this. SLACK FORT IN THE WIDER CONTEXT Professor Ian Richmond in his Roman Britain (1955 p. 134) wrote ‘The Calder basin, from above Huddersfield to Castleford, has yielded altars dedicated to the tutelary deity of the Brigantes by Roman citizens whose names strongly suggest that they too were veteran settlers’. Two of these three altars were found within 4 km of the Roman fort at Slack and all three were dedicated by people whose family names included a reference to Aurelius, probably in deference to the celebrated Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus in power from AD 161-180. All three altars were also dedicated in part to the gods of the Brigantes, the collection of tribes who controlled much of the north of England in pre-Roman times. Only the altar found near Greetland in 1597 can be dated precisely to AD 208, because the inscription refers to the Consulships of Antoninus III and Geta II. (RIB 627). However, because of the similarities of dedication the other altars from Longwood (RIB 623) near Huddersfield and Castleford (RIB 628) may be presumed to be of a similar age. There was a fourth altar, now lost, that was found in 1736 near the bath house of Slack fort. The inscription for this survives (RIB 624) and its dedication by a centurion of Legio VI Victrix cannot be earlier than AD 122 when this legion moved to York from the Continent. As this part of the north of England is thought to have been reasonably peaceful at that time, there seems to be little reason to base a detachment at Slack when the Sixth Legion’s main task lay in the construction of Hadrian’s Wall. Towards the close of the second century much of the army was taken to the Continent by Clodius Albinus to challenge the position of Severus as Emperor in AD 197. (Salway, P. 1993). The legions returned to a time of great unrest and it seems more likely that a detachment of the legion was based at Slack towards the close of the second century and early third while re-establishing military control of York and restoration in the Pennines. (Salway, P. p. 165). These altars all suggest a continuation of Roman activity in the vicinity of the fort at Slack, well into the third century. Roman coin finds within the fort over many years of excavation have been limited to about sixteen. The earliest is attributed to Vespasian, AD 69-79, and the latest to Hadrian, AD 117-138. No coin finds have been recorded from the vicus. However, within a radius of 12 km from the fort, coins have been found to the north, east and south, suggesting settled Roman activity in an extensive area to the east of the high moors of the Pennines. Random finds have emerged from gardens and fields and an antoninianus of Aurelian, AD 271-275, was found close to the Roman road running north east from Slack fort. Coin hoards have been found in the vicinity and many surviving coins, now preserved in the Tolson Memorial Museum, Huddersfield, have been identified as late Roman. (Teasdale 1961). They include, from the Thurstonland Hoard, sixty five coins, dating from Gallienus, AD 253-268, to Probus, AD 276-282. This hoard was discovered 12 km to the south east of Slack. A similar collection was found at Honley, some 8 km south east of Slack. The Elland Hall Wood hoard, about 5 km to the north east, had thirteen coins all dated to the third century.
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown These finds point to the presence of prosperous Romano British landowners and the continuation of Roman activity in the region of Slack fort well into the third century. HDAS AND THE SLACK PROJECT Since its formation in 1956, the Huddersfield and District Archaeological Society had been very active in exploring the archaeology of the Huddersfield area. It had a reputation for working to high standards which culminated in a British Archaeology Award in 2004 for the exploration of a mediaeval iron making site in Myers Wood, near Huddersfield. The work on this previously unknown site was judged to be ‘vigorous, professional and widely praised’. Another major success was the publication of the 30 year search to find the exact route of the Roman military way as it crossed the Yorkshire Pennines from Castleshaw fort to Slack fort. (The Romans Came This Way, Lunn, N. et al 2008). To mark the Golden Jubilee of the society in 2006, it was decided to seek a government licence to carry out new excavations on the Scheduled Monument site of Slack fort. The licence was granted but it soon became clear that to excavate on a scheduled site, process any artefacts, and produce a report to the professional standards required could be beyond the limited resources of an amateur society. It was therefore decided to concentrate on the little known, and unscheduled, vicus area. This proved to be a fortuitous decision. New and important discoveries were made by combining the expertise and enthusiasm of society members with the willing input of professionals in areas such as geophysical surveying and the classification of ceramic and glass artefacts. What follows is an outline report on what was done and what was discovered.
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THE ROMANS IN HUDDERSFIELD – A NEW ASSESSMENT FIELDWORK
FIG. 5. AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF SLACK ROMAN FORT ON THE MODERN LANDSCAPE Previous mapping of the extent of the vicus indicated that it lay mainly to the north and east of the fort although the 1992 excavation indicated an area of interest to the north west. In order to clarify the boundaries of the vicus the HDAS was assisted by Geoscan Research and the Department of Archaeological Sciences at the University of Bradford, who carried out a major geophysical survey during 2006 and early 2007. This covered extensive areas of land to the north, south and east of the fort, most of which is now under the golf course. The boundaries of the fort and bathhouse were established accurately, but results for the vicus were compromised by the spreading of excess material from the motorway construction and landscaping of the golf course. However, the field to the north west of the fort and south of the M62, (Fig. 5.) had escaped much of the construction work. Geophysical evidence suggested Roman construction in that area and it was known that a mansio had been postulated by B. R. Hartley and L. Fitts (The Brigantes. 1988. p. 37). THE NORTH WEST FIELD The exploration of 1992 (Spence, B. 1993) suggested a ditch and bank boundary to the north west of the fort, so it was decided to explore the field between the fort and that boundary (SE 083 175). Three trenches were planned for 2007, and in addition a fourth trench was excavated just to the north of the Clubhouse where the Outlane Golf Club committee was looking for a suitable site on which to erect a greenkeeper’s store. This trench (400), 6 m by 2 m, was dug to a depth of 1 m and revealed only rubble
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FIG. 6. EXCAVATION TRENCHES IN THE NORTH WEST FIELD IN 2007 AND 2008 and modern rubbish. It was concluded that to that depth it consisted of levelling from the construction of the underpass of the M62 which was only a few metres away. A further trench (500) was later added to the original three trenches in the field. This was an unsuccessful attempt to find evidence of a Roman ‘fireplace’ that had been reported to the landowner by casual excavators some years previously, but with no known report. In order to expand knowledge and understanding of the site, the following season of 2008 was devoted to the excavation of four large trenches in the same field. These respectively were numbered 81, 82, 83, and 84. The location of all trenches is shown in FIG. 6. The top soil was cleared, using a mechanical digger, to a depth of 0.2 m. Each trench initially measured 10 m x 4 m and there was a 1 m baulk separating 81 from 82. The top soil was checked by a metal detector, revealing coins which dated solely to the 20th century. Trench 100 (2007) provided the most important new discovery of the first season of excavations. Originally 6 m x 2 m this trench was laid, approximately east /west, across some apparent responses on the geophysical survey. It was later extended by 2 m to the west. Turf and topsoil were removed by hand with a metal detecting presence throughout. In this first context, finds included 19th century pottery fragments, a piece of Roman pottery, three pieces of abraded Roman brick, some iron bloom fragments and a small quantity of burnt stone. Post-medieval and modern metal farming objects were also identified. A yellow clay deposit, with degraded sandstone inclusions, was seen to extend across the western part of the trench. (FIG. 7.)
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FIG. 7. CLAY SEAL OVER THE CAPPING STONES OF A WATER CONDUIT Beneath the clay were capping stones to a conduit running from the north and a feeder coming from the west which was revealed by the trench extension. Probing within the field followed by the excavation of two 1 m square test pits indicated that the north/south part of this conduit was present from the southern banking of the M62 almost to the boundary of the fort, currently covered by a road and buildings. In this distance (approximately 80 m) the level of the capping stones fell by 20 cm. The conduit, although almost completely filled with silt, was running fresh water. Probing with metal rods showed that the western extension continued for several metres but could not be traced further using that method. The conduit itself had been cut into deposits which indicated industrial activity, notably a dark brown silt, very rich in iron slag. This deposit was 0.5 m deep to the east of the trench but more shallow, 0.2 m, to the west suggesting rake-out. A spread of stones from a possible wall at the eastern end of the trench was overlaid by this deposit, suggesting that industrial activity had been present after collapse of a wall or building. The phasing of this trench suggests that buildings existed in this area and these were later cut into by a conduit serving the fort. Strong evidence for the dating of the conduit has been provided by Radiocarbon dating by SUERC of the wood base (Fig. 9.) which was present in the whole of the north/south portion of the conduit, although absent from the western feeder. The dates given are BP 1775 ± 35. The 95% probability calendar dates are AD 130-350 and the 68% probability calendar dates are AD 210-340. (See appendix E.)
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FIG. 8. JUNCTION OF THE TWO CONDUITS BEFORE REMOVAL OF THE CAPPING STONES BENEATH THE CLAY SEAL
FIG. 9. CONDUIT RUNNING NORTH/SOUTH SHOWING
FIG. 10. JUNCTION OF CONDUITS WITH CAPPING
WOODEN BASE
STONES REMOVED
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THE ROMANS IN HUDDERSFIELD – A NEW ASSESSMENT It was known that on higher ground to the north west of the fort was an area rich in natural springs, particularly around the significantly named Springhead Farm. In 2010 an attempt was made to trace the line of the north/south conduit on the northern side of the M62 motorway. This was done by using metal probes to follow the projected line into the field at NGR SE 083 176. Probing identified stone exactly on the predicted line but the probing also indicated a sudden right angled turn to the west. After a few metres the stone structure appeared to come to an end. A 2 m x 1 m trench was opened over this feature and revealed, below the top soil, a substantial blueish clay layer. Beneath this was a line of capping stones very similar in construction to those on the south side of the motorway. When lifted these were found to cover a silted conduit which made a sharp turn, west to the water source and south towards the fort. (FIG. 11.) When the silt was removed and the conduit cleaned, the western extension was found to FIG. 11. CONDUIT WITH CLAY COVERING REMOVED lie over a series of small springs which readily flooded the excavation each night. (FIG. 12.) It is possible that the constructors of the conduit encountered the spring line and terminated it there as it was capable of providing an adequate supply of water.
FIG. 12. CAPPING STONES REMOVED SHOWING FLOODING DUE TO DOWNSTREAM RESTRICTION OF CONDUIT
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BARRY HOBSON, GRANVILLE CLAY, GERRIE BROWN As a typical Roman fort, Slack would require copious amounts of water. In addition to the bath house, latrines and industrial activity in the vicus, there would be demands from travellers on the nearby Roman road as well as livestock, including any cavalry horses stationed at the fort. It seems likely that a complex of conduits was used to bring fresh spring water from higher ground as well as water channels for general use. Much of this complex remains undiscovered but there is convincing evidence of its existence. In 1969 Brian Hartley reported on two structures which he interpreted as ‘intrusive drains’ in his Trench 1 in Site T and in the single trench of Site S. Hartley reported:‘An E-W stone structure was identified as an ‘intrusive drain’ which was overlapping the two with a more N-S orientation. There was patchy yellow coherent clay overlying the stones.’ (Appendix D pages 8 & 8). These structures are now seen to be very similar to the water conduits uncovered in 2007. Trench 300 (2007) produced some of the most important late dated pottery finds. It was situated to the west of the field in an area in which the geophysics had suggested some activity. Originally 6 m x 2 m, on an east-west axis, it was extended later. Evidence of early habitation and industrial use was found, with a stone feature and a ditch. Lying on top of this was a deposit, approximately 30 cm in depth, consisting of Roman tile, pottery, glass and nails, all, apparently, discarded and broken. Amongst a wide variety of ceramics, fragments of Crambeck Parchment Ware have been identified, dating to late 3rd/ early 4th century AD, which corroborated the late dating indicated by the carbon dating from trench 100. More detail can be found in the pottery report. (Appendix B). Trench 81 (2008) was positioned to pick up trench 500 from 2007 to further explore an undetermined stone feature. After extension the trench was approximately 12 m in length by 4.5 m at its southern end, tapering slightly to 4 m at the north end. The removal of the turf and topsoil revealed an area of stone and fragments of red tile. Finds removed from this area, as it was cleaned, included pottery shards, glass and tile fragments, iron nails, the rim of a metal bowl and gaming counters. The stone feature ran throughout the southern part of the trench and was on the same alignment as that found in 2007. Although there was no apparent layering of the stones it may have been part of a wall. Two possible post-holes were identified associated with this linear feature, one in the re-excavated southern part of trench 500 and one close to the southern edge of the trench. Abutting the eastern side of this feature was a concentration of tile material amongst which was found a large 15 cm iron nail. In the north east corner of the trench was an area of stone which could possibly be rough paving or the destroyed remains of some other stone feature. Wedged amongst these stones were numerous pieces of Roman pottery including amphorae rims and the lug of a ceramic bowl. This excavation suggests two distinct levels of occupation and the nature of the linear stone feature indicates the foundations of a timber structure aligned with the main access road to the fort. There was no obvious evidence for manufacturing in this trench, suggesting that this area had a more domestic use.
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THE ROMANS IN HUDDERSFIELD – A NEW ASSESSMENT
FIG. 13. TRENCH 81 LOOKING NORTH Trench 82 (2008) yielded further evidence of domestic activity. Following removal of the topsoil the surface was hand cleaned by trowel revealing a former stone surface at the eastern end of the trench. It was immediately apparent that this stone paving extended towards trench 81 and a decision was made to remove the baulk.
FIG. 14. TRENCH 82 LOOKING SOUTH
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BARRY HOBSON, GRANVILLE CLAY, GERRIE BROWN During the cleaning a number of Romano-British pottery shards were recovered from between, and on top of, the paving stones. The cleaning also revealed an arrangement of stones strongly suggestive of an entrance or threshold.
FIG. 15. TRENCH 82 SHOWING APPARENT THRESHOLD AND ASSOCIATED VESSEL (BELOW)
Immediately in front of the threshold an almost complete vessel was recovered. It has been suggested that this may have been an offering to the Roman god Janus, the guardian of thresholds, or it may have been associated with the festival of Saturnalia, a time of abundant food and wine. This hypothesis was further strengthened by the finding of another vessel minus its base (FIG.16.) approximately 2 m to the west, into which may have been poured offerings of wine.
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THE ROMANS IN HUDDERSFIELD – A NEW ASSESSMENT Large fragments of a complete tile, bearing the stamp COHIIIIBRE, were also recovered from an area between the two vessels. The stamp is known to be the mark of the fourth cohort of the Breuci, a Roman military unit originally recruited in Pannonia, who had at least one tilery at Grimescar, which lies about 5 km to the east of the Slack fort.
FIG. 16. TRENCH 82. SECOND CERAMIC VESSEL BUT
FIG. 17. TRENCH 82. TILE BEARING THE STAMP COHIIIIBRE ON THE LEFT FRAGMENT
WITH NO BASE
Following probing of the northern end of the trench a further stone platform was discovered from which more pottery shards were excavated along with two pieces of coloured glass and some corroded metallic material. These finds, along with the discovery of a fireplace surrounded by tiles (FIG.18), led to the conclusion that this had been a paved area with very active industrial use.
FIG. 18. TRENCH 82. FIREPLACE WITH SURROUNDING TILES
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BARRY HOBSON, GRANVILLE CLAY, GERRIE BROWN Post holes were also recorded from this area, the posts of which may have supported a roof over the paved area.
FIG. 19. TRENCH 82. ONE OF THE POST HOLES Shards from large ceramic vessels were found packed between the stones and in the unpaved area bone fragments were found in three shallow pits. This very productive trench appeared to demonstrate two working platforms which may have been covered and were sites of considerable activity, some of which might have been of a ritualistic nature. Trench 84 (2008) revealed what was interpreted as the remains of the stone footings of an extensively ‘robbed out’ linear wall feature. There was evidence for at least three areas of burning activity and those in the north west contained burnt sandstone and evidence of coal, charcoal, small pieces of calcined bone and shards of pottery, mainly grey-ware in type. The north eastern burnt area was similar but with less evidence of burning and these gave a strong impression of small scale domestic activity but not on an industrial scale. The findings overall are suggestive of a rectangular walled building with an interior levelled floor area with possibly three phases of activity.
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The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment DISCUSSION Until recently it has been accepted by most authorities (e.g. Bidwell & Hodgson 2009; Frere 1978; Richmond 1925) that the involvement of the Roman army with the fort at Slack ended at about AD 120 and not later than AD 140. These assumptions were based largely on the pottery previously recovered from within the fort which spanned the late first and early second centuries (Hunter et al 1967) and the historical records of the Roman army’s move northwards to Hadrian’s Wall and beyond (Bidwell & Hodgson, 2009). However, the exploratory excavations by HDAS uncovered a complex of conduits designed for carrying fresh water supplies to the vicus area north of the fort and heading directly towards the fort. This work was prompted by earlier geophysical studies, as well as the knowledge that the chosen field had not been part of any previous large scale excavation and was very little disturbed by the construction of the M62 motorway. The well built structure of the stone conduits with overlapping capping stones sealed with clay and their direction from a spring line towards the fort suggest military design and construction. They are strikingly similar to Roman structures seen in Austria between Mauer and Atzgersdorf, also at Laab and in the Lainzerstrasse (Barkoczy 1978). Importantly, parts of the Slack conduit were floored with wooden planking. The wood has been radiocarbon dated and indicates a construction, or repair, as late as the 3rd or even 4th century. This late date is supported by pottery recovered from the same excavations. An unpublished study by Griffiths (Appendix B) has identified a large proportion of material, especially the black-burnished wares, all of which date to the later second and early third centuries AD. The presence of Cream ware pottery, mainly Crambeck and Aldborough White wares dating from the end of the third and into the fourth centuries AD, suggests even later occupation at Slack. This prompted a re-examination of the pottery finds excavated by B.R. Hartley in 1968-69, again from the vicus area, but not yet published. These artefacts, previously in the custody of HDAS, were found to include a large proportion of chronologically diagnostic pottery dated to the second half of the second century AD which seems to support the late date. The Hartley collection also contains a small amount of the North Yorkshire Cream wares dating into the third and possibly fourth centuries (Griffiths Appendix B). This new evidence strongly suggests continuing Roman or Romano-British presence in the vicus. After the Roman frontier moved north to Hadrian’s Wall and beyond, the Chester to York Roman road would remain an important cross Pennine link requiring service and maintenance. It could also put into context the late date (AD 208) of the Roman altar found 4 km north of Slack, at Greetland. As shown earlier (Page 5) this altar may be contemporaneous with the now lost altar to Fortunae found near the Slack fort bath-house. The presence of these two altars may also be associated with a third undated Roman altar found in 1882 at Lower Gate, Longwood, about 4 km south east of Slack fort (Richmond 1925, 1955). Professor Richmond asserts that these altars, at least one of which dates to before the general extension of citizenship in AD 213, were erected by Roman citizen civilians ‘who have the air of army veteran settlers.’ He goes on, ‘If so, the dedications would represent shrines connected with land settlement, honouring the patron goddess of that particular countryside.’ The authors believe that the new dates and pottery from the excavation and other contextual information indicate continued activity in the vicus to a much later date than previously thought. It can be argued that a clear reason for continued activity would be to service and maintain the nearby military way between Chester and York and to provide for travellers using the road. This begs another intriguing question. As reported by Professor Richmond and others, only one barrack block in the fort is known to have been rebuilt in stone. Was this an abandoned project, or was it rebuilt at a later date to provide overnight accommodation for needy travellers?
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown CONCLUSION The new dating evidence from these excavations coupled with the contextual evidence of Roman activity in the vicinity of Slack is convincing. It must lead to the conclusion that there was continuing activity, in at least part of the vicus area, long after the fort was demilitarised. It also seems likely that a small settlement was established in this area whose Romano-British inhabitants would be involved, for many years, in providing services to travellers along the Chester/York Roman road. This new analysis of Slack in Roman times is also an encouragement for wider investigations. The vicus area of other demilitarised forts, particularly those associated with a Roman road, should now be investigated for similar evidence of prolonged occupation and activity.
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The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment APPENDIX A (Hilary Cool) ROMAN VESSEL GLASS FROM THE EXCAVATIONS AT SLACK All of the vessel glass found during the 2007/2008 excavations in the vicus by the Huddersfield and District Archaeological Society and that found during the Hartley excavations in 1968 and 1969 that survives in the archive, together with a small amount of material from the 1958 investigation has been personally inspected by the author and forms the basis of this report. Dorothy Charlesworth wrote a short report on the glass from 1968 and a few of the pieces from 1969, but it is clear that she did not see all of the 1969 material. In the decades since she wrote the report it has been possible to refine the dating of several of the forms present, and so it has seemed best to re-catalogue all the material and produce one integrated report. The lack of detailed contextual information has posed something of a problem for some identifications. Modern material is present in the assemblage and some of this clearly consists of blue/green soda glass from prismatic bottles. As the commonest vessel forms of undoubted Roman date are also blue/green prismatic bottles of soda glass in very good condition, there is sometimes a difficulty in identifying whether small body fragments are of Roman or modern date. The totals presented for the Roman blue/ green prismatic bottles might thus be not entirely accurate. Tables 1 to 3 quantify the assemblage by fragment count, weight and Estimated Vessel Equivalent. A reasonably large amount of glass has been recovered judged by weight and fragment count, but the low levels seen in the Estimated Vessel Equivalent table reflects the fact that much of the glass consists of relatively undiagnostic body fragments. Information can be gained from these about the date of the occupation, and all the evidence taken together can contribute towards our understanding of the site as a whole. What this assemblage cannot do is contribute very much to intra-site comparisons as there is not enough evidence. Colour Blue/green – pillar moulded Blue/green - bottle Blue/green – other blown Yellow /brown Pale green Yellow/green Colourless Total
1958 - 3 - - - - - 3
1968 1 38 10 1 50
1969 31 11 1 1 44
2007 1 3 1 1 6
2008 6 12 2 6 25 51
Total 2 81 34 2 1 9 25 154
Table 1. The vessel glass by year and colour quantified by fragment count. Colour Blue/green – pillar moulded Blue/green - bottle Blue/green – other blown Yellow/brown Pale green Yellow green Colourless Total
1958 8.56 8.56
1968 4.01 351.6 14.06 2.14 371.81
1969 137.97 15.47 4.18 2.41 160.03
2007 2.47 29.12 7.72 3.23 42.54
2008 24.8 10.08 2.28 4.42 20.08 61.66
Table 2. The vessel glass by year and colour quantified by weight (g)
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Total 6.48 552.05 47.33 2.28 4.18 12.2 20.08 644.60
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown Colour Blue/green – pillar moulded Blue/green - bottle Blue/green – other blown Yellow/green Colourless Total
1958 0
1968 0.20 1.26 1.46
1969 0.28 0.14 0.42
2007 0.20 0.14 0.19 0.53
2008 0.14 0.8 0.94
Total 0.4 1.68 0.28 0.19 0.8 3.35
Table 3. The vessel glass by year and colour quantified by Estimated Vessel Equivalent THE TYPES PRESENT The assemblage is predominantly made up of blue/green glass and most of it is blown. The only cast glass consists of two body fragments of pillar moulded bowls, one found during 1968 (no. 1) and one in 2007 (no. 20). This is a very common first century form that was going out of use in the late first century (Price and Cottam 1998, 44-6). During the excavations on the site in 1913 to 1915, fragments from three different bowls were identified and the implication of the report is that they too were blue/green (Dodd and Woodward 1921/2, 73, fig. 47). In the early twentieth century excavations the commonest vessel forms identified were large one-handled bottles (Dodd and Woodward 1921/2, 73) which, from the comparanda cited, must have included the cylindrical form. Blue/green cylindrical and prismatic bottles (square and hexagonal) came into common use in the later first century. The cylindrical form went out of use early in the second century, but the prismatic ones continued in use into the third century (Price and Cottam 1998, 191-200). As can be seen from tables 1 to 3 these bottles are the dominant form identified in all areas of the more recent excavations (see nos. 9-19, 28 for the more diagnostic fragments). Table 4 shows the distribution of the body and base fragments of such bottles. These are the parts of the bottles that can be assigned to shape types as the rim, neck and handle are common to both. The table shows that cylindrical bottles are well represented in the larger assemblages of 1968 and 1969 and present in the small one of 2007. The wide spatial distribution of the cylindrical bottles at Slack strongly suggests that occupation centring on the late first to early second century was widespread. Bottle type Cylindrical Prismatic Total
1958 4.8 4.8
1968 59.09 200.38 259.47
1969 28.87 100.82 129.69
2007 2.49 26.63 29.12
2008 22.05 22.05
Total 90.45 354.68 445.13
Table 4. Distribution of bottle glass (weight in g) Amongst the prismatic bottles both square and hexagonal ones are represented and some fragments indicate they came from large bottles. Two fragments come from bases with moulded decoration that would have been uncommon. By far the majority of the prismatic bottles had bases decorated only by simple concentric circles. Both of the Slack fragments do not fall into this category. No. 19 from the 1968 trench Q is too small for the base pattern to be reconstructed but would have included a circular moulding with radial ribs joining it internally, possibly like those from Lullingstone and Welwyn (Charlesworth 1966, 34 figs. 13-4). No. 18 comes from a square bottle and a large part of the base remains so it is possible to reconstruct the design with certainty. It consists of three concentric mouldings with peltate mouldings in each corner. Corner mouldings such as single dots or ‘L’-shaped mouldings are not uncommon, but I know of none with peltate mouldings such as this from Roman-Britain. The use of the pelta is interesting as this was frequently the shape of the separate feet soldered to the base of copper alloy vessels without base rings to protect them. Possibly this was what inspired this base design.
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The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment Other vessel types occur in far fewer numbers. The commonest suite of Flavian to mid second century tablewares in Roman Britain consists of long-necked jugs, collared jars and tubular rimmed bowls which are often decorated with ribs (see Price and Cottam 1998, 78-80, 137-8, 150-56). At Slack one collared jar can be identified with certainty (no. 24) and the body fragment no. 5 probably also comes from another example. No. 25 comes from the globular form of the jug. There are also a number of ribbed body fragments that probably come from this range of vessels (nos. 6-8 and nos. 26-7). The conical forms of the jug and tubular-rimmed bowls have not been identified. Both collared jars and the globular form of jug have a more limited lifespan than the rest of the suite going out of use in the early second century. Drinking vessels were only identified from the 2008 excavations. One of these consisted of numerous fragments from several different contexts (no. 21). It is an example of an externally ground colourless beaker (Price and Cottam 1998, 80-83). The commonest versions of these have facet cutting over the body. Though fragmentary no. 21 appears to have been plain, which is a rarer variant. Externally ground beakers were in use during the last third of the first century and into the second century with some surviving in use to the middle of the century. Nos. 22-3 are probably both from the range of colourless wheel-cut beakers that came into use towards the end of the first century and which were generally commonest in the mid second century (Price and Cottam 1998, 88-9). Both are thin-walled and this is often an indication of them belonging to the earlier part of the floruit of the form. The other catalogued pieces can not be as closely allocated to forms, though the base fragment no. 3 has features that might suggest it came from a bath flask (Price and Cottam 1998, 188-90). These were a long-lived form in use from the later first to third centuries. THE NATURE OF THE ASSEMBLAGE The vessel glass from the various excavations tells a very consistent story whether manufacturing method, colour or forms present are considered. Apart from the blue/green pillar moulded bowls, no cast glass has been recovered. With the exception of the yellow/brown body fragments no. 27 there is no brightly coloured glass. The scarcity of these things indicates occupation is unlikely to have started here until towards the end of the first century. Military sites where occupation started early in the Flavian advance to the north normally show some examples of both. At both Castleford and York where occupation starts in the early years of the 70s, cast and blown brightly coloured vessels are regularly present (Cool et al 1995, table 126; Cool and Price 1998, Table 25). The forms found are consistent with occupation taking place during the late Flavian and Trajanic periods, possibly continuing into the early years of the Hadrianic period, but certainly not extending to the end of it. Amongst the more closely dated material there is nothing that need have been in use during the middle third of the second century. Thereafter there is no evidence that anyone living on the site felt the need for glass vessels. Generally from the late second century the use of good quality colourless drinking vessels spreads more widely through the population. The absence of this material here presumably indicates that either there is no-one living at Slack, or that a community that was not engaging with such goods was present. The glass that is present is typical of that found on late first/early second century military establishments. Once the army left anyone still living at Slack either did not have access to supplies of new glass or saw no need for glass vessels. The latter state of affairs would be typical of rural settlements in West Yorkshire. This pattern generally continues into the fourth century, so the situation where Crambeck pottery is present but glass vessels are not is not unusual.
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown THE GLASS FROM THE EXCAVATIONS OF 1968 AND 1969 1. Pillar moulded bowl; lower body fragment. Blue/green. Part of one rib remaining. Dimensions 28 x 20mm. Weight 4.01g. EVE 0.2. 1968 A II 3. 2. Jug; neck fragment. Blue/green. Cylindrical neck. Diameter 20mm, neck thickness 3.5mm. Weight 2.71g. EVE 0.14. 1969 unstratified. 3. Base fragment. Blue/green. Convex-curved lower body, shallow concave base; circular pontil scar. Base diameter 15mm, wall thickness 1.5mm, present height 5mm. Weight 2.15g. 1969 unstratified. 4. Base fragment. Blue/green. Tubular pushed-in base ring; base and side broke. Base diameter 50mm. Weight 1.48g. 1969. R III 5. 5. Body fragment. Yellow/green. Convex-curved side broken at edge of open-pushed in base ring or possibly neck of collared jar. Dimensions 27 x 21mm, wall thickness 2.5mm. Weight 2.41g. 1969 unstratified. 6. Body fragment. Pale green. Convex-curved side; two vertical ribs. Dimensions 52 x 38mm, wall thickness 1.5mm. Weight 4.18g. 1969 b unstratified. 7. Body fragments (2). Blue/green. Convex-curved. Shallow optic blown ribs. Dimensions (largest) 19 x 16mm. Weight (total) 1.47g. 1968 H II 3 and 3a. 8. Body fragment. Blue/green. One prominent rib. Dimensions 18 x 14mm. Weight 1.42g. 1968 P II 5. 9. Bottle, rim fragment. Blue/green. Outer edge of rim folded out, up and in. Rim diameter 90mm. Weight 5.29. EVE 0.14. 1968. Q II (3). 10. Bottle, rim fragment. Blue/green. Thin chip from rim, bent out, up, in and flattened. Weight 2.6g. EVE 0.14. 1968 Q I 9. 11. Bottle; handle fragment. Blue/green. Upper part of angular ribbon handle attached to (missing) neck, folded back with return trail running towards neck. Handle section 39 x 4mm., weight 17.20g. EVE 0.14. 1968 LT. 12. Bottle or jug; handle fragment. Blue/green. Sliver from ribbon handle with central depression. Section c. 26 x 5mm. Weight 1.07g. EVE 0.14. 1968 H II 13. Bottle or jug; handle fragment. Blue/green. Edge of thick ribbon handle. Weight 7.88g. EVE 0.14. 1968 K I 3. 14. Bottle; neck and shoulder fragment. Blue/green. Cylindrical neck curving out to shoulder, tooling marks at base of neck. Neck diameter c. 35mm. Weight 7.15g. EVE 0.28. 1968 H II 3. 15. Bottle; shoulder fragment with scar from handle attachment. Blue/green. Weight 1.8g. EVE 0.14. 1968 G I 4. 16. Cylindrical bottle; shoulder and side fragment. Blue/green. Vertical scratch marks on upper body. Body diameter c. 200mm, present height c. 95mm. Weight 38.91. EVE 0.14. 1968 LT. 17. Hexagonal bottle; lower body. Blue/green. Broken at junction of base. Present height 26mm. Weight 13.81g. EVE 0.14. 1968 Q II 3 18. Square bottle; thin-walled base fragment. Blue/green. Concave base. Base design - three concentric circular mouldings, corner design peltate moulding. Base mouldings worn. Base width c. 95-
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The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment 100mm, diameter of outer moulding 65mm, wall thickness 1.5mm. Weight 35.6g. EVE 0.28. 1969 unstratified 19. Prismatic bottle; base fragment. Blue/green. Base design - circular moulding near edge with internal spoke touching inside of circle. Dimensions 21 x 21mm. Weight 3.57g. EVE 0.14. 1968 Q I 1. THE GLASS FROM THE EXCAVATIONS OF 2007 AND 2008 20. Pillar moulded bowl; lower body fragment. Blue/green. Part of one rib. Dimensions 30 x 11mm. Weight 2.47. EVE 0.2. 2007. 500 : 506. 21. Cylindrical beaker; 23 strain-cracked fragments including rim, upper body and lower body fragments. Colourless, externally ground. Slightly outbent rim, ground at edge to form two ribs; straight side with ground-out rib at junction of rim and side; straight side with carination to lower body; ground-out rib. Rim diameter c. 80mm, wall thickness 1.5 - 4mm. Weight 17.61g. EVE 0.8. 2008. 8105, 8106, 8115. 22. Beaker; rim fragment. Colourless. Curved rim, edge cracked off and ground; straight side sloping in; abraded band below rim edge. Present height 16mm, wall thickness 0.5mm. Weight 0.29g. EVE 0.2. 2008. 8402, 8408. 23. Beaker; lower body fragment. Green-tinged colourless. Straight side curving into curved lower body. Two pairs of abraded bands one in the middle of the vessel, one above the curve to the lower body. Body diameter c. 60mm, wall thickness 0.5mm. Weight 2.18g. EVE 0.4. 2008. 8113. 24. Collared jar; rim fragments. Yellow/green. Rim edge first bent in, then bent out and down; whole collar bent out at an angle. Rim diameter 90mm, present height 15mm, wall thickness 2mm. Weight 3.23g. EVE 0.19. 2007. 300 : 2. 25. Globular jug; upper body fragment. Blue/green. Base of cylindrical neck with tooling marks; upper body sloping out; tightly set diagonal ribs on neck and spiralling around body. Dimensions 33 x 32mm, wall thickness 3mm. Weight 7.72g. EVE 0.14. 2007. 500 : 501. 26. Prismatic bottle; shoulder and handle fragment. Blue/green. Broken at base of neck, horizontal shoulder bending over to side; part of lower attachment of reeded handle. Weight 15.93g. EVE 0.14. 2008. 8402. 27. Body fragment. Yellow/green. Convex-curved with part of one optic blown vessel. Dimensions 35 x 15mm, wall thickness 1mm. Weight 0.95. 2008. 8407. 28. Body fragments (2). Dark yellow/brown. Slightly convex-curved; slightly curved optic blown ribs. Dimensions 28 x 18mm, wall thickness 2mm. Weight 2.28g. 2008. 8402, 8403. BIBLIOGRAPHY (Glass) Charlesworth, D. 1966. ‘Roman square bottles’, Journal Glass Studies 8, 26-40. Cool, H. E. M., Lloyd-Morgan, G. and Hooley, A. D. 1995. Finds from the Fortress, Archaeology of York 17/10, (York) Cool, H.E.M. and Philo, C. (eds.). 1998. Roman Castleford Excavations 1974-85. Volume I: the Small Finds, Yorkshire Archaeology 4 (Wakefield). Cool, H.E.M. and Price, J. 1998. ‘The vessels and objects of glass’, in Cool and Philo, 141-94. Dodd, P.W. and Woodward, A.M. 1921/2. ‘Excavations at Slack, 1913-1915’, Yorkshire Archaeol. J. 26, 1-92. Price, J. and Cottam, S. 1998. Romano-British Glass Vessels: a Handbook, CBA Practical Handbook in Archaeology 14 (York)
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown THE ROMAN GLASS OBJECTS FROM THE EXCAVATIONS AT SLACK Two glass objects (nos. 1 and 2) survive in the archive of material from the Hartley excavations but it is clear that more were found as Dorothy Charlesworth’s report on the 1968 material provides brief catalogue entries for a bead (no. 3) and a counter made from a re-used piece of bottle glass (no. 4). Interestingly though, her report makes no mention of no. 2 which was also found that year. At the time of writing nos. 3 and 4 have not been located. Ms Charlesworth’s catalogue entries and her comments about them in the discussion are appended below. The bangle (no. 1) is an example of a Kilbride-Jones (1938) Type 2 bangle. In the north these were in use during the last quarter of the first century and into the second century (Price 1988, 347). They are common finds on military sites. No 1 retains the interesting feature of a junction between two different pieces of twisted cord. That this is not just the junction of a single piece is shown by the fact that the twist runs in opposite directions. Quite how often the cords on these bangles might have been made of different pieces of glass is not known as the bangles are normally found as short lengths and so the likelihood of finding a piece with a joint like this is small. This is the second fragment of a glass bangle to have been recovered from Slack. The early twentieth century excavations produced a fragment of an opaque white bangle of Kilbride-Jones (1938) Type 3A (Dodd and Woodward 1921/2, 74). The other glass object, the white counter no. 2 is also another typical find on military sites from the mid first to mid second centuries. 1. Bangle. Blue/green ground with central cord of translucent deep blue and opaque white with lefthand twist, cord retains junction between two ends, the shorter of which has a right-hand twist.. D-sectioned. Outer diameter c. 60mm, 20% circumference remaining, section 10 x 7mm. 1969 T I. 2. Counter. Opaque white glass. Plano-convex. Diameter 13 x 12mm, thickness 6mm. Weight 1.46g. 1968. H II 3. 3. Roughly made annular bead, yellowish green near hole, bluish-green outside. DC Comment: One roughly made annular bead [Q IV 1) of two different metals, a yellowish green seen in the centre round the hole and a blue-green metal round the outside. Many of these beads must have been made from re-used bottle glass in this country. 4. Flat thick bottle glass re-used as a counter. DC Comment: ‘One piece of bottle glass has been roughly chipped to round it off for use as a counter, but its shape is very irregular (P III 7). BIBLIOGRAPHY Dodd, P.W. and Woodward, A.M. 1921/2. ‘Excavations at Slack, 1913-1915’, Yorkshire Archaeol. J. 26, 1-92. Kilbride-Jones, H.E. 1938. ‘Glass armlets in Britain’, Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scotland 72, 366-95 Price, J. 1988. Romano-British glass bangles from East Yorkshire’, in Price and Wilson, 339-66. Price, J. and Wilson, P.R. (eds.) 1988. Recent Research in Roman Yorkshire. BAR British Series 193 (Oxford).
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The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment THE ROMAN WINDOW GLASS FROM THE EXCAVATIONS AT SLACK During these excavations window glass of the typical blue/green matt/glossy cast variety was only found during the 1968 excavations. A small fragment came from Q I 11 and another from P III 3. The paucity of window glass is striking in comparison to the 1913-15 excavations where ‘nearly 30’ were reported, the majority coming from the Praetentura and nearly all of the rest from the Principia (Dodd and Woodward 1921/2, 72-3). This presumably indicates that in comparison to the interior of the fort, the buildings in the vicus were rarely glazed. Dodd, P.W. and Woodward, A.M. 1921/2. ‘Excavations at Slack, 1913-1915’, Yorkshire Archaeol. J. 26, 1-92.
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown APPENDIX B - PART 1 (David Griffiths) ANALYSIS OF THE ROMAN POTTERY RECOVERED DURING EXCAVATIONS IN 2007- 8 AT SLACK ROMAN FORT A total of 2117 sherds (30.7kgs) of pottery were recovered during two seasons of excavations during 2007-8 at the vicus of Slack Roman fort, Huddersfield. Of this, 1279 sherds (21.1 kg) were identified as being manufactured during the Roman period and the analysis of this material is presented here. See Table 1 (page 27) which presents the relative proportions of the various ware classes present. At this stage it is difficult to identify distinct phases of activity at the site, and the analysis of the Roman pottery considers the material as a whole group. A minimum of 90 vessels are represented in the overall assemblage, based on estimated vessel equivalents (EVEs) of each ware class and vessel type. See Table 2 (page 27) The assemblage has some characteristics of an early Roman military site, with associated amphorae, black-burnished wares and samian tablewares. The remains of amphorae form a major component of the whole assemblage (by weight) at 40.5%. Although, when considering the assemblage by assessing the minimum number of vessels (EVEs) represented (Table 2), amphorae form 4.5% of the overall group, with at least one vessel each originating from Campania southern Italy (AD0-100), Gaul (c. AD100300), southern Spain (AD100-200) and North Africa respectively (AD140-450). The presence of these amphorae suggests occupation at Slack until at least the end of the second century AD, and possibly later. A number of samian tablewares (4.5% EVEs) were recovered and were all in a very poor state of preservation due to soil conditions at the site. The majority were manufactured in the Rheinzabern region, eastern Gaul, and broadly date from the late first and second centuries AD. Specific examples include a Dragenforff (Drag.) 37 bowl 510.63 (AD70-200), a Drag. 18 dish 8205.77 (AD70-100), and a Curle 23 dish 8402.76 (c. AD70-250). Mortaria formed 5.5% EVE of the overall assemblage, a number of which were produced in the North Yorkshire region, including an Aldborough White ware mortaria 8304.67 dating between AD140-180 and a Crambeck Parchment ware 302.9 vessel, c. AD250-400. The assemblage has a high proportion (30 EVEs) of black-burnished wares, mainly dating to the second-half of the second century AD and possibly later. Almost half of the assemblage (49% EVEs) consists of coarse oxidised (35.6% EVEs) and reduced (13% EVEs) ware vessels. A large proportion of the oxidised and reduced ware vessels were probably locally made, most likely manufactured at the military tile and pottery kiln site at the Grimescar Roman tilery (Purdy and Manby 1973). Specifically, a number of reeded-rimmed dishes (e.g. 8401.100) are characteristic of material produced at Grimescar. The chronology of these locally produced vessels is difficult to assess, with very few pottery groups published from sites in the West Yorkshire region (see exceptions, Castleford (Rush et al. 2000), Dalton Parlours (Sumpter 1990), Slack Roman fort (Hunter et al. 1970) and Grimescar Roman Tilery (Purdy and Manby 1973)). The general impression is that the pottery produced at Grimescar dates to the military occupation at the fort (late first century to the second-half of the second century AD). The functional analysis (Table 2) of the assemblage as a whole (EVEs) suggests, following Evans’ (1993) methodology, something between an urban and rural characteristic, with a jars forming 45.5% (EVEs) and bowls and dishes 34.5% (EVEs). Further analysis of the site records may reveal distinct phases of occupation, and when considered in conjunction with the pottery may reveal diachronic changes in the nature and function of the vicus. The pottery represented in the overall assemblage confirms that the main period of civilian occupation of the vicus corresponds with the military presence within the fort, as discussed in previous research (Richmond 1925; Hunter et al. 1970), but this study reveals continuity at the site, identifying a large proportion of material (especially black-burnished wares) dating to the later-second and early-third centuries AD. The presence of Cream ware pottery (mainly Crambeck and Aldborough White wares) dating from the third to the end of the fourth centuries AD suggest even later occupation at Slack. Although, it must be noted that there is only a small proportion (5.5% EVEs) of this material in the assemblage. There is a very small fragment (1g) of colour-coated fine tableware (third/ fourth century AD) present in the assemblage. This lack of colour-coated tablewares, when considered with the few samian tablewares and glass vessels, suggests a relatively low-status settlement. 26
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment Fabric Code A01 A02 A06 A07 A08 S01 S02 F01 B01 C01 C02 C03 M02 M04 M05 M06
No. Sherds 39 2 7 1 2 47 1 1 348 38 33 13 1 18 1 6
Weight (g.) 7340 86 831 76 242 392 9 1 2742 326 228 308 7 736 102 493
Sherds % 3 0.16 0.56 0.08 0.16 3.7 0.08 0.08 27.43 3 2.6 1 0.08 1.4 0.08 0.48
Weight % 34.8 0.4 3.9 0.36 1.12 1.9 0.04 0.04 13 1.5 1.08 1.48 0.03 3.5 0.4 2.3
O01 O02 O04 O05 O06 O19 R02 R03 R04 R06 R07 R08 TOTAL
237 200 11 27 90 27 76 4 13 7 9 20 1279
2177 2384 139 184 914 214 532 52 161 235 32 157 21100
18.5 15.6 0.8 2.1 7 2.1 5.9 0.3 1.01 0.5 0.7 1.6 100
10.4 11.4 0.6 0.9 4.3 1.01 2.5 0.24 0.8 1.11 0.15 0.74 100
Table 1. Fabric proportions Class Amphorae Samian Mortaria Fineware Black-burnished wares
EVE 4 4 5 1 27
Amphorae Mortaria 4 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0
Oxidised wares
32
0
Reduced wares Cream wares Totals EVEs Total %
12 5 90 100
0 0 4 4.5
Jars 0 0 0 0 13
Cups 0 0 0 1 0
Bowls 0 1 0 0 3
Dishes 0 3 0 0 10
Plates 0 0 0 0 0
Flagons 0 0 0 0 1
0
19
2
3
7
0
1
0 0 5 5.5
8 1 41 45.5
0 0 3 3.33
2 0 9 10
2 0 22 24.5
0 3 3 3.33
0 1 3 3.33
Table 2. Estimated vessel equivalents (EVEs), based on rim percentage, and functional analysis by ware class
27
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown APPENDIX B - PART 2 (David Griffiths) ANALYSIS OF THE ROMAN POTTERY RECOVERED DURING EXCAVATIONS CONDUCTED BY BRIAN HARTLEY IN 1968-9 AT SLACK ROMAN FORT Rescue excavations of the vicus area at Slack Roman fort, Huddersfield, were conducted during 1968-9 in advance of the construction of the M62 motorway, under the direction of the late Brian Hartley of the University of Leeds. A summary of this work has been prepared from the surviving Hartley archive and is detailed in Appendix D. A total of 1561 sherds (32.9kgs) of Roman pottery were recovered from stratified deposits. This data is presented in a similar format to that used in the previous analysis of pottery recovered from excavations at Slack during 2007-8 (See Part 1). For the benefit of future researchers who may have access to the Hartley archive the report numbers are cross referred to the original bag numbers from which the samples were extracted for analysis. This collection was in the custody of HDAS but has since been transferred with the entire archive to Paul Bidwell at South Shields. See also Hartley’s own comments on the Slack pottery in Appendix D pages 82 & 83. Table 1H (page 30) presents the bulk pottery, and relative proportions (by weight), of the various ware classes present. Amphorae form the majority of the assemblage by weight (37.4%), with reduced and oxidised coarsewares forming 16.6% and 9.5% respectively. Cream wares, with many vessels dating between the second and fourth centuries AD, form 6.6%, with samian ware and other finewares forming 3.55% of the assemblage. A minimum of 92 vessels are represented, based on the estimated vessel equivalents (EVEs) of each vessel type (Table 2H) (page 31). As identified in the 2007-8 pottery (See Part 1), the assemblage understandably has some characteristics of an early Roman military site, with associated amphorae, flagons, black-burnished wares and fine tablewares. As mentioned above, the remains of amphorae form a major component of the whole assemblage (by weight) at 37.4%, comparable with 2007-8 at 40.5%, although, only one amphora is represented by EVEs (Table 2H), forming 1.1% of the overall group. The vessel originates from Campania, Italy, and dates to the first century AD. Finewares (including three samian vessels) form 4.35% (EVEs) of the assemblage (2007-8, 4.5%), originated predominantly from Eastern Gaul, with one Central Gaulish vessel base (no. 317). The samian ware broadly dates between AD70-200 (no. 259, Drag. 30 dish (AD70-100), and no. 257, a Drag. 37 bowl (AD70-200)). One imported fineware beaker was also recovered (no. 215), possibly originating from Argonne, and dates between AD140-180. All the samian pottery recovered is in a very poor state of preservation due to the acidic soil conditions at the site. Eight mortaria were recovered, forming 8.7% (EVEs) of the overall assemblage, some of which were produced in the North Yorkshire region (Fabric M02), including Aldborough White ware (Fabric M04). A number of the mortaria date firmly to the military occupation at Slack, notably no’s 246 (AD100-140), 249 (AD75-125), and 373 (AD140-150), while others were produced at the end of the second century (no. 247) and possibly in the third or fourth centuries AD. During the excavations in 1968, Kay Hartley conserved the nearly complete mortarium stamped with the makers-mark. The mortarium was recovered from Trench P III (Context 3) and Kay Hartley suggests that this was manufactured in the Verulamium (St. Albans) region between AD70110, by the potter Doinus. (See Appendix C on Mortaria by Kay Hartley) Black-burnished wares form 21.7% (EVEs), with the majority of vessels with reliable dates produced between AD140-180, and a number dating between AD140-300 (no’s 283 and 287), a possibly even later (no’s 274 and 284, AD140-400). Almost half of the assemblage (46% EVEs) consists of coarse oxidised (11% EVEs) and reduced (35% EVEs) ware vessels. A large proportion of these vessels were probably locally made, with some likely manufactured at the military tile and pottery kiln site at the Grimescar Roman tilery (Purdy and Manby 1973). The chronology of these locally produced vessels is difficult to assess, with very few pottery groups published from sites in the West Yorkshire region (see exceptions Castleford (Rush et al. 2000), Dalton Parlours (Sumpter 1990), Slack Roman fort (Hunter et al. 1970) and Grimescar Roman Tilery (Purdy and Manby 1973)). The general impression is that the pottery was produced at Grimescar during the main military occupation at the fort (late first century to mid-second century AD).
28
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment The functional analysis (following Evans’ (1993) methodology), (see Table 2H) of the assemblage as a whole suggests something between an urban and rural characteristic, with a jars forming 52.2% (EVEs) and bowls and dishes 29.3% (EVEs). Further analysis of the site records may reveal distinct phases of occupation and any diachronic changes in the nature and function of the vicus. The pottery represented in the overall assemblage confirms that the main period of civilian occupation of the vicus corresponds with the military presence within the fort, as discussed in previous research (Richmond 1925; Hunter et al. 1970), but this study reveals continuity at the site, identifying a large proportion of material (especially black-burnished wares) dating to the later-second and early-third centuries AD. The presence of cream ware pottery (14.1%), produced mainly at Crambeck and Aldborough in North Yorkshire (dating from the second to the end of the fourth centuries AD) suggest even later occupation at Slack. CONCLUSION The pottery reveals that the civilian settlement developed almost immediately with the arrival of the military in the late first century AD. The evidence presented here is drawn from the study of the 200708 finds from the Roman period and also from a re-examination of the Roman period material from the Hartley excavations in 1968-69. This study suggests that contrary to previous assumptions that the vicus was abandoned with the withdrawal of the military c. AD120-140 (Richmond 1925; Hunter et al. 1970), there was continued civilian occupation at Slack. A large proportion of datable pottery was manufactured during the second-half of the second century AD, with a small number of North Yorkshire cream wares dating to the third and possibly early-fourth centuries AD. Further integration of the pottery data and site records may reveal distinct phases of occupation. The general impression gained from analysis of the pottery from the vicus suggests that a civilian population continued to take advantage of its position alongside a strategically important route until at least the end of the second and early-third centuries AD. It must also be noted that black-burnished wares are still arriving at Slack in quantity during the second-half of the second century AD, and may suggest that the military utilised this site after the Roman frontier moved north to Hadrian’s Wall. This indicates the continued importance of the Chester to York road, eventually changing from a strategic military frontier road to an economically important trade route across the harsh environment of the Pennines.
29
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown Fabric Code
No. Sherds
%
Weight (g)
%
A01 A02 A08 S01 S02 S04 S05 F01 F02 M01 M02 M04 M06 M07 B01 C01 C03 C04 C05 C06 C07 O01 O02 O05 O06 O13 O14 O15 O19 O20 O21 R02 R04 R05 R06 R08 R09 R10 R11 CBM
95 1 5 111 3 26 3 5 4 2 19 5 3 3 228 65 18 49 16 14 1 9 180 7 31 2 5 1 15 3 8 146 344 1 10 42 18 1 5 57
6.08 0.06 0.32 7.11 0.19 1.66 0.18 0.32 0.25 0.12 1.21 0.32 0.18 0.18 14.6 4.1 1.15 3.14 1.02 0.89 0.06 0.57 11.72 0.45 1.98 0.12 0.32 0.06 0.96 0.18 0.51 9.38 22.04 0.06 0.64 2.69 1.15 0.06 0.32 3.65
11776 78 467 979 20 154 24 5 14 193 1858 180 609 199 3062 1178 225 481 146 69 76 170 2165 45 311 15 41 72 238 30 80 1193 3342 27 94 429 180 14 161 2518
35.77 0.23 1.42 2.965 0.06 0.46 0.07 0.015 0.04 0.58 5.64 0.54 1.85 0.6 9.3 3.57 0.68 1.46 0.44 0.2 0.23 0.51 6.57 0.13 0.95 0.04 0.12 0.21 0.72 0.09 0.24 3.62 10.26 0.08 0.28 1.3 0.54 0.04 0.49 7.69
Total
1561
100
32918
100
Table 1H. Fabric proportions
30
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment Class
EVE
Amphorae
Mortaria
Jars
Beaker Bowls
Dishes
Dish/ Flagons/ Platter Pitcher
Amphorae Samian Fineware Mortaria Blackburnished Cream
1 3 1 8 20
1 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 8 0
0 0 0 0 10
0 0 1 0 0
0 2 0 0 0
0 1 0 0 10
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
13
0
0
6
0
2
2
1
2
Oxidised Reduced
11 35
0 0
0 0
5 27
0 0
1 0
2 7
0 0
3 1
Totals EVEs Total %
92 100
1 1.1
8 8.7
48 52.2
1 1.1
5 5.3
22 24
1 1.1
6 6.5
(* indicates an illustrated vessel.) Table 2H. Estimated vessel equivalents (EVEs), based on rim percentage, and functional analysis by ware class
CATALOGUE The catalogue includes only those vessels where form may be firmly identified and quantification is derived from estimated vessel equivalents (EVEs) based on the minimum number of rims and rim percentage. The catalogue is arranged by trench and context. Each featured vessel has a three part unique number deriving from Trench, Context and catalogue number. Trench numbers from 2007 were 100, 200, 300 and 400, and from 2008 were 81, 82, 83 and 84. For example, from 2007 - 302.13 = 3 (Trench 300) / 02 (Context 02) / 13 (vessel Type No.) and from 2008 - 8110.141 = 81 (Trench 81) / (Context 10) / 141 (vessel Type No.). Catalogue entries for the Hartley excavations in 1968-69 begin at 200 for the vessel type following on from the sequence established above for 2007-08. Only vessels not present in the 2007-08 assemblage have been illustrated and where featured vessels have not been illustrated, the catalogue refers to the 2007-08 Type. The 1968-69 entries are reported by trench number and the Bag Numbers refer to those assigned to the artefacts by West Yorkshire Joint Services when they prepared a database of the finds. Abbreviations: Inclusions: RE - rim equivalent,
A - abundant
BE - base equivalent,
C - common
EVE - estimate vessel equivalent
S – sparse
ISF - inner-surface
VS – very sparse
OSF – outer-surface
31
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown FABRIC DESCRIPTIONS covering material from both 2007-08 and 1968-69 Class A Amphorae A01 Campanian (Black sand) amphorae 1 (Tomber and Dore 1998, CAM AM 1). Well-sorted sandy fabric. Inclusions: C: black sand, C: quartz, S: black vitreous, S: brown. Munsell: 10YR 6/4 light yellowish brown to 5/4 yellowish brown. A02 Gaulish amphorae I (Tomber and Dore 1998, GAL AM I). Fine, silty fabric. Inclusions: C: orange/brown, S: lime, S: black/grey. Munsell: 10YR 6/3 pale brown. A03 Dressel 20 amphora (Peacock and Williams 1986). Source: southern Spain. Sandy fabric, well-sorted. Inclusions: A: quartz, S: red, S: dark grey. Munsell: 10YR 6/4 light yellowish brown. A 07 North African (Lime-poor) amphorae 2 (Tomber and Dore 1998, NAF AM 2). Inclusions: S: black (iron-rich), S: white, S: quartz. Munsell: 5YR 5/6 yellowish red. A08 North African (Lime-rich) amphora I (Tomber and Dore 1998, NAF AM I). Coarse, well-sorted fabric. Inclusions: A: lime, A: brown/grey. Munsell: 5 YR 5/4 reddish brown. Class S Samian wares S01 Rheinzabern, East Gaulish samian, (Tomber and Dore 1998, RHZ SA). 2nd century. Fine, very hard, sandy fabric with red gloss surface. Inclusions: A: white (lime), 0.1-0.2 mm, S: black (iron-rich). Munsell: 2.5 YR 5/6 Red S02 Lezoux, Central Gaulish Samian 2, (Tomber and Dore 1998, LEZ SA2). Very fine, hard, sandy fabric with red gloss surface. 2nd century. Inclusions: C: black (iron-rich), 1mm), S: quartz. Munsell: 5YR 5/8 yellowish red.
33
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown O02 Oxidised. Coarse, hard, sandy, light slip, wheel-made. Inclusions: C: quartz, angular (>1mm), C: white, C: black, S: mica. Munsell: 5YR 5/8 yellowish red to 2.5YR 4/8 red. O04 Oxidised. Fine, soft, well-sorted, wheel-made. Inclusions: C: quartz (very small), S: white. Munsell: 5YR 4/6 yellowish red. O05 Oxidised. Fine, hard, sandy, ill-sorted, wheel-made. Inclusions: C: red/brown, rounded (c. 1-2mm), C: quartz (c. 0.2-0.4mm), S: black, S: mica. Munsell: 7.5YR 7/4 pink to 7/6 reddish yellow. O06 Oxidised. Coarse, hard, sandy, well-sorted, wheel-made. Inclusions: A: brown, sub-rounded (c. >3mm), C: quartz, S: white. Munsell: 7.5YR 5/4 brown to 3/2 dark brown. O13 Oxidised. Coarse, ill-sorted orange/brown fabric. Inclusions: C: grey/black. Munsell: 7.5 YR 5/6 strong brown. O14 Oxidised. Fine, well-sorted with colour-coated inner- and outer-surface. Inclusions: C: black. O15 Oxidised. Pink/cream well-sorted hard fabric. Inclusions: C: red/orange, S: white. Munsell: 7.5 YR 6/6 reddish yellow. O19 Oxidised. Coarse, hard well-sorted fabric. Orange-brown outer-core, light grey inner-core. Inclusions: C: black/grey, C: red/brown, S: quartz. Munsell (outer): 7.5YR 6/6 reddish yellow, Munsell (inner): 5YR 6/1 gray. O20 Oxidised. Coarse, iron-rich well-sorted, dark red-brown fabric. Inclusions: S: black, S: red/brown. Munsell: 2.5 YR 4/6 red. O21 Oxidised. Very coarse, ill-sorted gritty fabric. Inclusions: C: quartz, S: grey/black. Munsell: 5 YR 4/4 reddish brown. Class R Reduced wares R02 Reduced. Fine, hard, irregular break, well-sorted, wheel-made. Similar to Rossington Bridge Fine Reduced Ware. Inclusions: C: quartz, C: white, S: red, S: black (iron rich). Munsell: 7.5YR 6/1 gray. R03 Reduced. Coarse, soft, sandy, well-sorted, wheel-made. Inclusions: C: quartz (c. 0.1 – 0.3mm), S: mica (silver). Munsell: 7.5YR 5/2 brown. R04 Reduced. Grey, hard, ill-sorted. Similar to Holme-on-Spalding Moor Reduced ware, wheel-made. Inclusions: A: white (0.1mm), C: black, rounded (some c. 1-2mm). Munsell: 7.5YR 4/1 dark gray to 4/2 brown. R06 Reduced. Hard, irregular fracture, ill-sorted, wheel-made. Inclusions: C: quartz, S: white. Munsell: 7.5YR 3/1 very dark gray R08 Reduced. Fine, hard, sandy, well-sorted, wheel-made. Red/brown core with grey margins. Inclusions: A: quartz, A: white. Munsell: Core – 7.5YR 4/6 strong brown, Margins – 7.5YR 5/1 gray. R09 Reduced. Fine, very hard well-sorted fabric. Inclusions: C: grey/black (c. 2-3mm, rounded). Munsell: Gley 6/1 greenish gray.
34
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment R10 Reduced. Coarse, heavily-reduced black/grey fabric. Inclusions: C: black/grey. Munsell: 2.5YR 3/1 dark reddish gray. R11 Reduced. Coarse, lime-rich fabric. Inclusions: A: lime, C: quartz. Munsell: 2.5 YR 4/1 dark reddish gray. BIBLIOGRAPHY (Pottery) Corder, P., 1989. The Roman pottery at Crambeck, Castle Howard. In Wilson, P. R. (ed.) 1989, The Crambeck Roman Pottery Industry. Leeds: Yorkshire Archaeological Society, The Roman Antiquities Section. Evans, J., 1993. Pottery function and finewares in the Roman north. Journal of Roman Pottery Studies, 6, 95-118. Evans, J., 2001. Iron Age, Roman and Early Anglo-Saxon Pottery. In Roberts, I., Burgess, A. And D. Berg, 2001, A New Link to the Past: The Archaeological Landscape of the M1-A1 Link Road, Yorkshire Archaeology 7. West Yorkshire Archaeology Service. Hunter, J. K. T., Manby, T. G. & Spaul, J. E. H., 1970. ‘Recent excavations at the Slack Roman fort near Huddersfield’, Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, 42, 74-97. Monaghan, J., 1997. Roman Pottery from York. The Archaeology of York: The Pottery 16/8. York: York Archaeological Trust for Excavation and Research. Munsell Soil Color Charts, 1992. New York (revised edition). Peacock, D. P. S. And D. F. Williams, 1986. Amphorae and the Roman Economy: an introductory guide. Longman: London and New York. Purdy, J. G. & Manby, T. G., 1973. ‘Excavations at the Roman Tilery at Grimescar, Huddersfield, 1964’. Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, 45, 96-107. Richmond, I. A., 1925. Huddersfield in Roman Times (Tolson Memorial Museum Publications). Rush, P., Dickinson, B., Hartley, B. And K. F., Hartley 2000. Roman Castleford. Excavations 1974-85, Volume III: The Pottery. Yorkshire Archaeology 6. West Yorkshire Archaeology Service. Sumpter, A. B., 1990. Roman Pottery (from contexts other than Well). In Wrathmell, S. And A. Nicholson (eds.) 1990, Dalton Parlours. Iron Age Settlement and Roman Villa. West Yorkshire Archaeology Service. Tomber, R. & J. Dore, 1998. The National Roman Fabric Reference Collection: A Handbook. London: Museum of London Archaeology Service. Webster, P., 1996. Roman Samian Pottery in Britain. Practical Handbooks in Archaeology No.13. Council for British Archaeology: York.
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown 2007 FINDS BY TRENCH LOCATION Trench 100 *125.1 Fig. 1.1 Campanian amphora rim. AD0-100. Fabric A01. Diam. 184mm; RE 10%; wt. 230g. Trench 100; 25; uphased. *139.2 Fig. 1.2 Oxidised ware lid. Fabric O01. Diam. 180mm; RE 10%; wt. 44g. Trench 100; 39; unphased. Trench 200 *206.5 Fig. 1.5 Oxidised jar neck with flat rim. Fabric O02. Hunter et al. (1970), Fig. 7.26; Purdy and Manby (1973), Fig. 5.15). Diam. 90mm; RE 7.5%; wt. 2g. Trench 200; 6; unphased. Trench 300 302.7 Campanian amphora sherds. Fabric A01. 1st century AD. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; wt. 236g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. *302.9 Fig. 1.9 Crambeck Parchment ware mortaria. 2 rim and 4 body sherds. Smooth osf and isf with soapy, light slip. Fabric M02. Late 3rd to end 4th century. Diam. 200mm; RE 17.5%; wt. 80g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. 302.11 Gaulouise 5 amphora handle. Fabric A02. Late 1st to early 3rd century AD. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; wt. 43g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. *302.12 Fig. 1.12 Black-burnished ware 1 dish. Fabric B01. AD140-400. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 482. Diam. 158mm; RE 12.5%; wt. 24g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. *302.13 Fig. 1.13 Black-burnished ware 1 bowl with thick rim. Fabric B01. AD 140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 67. Diam. 120mm; RE 7.5%; wt. 17g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. *302.14 Fig. 1.14 Oxidised ware jar with everted rim, burning on osf. Hunter et al. (1970), Fig. 8.16, Annexe, Trenches C-D/63). Fabric O06. Diam. 140mm; RE 12.5%; wt. 22g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. 302.15 Black-burnished ware 1 jar with everted rim. Fabric B01. Diam. 120mm; RE 7.5%; wt. 28g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. *302.16 Fig. 1.16 Reduced ware bowl with everted rim and dark grey slip on osf. Fabric R02. Diam. 180mm; RE 10%; wt. 13g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. *302.17 Fig. 1.17 Oxidised ware large, wide bowl with grooved, flat rim. Fabric O01. Diam. 280mm; RE 7.5%; wt. 28g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. *302.22 Fig. 1.22 Black-burnished ware 1 wide-mouthed jar with everted rim. Fabric B01. AD180-400. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 462; Evans (2001), no. 99. Diam. 162mm; RE 12.5%; wt. 15g. Trench 300; 2; unphased.
36
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment *302.23 Fig. 1.23 Reduced ware jar with everted rim, 2 sherds. Smooth, burnished osf. Fabric R03. Diam. 150mm; RE 20%; wt. 35g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. *302.27 Fig. 1.27 Black-burnished ware 1 bowl with everted rim. Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 341. Diam. 130mm; RE 7.5%; wt. 8g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. *302.29 Fig. 1.29 Black-burnished ware 1 dish with thick, flat rim. Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 340. Diam. 140mm; RE 12.5%; wt. 25g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. 302.31 Reduced ware lid with pronounced lip on underside. Fabric R08. Diam. 160mm; RE 5%; wt. 15g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. *302.35 Fig. 1.35 Black-burnished ware 1 dish rim with cross-hatched decoration. Fabric B01. AD140-400. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 343; Sumpter (1990), no. 10. Diam. 178mm; RE 10%; wt. 19g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. *302.36 Fig. 1.36 Black-burnished ware 1 dish with flat/angled rim and angled upper-body. Fabric B01. AD200-400. cf. Tyers (1996, 184) no. 43.1. Diam. 158mm; RE 10%; wt. 25g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. *302.38 Fig. 1.38 Black-burnished ware 1 dish rim. Evidence of wear from lid on inner rim. Fabric B01. Late Roman. Evans (2001), no. 121. Diam. 130mm; RE 12.5%; wt. 32g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. *302.39 Fig. 1.39 Reduced ware jar with everted rim, 1 sherd. Hunter et al. (1970), Fig. 7.28. Fabric R06. Diam. 128mm; RE 7.5%; wt. 3g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. *302.40 Fig. 2.40 Crambeck ware flagon spout. 4th century AD. Corder (1989), no. 186. Fabric C01. Diam. 80mm; RE n/a; wt. 54g. Trench 300; 2; unphased. *308.45 Fig. 2.45 Black-burnished ware 1 jar with everted rim. Fabric B01. AD100-400. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 395; Evans (2001), no. 17. Diam. 100mm; RE 15%; wt. 5g. Trench 300; 8; unphased. *311.46 Fig. 2.46 Oxidised ware jar with slightly inverted rim. Late Iron Age to early Roman. Evans (2001), Swillington Common, no’s 22 & 23. Fabric O01. Diam. 110mm; RE 25%; wt. 16g. Trench 300; 11; unphased. 311.48 Dressel 20 amphora foot. Fabric A03. 2nd century AD. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; wt. 95g. Trench 300; 11; unphased. *311.49 Fig. 2.49 Oxidised ware bowl with flat rim. Fabric O06. Diam. 172mm; RE 15%; wt. 40g. Trench 300; 11; unphased. *311.50 Fig. 2.50 Crambeck ware shallow dish/platter. Soapy osf and isf. 4th century AD. cf. Corder (1989), no. 52; Monaghan (1997), 3223. Fabric C02. Diam. 200mm; RE 5%; wt. 13g. Trench 300; 11; unphased. Trench 500 504.53 Oxidised ware thin-walled cup, 2 rim sherds. Same vessel as 509.61. Smoothed/burnished osf. Fabric O06. Diam. 60mm; RE 22.5%; wt. 2g. Trench 500; 4 & 9; unphased.
37
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown *504.56 Fig. 2.56 Black-burnished ware 1 bowl with thick rim. Fabric B01. Diam. 160mm; RE 7.5%; wt. 10g. Trench 500; 4; unphased. *506.58 Fig. 2.58 Reduced ware dish with thick, slightly inverted beaded rim. Burnished osf. Fabric R04. Diam. 200mm; RE 10%; wt. 23g. Trench 500; 6; unphased. 509.59 Oxidised ware wide-mouthed jar with flared shoulder and incised lines on neck. Fabric O01. Rim = Diam. 140mm; RE 7.5%; Base = Diam. 70mm; BE 12.5%; Trench 500; 9; unphased. 506.62 Dressel 20 amphora body sherds. Possibly same vessel as 311.48. Fabric A01. 2nd century AD. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; wt. 394g. Trench 500; 6; unphased. 510.63 East Gaulish samian Drag. 37 bowl. Very heavy erosion. Base and decorated body sherds (16), slip is flaking. AD70-200. Webster (1996). Fabric S01. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; wt. 119g. Trench 500; 10; unphased. *502.64 Fig. 2.64 Oxidised ware jar with everted rim. Fabric O04 (iron heavy). Diam. 130mm; RE 10%; wt. 6g. Trench 500; 2; unphased. 2008 FINDS BY TRENCH LOCATION Trench 81 *8110.136 Fig. 3.136 Reduced ware jar. 9 rim and body sherds. Grey, rough surface. Fabric R09. Diam. 120mm; RE 40%; wt. 32g. Trench 81; 10; unphased. 8110.137 Oxidised ware jar. 12 rim and body sherds. Orange surface with light slip and burning. Fabric O02. Diam. 140mm; RE 15%; wt. 74g. Trench 81; 10; unphased. *8110.138 Fig. 3.138 Mortaria. 2 rim sherds. Orange-brown rough surface. Fabric M04. Diam. 240mm; RE 12.5%; wt. 67g. Trench 81; 10; unphased. *8110.139 Fig. 3.139 Dressel 20. 37 rim, handle and body sherds. Pale-brown to mid-brown, grey body, pale brown margins. AD0 – 250. Fabric A01. Diam. 130mm; RE 50%; wt. 1170g. Trench 81; 10; unphased. 8110.140 3 sherds, body and shoulder with groove. Orange body. Black colour-coated surface (isf and osf). Fabric F01. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; wt. 1g. Trench 81; 10; unphased.
38
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment *8110.141 Fig. 3.141 Oxidised ware jar with carination on shoulder, 2 rim sherds. AD71-86. Similar to Rush et al. (2000), no. 107. Dark brown grey body, orange-brown margins. Orange-brown rough surface, isf: light brown with burning, osf: grey brown with burning. Fabric O06. Diam. 170mm; RE 15%; wt. 34g. Trench 81; 10; unphased. *8110.142 Fig. 3.142 African amphora (lime-poor). 10 rim, neck and body sherds. AD140-450. Bright orange body. Isf: cream wash, osf: very light cream wash. Fabric A07. Diam. 150mm; RE 100%; wt. 462g. Trench 81; 10; unphased. *8101.143 Fig. 3.143 Oxidised ware jar. 2 rim sherds and 1 base. Brown body, grey-brown margins. Grey, rough surface. Fabric O06. Diam. 150mm; RE 12.5%; wt. 35g. Trench 81; 01; unphased. *8101.144 Fig. 3.144 Reduced ware large bowl with beaded rim. 1 rim and body sherd. Dark grey body, brown margins, isf: dark grey with iron adhesions. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 353. Fabric R04. Diam. 260mm; RE 15%; wt. 83g. Trench 81; 01; unphased. 8102.145 Black-burnished ware 1 dish. 1 rim sherd. Fabric B01. Diam. 120mm; RE 5%; wt. 20g. Trench 81; 02; unphased. 8103.146 Complete Samian raised base. Red-orange body. Very heavy erosion, slipped surface. Fabric S01. Base Diam. 45mm; Base RE 100%; wt. 16g. Trench 81; 03; unphased. 8103.147 Oxidised ware jar. 1 rim sherd. Orange body. Osf: burning on rim. Fabric O02. Diam. 100mm; RE 5%; wt. 5g. Trench 81; 03; unphased. 8103.148 Black-burnished ware 1 jar. 1 rim sherd. Dark brown grey body. Fabric B01. Diam. n/a; RE 5%; wt. 8g. Trench 81; 03; unphased. 8105 Mortaria spout. Orange body. Light cream wash on surface. Fabric M04. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; wt. 35g. Trench 81; 05; unphased. * 8105.150 Fig. 3.150 Oxidised Grimescar Type dish with flat, square-edged and grooved rim. 2 sherds. AD71-86. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 130. Orange body. Osf; orange with burning. Fabric O01. Diam. 220mm; RE 16%; wt. 22g. Trench 81; 05; unphased.
39
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown *8105.151 Fig. 3.151 Black-burnished ware 1 dish with flat, slightly hooked rim. Dark grey-black body. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 362. Fabric B01. Diam. 220mm; RE 10%; wt. 69g. Trench 81; 05; unphased. *8111.152 Fig. 3.152 Oxidised ware dish with flat rim. Orange body, very coarse with rough surface and heavy erosion. AD71-86. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 129. Fabric O02. Diam. 130mm; RE 11%; wt. 11g. Trench 81; 11; unphased. *8111.153 Fig. 3.153 Oxidised ware wide-mouthed jar with square-edged rim. Orange body, very coarse with rough surface and heavy erosion. Fabric O02. Diam. 140mm; RE 10%; wt. 4g. Trench 81; 11; unphased. 8113.154 Oxidised Fineware cup. 14 base and body sherds. Orange-brown body. Smooth, orange-brown surface. Fabric O02. Base Diam. 50mm; Base RE 75%; wt. 59g. Trench 81; 13; unphased. 8113.155 Black-burnished ware 1 jar. 1 rim sherd. Dark grey body, red-brown margins. Fabric B01. Diam. 140mm; RE 12.5%; wt. 16g. Trench 81; 13; unphased. 8113.156 Black-burnished ware 1 dish. 1 flat rim sherd. Dark grey body. Fabric B01. Diam. 200mm; RE 10%; wt. 30g. Trench 81; 13; unphased. *8113.157 Fig. 3.157 Black-burnished ware 1 jar. 1 rim sherd with grooved shoulder. Dark grey body. Fabric B01. Diam. 120mm; RE 15%; wt. 31g. Trench 81; 13; unphased. *8113.158 Fig. 3.158 Black-burnished ware 1 dish. 1 flat rim sherd. Dark grey body, brown-grey margins. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), similar to no. 362. Fabric B01. Diam. 200mm; RE 7.5%; wt. 11g. Trench 81; 13W; unphased. *8114.159 Fig. 3.159 Oxidesed ware dish. 2 base and 3 rim sherds. Orange body with rough surface. AD100-250. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 410. Fabric O02. Rim Diam. 160mm, Base Diam. 80mm; Rim RE 20%, Base RE 55%; wt. 113g. Trench 81; 14; unphased. 8115.160 Black-burnished ware 1 jar. 1 rim sherd. Fabric B01. Diam. 160mm; RE 8%; wt. 13g. Trench 81; 15; unphased.
40
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment *8115.161 Fig. 3.161 Oxidised ware dish. 1 body and 3 flat, grooved rim sherds, grooved shoulder. Orange body. Soapy surface. Includes 1 rim sherd from Context 8116. Fabric O01. Diam. 220mm; 12.5%; wt. 70g. Trench 81; 15; unphased. *8118.162 Fig. 3.162 Black-burnished ware 1 jar. 1 rim sherd. Dark grey body. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 304. Fabric B01. Diam. 130mm; RE 10%; wt. 8g. Trench 81; 18; unphased. *8121.163 Fig. 3.163 Black-burnished ware 1 lid. 1 rim sherd with grooved lip. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 372. Black body, red-brown margins. Fabric B01. Diam. 200mm; RE 9%; wt. 20g. Trench 81; 21; unphased. Trench 82 *8206.75 Fig. 4.75 Mortaria. 5 rim and base sherds. Grits = dark and light grey, quartz. Fabric M06. Rim Diam. 310mm; RE 35%; Base Diam. 160mm; Base BE 20%; wt. 493g. Trench 82; 06; unphased. 8205.77 Possibly Drag. 18 samian ware dish base. Very heavy erosion. Fabric S01. 2nd half of 1st century AD. Webster (1996). Diam. 90mm; BE 27.5%; wt. 34g. Trench 82; 5; unphased. *8205.79 Fig. 4.79 Black-burnshed ware 1 wide-mouthed jar with everted rim, 2 sherds. Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 306 Diam. 150mm; RE 30%; wt. 45g. Trench 82; 5; unphased. *8205.80 Fig. 4.80 Black-burnished ware 1 bowl. Fabric B01. AD 140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000, 127), no. 348; Sumpter (1990), no.14. Diam. 200mm; RE 7.5%; wt. 16g. Trench 82; 05; unphased. *8208.94 Fig. 4.94 Reduced ware lid. 2 sherds with light orange slip on osf and isf. Fabric R02. Diam. 140mm; RE 12.5%; wt. 9g. Trench 82; 08; unphased.
*8208.95 Fig. 4.95 Crambeck ware shallow bowl/platter. AD280-410. Monaghan (1997), 3223. Fabric C03. Diam. 260mm; RE 12.5%; wt. 50g. Trench 82; 8; unphased. *8201.97 Fig. 4.97 Black-burnished ware 1 wide-mouthed jar with groove on shoulder. Fabric B01. Diam. 210mm; RE 15%; wt. 90g. Trench 82; 1; unphased. *8201.98 Fig. 4.98 Oxidised ware dish, 8 sherds with a flat, gooved rim, base and body. Sharp angle on body with incised linear decoration. Fabric O06. Sharp angle on body. AD 80-125. cf. Hunter et al. (1970), 5.6, Fort A/63 (Gillam Type 214). Diam. 190mm; RE 40%; wt. 127g. Trench 82; 1; unphased.
41
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown *8201.99 Fig. 4.99 Oxidised ware jar with everted rim. Fabric O01. Diam. 100mm; RE 22.5%; wt. 11g. Trench 82; 1; unphased. *8203.103 Fig. 4.103 Oxidised closed-mouth jar with inverted rim. Rough osf with light slip. AD125-160. cf. Hunter et al. (1970), Fig. 7.13, Gillam Type 118. Fabric O01. Rim diam. 140mm; RE 10%; Base diam. 50mm; RE 100%. wt. 55g. Trench 82; 3; unphased. *8202.110 Fig. 4.110 Oxidised ware jar with everted rim. Rough osf. Similar to Purdy and Manby (1973), Fig. 5.17. Fabric O06. Diam. 180mm; RE 15%; wt. 16g. Trench 82; 2; unphased. 8201.112 Drag. 37 samian dish base. Very heavy erosion, no slip remains. Fabric S01. 2nd century. Diam. 80mm; BE 15%; wt. 55g. Trench 82; 1; unphased. *8211/01.115 Fig. 4.115 Black-burnished ware 1 narrow-necked flagon with incised line on neck, 3 rim sherds. Fabric B01. Diam. 90mm; RE 40%; wt. 31g. Trench 82; 11; unphased. *8206.122 Fig. 4.122 Black-burnished ware 1 dish with everted rim. Burning on osf. Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 344. Diam. 180mm; RE 10%; wt. 36g. Trench 82; 6; unphased. *8206.123 Fig. 4.123 Black-burnished ware 1 jar with slightly everted rim. Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 319. Diam. 120mm; RE 15%; wt. 33g. Trench 82; 6; unphased. 8206.124 Black-burnished ware 1 lid. Fabric B01. Diam. 160mm; RE 75%: wt. 11g. Trench 82; 6; unphased. *8206.125 Fig. 4.125 Oxidised ware jar with everted rim. Fabric O06. Diam. 130mm; RE 12.5%; wt. 25g. Trench 82; 6; unphased. *8206.126 Fig. 4.126 Oxidised ware jar rim. Fine, incised lines on neck and applied rusticated decoration on body. Burning on osf. Fabric O06. Diam. 140mm; RE 15%; wt. 32g. Trench 82; 6; unphased. *8206.127 Fig. 4.127 Oxidised ware jar with everted rim. Fabric O06. Diam. 130mm; RE 17.5%; wt. 14g. Trench 82; 6; unphased. *8206.128 Fig. 4.128 Oxidised Grimescar ware jar with everted rim and groove on neck. Purdy and Manby (1973), Fig. 5.16. Fabric O06. Diam. 130mm; RE 15g; wt. 10g. Trench 82; 6; unphased. *8206.131 Fig. 4.131 Reduced ware wide-mouthed jar with everted rim. Fabric R06. Diam. 100mm; RE 7.5%; wt. 1g. Trench 82; 6; unphased. *8206.132 Fig. 4.132 Oxidised ware jar rim. Fabric O06. Diam. 120mm; RE 5%; wt. 7g. Trench 82; 6; unphased. *8211.164 Fig. 5.164 Black-burnished ware 1 constricted-necked jar with horizontal groove and incised roulette decoration on body. Probably South Yorkshire origin. Large, almost complete vessel. AD85-140. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 210. Base intentionally removed in antiquity. Fabric B01. Diam. 90mm; RE 35%; wt. 1703g.
42
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment *8205.165 Fig. 5.165 Black-burnished ware 1 large jar with applied linear rusticated decoration and ‘tar’ like coating on osf. Probably South Yorkshire origin. Reconstructed vessel. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 317. Fabric B01. Rim diam. 140mm, base diam. 75mm; RE 100%; BE 100%; wt. 603g. Trench 83 *8304.67 Fig. 5.67 Mortaria with light cream slip. 3 rim sherds. Fabric M04 (Aldborough White ware). AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000, 177), no. 60. Diam. 300mm; RE 20%; wt. 207g. Trench 83; 04; unphased. *8304.68 Fig. 5.68 Oxidised ware flagon rim/neck sherd. Rough osf. Fabric O02. Diam. 80mm; RE 22.25%; wt. 15g. Trench 83; 4; unphased. *8304.69 Fig. 5.69 Crambeck ware shallow dish/platter. Soapy osf and isf, large red inclusions in fabric. 4th century AD. cf. Corder 1989, no. 52; Monaghan (1997), no. 3223. Fabric C01. Diam. 260mm; RE 5%; wt. 32g. Trench 83; 4; unphased. 8304.70 Reduced ware jar rim with burning. Fabric R02. Diam. 150mm; RE 7.5%; wt. 8g. Trench 83; 4; unphased. * 8304.72 Fig. 5.72 Black-burnished ware 1 dish, 2 rim sherds. Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 340. Diam. 100mm; RE 10%; wt. 31g. Trench 83; 04; unphased. *8303.73 Fig. 5.73 Black-burnished ware 1 wide-mouthed jar, 2 sherds. Osf with cross-hatched incised decoration on middle section of body. Fabric B01. AD140-300. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 307; Evans (2001), no. 32. Diam. 140mm; RE 15%; wt. 49g. Trench 83; 3; unphased. *8303.74 Fig. 5.74 Reduced ware narrow-necked jar with everted rim. Incised linear decoration on neck. Very hard fabric. Fabric R06. Diam. 120mm; RE 12.5%; wt. 15g. Trench 83; 3; unphased. *8302.91 Fig. 5.91 Black-burnished ware 1 jar with square, everted rim. Heavy erosion. Fabric B01. Diam. 120mm; RE 15%; wt. 15g. Trench 83; 2; unphased. *8302.92 Fig. 5.92 Reduced ware jar with everted, 2 sherds. Hunter et al. (1970), Fig. 8.14. Fabric R04. Diam. 100mm; RE 15%; wt. 18g. Trench 83; 2; unphased. *8306.111 Fig. 5.111 Oxidised ware jar, 3 rim sherds with applied ‘thumb’ shaped decoration and incised lines on shoulder. Fabric O02. Diam. 140mm; RE 7.5%; wt. 30g. Trench 83; 6; unphased. *8303.118 Fig. 5.118 Black-burnished ware 1 wide-mouthed jar with everted rim. Fabric B01. AD140180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 307. Diam. 130mm; RE 10%; wt. 11g. Trench 83; 3; unphased. *8304/10.119 Fig. 5.119 Oxidised ware lid. 7 sherd with heavy erosion and burning on osf. Fabric. O02. Diam. 180mm; RE 11%; wt. 230g. Trench 83; 4/10; unphased. *8304/10.120 Fig. 5.120 Black-burnished ware 1 jar rim sherd with evidence of burning on osf. Fabric B01. AD100-250. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 403. Diam. 140mm; RE 10%; wt. 26g. Trench 83; 4/1; unphased.
43
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown Trench 84 *8402.76 Fig. 6.76 Possibly Curle 23 (Webster 1996, 67) dish with flat, everted rim. Very heavy erosion. Fabric S01. Late 1st to mid- 3rd century (Webster 1996). Diam. 150mm; RE 17.5%; wt. 15g. Trench 84; 2; unphased. *8402/3.83 Fig. 6.83 Reduced ware wide-mouthed jar with everted rim. Rough osf with heavy erosion. Fabric R02. Diam. 160mm; RE 12.5%; wt. 17g. Trench 84; 2/3; unphased. *8402/3.84 Fig. 6.84 Reduced ware jar with everted rim. Fabric R04. Rough osf with burning and heavy erosion. Hunter et al. (1970), Fig. 7.14; Purdy and Manby (1973), 5.16. Diam. 130mm; RE 12.5%; wt. 19g. Trench 84; 2/3; unphased. *8402/3.85 Fig. 6.85 Reduced ware jar with everted rim and thin-walled body with rough osf. Hunter et al. (1970), Fig. 7.4. Fabric R02. Diam. 120mm; RE 10%; wt. 3g. Trench 84; 2/3; unphased. *8402/3.86 Fig. 6.86 Reduced ware wide-necked jar with thick, everted rim. Smooth osf with heavy burning and incised linear decoration on neck. Fabric R02. Diam. 140mm; RE 7.5%; wt. 11g. Trench 84; 2/3; unphased. *8402/3.88 Fig. 6.88 Oxidised ware dish with flat, grooved rim. Fabric O01. AD80-125. cf. Hunter et al. (1970), 5.6, Fort A/63. Diam. 160mm; RE 6%; wt. 7g. Trench 84; 2; unphased. *8407.93 Fig. 6.93 Black-burnshed ware 1 jar with everted rim, 2 sherds. Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 306. Diam. 130mm; RE 17.5%; wt. 48g. Trench 84; 7; unphased. *8402.96 Fig. 6.96 Possibly Curle 23 (Webster 1996, 67) dish with flat, everted rim. Very heavy erosion. Fabric S01. Late 1st to mid- 3rd century. Diam. 150mm; RE 20%; wt. 15g. Trench 84; 2; unphased. *8401.100 Fig. 6.100 Oxidised Grimescar ware dish with flat, hooked, reeded rim. Rough osf. Fabric O02. Diam. 190mm; RE 10%; wt. 13g. Trench 82; 1; unphased. *8402/3.102 Fig. 6.102 Black-burnished ware 1 dish rim and body sherds. Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 338. Diam. 220mm; RE 12.5%; wt. 43g. Trench 84; 2/3; unphased. *8406.106 Fig. 6.106 Mortaria. 1 small rim sherd. Fabric M04 (Aldborough White ware). AD85 – 140. cf. Rush et al. (2000, 177), no. 69. Diam. apx. 280mm; RE 5%; wt. 75g. Trench 84; 06; unphased. *8406.107 Fig. 6.107 Reduced ware dish with flat, grooved rim. Light grey/blue slip. Fabric R04. Diam. 140mm; RE 7.5%; wt. 9g. Trench 84; 06; unphased. *8406.108 Fig. 6.108 Crambeck ware jar with everted rim. Fabric C02. 4th century. cf. Corder (1989), no. 89. Diam. 120mm; RE 10%; wt. 8g. Trench 84; 6; unphased. *8499.116 Fig. 6.116 Reduced ware wide-mouthed jar with everted rim. Fabric R02. Hunter et al. (1970), Fig. 7.23; Purdy and Manby (1973), 5.17. Diam. 130mm; RE 10%; wt. 8g. Trench 84; 99; unphased.
44
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment
Fig. 1. Pottery from Trenches 100, 200 and 300 (part). Scale 1:4
45
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown
Fig. 2. Pottery from Trenches 300 (part) and 500. Scale 1:4
46
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment
Figure 3. Pottery from Trench 81. Scale 1:4
47
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown
Fig. 4. Pottery from Trench 82 (part). Scale 1:4
48
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment
Fig. 5. Pottery from Trenches 82 (part) and 83. Scale 1:4
49
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown
Figure 6. Pottery from Trench 84. Scale 1:4
50
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment 1968 FINDS BY TRENCH LOCATION with Archive bag numbers Trench AII – all in context 3 302 Bag 56.02 part East Gaulish samian dish or bowl. Fabric S01. Diam. 160mm; RE 10% 12g. Trench AII;3. 308 Bag 57.11 part Cream ware dish/platter. SL Type 95, AD280-410. Monaghan (1997), 3223. Fabric C05. Diam. 320mm; RE 7.5%; 16g. Trench AII;3. Trench AV 384 Bag 52.74 Black-burnished dish with flat rim. SL Type 29, Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 340. Diam. 150mm; RE 11%; 24g. Trench AV;1 Trench CI 305* Bag 56.39 part Fig. 3.305 Cream ware jar with everted rim. Burning on osf. AD200-400. Corder (1989, 18), no. 82. Fabric C04. Diam. 130mm; RE 10%; 15g. Trench CI; 5. 306* Bag 56.39 part Fig. 5.306 Reduced wide-necked jar. Fabric R04. Diam. 200mm; RE 10%; 60g. Trench CI; 5. Trench FI 313* Bag 56.35 part Fig. 2.313 Black-burnished dish. Fabric B01. Diam. 260mm; RE 7.5%; 33g. Trench FI; 3. Area G includes trenches G & H Trench GV 311* Bag 54.15 part Fig. 6.311 Reduced large dish with thick rim. Fabric R04. Diam. 280mm; RE 7.5%: 61g. Trench GV; 3. Trench HI 245 Bag 53.91 part East Gaulish samian base (cup?). Fabric S01. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; 27g. Trench HI; 1. 239* Bag 58.34 part Fig. 2.239 Black-burnished narrow-necked jar. Fabric B01. Diam. 100mm; RE 15%; 13g. Trench HI; 2. 51
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown 242* Bag 53.84 part Fig. 5.242 Reduced jar, very coarse. Fabric R04. Diam. 120mm; RE 7.5%; 8g. Trench HI; 2. 244 Bag 53.84 part Reduced jar with everted rim. SL Type 23. Fabric R04. Diam. 140mm; RE 10%; 9g. Trench HI; 2. 240 Bag 58.34 part Black-burnished jar with cross-hatched decoration on rim. SL Type 73, Fabric B01. AD140-300. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 307; Evans (2001), no. 32. Diam. 140mm; RE 16%; 35g. Trench HI; 2. 241 Bag 58.34 part Black-burnished dish with flat rim. Very heavily eroded. SL Type 35, Fabric B01. AD140-400. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 343; Sumpter (1990), no. 10. Diam. 180mm; RE 9%; 27g. Trench HI; 2. 250* Bag 53.86 part Fig. 3.250 Cream ware, fine ring-necked flagon with one handle (missing). AD140-180. Rush et al. (2000), no. 249. Fabric C01. Diam. 74mm; RE 100%; 137g. Trench HI; 2. 225* Bag 53.75 part Fig. 5.225 Reduced jar with everted rim. Fabric R04. Diam. 130mm; RE 15%; 21g. Trench HI; 3. 253 Bag 55.66 part Cream ware dish/platter. SL Type 95, AD280-410. Monaghan (1997), 3223. Fabric C03. Diam. n/a; RE 2.5%; 17g. Trench HI; 5. Trench HII 230* Bag 58.35 Fig. 6.230 Reduced dish with flat rim. Fabric R08. Diam. 170mm; RE 15%; 37g. Trench HII; 1. 233* Bag 58.37 part Fig. 5.233 Reduced ware jar. SV as 235. Fabric R04. Diam. 130mm; RE 15%; 9g. Trench HII; 3. 234* Bag 58.37 part Fig. 5.234 Reduced jar with groove on neck. Fabric R04. Diam. 120mm; RE 14%; 14g. Trench HII; 3. 235 Bag 58.37 part Reduced jar. SV as 236. Fabric R04. Diam. 130mm; RE 12.5%; 16g. Trench HII; 3. 236* Bag 58.32 part Fig. 5.236 Reduced jar. SV as 235. Fabric R04. Diam. 130mm; 7.5%; 11g. Trench HII; 3.
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The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment 237* Bag 58.32 part Fig. 6.237 Reduced large two-handled pitcher with flat, grooved rim. Fabric R04. Diam. 80mm; RE 12.5%; 206g. Trench HII; 3. 246* Bag 58.38 Fig. 1.246 Cream ware mortaria with hooked-rim. Rounded and sub-rounded grey and white (c. 1-2mm), and larger brown (c. 3-4mm) angular grits. AD100-140. Rush et al. (2000), no. 64. Fabric M02. Diam. 280mm; RE 10%; 145g. Trench HII; 3. 256 Bag 58.39 Fine, cream ware (undiagnostic) sherds. Fabric C01. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; 168g. Trench HII; 3. 223 Bag 58.43 part Black-burnished lid with grooved lip. SL Type 163, Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 372. Diam. 200mm; RE 7.5%; 16g. Trench HII; 5. 221* Bag 54.46 part Fig. 5.221 Reduced jar with thick, beaded rim. Fabric R02. Diam. 160mm; RE 10%; 20g. Trench HII;8 222 Bag 54.46 Reduced jar with everted rim. SL Type 236. Fabric R02. Diam. 170mm; RE 15%; 23g. Trench HII; 8. 247* Bag 54.61 part Fig. 1.247 Mortaria rim and body with partial spout. White, dark and light grey grits (c. 1-2mm). AD100-200. Fabric M02. Diam. 350mm; RE 15%; 344g. Trench HII; 8. 249* Bag 54.61 part Fig. 1.249 Mortaria with light grey slip on isf, bright orange slip on osf. Large (c.3-4mm, angular and sub-angular) grey and white grits. AD75-125. Rush et al. (2000), no. 42. Fabric M06. Diam. 360mm; RE 15%; 215g. Trench HII; 8. 251* Bag 54.65 part Fig. 4.251 Small jar rim with light slip on isf and osf. Iron adhesion on isf. Fabric O20. Diam. 120mm; RE 13%; 16g. Trench HII; 8. 252* Bag 54.65 part Fig. 3.252 Cream ware dish with thick rim. Fabric C04. Diam. 160mm; RE 10%; 8g. Trench HII; 8. 228 Bag 58.32 Reduced jar with everted rim. SL Type 85, Hunter et al. (1970), Fig. 7.4. Fabric R10. Diam. 150mm; RE 15%; 14g. Trench HII; 9.
53
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown 255 Bag 58.29 Cream ware dish with think rim. SL Type 252. Fabric C03. Diam. 160mm; RE 10%; 8g. Trench HII; 10. Tench JI 263* Bag 57.37 Fig. 5.263 Reduced jar with everted rim and burning on osf. Fabric R08. Diam. 120mm; RE 20%; 25g. Trench JI; 1. 257 Bag 55.95 East Gaulish samian Drag. 37 bowl, heavy erosion. AD70-200. Webster (1996). Fabric S01. Diam. 210mm; RE 15%; 33g. Trench JI; 3. 261 Bag 57.50 Fine, colour-coated beaker base with black slip on isf and osf. Possibly Argonne Colour-coated ware. Possibly SV as 215. AD140-180. Rush et al. (2000), no. 275. Fabric F01. Diam. 46mm; RE 42.5%; 3g. Trench JI; 3. 273 Bag 57.45 Campanian amphora rim. SV as SL Type 1. AD0-100. Fabric A01. Diam. 184mm; RE 42.5%; wt. 310g. Trench JI; 3. 260 Bag 56.05 part East Gaulish samian dish with heavy erosion. Fabric S01. Diam. n/a; RE 7.5%; 7g. Trench JI; 4. 264* Bag 57.54 part Fig. 2.264 Black-burnished dish with vertical, beaded rim. Fabric B01. Diam. 180mm; RE 10%; 56g. Trench JI; 4. Trench KI 267* Bag 54.54 Fig. 2.267 Black-burnished dish. Fabric B01. Diam. 170mm; RE 17.5%; 44g. Trench KI; 1. 265* Bag 57.27 part Fig. 2.265 Black-burnished jar. Fabric B01. Diam. 100mm; RE 15%; 15. Trench KI; 3. 272 Mortaria rim with partial stamp (illegible). Fabric M04. Diam. c. 340mm; RE 20%; 177g. Trench KI; 5. Trench LI 268* Bag 54.84 part Fig. 6.268 Reduced, large dish with flat, reeded rim. Fabric R02. Diam. 212mm; RE 30%; 97g. Trench LI; 2.
54
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment 269* Bag 54.84 part Fig. 5.269 Reduced, narrow-necked jar with rusticated decoration. Fabric R02. Diam. 112mm; RE 35%; 31g. Trench LI; 2. 259 Bag 55.73 part East Gaulish samian Drag. 30 dish. Small sherd with heavy erosion. AD70-100. Webster (1996). Fabric S01. Diam. 140mm; RE 7.5%; 5g. Trench LI; 3. Trench MI 296* Bag 57.16 part Fig. 4.296 Oxidised lid with squared-rim, orange-red slip-coated isf and osf. Fabric O01. Diam. 260mm; RE 10%; 42g. Trench MI; 1. Trench NI 294* Bag 57.14 Fig. 4.294 Oxidised ware lid with red-orange slip on isf and osf. Fabric O02. Diam. 220mm; RE 5%; 14g. Trench NI; 1. 297 Bag 57.09 part Reduced, thin-walled closed-mouthed jar (no rim). Fabric R02. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; 110g. Trench NI; 4. Area H includes trenches O, P & Q Trench OI 299* Bag 57.20 part Fig. 6.299 Reduced dish with flat rim and burning on osf. Fabric R04. Diam. 180mm; RE 10%; 13g. Trench OI; 3. 298* Bag 57.13 part Fig. 3.298 Cream ware jar with light grey slip on isf and osf. AD200-400. Corder (1989, 18), no. 89. Fabric C04. Diam. 98mm; RE 15%; 13g. Trench OI; 5. 301* Bag 57.11 part Fig. 3.301 Cream ware deep dish with flat base and beaded-rim. AD200-400. Corder (1989, 17), no. 53. Fabric C03. Diam. 170mm; RE 13%; 87g. Trench OI; 5. Trench PII 289 Bag 54.79 part Black-burnished large dish with cross-hatched decoration. Very heavily eroded. SL Type 279. Fabric B01. Diam. 240mm; RE 17.5%; 84g. Trench PII; 3. 281 Bag 56.44 Reduced dish with flat, hooked rim. SL Type 202. Fabric R02. Diam. 170mm; RE 15%; 26g. Trench PII; 4.
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown 283 Bag 52.74 part Black-burnished jar with cross-hatched decoration on osf. SL Type 73, Fabric B01. AD140-300. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 307; Evans (2001), no. 32. Diam. 140mm; RE 7.5%; 42g. Trench PII; 4. 284 Bag 52.74 part Black-burnished dish with flat rim. Very heavily eroded. SL Type 12, Fabric B01. AD140-400. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 482. Diam. 180mm; RE 7.5%; 20g. Trench PII; 4. Trench PIII 274 Bag 56.60 part Black-burnished dish. SL Type 35, Fabric B01. AD140-400. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 343; Sumpter (1990), no. 10. Diam. 210mm; RE 5%; 14g. Trench PIII; 3. 285* Bag 56.67 Fig. 5.285 Reduced, narrow-necked jar. Fabric R09. Diam. 98mm; RE 17.5%; 14g. Trench PIII; 3. 292 Bag 56.69 Mortaria base and body sherds. Grey and white grits (c. 1-3mm, sub-rounded). Fabric M02. Base diam. 150mm; RE 20%; 294g. Trench PIII; 3. 278* Bag 56.52 part Fig. 2.278 Black-burnished jar with cross-hatched decoration on neck. Fabric B01. Diam. 160mm; RE 15%; 21g. Trench PII; 5. 279* Bag 56.52 part Fig. 2.279 Black-burnished large dish with cross-hatched decoration. Fabric B01. Diam. 240mm; RE 22.5%; 130g. Trench PII; 5. Trench PIV 277 Bag 56.62 part Black-burnished jar with everted rim. SL Type 162, Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 304. Diam. 100mm; RE 7.5%; 33g. Trench PIV; 3. 287 Bag 56.49 part Black-burnished jar. SL Type 73, Fabric B01. AD140-300. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 307; Evans (2001), no. 32. Diam. 140mm; RE 8%; 19g. Trench PIV; 6. 288* Bag 56.49 part Fig. 2.288 Black-burnished jar. Fabric B01. Diam. 180m; RE 7.5%; 10g. Trench PIV; 6. 291 Bag 56.48 part Cream ware flagon neck (undiagnostic). Fabric C01. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; 80g. Trench PIV; 6. 56
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment 280* Bag 56.57 Fig. 2.280 Black-burnished jar. Fabric B01. Diam. 130mm; RE 10%; 23g. Trench PIV; 12. Trench Q1 210* Bag 53.70 Fig. 3.210 Cream ware, very coarse flagon spout. Fabric C07. Diam. 74mm; RE 100%; 72g. Trench QI; 2. 200 Bag 53.45 Black-burnished dish with flat rim. SL Type 35, Fabric B01. AD140-400. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 343; Sumpter (1990), no. 10. Diam. 178mm; RE 10%; 32g. Trench QI; 9. 202* Bag 53.50 part Fig. 6.202 Reduced dish with flat, hooked rim. Fabric R02. Diam. 170mm; RE 11%; 16g. Trench QI; 9. 206 Bag 55.97 East Gaulish samian base. Fabric S05. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; 14g. Trench QI; 9. Trench QII 349 Bag57.69 part Black-burnished jar with cross-hatched decoration on rim. SL Type 73, Fabric B01. AD140-300. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 307; Evans (2001), no. 32. Diam. 140mm; RE 17.5%; 42g. Trench QII; 3. 355* Bag58.04 part Fig. 5.355 Reduced jar with everted rim. Fabric R02. Diam. 170mm; RE 25%; 37g. Trench QII, 5. 356* Bag 58.07 Fig. 1.356 Cream mortaria (complete profile) with red-brown, grey and quartz grits (c. 1-3mm, angular). Probably North Yorkshire origin. Fabric M07. Diam. 270mm; RE 32.5%; 697g. Trench QII; 5. 351 Bag 53.42 part Reduced jar, 29 base and body sherds with rusticated decoration (no rim). Fabric R02. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; 266g. Trench QII; 9. 352* Bag 53.42 part Fig. 5.352 Reduced small jar with grooved rim. Fabric R04. Diam. 110mm; RE 11%; 24g. Trench QII; 9. 353 Bag 57.67 Black-burnished dish with flat rim. SL Type 267. Fabric B01. Diam. 210mm; RE 13%; 43g. Trench QII; 9a
57
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown 354* Bag 57.91 part Fig. 6.354 Reduced large dish with thick rim. Fabric R02. Diam. 260mm; RE 10%; 38g. Trench QII; 10. 350 Bag 57.79 part Black-burnished large dish with cross-hatched decoration. SL Type 72, Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 340. Diam. 240mm; RE 12.5%; 49g. Trench QII; 13. Trench QIII 212 Bag 54.40 part Reduced jar with everted rim. SL Type 136. Fabric R04. Diam. 140mm; RE 7.5%; 13g. Trench QIII; 2. 213 Bag 54.21 part Black-burnished dish. SL Type 122, Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 344. Diam. 180mm; RE 8%; 14g. Trench QIII; 2. 215* Bag 54.31 Fig. 1.215 Fine, colour-coated beaker rim with black slip on isf and osf. Fabric F01. Diam. 110mm; RE 15%; 5g. Trench QIII; 5. 211* Bag 54.42 Fig. 5.211 Reduced jar with everted rim. Grey osf and orange-brown isf. Fabric R08. Diam. 140mm; RE 7.5%; 11g. Trench QIII; 6. Trench QIV 217 Bag 53.98 part Black-burnished jar with slightly everted rim. SL Type 123, Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 319. Diam. 120mm; RE 7.5%; 17g. Trench QVI; 3. 220 Bag 54.28 Black-burnished dish with cross-hatched decoration on osf. SL Type 35, Fabric B01. AD140-400. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 343; Sumpter (1990), no. 10. Diam. 160mm; RE 7.5%; 20g. Trench QIV; 4. Trench QVI 218 Bag 53.98 part Reduced narrow-necked jar with everted rim. SL Type 84, Hunter et al. (1970), Fig. 7.14; Purdy and Manby (1973), 5.16. Fabric R04. Diam. 130mm; RE 5%; 20g. Trench QVI; 3.
58
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment 1969 FINDS BY TRENCH LOCATION with Archive bag numbers Trench RI 396* Fig. 1.396 Oxidised mortaria with quartz grits (c. 1-2mm, angular. Rush et al. (2000), no. 53. Fabric M06. Diam. 320mm; RE 15%, 285g. Trench RI; 9. 397 Cream mortaria with grey grits (c. 1-2mm). SL Type 67, AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000, 177), no. 60. Fabric M02. Diam. 300mm; RE 10%; 76g. Trench RI; 9. 398 Oxidised mortaria with light grey wash on isf. White grits (c. 2-3mm, angular). SV as SL249. Fabric M06. Diam. 360mm; RE10%; 109g. Trench RI; 9. 383* Bag 54.47 part Fig. 2.383 Black-burnished lid. Fabric B01. Diam. 180mm; RE 10%; 26g. Trench RI; 10. 385* Bag 54.47 part Fig. 4.385 Oxidised jar with grooved rim. Fabric O06. Diam. 160mm; RE 16%; 28g. Trench RI; 10. 386* Bag 54.47 part Fig. 3.386 Cream ware jar with burning on isf and osf. Fabric C04. Diam. 112mm; RE 20%; 21g. Trench RI; 10. 388 Bag 54.47 part Cream ware jar with everted rim. Burning on isf and osf. Fabric C05. Diam. 148mm; RE 15%; 15g. Trench RI; 10. 389* Bag 54.46 part Fig. 3.389 Cream ware jar with everted rim. Burning on isf and osf. Fabric C05. Diam. 150mm; RE 12.5%; 11g. Trench RI; 10. 390* Bag 54.46 part Fig. 3.390 Cream ware jar with thick rim. Fabric C05. Diam. 160mm; RE 11%; 12g. Trench RI; 10. 391 Bag 54.46 part Oxidised flagon handle (broken). Fabric O02. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; 24g. Trench RI; 10. 392* Bag 54.46 part Fig. 4.392 Oxidised flagon neck and shoulder. Fabric O02. Diam. 60mm; RE 100%; 72g. Trench RI; 10.
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown 394* Bag 54.48 part Fig. 2.394 Black-burnished large jar with grooves on body. Possibly South Yorkshire origin. Fabric B01. Diam. 170mm; RE 12.5%; 69g. Trench RI; 10. 395* Bag 54.48 part Fig. 3.395 Cream ware flagon neck. Fabric C07. Diam. 140mm; RE 17.5%; 76g. Trench RI; 10. 400* Bag 54.47 part Fig. 6.400 Reduced large dish with thick rim and groove on shoulder. Heavy burning on isf and osf. Fabric R04. Diam. 212mm; RE 22.5%; 131g. Trench RI; 10. 375* Bag 52.65 part Fig. 2.375 Black-burnished dish with carination and cross-hatched decoration on osf. Fabric B01. Diam. 140mm; RE 7.5%; 26g. Trench RI; 11. 382* Bag 52.63 part Fig. 4.382 Oxidised dish with orange slip-coated and incised decoration on osf. Fabric O21. Diam. 170mm; RE 8%; 16g. Trench RI; 11. Trench RIA 393* Bag 52.58 Fig. 6.393 Reduced ware flagon neck and rim (undulating) with orange slip. Fabric R09. Diam. 60mm; RE 42.5%; 21g. Trench RI; A1. 380 Bag 52.56 part East Gaulish samian bowl base. AD70+. Fabric S01. Diam. 150mm; RE 12.5%; 4g. Trench RI;A 2. Trench RII 369* Bag 55.43 Fig. 5.369 Reduced jar with everted rim. Fabric R02. Diam. 122mm; RE 20%; 17g. Trench RII; 2. 367* Bag 55.22 part Fig. 4.367 Oxidised jar with everted rim and burning on osf. Fabric O06. Diam. 162mm; RE 10%; 16g. Trench RII; 12. Trench RIII 357* Bag 55.14 part Fig. 4.357 Oxidised small jar with everted rim. Fabric O06. Diam. 100mm; RE 10%; 7g. Trench RIII; 6. 60
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment 366* Bag 54.69 part Fig. 5.366 Reduced jar with everted rim. Fabric R04. Diam. 150mm; RE 16%; 31g. Trench RIII; 7. 377 Bag 54.70 part Oxidised wide-mouthed jar. SL Type 59, Fabric O01. Diam. 140mm; RE 12.5%; 9g. Trench RIII; 7. 378* Bag 54.70 part Fig. 5.378 Reduced, large jar. Fabric R04. Diam. 180mm; RE 15%; 62g. Trench RIII; 7. 373* Bag 55.37 Fig. 1.373 Cream mortaria with white, dark and light grey grits (c. 1-2mm, sub-rounded). AD140-150. Rush et al. (2000), no. 2. Fabric M02. Diam. 300mm; RE 5%; 81g. Trench RIII; 9. 360 Bag 55.31 Oxidised dish with flat rim. Fabric O02. Diam. 160mm; RE 12.5%; 13g. Trench RIII; 11. 362 Bag 54.72 part Black-burnished jar. SL Type 162, Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 304. Diam. 140mm; RE 15%; 37g. Trench RIII; 13. Trench RV 358 Bag 55.32 East Gaulish samian base. Fabric S01. Base diam. 80mm; RE 15%; 5g. Trench RV; 8. Trench RVI 357 Bag 52.72 East Gaulish samian bowl, decorated body sherd with ‘Hare’ motif. Fabric S01. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; 28g. Trench RVI; 3. Trench SI 340 Bag 53.21 part East Gaulish decorated body sherds. Fabric S01. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; 15g. Trench SI; 5. 347* Bag 53.23 Fig. 5.347 Reduced narrow-necked jar. Fabric R04. Diam. 80mm; RE 7.5%; 6g. Trench SI; 5.
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown 344 Bag 53.12 part Black-burnished jar with everted rim. SL Type 319. Fabric B01. Diam. 120mm; RE 12.5%; 24g. Trench SI; context unknown 345 Bag 53.12 part Black-burnished dish. SL Type 267. Fabric B01. Diam. 170mm; RE 8%; 19g. Trench SI; context unknown Trench TI 368 Bag 55.26 part Black-burnished lid with grooved lip and cross-hatched decoration on osf. SL Type 163, Fabric B01. AD140-180. cf. Rush et al. (2000), no. 372. Diam. 200mm; RE 5%; 14g. Trench TI; 10. 372* Bag 55.27 Fig. 4.372 Oxidised flagon neck and rim. Fabric O01. Diam. 60mm; RE 30%; 12. Trench TI; 10. 370* Bag 53.34 part Fig. 5.370 Reduced jar with rustication on shoulder. Fabric R09. Diam. 110mm; RE 27.5%; 43g. Trench TI; 12. 1969 UNKNOWN LOCATIONS 317 Bag 58.09 Central Gaulish samian raised base. Fabric S04. Diam. 60mm; RE 12.5%; 16g. Trench unknown 318 Bag 52.88 East Gaulish samian base with partial stamp (illegible), and three decorated body sherds. Fabric S01. Diam. 80mm; RE 12.5%; 76g. Trench b; +. 325* Bag 52.90 Fig. 5.325 Reduced jar with rustication on body. Fabric R09. Diam. 110mm; RE 15%; 28g. Trench b; +. 331* Bag 54.85 Fig. 3.331 Fine, Crambeck ware bowl. Very smooth, burnished isf and osf. Fabric C01. Diam. 180mm; RE 20%; 72g. Trench b; +. 332 Bag 58.21 part Cream ware bowl. Fabric C06. Diam. 200mm; RE 5%; 14g. Trench unknown 337 Bag 58.12 Cream ?mortaria rim sherds. Fabric C01. Diam. n/a; RE 5%; 26g. Trench unknown
62
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment 338 Bag 52.91 part Campanian amphora. Three body sherds with incised ‘tituli picti’ (unidentified). Fabric A01. AD0-100. Diam. n/a; RE n/a; 182g. Trench b; +. 339 Bag 58.19 part Cream mortaria rim with partial spout. Fabric M07. Diam. 260mm; RE 12.5%; 112g. Trench unknown UNKNOWN LOCATION OR DATE 319* Bag 54.66 Fig. 2.319 Black-burnished jar with everted rim and cross-hatched decoration on osf. Fabric B01. Diam. 130mm; RE 12.5%; 29g. Trench Kiln I; 6. 321* Bag 54.66 part Fig. 5.321 Reduced jar with thick, everted rim, burning on osf. Fabric R06. Diam. 190mm; RE 10%; 29g. Trench Kiln I; 6. 322* Bag 54.66 part Fig. 5.322 Reduced jar with everted rim, burning on isf and osf. Fabric R02. Diam. 120mm; RE 35%; 51g. Trench Kiln I; 6. 329 Bag 54.68 part Reduced jar with everted rim. SL Type 84, Hunter et al. (1970), Fig. 7.14; Purdy and Manby (1973), 5.16. Fabric R04. Diam. 120mm; RE 10%; 9g. Trench Kiln I; 6.
63
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown
Figure 1. Fineware beaker and mortaria. Scale 1:4
64
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment
Figure 2. Black-burnished wares. Scale 1:4
65
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown
Figure 3. Cream wares. Scale 1:4
66
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment
Figure 4. Oxidised wares. Scale 1:4
67
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown
Figure 5. Reduced ware jars. Scale 1:4
68
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment
Figure 6. Reduced ware pitcher, flagon and dishes. Scale 1:4
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown APPENDIX C (Kay Hartley) THE MORTARIA FROM EXCAVATIONS AT SLACK 1968-9 AND 2007-8 NB. 1. Quantification has been done elsewhere and it is not repeated in the report below. 2. ‘Verulamium region’ - a term used when the particular workshop in the area is not known. It covers a series of workshops/potteries situated along Watling Street; at and south of Verulamium in Hertfordshire and Greater London: Brockley Hill (Castle 1972; 1976; Suggett 1954; Smith, Brown and Brady 2008); Radlett (Castle 1974-6; Page 1898); Little Munden (Saunders and Havercroft 1977); Verulamium (Corder 1941) and probably at unlocated sites in the area; Hartley and Tomber 2006, p95). It should also be remembered that one potter may have been active in more than one workshop during his working life and he could even be linked with more than one workshop simultaneously (Hartley forthcoming). Tomber and Dore 1998, 154-5. 3. Body and base sherds from 2 other mortaria in cream fabric have not been included in discussions below. Introduction Fabric has been examined with a hand lens at x20 magnification and detailed descriptions have been given for relevant sherds because of the fundamental problem in sourcing pottery of the first half of the second century at Slack. The obvious local pottery source for Slack is the Grimescar tileries just north of Slack which were established to serve the fort when the Cohors IV Breucorum rebuilt the fort in stone cAD104. It may seem presumptuous to attribute mortaria to a source without having seen any of the products from that source, but it is established that pottery was made there and there is every reason to believe that this includes mortaria. It has not yet been possible to locate and examine the ‘fragments of mortaria’ which were recovered during excavations in 1955-6 (Hallam 1965, first paragraph). However, E.S. Pickup (1988-89) published some of ‘the other coarse ware vessels’ which she mentions: a large series of reeded rim bowls, jars and lids which appear to be part of a kiln group. He estimated that they were derived from 115 vessels and on p.105, he states that there is much other unpublished pottery from Grimescar and Slack. After further excavations Purdy and Manby (1973) published more pottery from Grimescar, most of it of similar types and they also mention wasters. Although they found only one flange fragment from a mortarium (ibid. fig. 6, no.37) there is every reason to believe they were produced on the site (see below). It is hoped to locate the unpublished pottery in future and, if possible, to publish it. Because of the potential importance of these tileries for pottery production and for dating purposes, it is worthwhile to summarize what is known about the site at Grimescar. The start and end dates of the industry are not universally agreed upon, but Dr Betts working on tile and brick production (1985, p133) summarizes the information which has been used to date the period of production of tiles: ‘The fort at Slack is of particular interest as it has been used to date the production of tiles from the Grimescar tilery. Standing on the road from York to Chester, the fort was founded by Agricola in about AD 79-80. Initially buildings were constructed in wood. A major period of reconstruction occurred around c.AD 104 when timber buildings were rebuilt in stone. This period is characterized by the appearance of roof tiles stamped COHIIIIBRE from Grimescar. Tiles of various types were also used during enlargement of the bath-house around the same period. A final phase of rebuilding commenced in c.AD 120. One double barrack block was completed but only the foundations were started on two other sites. The products from the Grimescar tilery were also used during this construction phase at Slack. It is believed that the sudden halt in building work may have been due to the withdrawal of the Slack garrison around AD 122-125. The pottery, however, shows that there was some military presence until around AD 140, if not later, although the garrison must have been a small one (Hunter et. al., 1970: 78-80). Tiles were also used in buildings constructed in the fort annexe which was occupied until at least AD160 (Hunter et. al., 1970: 87).’ 70
The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment The Cohors IV Breucorum is recorded at Bowes in cAD131-133 and at Ebchester c.AD213-222. Their stamped tiles were being produced at Grimescar between cAD104 when the fort was rebuilt in stone until c.AD125 when the building work at Slack halted, a date which presumably marks the transfer of the Unit to Bowes. Betts (p.140) says ‘It is not known when tile production at Grimescar ceased, but a date of c.AD 122-125, when the building work at Slack suddenly halted, seems reasonable.’ Thus, military occupation is thought to have continued at Slack on a much reduced basis until cAD140, with the possibility of some serious non-military occupation perhaps continuing until cAD160. Tiles and pottery were needed up to and after AD140; whether any production continued at Grimescar or they were brought in from elsewhere remains to be proved. In the past, attention has been concentrated on tile production, but it was completely normal for pottery production to occur alongside that of tiles in the Trajanic period. Dr V. Swan (1984, p87) noted this on many sites in the midlands and north of England. The Grimescar potteries are no exception. ‘Mortarium fragments’ are mentioned in Hallam (1965, first paragraph). There are only three conceivable reasons why mortaria could be at Grimescar: A. They had been sent from somewhere else and were in use in the living quarters. All of the excavators and those publishing pottery from Grimescar emphasize that nothing has yet been found to show where the tilers and potters were actually living. B. They had been brought from somewhere else and were in use in the tile production process; one might not be able to disprove this, but it is highly unlikely given the mortaria in question. C. They were being made on the site. This is by far the most likely reason for their presence. Moreover, it would be quite normal for them to be found in quantity only in close proximity to specific kilns where they were being fired or to buildings where they were being stored. A particular reason why one would expect mortarium production is that Grimescar tileries are quite exceptional in that there was access to iron-free clay from the Coal Measures – so much access that they sometimes used it for making tiles. Betts comments on these light coloured tiles (1985, p.189) as did the discoverer of the site in 1590 (Purdy and Manby 1973, 96). The excavations in 1968 and 2008 produced two fragments: 2008, 84.06 106 and 1968, 53.87 H I context 2. It is virtually certain that some mortaria were made at Grimescar in oxidized fabrics and it is impossible to believe that potters with such access to iron-free clay would not use it to make mortaria when this tended to be a preferred fabric for these vessels. Pottery would only have been made there after cAD104 when the tileries were first set up to service the Cohors IV Breucorum in rebuilding the fort in stone. This will be reflected in the pottery because until cAD104 pottery would have been brought in from sources further south and from sources in Gaul. We do not know for certain if the tileries closed down cAD125 or if some production continued. To date, there has been no indication of workshops or store buildings, but the production could not have taken place without this infrastructure. The weather at Grimescar is not clement, tilers and potters had to have one or more workshops, potters had to have wheels; there had to be some means of storing products and of protecting them from wet, hostile weather. Further careful exploration of the site at Grimescar is essential for the understanding of the mortaria and other coarsewares including flagons (not mentioned) used at Slack. It is also essential to provide further evidence for the history of the Grimescar production itself. Quarrying led to the discovery of the tileries and has destroyed part of them, but the other limits of this difficult site have yet to be ascertained.
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown Final comments NB All sherds are abraded and all entries belong to individual mortaria. The mortaria with surviving rims belong to two basic groups. First: A. B.
Probably 3 mortaria made in the potteries in the Verulamium region 1 mortarium (type Bushe-Fox 22) from the Oise/Somme area of northern France.
With the proviso that Bushe-Fox 22 cannot be closely dated, there is nothing here which is Agricolan, but all could and probably do predate the rest of the mortaria found in 1968-9 and 2007-8. They are likely to predate the establishment of the Grimescar tileries. Second: This group includes 13 mortaria from ‘local’ sources. Most, if not all of these, could come from the Grimescar tileries since none are closely matched from Castleford or Aldborough. In addition, the sample contains two fragments of tile in cream fabric which were certainly made at Grimescar. This second group includes the following: A.
Four oxidised mortaria, two with red-brown slip: 52.78.398 (not illustrated); 1969 Tr R I context 9 82.06 Fig.4.75; 2008 Tr 82 context 6
and two with cream slip: 52.78 Fig 1.396; 1969 Tr R I context 9 81.05 (spout); 2008 Tr 81 context 5 These are all in what appear to be variants of the same fabric. The combination of fabric, trituration grit and profiles cannot be matched elsewhere. They can be attributed to the Grimescar tileries with reasonable certainty. B.
Four cream ware mortaria 55.37 Fig. 1.373; 1969 Tr R III context 9 84.06 Fig.6.106; 2008 Tr 84 context 6 58.07 Fig 1.356 (with end of potter’s stamp) 1968 Tr Q II context 5 302.9 Fig. 1.9; 2007 Tr 300 context 9
are in variants of soft, iron-free fabric; all share the same unusual suite of trituration grits. The first two of these have profiles which would fit well with profiles before AD130, while the other two have had their flanges shaved off and smoothed. They cannot be dated by profile, but what survives would certainly fit a date in the first half of the second century. The similar and unusual ranges of trituration grit cannot be readily matched elsewhere and the likelihood is that they were made at Grimescar in the first half of the second century.
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The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment C
Two mortaria are in hard cream fabric: 58.38 Fig 1.246; 1968 Tr H II context 3 53.76; 1968 Tr H I context 3 (fragmentary)
The first of these has trituration grit which has some distinct differences from the group above; the profile would certainly fit with production in the first half of the second century. D. Two mortaria which present a cream surface plus one almost pale brown at the surface (with striking traces of red-brown slip). All look as though their fabrics could have some slight iron content, resulting from a mixture of clays; trituration grit where it survives is comparable to that in 58.38 above: 52.78.397; 1969 Tr R I context 9 83.04 Fig. 5.67; 2008 Tr 84 context 6 58.19.339a (with left-facing part of spout); 1969 The last five mortaria (C and D) differ notably from the cream mortaria (B); the fabric is harder, the trituration differs though the constituents are similar; most of all, the profiles differ. They are probably marginally later in date than B (and A), but there is nothing in the whole sample which is necessarily later than cAD150. On present evidence there are only three possible sources for any or all of these mortaria: Grimescar; Castleford or possibly Aldborough. Although this sample does not include any mortarium likely to be later than the Flavian-Trajanic, which was imported from other known sources, older finds at Slack include one mortarium stamped CRES which probably came from a source in Lincolnshire and another stamped by Icotasgus who was active in the Mancetter-Hartshill potteries. Both of these potters were active in the mid-second century. Mortaria found in the excavations of 1968-1969 52.78 Fig. 1.396
1969 Trench R I context 9
Orange-brown fabric with a fairly well-defined reddish core and with the remains of a cream slip; powdery to the touch. The frequent, only moderately sorted, tiny inclusions consist mostly of transparent quartz with few of red-brown and black material. This mortarium was heavily worn in use, but enough trituration grit survives to show that it was mostly quartz (transparent, grey and white) with some quartz sandstone, red-brown and rare black material. The tiny to medium-sized trituration grit was fairly closely packed and continues right up to the bottom of the bead and there are traces of concentric scoring there. The combination of the profile with frequent gritting up to the bead and the presence of concentric scoring indicates a date in the early second century probably up to AD120/130. The fabric is less finetextured than 82.06 (Fig. 4.75), but it is likely to be from the same source. Attributed to the Grimescar tileries. 52.78.397 1969 Trench R I context A fragment with incomplete rim-section from a well-made mortarium in fine-textured, cream fabric, but with some orange-brown in the fracture which suggests the use of a mixed clay. The frequent inclusions are tiny, mostly quartz, with a few larger red-brown and black inclusions. The trituration grit consists of quartz (?quartz sandstone) and opaque black material. Manufacture at the Grimescar tileries in the first half of the second century is the most likely source.
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown 52.78.398 (not illustrated)
1969 Trench R I context 9
A rim fragment in very hard-fired, orange-brown fabric with thick black core in the rim and upper body; it has suffered from over-reduction during the firing which has caused the interior and much of the upper flange to become near black. The inclusions are closely similar to those in 396 above; the surviving few trituration grits are opaque white and transparent quartz. The slip was a thin matt brown, but is reduced to near black over much of the upper side of the flange. The fabric can be attributed to the same source as 396: the Grimescar tileries. The rim-profile differs somewhat from 396, but would fit a date in the first half of the second century, possibly before AD130. 53.87
1968 H I context 2
One large fragment from a tile, not quite flat, but apparently a tegula (10x9cms x 2 cms thick), with a groove and chamfer as in Purdy and Manby 1973, fig. 3, 4); the back of the tile is covered with the grit scattered on the mould when the tile was made. This tile is in cream fabric, but slightly darker in fracture and has fairly frequent, very ill-sorted inclusions randomly dispersed; these consist of quartz, red-brown and black material. The closely packed grit over most of the back of the tile is mostly quartz with some red-brown and a few black grits. This is part of a tile made at Grimescar using iron-free clay (Betts 1985, 189). It certainly belongs to the first half of the second century and could date cAD104-125 (ibid. p.140), or up to 140, if any tile and pottery-making continued there. 53.76
1968 H I context 3
Body sherd from a well-worn mortarium in a whitish fabric with darker cream slip. The frequent inclusions are mostly tiny quartz, with some larger pinkish and transparent quartz and some opaque redbrown material. The trituration grit is mostly quartz with some red-brown material. Source uncertain, but Grimescar may be a possibility. 54.60.272
1968 Trench K I contexts 3 and 5
Three joining flange sherds and one other flange fragment, not joining, in fabric typical of the potteries in the Verulamium region (Tomber and Dore 1998, 154-5). The fragmentary stamp, CA with part of S following, reads from the outside of the flange. It is from one of 10 dies giving the name Castus. A kilnsite where Castus was active was found at Radlett in 1898 (V.C.H..Herts., iv, 159-162); several of his mortaria were found there; and three have also been found on the kiln-site at Brockley Hill (Suggett 1954, 183); he was probably also involved with other, later workshops. The distribution of all of his mortaria excluding those from the kiln-sites is now as follows: Baldock (2); Chichester (2); Fenny Stratford, Bletchley; Hampermills, Watford; Lincoln; London (7, including 2 at Northgate); Rickmansworth, Herts; Slack, West Yorks; Staines (3); Verulamium (14); West Fen, Willingham, Cambs, and Ware (4). Four additional mortaria with ‘fecit’ counterstamps are probably his work (London (2); Richborough, and Rocester). Apart from the mortarium from Slack in West Yorkshire, all of his work is from sites in the south and the midlands. The range of profiles produced by Castus throughout his activity was unusually large providing good scope for dating. His mortaria found on the kiln-site at Radlett and at Brockley Hill by Suggett are not later than the early second century and all of his mortaria which are stamped with the dies in use there, are consistently early typologically, within the period cAD80-120, with a probable date cAD 90-110. Some could just as easily be dated late first century, but many of his mortaria stamped with other dies cannot be earlier than AD 120 and some could be as late as AD 140. The only relevant stratigraphic dating for Castus is for a mortarium of the later type from a context dated AD 115-130 at Verulamium (Frere 1972, fig 145, no 16). The whole of the products linked with his stamps date within the period AD 90-145.
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The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment The die used on the Slack mortarium is not represented on his known kiln-sites, but it is linked consistently with what are for him, early rim-profiles, dated Flavian-Trajanic. This suggests that it was made either at Radlett or in an early production at Brockley Hill. It should be dated cAD90-110. For further details of his work see Seeley and Drummond-Murray 2005, p.100 and Frere 1972, p374, no.15 and 1984, p.283). After Southwark (3). 54.61 Fig. 1.247
1968 Trench H II context 8
Two joining sherds from a mortarium which has been so heavily used that the trituration grit is completely worn away in the lower half. The fabric, inclusions and trituration grit are typical of mortaria made in the Verulamium region (Tomber and Dore 1998, 154-5). The optimum date for the rim-profile is cAD90-120; only half of the spout survives, but both that and the rim-profile are consistent with a Flavian-Trajanic date. 55.37 Fig. 1.373
1969 R III context 9
A rim fragment in self-coloured, cream fabric, powdery to the touch. The inclusions are frequent, tiny, probably mostly quartz, but with red-brown and black material and with a few larger inclusions. The trituration grit is composed of transparent and milky quartz, quartz sandstone, red-brown and black material. There are traces of concentric scoring on the interior downwards from about 15mms below the bead. The rim-profile and the rough concentric scoring fit an early second-century date perfectly. Production in the Grimescar tileries within the period AD104-c.125 would be an ideal source. 1.1.292
1968 P III context 3
Three joining base and side fragments from a heavily worn mortarium in hard, fairly fine-textured, cream fabric with streaks of ochre brown within it; inclusions, fairly frequent, tiny red-brown, quartz and few black in the matrix and occasional larger ones of the same rocks randomly dispersed. The trituration grit consists of quartz, a little quartz sandstone and black rock. Source uncertain, but probably local. No number
1968 P III context 3
This mortarium is complete except for a hole in the bottom and lower side (c5x11cms). It has been worn so heavily in use that the trituration grit is barely visible anywhere. It can be attributed to the Verulamium region, at Brockley Hill, Mddx (Tomber and Dore 1998, 154-5; Smith et al 2008). The two potter’s stamps may never have been deeply impressed, but abrasion on the top of the flange makes them almost invisible. They are a name stamp and counterstamp from one of the four dies of Doinus. A restoration of this pair of stamps is published by Castle (1976, fig, 7, under die C); in the name stamp DO are intertwined and the S is retro; the counterstamp reads literally FOF retro, a botched attempt at FECIT retro, for ‘made it’; both stamps have borders above and below with vertical bars. This is his least commonly used pair of dies, recorded now at the following sites: Hucclecote, Glos; London (5); Norton (Malton); Slack; Southwark (3); Vindolanda (SF9217); York Minster (Phillips and Heywood 1995, vol 1, p.319, fig 129, no. 91, counterstamp). One oddity is that to date only three examples of the namestamp are known (including Slack), while eleven counterstamps survive. More than 180 mortaria of Doinus have been recorded from sites in Scotland, England and Wales, excluding those found at Brockley Hill. His rim-profiles and spout forms show that he began his activity in the Flavian period, but the Slack mortarium like some others made by him have a wider and shallower spout more appropriate at these potteries for a date within the period cAD85-110. 58.07 Fig. 1.356
1968 Q II context 5
Two joining sherds making up a quarter to one-third of a very heavily worn mortarium; the outer half of the flange and the end of the spout have been trimmed off and smoothed, presumably to give the vessel a longer life after some accident to the flange. This is unusual and surprisingly, the same treatment has
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown been meted out to 302.9 Fig. 1.9. All that can be said of the rim-profile is that the flange rose above the bead. The body of this mortarium is unusually thick. There is a little ridge of clay lying against the bead to the right side of the spout where a potter’s die had been impressed; unfortunately no part of the actual stamp survives. There is a slightly blackened patch on the base which could mean it had rested on burnt material; the exterior has been badly abraded. The softish, self-coloured, pale cream fabric has a powdery texture. The inclusions consist of fairly frequent, minute quartz, red-brown and rare black material; also some randomly dispersed larger inclusions of the same rocks. The surviving trituration grit consists of well-mixed, small to largish, quartz, quartz sandstone, red-brown sandstone, other sandstones and black material. A local source is likely, perhaps in the Grimescar tileries and a date in the first half of the second century would certainly fit. 58.19.339a
1989 Trench unknown
A rim fragment with part of the left-facing side of the spout surviving. Fine-textured, powdery yellowishcream fabric with very pale grey core; the inclusions are similar to the above (Fig. 1.356); most of the trituration grit has fallen out. The profile would fit best with local production in the first half of the second century. 58.19.339b
1969 Trench unknown
Two joining flange and bead fragments in quite hard, fairly fine-textured, cream fabric with selfcoloured slip. There are frequent, mostly tiny to small inclusions composed of quartz, red-brown and black material with random, largish inclusions of similar rocks. No internal surface survives. Probably local, first half of the second century. 58.38 Fig. 1.246
1968 H II context 3
Two joining sherds from a well-made mortarium in hard, fairly fine-textured, cream fabric with selfcoloured slip. There are fairly frequent, minute quartz and red-brown with rare black in the matrix and a moderate amount of larger, random and ill-sorted, quartz (transparent and pinkish) with some red-brown ?sandstone. The trituration grit consists of quartz, quartz sandstone, grey, brown and black rock. The first left-facing quadrant of the mortarium survives and the break could be at the border of a potter’s stamp. There are three possible sources: Grimescar tileries, Castleford or Aldborough. A date early in the second century is indicated by the rim-profile. Mortaria from excavations of 2007-2008 302.9 Fig. 1.9
2007 Trench 300
Two rim and two bodysherds joining, from a second mortarium which has had the outer part of its flange shaved off and the surface smoothed (as Fig. 1.356); all one can say about the rim-profile is that the flange rose above the bead. All surfaces are abraded. Softish, fairly fine-textured, cream fabric with pink core. Inclusions in the matrix are frequent and minute (barely visible at x20), red-brown and quartz with rare black and flakes of mica; there are with moderate and randomly dispersed, larger ill-sorted (small to largish), red-brown and quartz. The trituration grit consists of transparent, milky and pinkish quartz, quartz sandstone, red-brown sandstone and black material. The fabric is harder than 55.37 and 84.06 and differs slightly in colour, but the extensive suite of trituration grit and the way it is applied is identical in all three mortaria. Overall, the trituration grit and its application are sufficiently unusual to pick them out as a distinct group within this sample. and I would expect all to be from the same source, ie Grimescar and more likely than not to be of the same date ie cAD 104-125.
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The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment 81.05 2008 Spout fragment. The oxidized fabric with cream slip has inclusions exactly as 1969 396 (Fig 1.396), but it is not from the same vessel. This sherd is the very end of the spout, formed from clay added to the flange. It has flaked off at what was always the weakest point in mortaria with spouts of this type. The long, raised, cigar-like projections on the back of the sherd suggest that the keying for adding the spout was made by pressing fingers across the flange as was the practice in the potteries in the Verulamium region. This sherd, however, is clearly from the same source as Fig 1.396, probably the Grimescar tileries. It is second-century in date. 81.10 Fig.3.138 (the drawing omits the bead)
2008 unphased
Two joining rimsherds in a soft, fabric, crazed near to the point of disintegration. This effect is the result of chemical weathering in wet acid conditions; it occurs regularly to fabrics with high calcium content. The fabric may have been a pale brownish-cream originally, but has become discoloured to a medium brown. This is a type Bushe-Fox 22-30 mortarium (Bushe-Fox 1913, fig.19, no. 22), which was made in the Oise-Somme area (Noyon) in northern France in the Flavian and Trajanic periods, possibly continuing into the Hadrianic period (Hartley 1998, fig. 3a, 203-205; Tomber and Dore 1998, 75-6). Although one cannot be absolutely certain, one would expect this mortarium to have reached Slack during its first occupation, this is, before the Grimescar tileries were set up. 82.06 Fig. 4.75
2008 Trench 82 unphased
Four joining sherds and one other rim sherd giving the full profile. The surface is badly abraded and the fabric very powdery, due no doubt to chemical weathering in wet and acid depositional conditions. The now softish, fine-textured, orange-brown fabric has had a matt, brown slip which survives only in tiny traces close to the bead and under the flange. The inclusions, barely visible at x20 magnification, are fairly frequent, and consist of quartz, red-brown and probably rare black material with a few larger quartz. The trituration grit is frequent, mostly small in size with few medium-sized; it is dispersed fairly evenly right up to the bottom of the bead. It consists of transparent and greyish quartz, quartz sandstone, red-brown and lighter coloured sandstone, and slightly shiny and dull black rock. In profile it is generally similar to a mortarium from Castleford (Rush et al. 2000, fig. 91, no. 50). Mortaria of this general type, in this fabric and with a matt brown or red-brown slip are found on military sites. The frequent, small-sized trituration grit reaching right up to the bottom of the bead would not fit a later date than cAD120/130. The Grimescar tileries is the probable source. 83.04. Fig 5.67 2008 Trench 83 Three joining sherds making up the left-facing quadrant of a mortarium (there are indications of where the spout would be). In fairly fine-textured, oxidised fabric with grey core in the upper half, and, with a pale creamy brown surface. The fabric is paler than one would expect in an oxidized fabric and it may be the clay used was mixed with some iron-free clay. There are traces of what appears to be a thin cream slip, but close examination at x20+ magnification shows a distinct narrow strip of thick, matt red-brown slip at the top of the bead, on the inside; this is undoubtedly slip as opposed to the reddish smudges which appear on several of the mortaria in this sample, some of them appearing on fractures, showing that they are due to depositional conditions. There are frequent, but ill-sorted inclusions, mostly minute, but up to smallish in size, pinkish and transparent quartz with some opaque red-brown and few black grits. The trituration grit consists of clusters of coarse, tiny to small quartz-like material with very rare, black and red-brown material. The exterior has been very neatly finished-off and would have been very smooth.
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown Although this mortarium looks superficially to be quite ordinary, the red-brown slip and finely modelled exterior are unusual features which are often linked with production for the military and suggest production in the Grimescar tileries in the first half of the second century. 84.06 Fig.6.106 (too small a fragment to estimate diameter)
2008 Trench 84
A rim fragment close to the spout, with wide shallow flange. Although from a different vessel this mortarium is identical in fabric, inclusions and trituration grit with 55.37 (Fig.1.373). There are possible traces of concentric scoring. It is from the same source and of the same date. 84.06
2008 Trench 84
A small fragment from a tile in cream fabric similar to 53.87 (1968 H I context 2) Kay Hartley, May 2015 Footnote: I am especially grateful to Gerrie Brown for locating the report by E S Pickup and for his tireless help in other ways. Bibliography Betts, I M, 1985, A scientific investigation of the brick and tile industry of York to the mid-18th century’. University of Bradford. (Ph.D thesis, unpublished) Joanna Bird (ed.), Form and Fabric: studies in Rome’s material past in honour of B. R. Hartley. Oxbow Mon. 80, 199-217. Oxford, 1998. Breeze, David J., forthcoming: The Roman Fort on the Antonine Wall at Bearsden. Hartley Katharine F, forthcoming, in Breeze forthcoming, ‘7.3 The Moirtaria’ Bushe-Fox, J.P. 1913, Excavations on the Site of the Roman Town at Wroxeter, Shropshire, in 1912. Rep. Res. Comm. Antiqs. London no. 1. Oxford, 1913. Castle, Stephen A. 1972 ‘A Kiln of the potter Doinus’, Arch. J. 129 (1972), 69-88. Hartley, K.F., ‘The stamped mortaria’ 82-88. Castle Stephen A., ‘Roman Pottery from Radlett, 1959; Hertfordshire Arch. IV (1974-76) 149-152. Castle 1976: Stephen A. Castle, ‘Roman Pottery from Brockley Hill, Mddlesex, 1966 and 1972-74’. TLMAS 27 (1976), 206-227. Corder, Philip, 1941, ‘A Roman Pottery of the Hadrian-Antonine Period at Verulamium’, Ant. J XXI (1941), 271-298. Frere, Sheppard 1972, Verulamium Excavations, Volume I. Rep. Res. Comm. Antiqs. London No. XXVIII. Oxford, 1972. Frere, Sheppard 1984, Verulamium Excavations, Volume III. Monograph No. 1. Oxford University Comm. Arch. Oxford, 1984, 280-293. Hartley, Kay, 1998: ‘The incidence of stamped mortaria in the Roman Empire with special reference to imports to Britain’ in Joanna Bird (ed.), Form and Fabric: studies in Rome’s material past in honour of B. R. Hartley. Oxbow Mon 80, 199-217. Oxford Hartley, Katharine F and Tomber, Roberta with a contribution by Peter Webster, A Mortarium Bibliography with Reference to Roman Britain, JRPS 13. Hallam, Ann, 1965 ‘The Roman Tilery in Grimscar Wood’ Huddersfield and District Archaeological Society Bulletin No. 16 Hunter, J K T, Manby, T G, and Spaul, J E H, 1967, ‘Recent Excavations at the Slack Roman Fort, near Huddersfield’ in YAJ 42, 74-97. Page, William, 1898, ‘notes on a Romano-British pottery lately found at Radlett, Herts’. Proc. Soc. Ants. London 2nd. Ser. XVII , 261-271. (Also reported in A History of the County of Hertford, part 5,159-161) Phillips, Derek and Heywood, Brenda, 1995 Excavations at York Minster Volume I. Part 2 The Finds. HMSO London, 1995. Hartley, K., ‘Mortaria’, 304-323. Pickup, E S, 1988-89, ‘Pottery from the Grimescar Kiln Site, Huddersfield’ in Journal of the Merseyside Archaeological Society 8, p95-106
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The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment Purdy J G,and Manby, T G, 1973, ‘Excavations at the Roman Tilery at Grimescar, Huddersfield, 1964’, in YAJ 45, 96-107 Rush, Peter, Dickinson, Brenda, Hartley, Brian and Hartley, K.F., 2000, Roman Castleford: Excavations 1974-85. Vol. III The Pottery Yorkshire Archaeology 6. West Yorks. Archaeological Service. Smith, Brown and Brady 2008: Smith, A, Brown, L, Brady, K, ‘A Romano-British Landscape at Brockley Hill, Stanmore, Middlesex: excavations at Brockley Hill House and the former MoD site,’ in TLMAS 59 (2008), p81-152, Hartley, K,’Stamped mortaria’ p96-102. Swan, Vivien G 1984, The Pottery Kilns of Roman Britain. Royal Commission on Historical Monuments Supplementary series 5 Suggett, P.G, 1954, ‘Excavations at Brockley Hill, March 1952 to May 1953,’ TLMAS New Series vol. XI, pt. iii (1954), 259-276. Saunders, C. and Havercroft, A.B., 1977, A Kiln of the Potter Oastrius and Related Excavations at Little Munden Farm, Bricket Wood. Ver. Mus. Occas. Paper No. 1 from Herts. Arch. V (1977), 109-156. Seeley, Fiona and Drummond-Murray, James 2005 Roman pottery production in the Walbrook Valley. Excavations at 20-28 Moorgate, City of London 1998-2000. MoLAS monog. 25 Tomber, Roberta and Dore, John, The National Roman Fabric Collection. Museum of London Archaeology Service, 1998
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown APPENDIX D (Gerrie Brown) REPORT ON UNPUBLISHED EXCAVATIONS CARRIED OUT AT SLACK ROMAN FORT IN ADVANCE OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE M62 MOTORWAY BY B. R. HARTLEY. During two seasons in 1968 and 1969 there were rescue excavations adjacent to the Roman fort at Slack near Outlane, Huddersfield, in advance of the construction of the M62 motorway. The work was directed by Brian R. Hartley, Reader in Roman Provincial Archaeology at the University of Leeds. This project was to investigate an area to the north of the fort which included the line of the Roman road from Chester to York. The work covered one large site in 1968 and three separate sites in 1969 in an area thought to be either an annexe to the fort or a vicus surrounded by a ditch and embankment. In addition, surface finds were collected as the motorway construction proceeded and a burial site was found by a digger driver. All of the 1968-69 sites were obliterated by the motorway and its embankments. KEYWORDS Hartley, Slack, unpublished, vicus INTRODUCTION Although considerable work was done on the finds, and reports were commissioned on the glass and pottery, a full report was not published. A letter from Hartley to English Heritage (York) in October 1990 indicated that the full report was in an advanced form and awaiting only a final check on pottery dates. Unfortunately that draft full report together with most detailed site plans and some of the more informative pottery samples have not survived. In 2007 the remaining Hartley archive of field notebooks, sketches and preliminary reports was assembled and passed to the Huddersfield and District Archaeological Society (HDAS) who also received the collection of some 3,300 artefacts collected during the two seasons. As HDAS had excavated in the area north of the fort and south of the motorway in 2007 and 2008 it seemed appropriate to include a summary of the earlier work as an appendix to the main report. Access was also granted to the Slack archive held by English Heritage in York. The entire archive was transferred to the care of Paul Bidwell in South Shields in October 2013. LOCATION Slack Roman Fort is located 5.5 km west of Huddersfield (NGR SE 084 174). The overall site plan is not part of the Hartley archive and it is reproduced with the kind permission of Elizabeth Hartley. (FIG. 1) HARTLEY PRELIMINARY REPORT It is appropriate that the first observations on the 1968-69 work should be from B. R. Hartley who completed a preliminary report on the 1968 season, dated October 1968, for the Ministry of Public Building and Works who presumably funded the work. That same text also appears in an expanded report that includes the 1969 season which is held in the Slack Archive at English Heritage in York. This later document is unsigned and undated, but it must have been the work of Brian Hartley as the additional text matches closely a signed note on ‘further work’ within the Hartley archive. EXCAVATIONS AT SLACK 1968-9 This is a full transcript of the English Heritage text: Excavation in the area of the annexe north of the fort at Slack was carried out in September and October 1968 for the Ministry of Public Building and Works in advance of the construction of the Pennine motorway, now imminent. The only field available for examination, which was most kindly allowed by Mrs. K. Morton and her tenant, Mr. H. Jackson, lay in the central area of the annexe
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The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment
Fig. 1.
south of the (Roman) Chester-York road where some work carried out by Mr. T. G. Manby in 195961 suggested that structures were likely to be found. (Yorks. Arch. Journ. XLII, 75). [Manby 1967, 74-80] Two general questions were in mind from the first, namely whether there was any occupation of the annexe after the evacuation of the fort, and secondly whether the annexe was military or civilian. The first question may now be answered with a firm negative. Of the many hundreds of shards of pottery found, none was necessarily later than A.D. 140. And since there is no evidence of the use of the land between the Roman period and the late 17th or early 18th century, when much of the area south of the Roman road was capped with a layer of dumped clay, it is impossible to believe that traces of later Roman occupation have been ploughed or eroded away. It is, therefore, certain that this part of the annexe was not used later than the fort itself and in view of the absence of later material among the old or casual finds it is perhaps not likely that any of it was. Investigation of the occupation layers and structures was seriously hampered in 1968 by heavy flooding, but the general picture is now clear. A strip 240 ft. from east to west immediately south of the Chester-York road was examined and found never to have contained any stone buildings. However it was possible to isolate in part, two (and perhaps three), phases of successive timber buildings. The first, involving sometimes post-trenches with slight posts, sometimes individual stone-packed posts, seem to have had tiled roofs from the beginning, and one building at least was given a slabbed floor. None of these buildings seems to date from the initial occupation of the site, since all overlay pits and gullies (contained) Flavian pottery. Nor were they necessarily all put up at the same time.
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown At some date or dates after A.D.120 (shown by the presence of black-burnished ware in the occupation levels of the original structures) a series of buildings with heavier timbers replaced the first ones. The timbers were set in post-trenches, sometimes with more or less continuous stone packing, and frequently with the posts showing as voids. At this stage stone-lined drains were common and the buildings seem to have been separated by areas of heavy paving. At all periods the area, more particularly south of the buildings, which do not seem to have extended more than 40 ft. south of the road, was riddled with pits. Fifty of these, many quite small, were located; some were evidently sumps, to judge by the gullies leading into them, but most had probably been dug to dispose of rubbish. The general impression gained is of civilian vicus buildings, probably, in view of the large quantities of amphora and glass fragments found, at least partly concerned with supplying wine to the garrison. Unfortunately the extremely acid soil of the site had left no animal bones or vegetable remains, apart from charcoal. The soil had also badly eroded the pottery. It is interesting to note that, as with the fort itself, South Gaulish samian ware predominated, followed by pots from Les Martres-de-Veyre and Lezoux in that order of quantity. No definite evidence of metal-working was found, though some iron slag or cinder was found. (This later proved to be cinder incorporating ferruginous clay.) Further work on the area north of the fort in 1969 involved primarily the examination of the Roman road from Chester to York and of the defences of the ‘annexe’ of the fort, now seen to be Hadrianic and purely civilian. The road, originally 19 ft wide, had a single layer of flat slabs on the subsoil, capped by a single layer of cobbles. There was no sign of resurfacing, though the road had been widened by the addition of metalling on each side. A wide, shallow ditch on the north (uphill) side was filled when the road was extended and a new one replaced it further north, largely cutting away a post-trench of a timber building. Sections traced the vicus defences on all sides and showed that they were not constructed before A.D. 120. They consisted everywhere of a ditch and an internal bank, but varied in detail with the nature of the subsoil. The bank had been virtually ploughed away in all the places where it was examined. Further internal timber buildings were located alongside the road, and near the east entrance to the vicus was a fragment of a heavily robbed stone structure. Once more all the (abundant) pottery fell within the period A.D. 80 -140, and it is now clear that fort and vicus had both been abandoned by the early Antonine period. THE POTTERY There is only a brief ‘introduction’ surviving in the Hartley archive. This is unsigned and undated and it is not clear if it was the work of the un-named ‘pottery lady’ mentioned in Hartley’s 1990 letter to English Heritage. Considerable effort has been made, without success, to locate this ‘pottery lady’ and any more detailed commentary on the finds. A copy of the ‘introduction’ was in the English Heritage archive together with the first 15 sheets of coarse pottery drawings noted with the promise of ‘much more to come later’. There follows a transcript of this ‘introduction’:There was abundant pottery from all parts of the site investigated, though it was not always in very good condition. Apart from some body shards of Spanish globular amphorae, it was all kept. (Discarded amphora shards are noted in the appropriate places).
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THE ROMANS IN HUDDERSFIELD – A NEW ASSESSMENT The samian ware, like all the samian from the earlier excavations, is in an abominable state, because of the acidic soils of the site. Only those shards buried in ashy (alkaline) deposits are in tolerable condition. Nevertheless it is possible to identify the sources of almost all the samian, in terms of manufacture in South Gaul (all almost certainly from La Graufesenque), at Les Martres-de~Veyre and Lezoux. The first two sources predominate and there is comparatively little from Lezoux, which only began seriously to export about A.D. 125. Many shards, however, are so comminuted and chemically weathered that identification of forms and decoration is much more difficult than usual, and drawing of the decorated ware is usually virtually impossible. It should perhaps be noted here that one of the old finds from Slack (Yorkshire Archaeological Journal 26 (1920-2, p.51, fig.42a, 2) is a shard in the style of the Small S potter (Cettus) of Les Martres-de-Veyre. The presence of that shard in a context which otherwise has no Antonine samian was part of the chain of argument for the re-dating of his activity (Hartley 1972, p.34). The importance of the Slack coarse pottery is simply that, quite apart from its usefulness in dating structures and feature, it must all be earlier than A.D.140 or so. It follows that all the blackburnished ware must date between A.D. 120 and 140, and it gives us a splendid Hadrianic series without any chance of later elements being present. All the black-burnished ware capable of being drawn is illustrated.** The rest of the coarse pottery represents types common to many of the auxiliary forts in the Pennines. But, as Slack was held until A.D. 140, whereas many were evacuated in the early 120s the types found there and not in the evacuated forts obviously stand a good chance of belonging to A.D. 120-140, though the effect of having a nearby auxiliary tilery which also made some pottery has to be allowed for (Purdy & Manby 1973) (YAJ vol.45).
** Ten drawings of pottery shards have survived in the Hartley archive and these are detailed in the index of drawings within the archive. Much of the Roman era pottery from the Hartley archive has been re-examined by David Griffiths whose comments on this and the 2007-08 finds are in the main report. THE GLASS The Hartley archive contains three copies of a report on glass finds by Dorothy Charlesworth which is also in the English Heritage archive. This refers to a catalogue for 1968 and the majority of trench references detailed are for the excavations of that year. However, there are five mentions of glass from trench R I which was in one of the sites excavated in 1969. There follows a transcript of the Charlesworth glass report. (This has now been superceded by the work of Hilary Cool in the Appendix A) The data in brackets indicated the trench and context numbers:No vessel could be reconstructed from the fragments found. A very high proportion of them are bottle glass, some identifiable pieces of square or cylindrical bodied bottle, one a hexagonal bottle. The fragments range in thickness from the fragments of the hexagonal bottle (identified by an angle piece) 7 mm thick to pieces of a square bottle 2 mm thick, the first in deep blue-green glass, the second in almost colourless metal. The difference in thickness is partly responsible for the difference in colour. All these bottles range in date from c. 70-130.
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BARRY HOBSON, GRANVILLE CLAY, GERRIE BROWN Only one bowl type could be identified with certainty, the fragment of a pillar-moulded bowl (A II 3) in blue-green glass. This is probably of late 1st or early 2nd century date. The earlier examples are generally in finer metals, millefiori or plain coloured. The five other ribbed fragments are all premoulded and blown. They cannot be assigned to any type as each lacks any distinctive features such as rim, shoulder or base. There is no good quality glass amongst that found. Two pieces only are from window panes, the type made in a flat mould, slightly rough on one surface (H I 2, P III 3). One piece of bottle glass has been roughly chipped to round it off for use as a counter, but its shape is very irregular (P III 7). One roughly made annular bead [Q IV 1) of two different metals, a yellowish green seen in the centre round the hole and a blue-green metal round the outside. Many of these beads must have been made from re-used bottle glass in this country. 1968 SUMMARY The Hartley archive contains the field notebook together with four drawings of specific trenches which have indications of buildings. Two series of successive timber buildings were identified in Area G: trenches H I and H II. And Area H: trenches P I, Q I, Q II and Q III (See FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 for location of Areas G & H) The field notebook for the 1968 season states that the excavations were in field No. 4161 which has now been confirmed to be field No. 3775 in the Ordnance Survey 1:2500 (1961) for the Outlane/Slack area. The site was 240 feet long and lay just south of the line of the Chester to York Roman road. The verbatim information in the 1968 field notebook reads:“Excavations north of the fort (OS 25 in. field no. 4161) s. of Roman road York-Chester. …. Field gridded on a 15 ft square basis to take 12 ft x 12 ft excavations. Excavations began with a series of trenches 12 ft x 6 ft in the northern most grid squares, overlapping slightly with trenches cut by Manby 1959-61 (A-Q I)” Page 2 of the field notebook gives a rough location key which is reproduced below:
FIG. 2.
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THE ROMANS IN HUDDERSFIELD – A NEW ASSESSMENT More finished drawings of areas G and H have survived. (FIG. 3 and FIG. 4).
FIG. 3. Area G (FIG. 3) There appear to be two orientations of post trenches in HI and HII. Considerable quantities of pottery in both HI and HII include amphora, coarseware, fineware, greyware, mortaria and samian. There was also glass, plaster, a small whetstone with iron objects and charcoal. (See also finds summary and pages 49 and 146-9 of the field notebook.) Area H (FIG. 4) There appear to be two sets of post trenches in P I which are continued east into Q I and then south into Q II. At the east end of P I there was a linear gulley with a stone lined floor at the north end and sloping stone slabs at the sides. (Possibly modern?) Q III contained three wooden planks, one 2.5” to 3” thick and the others about 1” thick. No finds were recorded in P I but there was much in Q I - III including amphora, coarse-ware, fineware, greyware, mortaria and samian. There was also glass, iron objects and charcoal. FIG. 4.
(See also finds summary and pages 90-93, 96-99, 128-129 and 134-7 of field notebook.) 85
BARRY HOBSON, GRANVILLE CLAY, GERRIE BROWN The mortarium shown in FIG. 5 was excavated from trench P III context 3.
FIG. 5. See also finds summary and pages 90-93, 96-99, 128-129 and 134-7 of field notebook. 1969 SUMMARY General site plan. The best guide to the excavation sites appears to be preserved in Drawing No. 2 which is marked in pink on an extract of the Ordnance Survey 1:2500 (1961) (FIG. 6)
FIG. 6.
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THE ROMANS IN HUDDERSFIELD – A NEW ASSESSMENT Reading from right to left the shaded areas show the location of Sites R, S and T in fields numbered 3782, 3779 and 3699 respectively. Site R lay in the south east corner of field No. 3782 in the Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 for the Outlane/ Slack area (1961). This covered the extreme north east corner of the annexe/vicus to the north of the projected line of the Chester to York Roman road. The excavations took in a section of the Roman road and investigated the eastern defences of the annexe; in particular the nature of the ditch and any rampart and its relation to the Roman road especially at the entrance where a gate might be expected. There was also an investigation of the interior of the annexe to the north of the Roman road to see if structures existed. No complete diagram of the seven trenches in Site R has survived but fragments of the site diagram exist in drawings Nos. 11 and 12 of the Hartley archive, the second of which is wrongly labelled as Site S. There is also archive diagram No. 3 labelled Area E (FIG. 7) which can be deduced to be of the eastern end of Site R with only trench R I, some 80 feet to the west, missing.
FIG. 7. Trench R I is detailed in plan view (archive drawing No. 11) and in its western section (archive drawing No. 14) and it runs approximately north/south for 84 feet x 6 feet wide. It cuts through the Chester to York Roman road which is described in the field notebook as:On the natural subsoil was a single layer of flat slabs of local sandstone varying from 18 to 19 feet in width and covered by a single layer of cobbles with some angular stones, too. There were many water- rounded ferruginous pebbles in the surface, as well as shards of coarse pottery (undatable), and a fragment of tile. Later extensions of the width were made both to the North and South without any attempt to extend the base. The south extension sealed a steep-sided gully with grey silty filling (i.e. not a posttrench) which presumably belonged to the early road. The extension was of much the same material as the original surface, but contained much amphora and tile. The north extension had a rather different surface from the original road consisting of larger, flatter stones without the ferruginous pebbles. It seems virtually certain, therefore that it was not made at the same time as the southern extension. The surface overlapped the original south lip of
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BARRY HOBSON, GRANVILLE CLAY, GERRIE BROWN the north road ditch, which had previously been deliberately filled and then re-cut further north, where its north edge cut a gully or post trench. The south edge was marked by much iron-pan on the surface of the filling of the original ditch. The other six trenches in Site R are shown in Drawing No. 3 of Area E. (Which is reproduced as FIG. 7) Trenches R V and R VII contain fragments of wall foundations, heavily robbed, and there was much tile and charcoal at the top of the Roman layer. The building had been reduced to the very bottom of the foundations which had been cut through occupation layers just into the top of the subsoil. The foundation trenches were 2 foot 6 inches to 3 feet wide extending eastwards into RII. Trench R II runs some 62 feet west to east by 6 feet north/south and it cuts across the ditch of the annexe at a point where it is about 14 feet wide and could have been up to 7 feet deep. Drawing No. 15 shows the north section of trench R II. There was very scant evidence of any embankment and immediately to the west of the ditch line there was evidence of a trench running E/W then turning N/S and continuing into trench R VI. The top item in archive drawing No. 16 gives a more finished section of the ditch and context numbers that are detailed in the field notebook. Trench R IV explored the junction of the ditch with the Roman road and this revealed that the ditch had cut into the northern edge of the roadway. Site S lay in the west side of field No. 3779 in the Ordnance Survey 1:2500 for the Outlane/Slack area (1961). This had a single trench running approximately north/south along the line which is now defined by the straightened Slack Lane. The trench was 60 feet N/S by 6 feet wide and a plan view is shown in archive drawing No. 6 with a section view in archive drawing No. 18. This was intended to investigate the northern defences of the annexe at the only place where this was possible at the time. At a point some 53 feet up this trench was found a field drain which was covered with flat stones and capped by a clay layer. This was exposed and photographed but not excavated. The field notes for this site are rather sketchy but it would seem that two ditches and ramparts were uncovered; the first ditch at 31 feet from the south end of the trench and the second at 47 feet. The rampart material was a mixed yellow, brown and grey sandy clay with little sign of internal structure. A few random largish stones in the old ground surface below the south rampart rise into it. There is mention of a palisade slot at the front of one of the ramparts but this cannot be positively identified in the drawings. Pottery finds include samian, and black-burnished ware which are recorded in drawings, not all of which can be identified in the collection of finds. Site T lay in the northern part of field No. 3699 in the Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 for the Outlane/Slack area (1961). It was the southern part of this same field in which the HDAS excavations of 2007 and 2008 were conducted. Four trenches running approximately west/east were dug on this site to investigate the presumed western defences of the annexe. Although we have the field notebook and some drawings there is no accurate plan of the excavations. The accompanying sketch (FIG. 8) is copied from the notebook and the dimensions are from the incomplete survey notebook.
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The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment Site T Trench II
30 feet west to east
Trench III
35 feet west to east
Trench I
80 feet west to east
Trench IV
estimated 49 feet west/east
In trenches II and IV there was no trace of any ditch or embankment and below the topsoil there was a layer of disturbed clay with no finds. Trench III did reveal traces of the rampart but no details of the position have survived. The following extract is from the field notebook: - ‘In the topsoil lots of ? hypocaust tile under front of rampart – pre defence dump – on clay just slightly going into (i.e. pushed into) it. Clay below rampart’. Trench I was much more productive although the final 18 feet to the east there was only a gingery brown silty loam below the top soil then apparently natural clay. All the features were in the western end for which sketches of the plan and section have survived. (Archive drawings Nos. Fig. 8. 8 & 9 and 16, 17 & 18 respectively.) The main E/W stone structure was identified as an ‘intrusive drain’ which was overlapping the two with a more N/S orientation. There was patchy yellow coherent clay overlying the stones. The notebook is not clear in places but it does confirm that the rampart was identified and part of its ditch. There were also some post holes, but no indication of buildings. There was a wide range of pottery finds and other artefacts such as copper, glass, iron, animal bone and wood. Among large quantities of coarse building material was a fragment of stamped tile typical of the type marked COHIIIIBRE. The weathered nature of the stone (to the west) and the suggestion of more than one level, with pottery interspersed, seemed to indicate a building rather than, say, a rampart or road surface. A stamped mortarium rim (CR F) came from this area. There was some speculation that this depression was possibly an earlier annexe boundary which might be decided by the dating of the pottery. HARTLEY ARCHIVE SUMMARY Data referring to 1968:Site notebook. Preliminary note by B R Hartley dated October 1968. Glass report by Dorothy Charlesworth. 6 pages, two copies, undated. Two fragments of glass. Slack 68 H I (2) and Slack 68 H II (3) [now added to finds collection] 89
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown Drawings 4, 5 and 7. Data referring to 1969:Site notebook for Site R. Site notebook for Sites S and T. Site R – drawings Nos. 11, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 24, 26, 27 and 28. Site S – drawings Nos. 6, 12, 18 (part) and 25 (part). Site T – drawings Nos. 3, 17, 18 (part) and 19. Survey book. One record card for finds in Trench 5, Site S (now added to main collection). Four black and white negatives. Other data:Nine undated black and white negatives. Further work on the area north of the Roman fort. B R Hartley, undated. One page. Pottery introduction, Undated, no author. One and one third pages. Letter from Ministry of public Buildings & Works to B R Hartley re motorway, 29.8.63, one page. Correspondence on samian ware between B R Hartley and Jane Burtchaell, February 1968. Letter from English Heritage (M L Reid) to B R Hartley re “backlog publication”, 4.01.89. Part letter to B R Hartley concerning the Chester-York Roman road. Unknown, 9.06.70 O/S extract showing proposed motorway development. MR3/109/5 Drawing 1 Burials report, (not by Hartley), five handwritten pages dated July 1969, material discovered by a digger driver. Survey book. Drawings 8, 9, 10, 13, 22, and 23. CD ROM of PDF images of 24 drawings and Excel listing of finds. Dated June 2007. Artefacts:Eight boxes of over 3,300 finds detailed in a data base produced by West Yorkshire Joint Services after the finds were retrieved from the Leeds University Store. A revised database which re-sorts the samples by excavation site. Find cards, 65 in total. From 1968 - 26. From 1969 - 29. Others - 10.
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The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment APPENDIX E EXTRACT FROM RADIOCARBON DATING CERTIFICATE The calibration was undertaken in OxCal v3.10 (Bronk Ramsey 2005). Atmospheric data from Reimer et al 2004
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Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown APPENDIX F BIBLIOGRAPHY (Main report) Barber, F. 1870. On the Roman Station at Slack. YAJ vol.1: 1-12. Barkoczy, L. 1978. Vindobona. The Romans in Vienna. Vienna: Historic Museum of the City of Vienna. Bidwell, P. and Hodgson, N. 2009. The Roman Army in Northern England. Kendal. Dodd, P.W., Woodward, A. M. 1922. Excavations at Slack. YAJ vol. 26: 1-92. Hartley, B. R., Fitts, L. 1988. The Brigantes. Stroud, Gloucestershire Haverfield, F. J. 1919. YAJ vol. 23: 395-398. Hunter, J. K. T., Manby, T. G., Spaul, J. E. H. 1971. Recent excavations at the Slack Roman Fort, near Huddersfield. YAJ vol. 42: 74-91. Lunn, N., Crosland, W., Spence, B., Clay, G. 2008. The Romans Came This Way. Huddersfield. Richmond, I. A. 1925. Huddersfield in Roman Times. Huddersfield. Richmond, I. A. 1955. Roman Britain. Harmondsworth. Salway, P. 1993. The Oxford Illustrated History of Roman Britain. London. Teasdale, G. 1961. Coin finds in the Huddersfield District. Tolson Memorial Museum. Ed. Aubrook, E. W. Walker, J. K. 1865. On the Roman Hypocaust at Slack. Papers of Huddersfield Archaeological and Typographical Association: 29-35. Vernon, R. W., Schmidt, A. 2006. Report on Geophysical Surveys at Slack Roman Fort. Department of Archaeological Science, University of Bradford. Report No. GP06-2. West Yorkshire Archaeological Services: Report No. 122. West Yorkshire Archaeological Services Watching Brief: Report No. 158. West Yorkshire Archaeological Services Watching Brief: Report No. 478. Whitaker, Rev. J. 1771. The History of Manchester. London.
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The Romans In Huddersfield – A New Assessment APPENDIX G ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The HDAS work at Slack was funded by the Society and its members, assisted by donations from supporters, local associations and businesses. Access to the golf course and facilities was with the kind permission of the officers of the Outlane Golf Club Ltd. Geophysical survey work was provided by Geoscan Research and the Department of Archaeological Sciences at the University of Bradford (2006–07). Permission to excavate in part of the vicus was granted by the landowner Fred Shaw. Trench leaders (TL) and excavation teams came from the Society membership. The authors gratefully acknowledge the contribution of time, effort and skill by the following volunteers: Helen Aldous Sonia Allen Darren Bailey (TL) Derek Bailey Linda Beever Pam Bellwood Jason Bowen John Bowen (TL) David Bower Trevor Briggs Nick Brook (TL) Gerrie Brown Granville Clay David Cockman John Cross John Cruse Keith Dyson Keith Faragher Hannah Gajos (TL) Rebecca Golding David Greenwood (TL) Sandra Harling Mary Hartland
John Hesselwood Brian Hinchliffe Frances Hobart Barry Hobson Harry Hobson John Hobson Joan Hodgson Brian Howcroft Neda Howcroft David Hynes Russell Irving Anna Logue Roger Logue Jonathan Lunn Liesel Lunn Norman Lunn Cameron Mallinson Louise Mallinson Jeanette Moorhouse Elizabeth Marsay Neil Marsay (TL) Dorothy Moss Martin Moss
YOUNG ARCHAEOLOGISTS CLUB MEMBERS Calumn Burgess-Wylie Ben Carter Michelle Coverdale Sophie Davies Rebecca Ellis Charlotte Hirst Sarah Lamb Niall Marsay Natasha Mitchell
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Doreen Naylor Fiona Phelan Chris O’Prey Elizabeth Price Julie Rasimowicz Matt Rosett Hannah Russ Sharon Shaw Jack Skelton John Sigsworth Raymond Sigsworth Thomas Sigsworth Bonwell Spence (TL) Rob Vernon Edward Vickerman Ann Wilkinson Christopher Wood Paul Woodcock David Woodhead Pat Woods (TL) Irene Wroe Steven Wroe
Barry Hobson, Granville Clay, Gerrie Brown Expert advice to assist this investigation was freely given by: Abby Hunt -
English Heritage
Ian Sanderson - West Yorkshire Archaeological Advisory Service Dr Armin Schmidt and Dr Rob Vernon - University of Bradford Department of Archaeological Sciences Dr Roger Walker – Geoscan Research The many site visitors included: Dr Rick Jones -
University of Bradford
Dr Pete Wilson and members of the Roman Antiquities Section of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society
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