Abstract
MUCH interest is attached to the discovery of a Roman potter's kiln at Lincoln, fully loaded with a light cream ware, and fired, but unopened. It affords evidence that an industry, which discoveries in 1932 have shown to have been in existence here in the Middle Ages, was also extensively practised in the Roman period. Quite possibly, as ‘Pottergate Arch’ nearby, and the occurrence of ‘Pottergate’ as a street name in the thirteenth century would suggest, the industry may have survived throughout the interval between medieval and Roman times with little or no interruption. The kiln was discovered, it is reported in The Times of August 21, on a site in Cathedral Street. It contained vessels of the mortaria type, the large shallow basins with a heavy rim, in which the Romans used to grind their food. The kiln was a hole in the ground four feet long and two feet wide, with a well-fired wall on two sides. It was roofed over with a whitish clay mixed with sand; and it contained four stacks of pottery, which had been considerably crushed. Curious short pipes, of which the use is obscure, were also found. Many of the vessels were stamped with the potter's mark, which, when deciphered, should afford a clue to the distribution of Lincoln pottery in Britain. The medieval pottery, which was found in this area, was attributed to the fourteenth century. No doubt the potters of that date drew their clay from the same source as their Roman predecessors. This in itself would be sufficient to account for the persistence of the industry in this area.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Potters of Lincoln. Nature 138, 357 (1936). https://doi.org/10.1038/138357a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/138357a0