South Yorkshire / North Derbyshire Medieval Ceramics Reference Collection

The South Yorkshire and north Derbyshire regional medieval ceramics reference collection is one of the results of the review of medieval pottery studies in England undertaken by Maureen Mellor on behalf of the Medieval Pottery Research Group and English Heritage in the early 1990s (Mellor 1994). The project was funded by English Heritage, managed by Archaeological Services (WYAS) and undertaken by Dr Chris Cumberpatch, with assistance from Dr. D. Williams, Dr. N. Walsh and Dr. M. Hughes. Assistance was given by museum and archaeological curators across the region, by the Derbyshire Archaeological Society and the Rotherham Archaeological Society and by a number of archaeological units and contractors working in the region

A Stamford Ware Pottery Kiln in Pontefract. Excavations at Simpson's Malt, Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

A medieval pottery kiln discovered kiln in Pontefract is revealed to have produced Stamford ware vessels of a type previously only associated with Stamford in Lincolnshire. The pottery found can be equated typologically with forms and decorations that have been dated elsewhere to the Late 11th and 12th centuries. Both radiocarbon and archaeomagnetic dating methods, however, indicate a pre-Conquest date for the last firing of the kiln, in the early 11th century. The pottery fabric is visually indistinguishable for the Lincolnshire Stamford ware and petrographic and ICP analyses were undertaken to see if there are differences in the clays that were used in the respective industries. A geological review of the potential clay sources in the Pontefract area has revealed that there are sources which could have been exploited, although there is no evidence for this in the medieval period. Comparison of the pottery forms and decoration found at Pontefract reveal many similarities with those from the Stamford potteries, although unique to Pontefract was the liberal use of wheel stamp decoration. The results of the project clearly indicate that if potters with the Stamford ware repertoire relocated to Pontefract and manufactured pottery for a time. The apparent absence of the kiln's products in the wider archaeological record, especially the material with a wheel stamp decoration, is puzzling and could indicate a very short-term operation that never achieved a wide market. The scientific dating of this event is potentially contentious as it would appear to demand a reappraisal of the chronology of the Stamford ware industry

Thomas Turner and co.'s 'Suffolk Works' The History and Archaeology of a Sheffield Steel and Cutlery Works - Appendices

This collection comprises the appendices for the publication Thomas Turner and co.'s 'Suffolk Works' The History and Archaeology of a Sheffield Steel and Cutlery Works. This project was an excavation undertaken by Archaeological Research and Consultancy at the University of Sheffield (ARCUS) of a purpose built nineteenth century steel and cutlery works, the "Suffolk Works". At the time (2001-2002) this was a unique opportunity to investigate a type of industrial site that has rarely survived with so little sub-surface disturbance, supported by an unusual wealth of documentary and photographic evidence. Its investigation contributed towards the aims of a 2001 survey by English Heritage of Sheffield's built industrial environment, which highlighted the importance of the study of standing building remains in the furtherance of understanding the operation and development of the metals trade in the area. The project was funded by Midland Mainline. It is hoped that the publication and appendices will demonstrate the importance of integrating historical documentation, excavated structures and post-excavation artefactual research in informing understanding of manufacturing processes and associated products