Ham Green Pottery facts for kids
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Ham Green Pottery is a special type of pottery made a long time ago. It was produced from about 1100 AD to 1250 AD. This pottery was made in a small place called Ham Green. This hamlet is near the village of Pill in Somerset, England.
Contents
What is Ham Green Pottery?
How the Pottery Was Made
The potters used a special oven called a kiln. This kiln was built from limestone and lined with clay. It was about 8 feet (2.4 meters) long and 4 feet (1.2 meters) wide.
Potters shaped the clay by hand. Then, they put the clay items into the kiln. The heat from the kiln made the clay hard and strong.
Types of Jugs Produced
Archaeologists have found two main types of jugs from Ham Green. They call them Type A and Type B.
Type A jugs are older, from the 1100s. They have a yellow glaze. This glaze was made with lead. These jugs often had a diamond pattern around their top edge.
Type B jugs are newer, made later. They look greener than Type A jugs. This green color came from copper in their glaze. These jugs were often decorated with flowers. Sometimes, they even had pictures of animals or people.
When Production Stopped
Scientists used a method called Dendrochronology. This method dates wood by looking at its tree rings. Based on this, they think pottery making stopped by 1275.
Finding the Pottery Site
The place where the pottery was made was dug up by archaeologists. This first dig happened in 1959. They found over 6,900 pieces of pottery. Most of these were decorated parts of jugs and cooking pots. More digging happened at the site in 1978.
Trading Ham Green Pottery
Where the Pottery Was Sent
The pottery was sent to many places. It traveled from a port near the River Avon's mouth. This port was in Pill.
Pottery was shipped all over Britain. It went especially to South West England, South Wales, and Ireland.
The Name Crockerne Pill
The place where the pottery was shipped from became known as Crockerne Pill. This name means "pottery wharf." A wharf is a place where ships load and unload goods.
Ham Green Pottery Today
Pottery as a Dating Tool
Archaeologists often find Ham Green pottery pieces. These pieces are very helpful for dating other finds. This is because we know exactly when this pottery was made.
For example, pieces found at Cheddar Palace were dated to between 1200 and 1220. This helped archaeologists understand when other things at the palace were used.
Where to See the Pottery
You can see some Ham Green pottery today. The Bristol City Museum has many pieces. These show the different styles and shapes.
There is also a large jug on display at the M Shed museum.
