MESCW - Medieval East Suffolk Coarseware

Abundant quartz sand (fine-medium, 0.2-0.7mm, well-sorted, sub-rounded); moderate coarse quartz (up to 2mm); sparse-moderate mica; common charred organics. Often buff with grey surfaces, sometimes fully reduced or oxidised.

TS sample description (Patrick Quinn): Poorly-sorted coarse sand to silt-sized inclusions. Rounded sparse sand sized inclusions of quartz, with rare chert, polycrystalline quartz and quartzite that was probably added as tem-per. Abundant more angular silt-sized intrinsic inclusions of quartz and muscovite mica. Non-vitrified, non-calcareous clay matrix with rare iron-rich streaks, that is weakly oxidised on one side. Frequent meso-elongate voids parallel to vessel margins and occasional vughs with charred plant matter.

Example from Bildeston. Note that chemically this sample is similar to MSSCW, probably due to the location of the findspot. Examples from the NE of the county need to be analysed for camparison with WVSW, another similar type.

MESCW - Medieval East Suffolk Coarseware - microscope pictures

Section and surface views of typical MESCW sherds from Barking (left) and Elmswell (right).