Romano-British Potteries

Hartshill, Warwickshire

NGRef: SP342893 OSMap: LR140 Type: Potteries
Roads
See MANDVESSEDVM (Mancetter, Warwickshire)

The Hartshill/Mancetter Potteries

The main manufacturing industry in this area was pottery, which came to be distributed throughout the province. Twenty one pottery kilns have been found in a cluster immediately south-west of the Watling Street settlement at Manduessedum, and thanks to potters-stamps the names of several Mancetter potters are known:

• Bruscius;
• Carita;
• Coertuti(nus) c.AD 100-130;
• Doccas;
• Docilis;
• Icotasqus c.AD 130-65;
• Iunius c.AD 155-85;
• Loccius Vibius;
• Vabrus c.AD 155-85;
• Minomelus;
• Sarrius c.AD 160-85;
• Sennius c.AD 165-85;
• Victor et Sarus, 3rd or 4th century.

Of the potters named above, Iunius, Vibius, Minomelus and Sarrius also had kilns at Hartshill; Sarrius had potteries at Rossington Bridge too. It is thought that Doccas may have moved his business up from Verulamium. A single example of a kiln was found, of a type otherwise peculiar to the Oxford region.

In addition to the Hartshill/Mancetter potteries, there are Roman tileries nearby at Arbury (SP3489) and Griff Hill (SP3688).

See: Britannia i (1970) p.286;
Britannia ii (1971) p.263.

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