YORYM 1995.5 - NORMAN COURT, OFF GRAPE LANE, YORK
CERAMIC, AND OTHER, BUILDING MATERIALS
S Garside-Neville
Roman Material
There is
the normal range of Roman material, including roof tile (tegula and imbrex) and
brick (used in a variety of ways, including in wall courses and hypocausts).
The range
of medieval material is quite wide in this sample. As well as the normal peg tile, with the centrally placed peg
hole, there are also examples of nib tile.
These occur in small numbers on York sites, and are currently thought to
be used for roof repairs. Plain roof
tile can be dated to between the 13th and 15th century. A fragment from context 10 has a medium-sized
dog pawprint on. There are several
examples of what appear to be unusually thick examples of plain roof tile. However, some of these fragments are
associated with 12-13th century contexts, which may mean that they are
fragments of flanged tile (the earliest medieval roofing system, dated to 12th
and early 13th century, which copied the Roman roofing system).
Associated with
14-15th century contexts are three examples of Plain glazed floor tile. Two have a yellow glaze, with a white slip
underneath, and are bevelled. One has a
dark green glaze and is worn. Two
fragments show signs of a nailhole, made when
the tile
was trimmed during manufacture. These
tiles are thought to come from the Netherlands, although there is some debate
about this. This type of tile is often
found on high status sites, such as halls or ecclesiastical buildings.
There are
fragments of brick scattered throughout the sample, which have been dated by
their thickness and width. All the
pieces fit into measurements that would indicate a 14-15th date. In the case of
context 28, which has been dated to the 12th century by the excavator, the brick may be contamination. Context 32,
dated to the 12-13th century, also has a fragment of brick. Again, this may be contamination, or could
be an unusually early example of brick in York.
It is
recommended that this sample is fully recorded and processed so that it can be
used to contribute to the study of ceramic building materials in the city of
York. This would involve identifying
fabrics and forms, weighing, measuring and where appropriate discarding
unfeatured fragments.
The stone
samples would benefit from closer examination by a geologist, who could
identify the source of the samples.
There is a probable
piece of pottery in context 10.
LISTING
Key
Brick = Medieval or
post Medieval brick Imbrex = Roman roof tile
Nib = Medieval roof
tile Peg = Medieval roof tile
Plain roof tile =
Medieval roof tile, either peg or nib tile Ridge = Medieval roof tile
Tegula =
Roman roof tile
3 Peg, Brick, Chalk, Pan,
Slate 17th+
4 Plain roof tile, Brick 14-15th
6 Plain roof tile, Brick, Mortar 14-15th
8 Plain roof tile, Brick 14-15th
10 Plain roof tile, ?Quartzite
pebble,
Peg, Pot, Plain glazed floor
tile 14-16th
11 Plain roof tile, Peg, Brick 14-15th
12 Plain roof tile, Peg, Brick,
Plain
glazed floor tile, Mortar 14-16th
14 Plain
roof tile, Peg, Nib, Brick,
Mortar,Plain
glazed floor tile 14-16th
16 Nib, Peg, ?Daub/?Brick 13-15th
19 Plain roof tile, Brick, Mortar 14-15th
20 Plain roof tile 13-15th
21 Plain roof tile, Peg, Brick 14-15th
23 Peg, Brick 14-15th
26 Plain roof tile, Brick, Chalk,
Mortar,
Limestone, Oolitic Limestone
14-15th
27 Plain roof tile 13-15th
28 ?Plain roof tile, Brick, Chalk 14-15th
32 Mortar, Brick ?14-15th
34 Imbrex, Limestone Roman
37 ?Plain roof tile, ?Ridge ? 13-15th
39 Imbrex, Tegula, Roman brick,
Opus
Signinum, Sandstone Roman