Roman and Early Medieval Crickley Hill: Short Mound ceramics

Tuesday, 30 September 2008

Short Mound ceramics - parallels?

Looking for parallels for the ceramics over which the Short Mound was stratified: (Romano-British) wheel-turned, local grey ware 'imitation BBI' bowl, with incised interior decoration. Sandy, hard fired fabric, possibly comparable with the later Gloucester T5 fabric? If there's anyone out there undertaking work on local grey wares that may have come across something similar, please let me know!

Here's what I've found out so far (please let me know of any errors!):

Analysis by Ruth Leary of Trent and Peak Archaeology determined that being wheel-made, it was not of the BBI Dorset typology and was atypical due to its internal obtuse lattice decoration. Examples of internally decorated Black Burnished ware are infrequently noted in finds reports, although a local, unprovenanced, example (Malvernian fabric) exists in the archive of Gloucester City Museum, although this has additional lattice decoration on the base and. This example is in a form that perhaps pre-dates early Roman BBI,[i] giving a 2^nd century t.a.q. However, its form is incomparable to the Crickley bowl, and is produced in Malvernian fabric, whereas the Crickley is macroscopically similar to the late Gloucester T5,[ii] a non-local sandy, hard fabric, although more certain T5 from Crickley (CH77 4218) differed microscopically, in the density of mica within the fabric. This suggests that this sherd was a regional import, whereas the bowl is likely to have been produced locally, fitting the local fabric group.[iii] It was therefore concluded that this was more likely to be a local imitation, as opposed to an early descendant of BBI. A further example of internal lattice may be found on an local BBI bowl from Henley Wood, Somerset, executed in a local grey ware. Although unstratified, comparison with vessels in a similar fabric suggests a 3^rd/4^th-century date (Leach and Watts 1996: 98, figure 95, p.105, no. 25).

The site report for the Roman Tilery site at St. Oswald’s Priory, Gloucester (Heighway and Parker 1982: 25-77), indicates the presence of local wheel-made BBI pottery in hard, sandy fabric from sub-Roman levels (ibid. 46). Further examples of later local BBI were sought. Local production of Roman pottery has been noted with increasing frequency at the end of the Roman state in Britain, possibly continuing in some regions into the 6^th century, with 5^th century forms of BBI recognised (Dark 1996: 58-59; 2000: 108, 141; Gerrard 2004).

Various centres have produced examples of BBI in local Grey Ware fabric, including the Thames Estuary region and a separate fabric noted in the South of Britain (Tyres 1996: 182). Distribution of BBI had reached the South, West, and lower Severn Valley by the late 4^thGloucester, with manufacture in Severn Valley Ware fabric. Distinctive fabrics were noted from Cirencester (type 49 and 74) and Gloucester (type TF4, TF11B, TF11D, TF17, TF220) (ibid. 185; 197-9). century, with distribution of South Eastern Dorset BBI reaching

It has been established that the Oxford Ware industry had developed a tradition of imitation BBI (Young 1977: 205) to include the ‘dog-bowl’ form similar to that from Crickley. Later versions included the type R53, which bears a similarity to the form of the Crickley bowl, and has been dated to AD 240-400+ (ibid. 221, fig. 82). However, the Crickley example bears traces of a second beading on the rim, of which the most comparable example is from Birdoswold, dated to c. AD 350-400 (Gillam 1968: 71, no. 321), although this form is deeper. This latter form gained popularity during the later Roman period, with all kiln finds extant from the end of the 4^th century or later, with local production possibly limited to the end of the Roman period (Young 1977: 206). Kiln sites include Cowley, St. Luke’s Road, Allen’s Pit, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Churchill and Foxcombe Hill, Dorchester and Garsington, Sandford and Shakenoak, Oxfordshire, the latter datable to c. AD350-420 and AD350-400 (ibid. 247, 248, 252, 352).

Further examples of BBI from late 4^th – early 5^th century levels are not unknown, the most notable examples being located at Poundbury, Dorset (Sparey-Green 1996: 123). Sparey-Green also notes the association at Colliton Park, Dorset of late Roman coin hoards with BBI, in 5^thBarnsley Park, including two examples of good imitations. The phase 10 (5^th century) levels yielded 2196 sherds of BBI, with sherds of local BBI and Grey Ware of similar form to the Crickley bowl (Webster and Smith, 1982: 156-164). The conclusion to be drawn would be that a date after the 5^th century should be considered for the Short Mound. century deposits (ibid.142). Nine-hundred and fifty-six sherds of BBI from the phase 9 levels (c. AD 400+) were located from the Gloucestershire villa site at

[i] Pers. comm. Phil Greatorix, Gloucester Excavation Unit.

[ii] Pers. comm. Alan Vince; J. Timby (1986: 63). Non-local grey coarse ware, wheel made micaceous. C3 introduction into Gloucester, increasingly found in the 4^th century. Many forms copies of BB1. See also the Wiltshire fabric c (see Rogers and Roddham 1991: 55-56).

[iii] Pers. comm. Ron Firman.

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LPRIA, Roman and Early Medieval Crickley: Summary

Crickley Hill is an Iron Age hillfort in Gloucestershire that, like many in the west, probably had some late pre-Roman Iron Age activity after a period of abandonment, with sporadic activity during the early Roman period. It was perhaps during this time that occasional buildings were built on the top of the silted-up rampart ditches, and near to the main rampart entrance, although these structures alternatively belong to the later Roman period. A prehistoric ritual monument on the site - the 'Long Mound' - received votive deposits during the Roman period. There was also a possible rectangular Roman masonry structure near the western end of the hill.

During the later Roman period (or possibly during the early 5th century), the hill was once again occupied, perhaps initially within the entrance for industrial activity (although again, this may belong to the earlier Roman phase). A village was built behind the rampart, mainly consisting of 'scooped' buildings arranged in rows; there was also evidence for industrial activity in this area. Buildings were sub-rectangular and sub-circular (perhaps in some cases, polygonal), and would perhaps have been built of cob or turf, with low thatch or turf roofs, and were only single roomed, although perhaps had some form of partition in one case.

On the western end of the hill, a second, probably contemporaneous, settlement was built. This settlement was enclosed by a palisade fence (which perhaps had a 'guard-house' at the entrance), and contained a granary (itself enclosed within a separate fence), suggesting its higher status. The buildings of this settlement were more substantial, and probably timber-framed (sitting directly on the ground-surface), or post-built, resting upon post-pads. They were mainly circular, although the central building was rectangular, and partitioned. This building had a substantial hearth, as well as a number of cooking pits nexts to the front walls.

At some point during or after the Roman period, a monument was built on the north-west terrace of the hill - a scaled-down version of the Long Mound (hence known as the 'Short Mound'). Strangely, the buried features of the Long Mound were replicated. The Short Mound didn't receive votive deposits during the Roman period (perhaps suggesting its later date), and therefore dating is difficult. However, it was stratified over the LPRIA path down the tip of the hill to the Vale, upon which and embedded within was a near-complete local grey ware bowl, imitating BB1, giving an early Roman TPQ (although the bowl may even date to the 5th century). Near to this mound was a structure, possibly associated with worn later Roman ceramics.

Both settlements were burnt down, and re-built to similar plans to, and nearby, the earlier buildings. However, they were burnt down again, and the settlement abandoned. After a period of abandoment, sporadic finds indicate activity in the mid Saxon period.

Publication of research

Previous publications about Crickley include:

Dixon, P.W 1970 Excavations at Crickley Hill: Interim Report, 1970 (Gloucester College Monographs)

Dixon, P.W 1971 Excavations at Crickley Hill: Interim Report, 1971 (Gloucester College Monographs)

Dixon, P.W 1976 ‘Crickley Hill 1969-1972’ in Harding D.W. 1976 (ed.) 1976, Hillforts: Late Prehistoric earth works in Britain and Ireland London Academic Press, pp 162-176

Dixon, P.W 1988 ‘Crickley Hill 1969-1987’ in Current Archaeology 110, 73-78

Dixon, P.W. 1994 Crickley Hill: The Hill-Fort Defences University of Nottingham

Parry, Charles 1994 Crickley Hill Country Park, Badgeworth / Coberley, Gloucestershire. An Archaeological Survey English Heritage, Gloucester C.C., National Trust

Savage, Richard 1988 Village, Fortress, Shrine Crickley Hill Gloucestershire 3500BC- AD 500 Cheltenham

Vol. 6 of the Crickley Hill reports, covering the Roman & Early Medieval phase, is currently in preparation. Contact me if you require interim information on this phase of the site, and I'll do what I can to provide this. Although under major revision, I have already presented much of my research as an MA: Jarrett, K 1999, The Late / post-Roman Settlement at Crickley Hill, Gloucestershire, University of Nottingham. If a summary is required, contact me for details.