Evidence for Pottery Production from Brandling Street, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear

This paper discusses a small assemblage of pottery recovered during archaeological monitoring in Brandling Street, Oakivellgate and Church Street, Gateshead. Most of the group comprises sherds from large 15th-century bunghole jugs or cisterns in a fabric known as ‘later medieval reduced greenwares’ (Fabrics 1 and 3), some of which are definitely wasters. These are discussed in detail, while the other medieval and later fabrics are summarised. Apart from some burnt surfaces no further structural evidence related to pottery manufacture was found during fieldwork, but as the wasters are from ashy deposits it is felt that the entire group of ‘later medieval reduced greenwares’ sherds represents local production somewhere in the vicinity of the site. As a review of the evidence for pottery manufacture in the North-East shows this to be very scant, this assemblage is of great interest and will help us understand local production in the late medieval period. Initial WDXRE was carried out on four wasters, confirming that the composition of the fabrics is almost identical and providing a reference point for future studies.