BPTSEPT 169,
Lilling Low Lane, West Lilling, North Yorkshire
Ceramic
Building Materials
by S Garside-Neville, Brick and Tile Services
Introduction
Two
non-standard boxes of ceramic building materials (cbm), daub and painted
plaster were submitted for viewing. The
items were examined by eye, and hand lens where appropriate.
Roman material
The
bulk of the material is Roman. The
ceramic forms present include brick (used in wall bonds and in hypocausts),
roof tile (tegula and imbrex) and box flue tile. The material is often abraded, and some fragments show signs of
reuse, probably during the Roman period.
The bulk of the cbm fabrics are familiar to the York area, though there
are one or two unusual fabrics, including a light coloured flue tile, which may
point to a variety of sources used for cbm building materials.
The
presence of flue tile means that there was probably a hypocaust (Roman
underfloor heating) in the area.
Hypocausts are associated with bath houses, though not exclusively. A good amount of material shows signs of
burning. This may not point to the
deliberate burning of a building (hypocaust systems would be prone to catching
fire anyway), but rather that the pieces were close to the stoking flue of the
hypocaust, or in a section where smoke was likely to accumulate.
Painted
plaster on mortar was found in context 4001.
It was very fragmentary, but shows signs of red, brown, pink and grey
colours. A pattern can't be discerned,
though one piece may have been part of a stripe or border, a typical decorative
scheme. One plain white fragment has a
curved surface which may have been the facing for a pillar. There is one fragment of material which is
opus signinum, and has been painted red.
There
are a few fragments of daub which will have been associated with less
substantial buildings. Some fragments
of limestone and sandstone were present, and may have been used as building
materials.
Post medieval material
The
post medieval material consists of a
few fragments of drain pipe.
Other items
One
fragment of amphora, a fragment of bone, coal, cobble and a fragment of flint
was also viewed.
Conclusion
The
Roman material is a good assemblage that must be associated with a substantial
building. The presence of combed box
flue tile suggests a second century or later date. There is evidence for the reuse of material, so that the
occupation continued over some time, with alterations to the building taking
place.
This
sample should be retained for further study.
Most usefully, it could be compared to other Roman assemblages from the
area, including the Heslerton and Malton material. Evidently, it is also drawing some of its tile supply from
York. Should further work take place on
the site, full recording of the ceramic building material by a specialist
should take place to maximise its usefulness to both the site, and to the study
of the material and its substantial industry in a broader context.
Context Listing
|
Context |
Form |
Thickness (mm) |
Comments |
Spot date |
|
0 |
FLUE |
16 |
TRENCH 3 U/S; COMBED |
2ND-4TH |
|
0 |
IMBREX |
0 |
TRENCH 4 U/S; BURNT |
ROMAN |
|
0 |
RBRICK |
0 |
TRENCH 2 U/S; SMALL FRAG |
ROMAN |
|
|
RBRICK |
21 |
TRENCH 2 U/S; ABRADED |
|
|
2000 |
COAL |
0 |
|
MED+ |
|
|
IMBREX |
0 |
ABRADED |
|
|
|
RBRICK |
28 |
TEGULA?; KEYING?; 'V' SIGNATURE? |
|
|
2002 |
DAUB |
0 |
|
ROMAN |
|
|
FLUE |
16 |
|
|
|
|
FLUE |
19 |
|
|
|
|
RBRICK |
0 |
X 4 FRAGS |
|
|
|
RBRICK |
18 |
|
|
|
|
RBRICK |
20 |
|
|
|
|
RBRICK |
21 |
|
|
|
|
RBRICK |
26 |
|
|
|
|
RBRICK |
31 |
PAWPRINT - DOG |
|
|
|
RBRICK |
50 |
BURNT? |
|
|
|
RBRICK |
52 |
LARGE FRAGMENT; ABRADED |
|
|
|
RBRICK |
55 |
ABRADED |
|
|
|
TEGULA |
23 |
ABRADED |
|
|
2012 |
RBRICK |
16 |
|
ROMAN |
|
|
RBRICK |
22 |
|
|
|
|
TEGULA |
22 |
ABRADED |
|
|
3000 |
RBRICK |
18 |
|
ROMAN |
|
|
TEGULA |
0 |
|
|
|
|
TEGULA |
22 |
SOFT FABRIC |
|
|
|
TEGULA |
23 |
|
|
|
3001 |
TEGULA |
19 |
|
ROMAN |
|
|
TEGULA |
19 |
LOWER CUTAWAY; ABRADED; X 3 JOINING
FRAGS |
|
|
3009 |
BONE |
0 |
BURNT |
ROMAN |
|
|
FLUE |
19 |
VENT |
|
|
|
IMBREX |
17 |
|
|
|
|
RBRICK |
15 |
|
|
|
3011 |
FLINT |
0 |
WORKED |
ROMAN |
|
|
RBRICK |
26 |
|
|
|
3014 |
RBRICK |
0 |
|
ROMAN |
|
|
RBRICK |
17 |
|
|
|
3016 |
IMBREX |
15 |
|
ROMAN |
|
|
IMBREX |
18 |
|
|
|
|
RBRICK |
0 |
|
|
|
|
TEGULA |
0 |
ABRADED; BURNT |
|
|
3018 |
RBRICK |
17 |
|
ROMAN |
|
|
RBRICK |
19 |
|
|
|
|
RBRICK |
34 |
|
|
|
|
TEGULA |
18 |
|
|
|
|
TEGULA |
19 |
1 ARC SIGNATURE; LOWER CUTAWAY |
|
|
|
TEGULA |
19 |
UPPER CUTAWAY |
|
|
|
TEGULA |
21 |
LOWER CUTAWAY |
|
|
Context |
Form |
Thickness (mm) |
Comments |
Spot date |
|
4001 |
IMBREX |
15 |
|
ROMAN |
|
|
IMBREX |
16 |
|
|
|
|
IMBREX |
18 |
|
|
|
|
IMBREX |
24 |
|
|