HARGM 9553 - Crown Hotel, Horsefair/Bridge Street, Boroughbridge

Ceramic Building Materials

by S Garside-Neville

Introduction

A small sample of brick and tile was submitted for examination.

Medieval Material

Two bricks in the sample are probably medieval date. The bricks are from context 3031, and have dimensions and characteristics that in nearby York would mark them as being 14th-15th century in date. The bricks are considerably narrower, broader and longer than the rest of the sample. The bricks also have lightly indented borders. Unlike examples from York, which are thought to have been used as infill for timber-framed buildings, these are slop moulded (where the brick mould was wetted, rather than sanded, before throwing in the clay) and they also show signs of a turning mark (where the brick was levered off the moulding table). However, it is still possible that these bricks were used as infill for a timber framed building.

There are examples of plain roofing tile (which can be peg or nib tile) which may be medieval or post medieval in date. There is one example of the method of suspension, and this has a diamond shaped peghole, which was probably centrally placed toward the top of the tile.

Post medieval material

The bulk of the sample is post medieval in date. It comprises of slop moulded bricks of varying sizes and dates. One of the bricks is a three-quarter bat, which was broken to size to make up the dimensions in a wall.

Pan tile is present. This type of roofing can occur as early as the 17th century, however, the examples here show signs of mechanised production and are likely to be no earlier than the 18th century in date.

Context 3020 has a fragment of thrown material which could be some sort of piping, or possibly a flower pot fragment. There is also fairly modern land drain from Context 3034.

The presence of stone roofing tile may point to part of the coaching inn buildings being roofed in stone, though there is a possibility that it comes from the earlier manor house.

Conclusion

Ceramic building material is prone to reuse which may account for the presence of medieval bricks in this sample. As there had been a medieval manor on the site prior to the coaching inn, it would not be unreasonable to suggest that the bricks were reused from the manor in the building of the inn. Though these bricks were perhaps originally used for a timber-framed building infill, it would not stop them from being used in an all brick wall at a later date.

The other bricks range from the 17th-19th century in date, and have various fabrics, showing varied brick sources for the area. Plain roofing tile was used from the medieval period onward, with pantile replacing it during the post medieval period.

It is recommended that this sample retained for further study, particularly as the building materials of Boroughbridge have not been studied in any depth.

Context Listing

Context	Form/s	Date range	Spot Date
3000	Pan (T18, reused)	18th+	18th+
	Pan (T19, cat paw print)	17th+
	Pan (silty fabric)	17th+
	Peg (T16, Diamond peghole 10mm across)
	Brick (L233B106T59, burnt, slop moulded, very rough)	17th-18th
	Brick (B106T56, slop moulded)	16th-18th
3002	Plain (T19)	13th+	13th+
	Stone roof tile(B185T15, circular nailhole 9mm across, limestone	13th+
3020	?Flower pot/?water pipe T18, wheel-thrown)	?18th+	18th+
3027	Plain	13th+	13th+
3031	Brick (L263B134T43, slop moulded, fine sanding on top and lower surface	14th-15th	14th-15th
	Brick (L270B132T47, turning mark, fine sanding on lower surface, slop moulded, indented border)	14th-15th
3033	Plain (T14, sooted)	13th+	13th+
	Plain (T13	13th+
3034	?Drain (T16, bore of c80mm)	19th+	19th+
3052	Brick (L234B114T63, slop moulded)	17th-19th	17th-19th
	Brick (B115T53, slop moulded, neatly broken - three-quarter bat)	17th-19th
	Brick (B116T59, slop moulded, rough, grass on lower surface	17th+19th

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