Pottery types commonly found on the Field Academies
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Late Bronze Age
Simple, hand-made pots with large amounts of flint mixed in with the clay. Dates to around 1200-800BC.
Iron Age
Similar to the Late Bronze Age pottery, but with less flint and more sand in the clay. Dates mainly from around 800-50BC.
Briquetage
Extremely crude, coarse pottery used to make large pans for boiling sea water during the manufacture of salt in the Iron Age. Sherds sometimes have a thick white deposit left by the salt on the surface.
Middle Iron Age
Soft, grey-brown ware, usually with fairly large pieces of shell visible in the clay. The outsides of vessels were sometimes covered in vertical cut lines, giving it the name 'Scored Ware'. Found all over the East Midlands and western East Anglia between the 5th and 2nd centuries BC.
'Belgic'
So-called because it was originally thought to have been made by members of an Iron Age people called the Belgae who were thought to have fled from France to Britain when the Romans invaded. It is the first prehistoric pottery to have been thrown on a proper potter's wheel and fired in a kiln rather than a bonfire. It was used between about 50BC and 50AD.
Roman Grog-tempered Ware
So-called because the clay was mixed with crushed up tile and pottery, known as 'grog'. This type of pottery was first made in the century before the Roman invasion, and carried on in use for a hundred years or so afterwards; ie 50BC-100AD.
Roman Samian Ware
Hard, shiny red pottery, often with moulded relief decoration. Made in various parts of France in the first and second century, and imported all over Europe and North Africa. It was used to make bowls, cups and other forms of relatively expensive table ware.
Roman Amphora
Large torpedo-shaped jars up to 2 metres tall, usually made in Spain and used for transporting oil or wine. The fabric was slightly soft, and a pale buff or orange colour. Amphoras were used throughout the Roman occupation of Britain, and some are known from a few decades before the invasion, when they were traded to the Iron Age people of Britain as luxury goods or gifts. Dated to 10-400AD.
Roman Shelly Ware
So-called because the clay contains fossil shell which occurs naturally in it. This type of pottery was first made around the time of the Roman invasion, and carried on in use for a hundred years or so afterwards; i.e. 50-150AD.
Roman Greyware
This was one of the most common types of Roman pottery, and was made in many different places in Britain. Many different types of vessels were made, especially cooking pots. It was most common in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, but in some places continued in use until the 4th century. The pottery from Ufford was probably made at Castor near Peterborough, where there was a large and important Roman pottery industry.
Nene Valley Colour-Coat Ware
This was first made around 175AD, and became extremely common during the 3rd and 4th centuries. It gets its name from the fact that vessels were coated with liquid clay (slip) in colours such as red, blue and black. Cups, beakers and bowls were some of the most common types made. It was made at Castor near Peterborough.
Roman Oxford Ware
This was first made around the middle of the 3rd century, and carried until close to the end of Roman occupation, in the early 5th century. It was made in a range of forms which were imitating Samian ware, a high-quality Gaulish (French) pottery which was imported into Britain in large quantities until the 3rd century.
Early Anglo-Saxon
Crude pottery made by the pagan Anglo-Saxons. It was first made after the Roman pottery industries ceased production after the legions withdrew. Most people probably made their own pottery of this type, dug from clay close to where they lived and fired in bonfires. Most pots were plain, simple forms such as jars and bowls, but some, usually used as cremation urns, were decorated with stamps and scored linear patterns. First made around 450AD, very rare after 700AD.
Ipswich Ware
The first industrially produced pottery to be made after the end of the Roman period. Made in Ipswich, and fired in kilns, some of which have been excavated. Most pots were jars, but bowls are also known, as are jugs. It is usually grey and quite smooth, although some pots have varying amounts of large sand grains in the clay. Very thick and heavy when compared to later Saxon pottery, probably because it was made by hand rather than thrown on a wheel. Dated 720-850AD.
Thetford Ware
So-called because archaeologists first found it in Thetford, but the first place to make it was Ipswich, around 850AD. Potters first began to make it in Thetford sometime around 925AD, and carried on until around 1100AD. Many kilns have been discovered in the town. It was made in Norwich from about 1000AD, and soon after at many of the main towns in England at that time. The pots are usually grey, and the clay used contained lots of fine sand, making the surface feel a little like fine sandpaper. Most were simple jars, but very large storage pots over a metre high were also made, along with jugs and lamps. It is found all over East Anglia and eastern England, as far north as Lincoln and as far south as London.
Stamford Ware
Made at several different sites in Stamford in Lincolnshire between 850 and 1150AD. The earliest pots were small, simple jars with white, buff or grey fabric, or large jars with painted red stripes. By 1000AD, the potters were making vessels which were quite thin-walled and smooth, with a yellow or pale green glaze on the outside; the first glazed pots in England. These were usually jugs with handles and a spout, but other sorts of vessel, such as candle-sticks, bowls and water-bottles, are also known. It appears to have been much sought after because it was of such good quality, and has been found all over Britain and Ireland.
St Neots Ware
Made at a number of as-yet unknown places in southern England between 900 and 1100AD. The pots are usually a black, purplish-black or grey colour, but the clay from which they were made contains finely crushed fossil shells, giving them a white speckled appearance. Most pots were small jars or bowls.
Grimston Ware
Made at Grimston, near King's Lynn. It was made from a sandy clay similar to that used for Thetford ware, and has a similar 'sandpaper' texture. The clay is usually a dark bluish-grey colour, sometimes with a light-coloured buff or orange inner surface. It was made between about 1080 and 1400AD. All sorts of different pots were made, but the most common finds are jugs, which usually have a slightly dull green glaze on the outer surface. Between 1300 and 1400AD, the potters made very ornate jugs, with painted designs in a reddish brown clay, and sometimes attached models of knights in armour or grotesque faces to the outside of the pots. It is found all over East Anglia and eastern England. A lot of Grimston ware has been found in Norway, as there is very little clay in that country, and they had to import their pottery. Nearly half the medieval pottery found in Norway was made at Grimston, and was shipped there from King's Lynn.
Early Medieval Sandy Ware
Made between 1100 and 1400AD, this is a hard fabric with a plentiful quartz temper. It was manufactured at a wide range of generally unknown sites all over southern England. The majority of this pottery is cooking pots, but bowls and occasionally jugs are also known.
Medieval Shelly Ware
Made between 1100 and 1400AD, this is a hard fabric with a plentiful quartz temper. It was manufactured at a wide range of generally unknown sites all over southern England. The majority of this pottery is cooking pots, but bowls and occasionally jugs are also known.
Chalk-tempered Ware
Made between 1100 and 1400AD. Similar to Early Medieval Sandy Ware, but there are also small, rounded fragments of chalk mixed in with the clay.
Essex Greyware 12th-14th century.
Grey pottery with lots of visible sand grains mixed in with the clay. Seven kilns which were making this pottery type were sited just outside the north gate of the medieval town of Colchester. Similar pottery was made at other places in Essex, such as Mile End, Great Horkesley and Sible Hedingham. Most of the pots were simple cooking pots or jars, and were not glazed.
Ely Ware
12th-15th century. Hard fabric with plentiful quartz sand mixed in with the clay, along with some small fragments of fossil shell. Wide range of vessel types known, glazed and unglazed. Made in the Forehill area of Ely in Cambridgeshire, where kilns have been excavated.
Developed Stamford Ware
Highly decorated jugs with hard, fine, pale grey or white clay fabric, usually with a glossy green glaze coloured with copper filings. It was made at a kiln found at Stamford School, and is dated 1150-1200AD.
Lyveden/Stanion 'A' Ware
The exact period during which this pottery was made in unknown, but it is believed to be between roughly 1150 and 1400AD. Either handmade or wheel finished, it is similar to shelly ware in that it was made from clay with bits of fossil shell in it, but the pieces are bigger, and unevenly scattered in the clay. It is known to have been produced at lots of kilns in the villages of Lyveden and Stanion in north-east Northamptonshire. Pots are usually grey with blue-grey or brown surfaces, although other surface colours, such as buff, red, purple or orange are not uncommon. Pots are usually jars, but bowls are also common, and jugs, storage jars and curfews (pottery fire-covers) are also known.
London Ware
The earliest pots of this type date to around 1150AD. Made somewhere near London, this pottery mainly took the form of jugs, with green or orange glaze and lots of decoration. The pots were often painted with geometric designs in yellow liquid clay (slip) before glazing and firing. It fell from use towards the end of the 15th century. Back to top Essex Redware Late 12th-14th century. Red-coloured pottery with lots of sand mixed in with the clay. Made at a number of different places in Essex, a few of which have been discovered. The most common pottery type was glazed jugs.
Hertfordshire Greyware
Late 12th-14th century. Hard, grey sandy pottery found at sites all over Hertfordshire. Made at a number of different places, with the most recent and best-preserved evidence being from Hitchin. Pots consisted of a range of simple jars, bowls and jugs.
Medieval Glazed Ware
Made between 1200 and 1400AD, this is a range of red and grey-coloured pots with a green or orange glaze. Many different but very similar types are known from Suffolk, some of which may have been made locally, or in Essex or Norfolk. The places where most of them were made is unknown. Most vessels were jugs.
Brill Ware
1200-1600AD. Very high quality pottery made at the village of Brill on the Oxfordshire-Buckinghamshire border. The main products were highly decorated glazed jugs, usually with lavish decoration.
Lyveden/Stanion 'B' Ware
The exact period during which this pottery was made in unknown, but it is believed to be between roughly 1150 and 1400AD. Either handmade or wheel finished, it is similar to shelly ware in that it was made from clay with bits of fossil shell in it, but the pieces are bigger, and unevenly scattered in the clay. It is known to have been produced at lots of kilns in the villages of Lyveden and Stanion in north-east Northamptonshire. Pots are usually grey with blue-grey or brown surfaces, although other surface colours, such as buff, red, purple or orange are not uncommon. Pots are usually jars, but bowls are also common, and jugs, storage jars and curfews (pottery fire-covers) are also known.
Lyveden/Stanion Ware
Made at Lyveden in Northamptonshire between 1225 and 1400AD. The clay used for this pottery is very easy to recognise as it contains small, egg-shaped fossils known as Ooliths. The earlier pots are quite crude, as the potters did not throw them on a wheel, but built them by coiling. The clay fabric is usually grey with buff or orange surfaces. The main types of pot are jars, but also jugs with a poor-quality green glaze, and vertical stripes and dots painted with white clay. Around 1300AD, the potters changed to wheel-throwing their pots, resulting in better-quality vessels, but stopped decorating them with slip designs. Lyveden ware is found all over the east midlands and East Anglia, and some pots have been found in Norway. They were probably shipped from King's Lynn along with the Grimston ware.
Potterspury Ware
Made in the village of the same name in Northamptonshire, between 1250 and 1600AD. Pots are usually buff, pink or red in colour, sometimes with patches or spots of green glaze. Made from a clay which gives the surface a slightly sandy texture. The most common pots are jars, bowls and jugs, but lots of other types, for use in the house and kitchen, were also made.
Late Medieval Reduced Ware
1380-1500AD. Hard grey sandy ware, made at a large number of places in Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire. Mainly simple vessels such as jugs and large bowls. Back to top 'Tudor Green' Ware Very fine, white pottery with a bright green glaze. Made in Surrey and Hampshire from the end of the 14th century until around 1700. Mainly tablewares such as mugs, cups and drinking bowls, and also small jugs. Common in towns, but rare in the countryside, where only the richer inhabitants probably used it.
Cambridgeshire Sgraffito Ware
Made between 1400 and 1500AD. Vessels were usually jugs made from a clay which fired to a red colour. The outer surface of the pot was then covered with white liquid clay ('slip') and designs were scratched through the slip to reveal the body clay underneath ('sgraffito' decoration). The whole was then covered in a pale yellow glaze, with the scratched patterns appearing red.
Late Medieval Colchester Ware
Made around 1400-1550AD. Very hard red pottery with lots of sand visible in the clay body. The main types of pots were big jugs, some with geometric designs painted on them in white liquid clay ('slip'). Evidence of their manufacture has been found near Colchester Castle, and also in Magdalen Street, which is located just outside the walls of the medieval town of Colchester. Similar pottery was also made at Chelmsford.
Late Medieval Ware
Very similar to Redware, but the pots had thinner walls, sandier fabrics and tended to be glazed on the outside. This type is also slightly earlier, and dates to 1450-1550AD.
Late Medieval Oxidised Ware
1450-1550AD. Hard orange-red sandy ware, made at a large number of places in East Anglia. Mainly simple vessels such as jugs and large bowls. Back to top Midland Purple Ware Made and used between 1450 and 1600AD. Very hard, red to dark purplish-grey in colour, usually with a dark purple to black glaze. A wide range of different pots were made, such as jars, bowls and jugs.
Bourne 'D' Ware
Made between 1450 and 1637AD. Made in the village of Bourne in Lincolnshire, until the place was destroyed by a great fire in 1637. Fairly hard, smooth, brick-red clay body, often with a grey core. Some vessels have sparse white flecks of shell and chalk in the clay. Vessel forms usually jugs, large bowls and cisterns, for brewing beer. The vessels are often painted with thin, patchy white liquid clay ('slip'), over which a clear glaze was applied.
German Stoneware
First made around 1450AD, and still made today. Made at lots of places along the river Rhine in Germany, such as Cologne, Siegburg and Frechen. Very hard, grey clay fabric, with the outer surface of the pot often having a mottled brown glaze. The most common vessel type was the mug, used in taverns in Britain and all over the world. Records from the port of London show that millions of such pots were brought in from Germany from around 1500AD onwards.
Martincamp Flasks
Made in northern France between 1470 and 1700AD. Very hard, pale brown to purple clay fabric. These pots were made to hold apple brandy from Normandy (called 'Calvados'), and were shipped all over Europe. The port records of London suggest that each pot had a wicker-work cage to protect it and enable it to be carried easily. The wicker-work would quickly rot in the ground, however, and none has ever been found. Lots have been found in ports around Britain, such as King's Lynn, but they are quite rare at sites away from the sea.
Cistercian Ware
Made between 1475 and 1700AD. So-called because it was first found during the excavation of Cistercian monasteries, but not made by monks. A number of different places are known to have been making this pottery, particularly in the north of England and the midlands. The pots are very thin and hard, as they were made in the first coal-fired pottery kilns, which reached much higher temperatures than the wood-fired types of the medieval period. The clay fabric is usually brick red or purple, and the pots covered with a dark brown or purplish-black glaze on both surfaces. The main type of pot was small drinking cups with up to six handles, known as 'tygs'. They were sometimes decorated with painted dots and other designs in yellow clay. Cistercian ware was very popular, and is found all over England.
Border Ware
Made from the same white clays as Tudor Green, in the same region. Usually with a green or yellow glaze. Pots tended to be heavier, mainly serving and storage vessels such as large bowls. Slightly later in date, from around 1550-1700AD. Back to top Red Earthenware Fine sandy earthenware, usually with a brown or green glaze on the inner surface. Made at numerous locations all over England. It occurs in a range of practical shapes for use in the households of the time, such as large mixing bowls, cauldrons and frying pans. It was first made around the middle of the 16th century, and in some places continued in use until the 19th century.
Redware / Glazed Red Earthenware
Just about everywhere in Britain began to make and use this type of pottery from about 1550 AD onwards, and it was still being made in the 19th century. The clay fabric is usually very smooth, and a brick red colour. Lots of different types of pots were made, particularly very large bowls, cooking pots and cauldrons. Almost all of them have shiny, good-quality orange or green glaze on the inner surface, and sometimes on the outside as well. From about 1690AD, black glaze was also used.
Blackware
Made between 1580 and 1700AD. The clay is very similar to that of Colchester Ware and Glazed Red Earthenware, but the vessels have a black glaze, coloured by the addition of iron. Usually drinking vessels such as mugs, but also tall, narrow cups with up to eight handles, known as 'tygs'.
(Metropolitan) Slipware
Very similar to Redware, the main difference being that the pots were not only glazed, but also had designs painted on them in yellow liquid clay ('slip') under the glaze, and sometimes several different colours were used on the same pot. Made at many different places between about 1600 and 1700AD, with the most famous factory being at Harlow in Essex.
Harlow Slipware
Similar to Glazed Red Earthenware, but with painted designs in yellow liquid clay ('slip') under the glaze. Made at many places between 1600 and 1700AD, but the most famous and earliest factory was at Harlow in Essex.
Delft ware
The first white pottery to be made in Britain. Called Delft ware because of the fame of the potteries at Delft in Holland which first made it in Europe, although it was invented in the Middle East. Soft, cream coloured fabric with a thick white glaze, often with painted designs in blue, purple and yellow. First made in Britain in Norwich around 1600AD, and continued in use until the 19th century. The 17th century pots were expensive table wares such as dishes or bowls, but by the 19th century, better types of pottery were being made, and Delft ware was considered very cheap and used for things such as chamber pots and ointment jars.
Cologne Stoneware
Hard, grey pottery made in the Rhineland region of Germany from around 1600 onwards. It usually has lots of ornate moulded decoration, often with blue and purple painted details. Still made today, mainly as tourist souvenirs.
Staffordshire Slipware
Made between about 1640 and 1750AD. This was the first pottery to be made in moulds in Britain since Roman times. The clay fabric is usually a pale buff colour, and the main products were flat dishes and plates, but cups were also made. These are usually decorated with thin brown stripes and a yellow glaze, or yellow stripes and a brown glaze.
Staffordshire Mottled/Manganese Ware
Made in the late 17th-18th century. Made from a fine, buff-coloured clay, with the pots usually covered with a mottled purple and brown glaze, which was coloured by the addition of powdered manganese. A wide range of different types of pots were made, but mugs and chamber pots are particularly common.
Iron-glazed Earthenware
Made between about 1690 and 1800AD. Hard, brick-red clay fabric. The most common vessels were large bowls with a thick black glaze, coloured with iron, on the inner surface. Back to top English Stoneware Very hard, grey fabric with white and/or brown surfaces. First made in Britain at the end of the 17th century, it became very common in the 18th and 19th century, particularly for mineral water or ink bottles and beer jars.
Black-glazed Earthenware
Late 17th century onwards. Basically a development of Red Earthenwares, with a similar range of forms, although with a black glaze which was coloured by the addition of iron filings.
White Salt-glazed Stoneware
Delicate white pottery made between 1720 and 1780AD, usually for tea cups and mugs. Has a finely pimpled surface, like orange peel.
Staffordshire White Salt-glazed Stoneware
Hard, white pottery with a white glaze. Made between 1720 and 1780AD, it had a texture like orange peel. Pots were usually table wares, such as tea bowls, tankards and plates.
White Stoneware
Made between 1720 and 1780AD. Very thin, very hard white clay fabric. Easy to recognise as the surfaces have lots of tiny white dimples, like the surface of orange peel. Its invention coincided with the rise in popularity of drinking tea and coffee, so it was often used for this. The earliest tea-cups did not have handles, but were bowls, as this is how it was drunk in China, where the first tea came from. It was also used for making mugs and plates. It is found all over Britain.
Creamware
This was the first pottery to be made which resembles modern 'china'. It was invented by Wedgewood, who made it famous by making dinner surfaces for some of the royal families of Europe. Made between 1740 and 1880AD, it was a pale cream-coloured ware with a clear glaze, and was softer than bone china. There were lots of different types of pots which we would still recognise today: cups, saucers, plates, soup bowls, etc. When first made it was expensive, but by the 19th century it was considered to be poor quality, as better types of pottery were being made, so it was often painted with multi-coloured designs to try and make it more popular.
'Victorian'
A wide range of different types of pottery, particularly the cups, plates and bowls with blue decoration which are still used today. It was first made around 1800AD.