Information for record number MWA387:
Pottery manufacturing site known as Broadclose or Broad Close Field, Mancetter

Summary The site of several pottery kilns dating to the Roman period. The site lies 220m south-west of the Bull Inn, Mancetter.
What Is It?  
Type: Pottery Kiln, Kiln
Period: Unknown
Where Is It?  
Parish: Mancetter
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 32 96
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Scheduled Monument (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 1959: Pottery kiln discovered. Damaged by ploughing and only lower 33-35 cm remained. Stokehole 1.8m long, flue 0.9m long and 0.3m wide and constructed of large stones and cobbles. A mortarium kiln.
2 1964: several Pottery kilns and a glass-making furnace (MWA6244) was discovered during an excavation, but not fully excavated.
3 Seven potters' kilns were excavated. Mortaria made up half the output of the five 2nd century kilns, but the whole output of the 3rd century and 4th century kilns. Some potters, notably Iunius and Sarrus, used kilns both here and at Hartshill.
4 1965: excavations continued on a heated drying shed associated with the kilns (MWA6241).
5 1965: A partial magnetometer survey of the north part of field to the southeast of Broadclose (field No 7964 on 1957 25" map). The results have indicated 2 to 4 possible kiln sites. This is in keeping with details of the area.
7 Plan of 1965 survey.
8 1969: Five kilns or furnaces, of which two were of unknown type and purpose, were excavated. The kilns had been used by Icotasgus and others for the production of mortaria, roughcast beakers and other coarse ware vessels in the mid-2nd century.
9 1970: Three kilns and other features (MWA6243) excavated and another kiln located. The kilns produced 2nd century and 3rd century pottery, including products of Victor and Sarvs, while a working-floor discovered held two small rectangular features probably used for storing or puddling clay.
10 1971: A 2nd century kiln used by Loccius Vibius and others was also revealed.
11 1976: One third of Broadclose was surveyed using a magnetometer. Two previously unknown kilns and other features were located.
12 site description.
13 Plan.
14 1977: A magnetometer survey discovered two previously unknown kiln sites.
15 In the week beginning the 6th September, an archaeologist working on behalf of the Department of the Environment made a magnetometer survey over about a third of the field known as 'Broadclose' where an excavation has been conducted for several seasons on the pottery-making site (MWA387) which probably stretches from Mancetter to Hartshill. The results of the survey are not yet available but two previously unknown kilns were found.
16 Plan of 1977 Survey.
17 Archival material from 1965.
18 Archival material from 1969.
19 Photocopied pages of WMANS no 14 in the Further Information file describing the work done in 1970.
20 Archival material from 1971.
21 Archival material: excavation report from 1977.
22 Plan of the road system at Broadclose and to the west. 1977 or later.
23 Archival material. Précis of information on three grid references.
24 Noted. kilns producing coarseware and mortaria; roads, associated features, 1st-4th century.
25
26 The Pottery kilns are recorded in national gazetteers of the monument type for the Roman period. These have classified and described the kilns which have been excavated at various dates between 1958 and 1977. These kilns were generally small near circular clay lined hollows below the ground level and probably solid clay vent-holed oven floors that had been mostly destroyed by ploughing. There was a range of preservation of the features of the kilns such as clay-lined flues and pedestal supports which elongated or tongues in shape for the floors, but in some cases such as kiln 11B there were identifiable phases of use. This was an extensive industrial complex and included two phases of a road system and wells for a water supply, whilst kiln 5 overlay a 2nd century shed containing a two-phase double-sized rying plant for pottery. A range of pottery was produced and fired in these kilns which in some, such as furnace 2, were used for bowls, whilst others were used to produce jars, beakers and mortaria. These mortaria included flanged, collared and hammer-head varieties. Some of these vessels were stamped.
27 Summary of the geophysical survey carried out by the Ancient Monuments Laboratory as detailed by
16.
28 Brief report of work carried ouf in 1977.
29 A summary interim report produced in the 1970s summarises the earlier discoveries at the site with plans of some of the kilns in an article on the Mancetter-Hartshill Roman pottery industry as a whole.
30
31 Brief interim summary reports also produced by the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works record the excavations undertaken at the site.
 
Sources
Source No: 29
Source Type: Article in monograph
Title: Current Research in Romano-British Coarse Pottery: The Kilns at Mancetter and Hartshill, Warwickshire
Author/originator: K F Hartley
Date: 1973
Page Number: 143-147
Volume/Sheet: 10
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Britannia: Roman Britain in 1971
Author/originator: D R Wilson, R P Wright and M W C Hassall
Date: 1972
Page Number: 298-370
Volume/Sheet: 3
   
Source No: 14
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Britannia: Roman Britain in 1976
Author/originator: S S Frere, MWC Hassall and R S O Tomlin
Date: 1977
Page Number: 355-449
Volume/Sheet: 8
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Journal of Roman Studies: Roman Britain in 1964
Author/originator: Unknown
Date: 1965
Page Number: 199-228
Volume/Sheet: 55
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Britannia: Roman Britain in 1970
Author/originator: D R Wilson, R P Wright and M W C Hassall
Date: 1971
Page Number: 243-304
Volume/Sheet: 2
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Britannia: Roman Britain in 1969
Author/originator: D R Wilson and R P Wright
Date: 1970
Page Number: 268-305
Volume/Sheet: 1
   
Source No: 28
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Britannia: Roman Britain in 1977
Author/originator: R Goodburn, M W C Hassall and R S O Tomlin
Date: 1978
Page Number: 403-485
Volume/Sheet: 9
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Article in serial
Title: Journal of Roman Studies: Roman Britain in 1965
Author/originator: D R Wilson and R P Wright
Date: 1966
Page Number: 196-225
Volume/Sheet: 65
   
Source No: 17
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Excavations at Mancetter (Witherley) 1965, September 13th - October 20th 1965
Author/originator: K F Hartley
Date: 1965
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 18
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Excavations at Mancetter, Warks (SP 326 967), 18th September, 1969-3rd November, 1969
Author/originator: K F Hartley
Date: 1970
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 21
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Summery of the Excavations in Mancetter Parish, Warks., 1977 [Sites 7/20, 32, 34]
Author/originator: K F Hartley
Date: 1978
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 12
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Excavations at Witherley (Manduessedum), Sept.13th-Oct. 1964
Author/originator: K F Hartley
Date: 1964
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 30
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Archaeological Excavations 1969
Author/originator: Ministry of Public Buildings and Works
Date: 1970
Page Number: 84
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 31
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Archaeological Excavations 1968
Author/originator: Ministry of Public Buildings and Works
Date: 1969
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 26
Source Type: Internet Data
Title: The Pottery Kilns of Roman Britain
Author/originator: Vivien G Swan & Andrew Peachey
Date: 2014
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 25
Source Type: Monograph
Title: The Pottery Kilns of Roman Britain
Author/originator: Vivien G Swan
Date: 1984
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 23
Source Type: Note
Title: Roman pottery, Mancetter
Author/originator:
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 16
Source Type: Plan
Title: Mancetter: Anomolies on AMLab Magnetometer Surveys
Author/originator: Broadclose
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Plan
Title: Mancetter
Author/originator: Hartley K
Date: 1965
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 22
Source Type: Plan
Title: A Roman Road System at Mancetter
Author/originator: K. Scott
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 13
Source Type: Plan
Title: Mancetter - Water Channel
Author/originator: Hartley K
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 20
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: Mancetter
Author/originator:
Date: 1971
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 15
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMANS no 19 1976
Author/originator: Hartley K
Date: 1977
Page Number: 49
Volume/Sheet: 19
   
Source No: 19
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMANS no 14 1971
Author/originator: Ford W J
Date: 1971
Page Number: 21
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 77 (1959)
Author/originator: Birmingham Archaeological Society
Date: 1961
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 77
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMANS, no 8, 1965
Author/originator: Gould, J (ed)
Date: 1965
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 8
   
Source No: 11
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMANS no 19 1976
Author/originator: Hartley K
Date: 1976
Page Number: 49
Volume/Sheet: 19
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMANS no 7
Author/originator: Mahany C M
Date: 1964
Page Number: 8
Volume/Sheet: 7
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: Scott K
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 3864
   
Source No: 24
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Roman Mancetter (notes and site gazetteer)
Author/originator: Scott K?
Date: 1983?
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
none Scheduled Monument Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) are those archaeological sites which are legally recognised as being of national importance. They can range in date from prehistoric times to the Cold War period. They can take many different forms, including disused buildings or sites surviving as earthworks or cropmarks.

SAMs are protected by law from unlicensed disturbance and metal detecting. Written consent from the Secretary of State must be obtained before any sort of work can begin, including archaeological work such as geophysical survey or archaeological excavation. There are nearly 200 SAMs in Warwickshire.
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source Britannia Britannia, the journal of the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies which contains articles about the archaeology of Roman Britain. It is published annually and copies are held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
source SMR Card Sites and Monuments Record Card. The Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record began to be developed during the 1970s. The details of individual archaeological sites and findspots were written on record cards. These record cards were used until the 1990s, when their details were entered on to a computerised system. The record cards are still kept at the office of the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
source TBAS Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society is a journal produced by the society annually. It contains articles about archaeological field work that has taken place in Birmingham and Warwickshire in previous years. Copies of the journal are kept by the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
source WMANS West Midlands Archaeological News Sheet, a publication that was produced each year, this later became West Midlands Archaeology. The West Midlands Arcaheological News Sheet contains reports about archaeological work that was carried out in the West Midlands region in the previous year. It includes information about sites dating from the Prehistoric to the Post Medieval periods. It was produced the Department of Extramural Studies at Birmingham University. Copies are held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Geophysical Survey The measuring and recording of electrical resistivity or magnetism in order to determine the existence and outline of buried features such as walls and ditches. Geophysical techniques include resistivity survey, magnetometer survey and ground penetrating radar. View Image back
technique Magnetometer Survey A magnetometer survey measures the earth's magnetic field and the effects that structures in the ground may have on it. For example, walls, pits and trenches might display different levels of magnetism than the surrounding ground. These differences can affect the readings taken during the survey. Once the readings have been recorded they are plotted out to produce a plan of features that exist below the ground. See also geophysical survey. back
technique excavation Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.

Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.
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period Roman About 43 AD to 409 AD (the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD)

The Roman period comes after the Iron Age and before the Saxon period.

The Roman period in Britain began in 43 AD when a Roman commander called Aulus Plautius invaded the south coast, near Kent. There were a series of skirmishes with the native Britons, who were defeated. In the months that followed, more Roman troops arrived and slowly moved westwards and northwards.
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monument INN * A public house for the lodging and entertainment of travellers, etc. back
monument HOLLOW * A hollow, concave formation or place, which has sometimes been dug out. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument PUBLIC BUILDING * A building or group of buildings owned and operated by a governing body and often occupied by a government agency. Use specific type of building where known. back
monument OVEN * A brick, stone or iron receptacle for baking bread or other food in. back
monument KILN * A furnace or oven for burning, baking or drying. Use specific type where known. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument FLOOR * A layer of stone, brick or boards, etc, on which people tread. Use broader site type where known. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument FLUE * A passageway, duct or pipe use for the conveyance of heat, gasses, smoke or air. back
monument FURNACE * A chamber in which minerals, metals, etc, are subjected to the continuous action of intense heat. Use specific type where known. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument PEDESTAL * A concrete, cylindrical pedestal on which a spigot mortar was mounted. The pedestal is often the only evidence for a Spigot Mortar emplacement to survive. back
monument POTTERY KILN * A structure, composed of oven and hovel, used for the firing of pottery ware. back
monument MAGNETOMETER * An instrument for measuring magnetic forces, especially the strength of terrestrial magnetism. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument HAMMER * A machine in which a heavy block of metal is used for beating, breaking or driving something. back
monument SHED * A slight structure built for shelter or storage, or for use as a workshop, either attached as a lean-to to a permanent building or separate. Use more specific type where known. back
monument WATER CHANNEL * An artificial watercourse for the conveyance of water. back
monument LABORATORY * A group of buildings or rooms equipped with apparatus for scientific experiments or other research, testing and investigations. back
monument WORKS * Usually a complex of buildings for the processing of raw materials. Use specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record