Table Of ContentCOLCHESTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT 5:
The post-Roman small finds from excavations in Colchester 1971-85
Colchester Archaeological Reports
General Editor: Philip Crummy
Published by the Colchester Archaeological Trust Ltd
Report 1: Aspects of Anglo-Saxon and Norman
Colchester
by Philip Crummy (CBA Research Report 39), 1981
ISBN 0-906780-06-3
Published jointly by the Colchester Archaeological
Trust and the Council for British Archaeology, 112
Kennington Road, London SE11 6RE
Report 2: The Roman small finds from excavations in
Colchester 1971-9
by Nina Crummy, 1983
ISBN 0-9503727-3-0
Report 3: Excavations at Lion Walk, Balkerne
Lane, and Middleborough, Colchester, Essex
by Philip Crummy, 1984
ISBN 0-9503727-4-9
Report 4: The coins from excavations in Colchester
1971-9
by Nina Crummy (ed), 1987
ISBN 0-9503727-6-5
COLCHESTER
ARCHAEOLOGICAL
REPORT 5:
The post-Roman small finds
from excavations in
Colchester 1971-85
By
NINA CRUMMY
Principal illustrator
T W Cook
contributions from
Barry Ager, Justine Bayley, David Buckley,
Philip Crummy, Geoff Egan, Dr Patricia Galloway,
Joy Hind, and Hilary Major
COLCHESTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST LTD
© 1988 Colchester Archaeological Trust Ltd and List of contributors
English Heritage
Published 1988 by Barry M Ager, (Anglo-Saxon bone comb)
Colchester Archaeological Trust Ltd, Department of Medieval and Later Antiquities,
12 Lexden Road, The British Museum,
Colchester, London WC1B3DG
Essex C03 3NF.
Justine Bayley, (metallurgical material)
Printed by Witley Press Ltd, Ancient Monuments Laboratory,
Hunstanton, Norfolk. Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission,
Fortress House,
23 Savile Row,
London W1X 2HE
David Buckley, (querns)
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data:
Essex County Council Archaeological Section,
Crummy, Nina Globe House,
The post-Roman small finds from excavations in New Street,
Colchester 1971-85. (Colchester Chelmsford,
archaeological reports, ISSN 0264-6013 ; 5) Essex CM1 1LF
1. Essex. Colchester. Antiquities. Excavation of
remains, history Philip Crummy, (sites)
I. Title II. Series Colchester Archaeological Trust Ltd,
936.2'6727 12 Lexden Road,
Colchester,
Essex C03 3NF
ISBN 0-9503727-7-3
Geoff Egan, (textile seals)
Department of Urban Archaeology,
Museum of London,
London Wall,
The principal officers of the Colchester Archaeo London EC2
logical Trust (formerly the Colchester Excavation
Dr Patricia Galloway, (Anglo-Saxon bone comb)
Committee) since 1971:
MS Department of Archives and History,
PO Box 571,
Presidents Lord Alport (1965-72)
Jackson,
Sir Mortimer Wheeler (1972-6)
Mississippi 39205,
Professor S S Frere (1976-)
USA
Chairmen M R Hull (1971)
Major J G S Brinson (1971-4)
Joy Hind, (clay tobacco pipes)
Dr M S Tite (1974-9)
11 Richard Avenue,
F H Thompson (1979-82)
Wivenhoe,
Professor J J Wilkes (1982-7)
Colchester,
Mark Hassall (1987-)
Essex C07 9JQ
Honorary Secretaries Major J G S Brinson (1964-72)
D T-D Clarke (1972-88) Hilary Major, (querns)
G M R Davies (1988-) Essex County Council Archaeological Section,
Honorary Treasurers C S Buck (1969-75) Globe House,
I McMaster (1975-80) New Street,
S G Maddison (1980-) Chelmsford,
Director Philip Crummy (1971-) Essex CM1 1LF
The Colchester Archaeological Trust acknowledges with gratitude the grants towards
the publication of this volume from English Heritage and the Pilgrim Trust.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments vi
Lists of illustrations vii
Introduction 1
Category 1: Objects of personal adornment or dress with contributions by Barry Ager and
Dr Patricia Galloway 6
Category 2: Toilet, surgical or pharmaceutical instruments 22
Category 3: Objects used in the manufacture or working of textiles with a contribution by Geoff Egan . .. 28
Category 4: Household utensils and furniture with a contribution by David Buckley and Hilary Major . . .. 36
Category 5: Objects used for recreational purposes with a contribution by Joy Hind 45
Category 6: Objects employed in weighing and measuring 67
Category 7: Objects used for or associated with written communications 68
Category 8: Objects associated with transport 70
Category 9: Buildings and services 72
Category 10: Tools 73
Category 11: Fasteners and fittings 80
Category 12: Objects associated with agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry 84
Category 13: Military equipment 85
Category 14: Objects associated with religious beliefs and practices 86
Category 15: Objects and waste material associated with metal working with a contribution
by Justine Bayley 87
Category 16: Objects and waste material associated with antler, horn, bone and tooth working 88
Category 17: Objects and waste material associated with the manufacture of pottery vessels or pipeclay
objects 93
Category 18: Objects the function or identification of which is unknown or uncertain 94
Bibliography 99
Object index 102
Index of objects by material(s) 103
MICROFICHE SUPPLEMENT
Categories 1 to 18 as above 105
v
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to the specialists who have contributed
to this volume: Barry Ager, Justine Bayley, David
Buckley, Geoff Egan, Dr Patricia Galloway, Joy
Hind, and Hilary Major. Other valuable help has been
provided by Dr Catherine Hills, Graeme Lawson, Dr
Rosemary Luff, Jenny Mann, Patrick Ottaway, and
Pat Ryan. A basis for the clay tobacco pipe report
was provided by preliminary work on some of the
pipes from Lion Walk and Balkerne Lane by the late
Leonard Gant.
Thanks are due to many members, past and present,
of the Trust's staff: Carl Crossan, Nicholas Smith,
Howard Brooks, Donald Shimmin, and Geoff Carter
(site directors); Alison Colchester (photographer);
Simon Garrod (computer archive assistant); and the
illustrators, Suzanne Debski, Alyson Drysdale, Bob
Moyes, and in particular Terry Cook, without whose
excellent work this volume would be much the poorer.
The post-Roman pottery analyst, John Cotter, has
provided unstinting assistance with the dating of the
many contexts producing small finds alongside
pottery. Joy Hind, apart from her work with the clay
tobacco pipes, has helped in innumerable ways,
particularly with the more unenviable tasks. She
deserves especial thanks. Thanks too should be
given to the many diggers, finds assistants, site
assistants, and site supervisors responsible for the
recovery of the finds.
Thanks are also due to past and present members of
the staff of the Colchester and Essex Museum: in
particular David T-D Clarke for the use of the
Museum library, and for providing assistance, both
practical and financial, with conservation and storage;
and the conservators themselves, Peter Sweeney,
Jean Whiffing, and Anne-Maria Bojko. Conservation
work on the Culver Street small finds at Passmore
Edwards Museum, Newham, was carried out by
Kirsten Walker and Jan Lister, to both of whom I am
indebted.
The whole text has been read by Arthur
MacGregor, to whom I am very grateful for his
invaluable comments and information on a number of
points, and the section on the clay tobacco pipes was
read by Peter Davey. Anne-Maria Bojko kindly
proof-read the text, and to her I am indebted for her
thoroughness and care. Finally I would like to
acknowledge my debt to Philip Crummy, the
director of the Colchester Archaeological Trust, who
was the principal site director for the excavations
covered by this report, for all his help throughout its
preparation.
vi
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
1 Colchester: locations of sites 4 51 Counters of bone and slate, a marble, and
2 Disc-headed, fibula, and small a domino 45
globular-headed hipped pins 6 52 Fragments of musical instruments 45
3 Small copper-alloy pins: Type 1 8 53 Figurines 46
4 Small copper-alloy pins: Type 2 8 54 Clay tobacco pipes: Types 1-5 48
5 Small copper-alloy pins: Types 3-6 9 55 Clay tobacco pipes: Types 6-7 50
6 Brooches 10 56 Clay tobacco pipes: Types 8-9 51
7 Finger-rings 10 57 Clay tobacco pipes: Type 9 52
8 ?Earring 10 58 Clay tobacco pipes: Types 10-13 54
9 Necklace 11 59 Clay tobacco pipes: miscellaneous
10 Miscellaneous jewellery 11 undecorated bowls 55
11 Decorative fittings 11 60 Clay tobacco pipes: plain bowls with
12 Hooked tags 12 relief-decorated seams 56
13 Lace-ends: Type 1 13 61 Clay tobacco pipes: fluted bowls 57
14 Lace-ends: Type 2 13 62 Clay tobacco pipes: miscellaneous
15 Lace-ends: Type 3 13 decorated bowls 58
16 Wire loops 14 63 Clay tobacco pipes: marked foot and
17 Buttons 15 bowl fragments 59
18 Annular and single buckles 16 64 Clay tobacco pipes: decorated and marked
19 Double buckles 17 stem fragments 60
20 Mounts and tags 18 65 Glazed pipe bowl 62
21 Chapes 20 66 Balances 67
22 ?Braid 20 67 Book-fittings 68
23 Purse bar 21 68 Stamp seal/pipe-stopper 68
24 Composite bone comb associated with 69 Harness buckles 70
Hut 1, Lion Walk 22 70 Harness pendants 70
25 Composite bone comb from Hut 3, Culver 71 Copper-alloy spur and rowel 71
Street 22 72 Iron spurs 71
26 One-piece bone and ivory combs 24 73 Window cames 72
27 Brushes 25 74 Plain one-piece bone and antler handles .. 73
28 Wig-curlers 26 75 Decorated one-piece bone and ivory
29 Tweezers 26 handles 74
30 Toilet spoons and a spatula spoon 27 76 Two-piece bone and ivory handles 76
31 Needles 28 77 Bone folding knife-handle and bone knives . 77
32 Thimbles 29 78 Iron blades and tools 78
33 Scissors 30 79 Hones 79
34 Spindlewhorls 31 80 Polishing stone 79
35 Spindlewhorls of Raeren stoneware 32 81 Nail with decorated head 80
36 Loomweights 33 82 Studs with a flat head 80
37 Alnage seals and a local community seal . . 33 83 Studs with a convex head 81
38 Clothier's or weaver's seals 34 84 Studs with a decorated head 81
39 Spoons 37 85 Hinges and copper-alloy binding 81
40 Fork 38 86 Iron binding 82
41 Skimmer and sherds from copper-alloy 87 Copper-alloy keys 82
vessels 38 88 Iron keys 83
42 Quernstones 39 89 Lock-plate 83
43 Stone mortars 40 90 Pitchfork and pruning knife 84
44 Tap 41 91 Rumbler bells 84
45 Copper-alloy drop-handles 41 92 Arrowhead 85
46 Iron drop-handle 42 93 Coffin handles 86
47 Ring-handle and knob-handles 42 94 Religious ornaments 86
48 Candlesticks 43 95 Mould 87
49 Bone inlay 43 96 Crucible and 'heating tray' 87
50 Box fitting 44 97 Worked antler 88
103 Miscellaneous copper-alloy objects 96
98 Antler-working debris from Lion Walk
104 Miscellaneous copper-alloy objects 97
Site R 89
105 Miscellaneous iron objects 98
99 Antler-working debris and ?unfinished
106 Miscellaneous bone objects 99
objects from Lion Walk Site R 90
100 Worked bone 92 107 Ivory object 99
101 Chains 94 108 Unidentified object 99
102 Miscellaneous copper-alloy objects 95
viii
