BCSW - Bury Coarse Sandy Ware
Coarse sandy fabric with sparse purple or white flint (2–3mm), sparse chalk (2-4mm) and sparse burnt-out organic material. Range of colours in the sand - white, clear, pink and brown. Generally buff with grey core. Similar to Fenland products such as Ely Ware and Mildenhall-type ware, but much coarser. May be the same as Spoerry's SEFEN (Spoerry 2016).
TS sample description (Patrick Quinn): Poorly-sorted, sub-rounded to sub-angular very coarse to fine sand-sized inclusions of quartz with less abundant polycrystalline quartz, iron-stained chert, limestone and rare siltstone. The limestone inclusions are composed of micritic calcite and/or fine fine sparry calcite and can exhibit relic fossil structure. Silt-sized inclusions are less common, but include quartz and rare foraminifera microfossils. Several iron-rich soil pisoliths are present. Calcareous, non-vitrified clay matrix that indicates the use of marine marl or sediment eroded from it. Sparse macro-elongate voids.
Example from Bury St Edmunds.
Copyright
This website, and the type series, was created by Dr Sue Anderson, Spoilheap Archaeology: www.spoilheap.co.uk
I am available for contract work on pottery from East Anglia and beyond. Email sue@spoilheap.co.uk
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To visit the type series at Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service, Bury St Edmunds, contact Faye Minter: Faye.Minter@suffolk.gov.uk
Tel: 01284 741 228 to make an appointment.