LAB99 - Garforth, near Leeds, West Yorkshire

Ceramic Building Materials

by S Garside-Neville

Introduction

The collection of ceramic building material derived from fieldwalking was examined by eye, and with a hand lens, when required. The number of fragments was not quantified, though the different types of forms and any associated date was noted. A listing of all the forms present can be found in Table 1. An Access 2 database of the ceramic building materials is available for this site.

Roman material

Roman material in the sample comprises brick, roof tile (in the form of tegula and imbrex) and flue tile. The brick can be used for a number of purposes including wall bonding and hypocausts, and some fragments may have been pieces of flue tile or tegula which cannot now be identified due to its fragmentary condition. Flue tile is used in hypocausts to circulate hot air. The flue tile is quite diagnostic in that the method of keying used was combing. Combing is associated with 2nd century and later building.

Some of the Roman material shows signs of burning. This could mean that these fragments are associated with the flue of a hypocaust, or possibly the building they come from was burnt down. Using a hand lens, two samples of fabric (one brick and the other flue tile) from Garforth were compared with tile samples from York. There were general similarities, and seems likely that the tile comes from the York area. The Roman material appears to cluster in several grid areas on the site (see Table 2). The amount and relatively small fragment size of the material hints that it has been moved some distance from its original position.

There is one fragment of material that appears to be part of a fluted bead. The fabric does seem to be similar to the Roman ceramic building materials present.

Medieval Material

There is very little in the way of identifiable medieval material. That present is plain roofing tile, which may have been either peg tile or nib tile, though none of the fragments found is diagnostic.

Post medieval material

The bulk of the sample is post medieval in nature. The forms present range from brick, to drain pipe, and fragments of sanitary ware.

Conclusion

The material from fieldwalking should be retained for further study, at which point it may be possible to discard some of the post medieval materials. The Roman material could be studied further to identify its fabric and manufacturing centre or centres.

TABLE 1 - CONTEXT LISTING

The listing includes only forms and not each fragment of material.

Key

Date & Date range: PM = post medieval

M = medieval

Grid	Form	Comments	Date	Date range
001A	SANITARY WARE	WHITE GLAZE	PM	PM
	BRICK		PM?
002A	BRICK		PM	MED-PM
	BRICK		20TH
	PLAIN	T14	MED
002B	DRAIN		19TH	PM
003A	TEGULA	LOWER SURFACE SOOTED	ROMAN	ROMAN
	ROMAN BRICK		ROMAN
005A	DRAIN		19TH	PM
	BRICK		20TH
005B	BRICK		20TH	PM
007A	BRICK		PM	PM
007B	BRICK		PM	PM
	FLOOR		20TH
008A	BRICK		20TH	PM
008B	BRICK		20TH	PM
	BRICK		PM
010A	BRICK		20TH	PM
011A	TILE	FLOOR OR ROOF	20TH	PM
011B	BRICK		PM	PM
012A	ROMAN BRICK?	SMALL FRAG	ROMAN?	ROMAN?
012B	ROMAN BRICK	T32, WELL FIRED	ROMAN	ROMAN
	ROMAN BRICK	SMALL FRAG	ROMAN
014A	BRICK		PM	PM
014B	BRICK	SMALL FRAG	MED-PM	MED-PM
015A	BRICK		PM	PM
016A	BRICK		PM	PM
017B	BRICK		20TH	ROMAN-PM
	ROMAN BRICK		ROMAN
	PAN?	PALE	17TH+
018A	BRICK		19TH-20TH	PM
	BRICK		PM
019A	PAN		17TH+	PM
020A	BRICK		MED-PM	MED-PM
020B	BRICK		MED-PM	MED-PM
	BRICK		PM
023B	BRICK		MED-PM	MED-PM
024A	BRICK		PM	PM
025A	BRICK		PM	PM
026A	BRICK		19TH+	PM
026B	BRICK		PM	PM
029A	BRICK		PM	PM
031B	ROMAN BRICK	T19	ROMAN	ROMAN
034B	BRICK		MED-PM	MED-PM

Grid	Form	Comments	Date	Date range
035A	BRICK		PM	PM
037B	BRICK		PM	PM
038A	BRICK		MED-PM	MED-PM
038B	BRICK		PM	ROMAN-PM
	ROMAN BRICK?	SMALL FRAG	ROMAN?
040B	ROMAN BRICK	T20	ROMAN	ROMAN
044B	ROMAN BRICK?	SMALL FRAG	ROMAN?
046B	FLUE	PROB FLUE; T17; SOOTED ON EXTERNAL SURFACE;	1ST-4TH	ROMAN
	ROMAN BRICK		ROMAN
047A	BRICK		MED-PM	MED-PM
049A