Late Roman pottery production at River View, Witham (EHER 80186)

The Roman features appear to relate almost exclusively to pottery production, with no clear evidence of settlement.

December 2020 to October 2021. Trial trenching and excavation. The Roman features appear to relate almost exclusively to pottery production, with no clear evidence of settlement. Assessment work has ascertained that the kilns represent simple single and double flued structures. The kilns were clearly manufacturing a range of late 3rd to early/mid 4th century coarse wares, probably using a single clay source to produce a number of fabric variants, including grey wares, flint tempered ‘Rettendon’ wares, black-surfaced/black-burnished style wares and storage jars. It was clear that the kilns were built without integral raised floors, pedestals or other fixed kiln furniture. Prefabricated portable kiln furniture was found in large quantities. Interestingly the kiln design at River View is quite dissimilar to a broadly contemporary example producing coarse wares nearby at Ivy Chimneys, Witham. It appears likely that most of the non-kiln features are probably related to pottery production rather than settlement and agriculture. Although some loose divisions of space were noted, it is not entirely clear that these represent formal enclosures. It is of interest that the two kiln clusters were sited at either terminus of a ditch, possibly implying that the depression created by the ditch was deliberately employed as a stoking area. The slag assemblage represents a significant level of iron smithing activity in the later Roman period. Interesting finds include the forceps which represent contemporary medical equipment and the imitation coin. <1>