The Romano-British Pewter Industry

Abstract

Since the first general survey of the Romano-British Pewter Industry, published by Wedlake in his report on the excavations at Camerton in 1958, important further work has been done on the typology and distribution of pewter plates and dishes by Christopher Peal, and on the manufacture and typology of pewter vessels in a number of specialist reports. The present author first became interested in the Roman pewter industry whilst researching the development of the early tin industry of South-West England and has undertaken a reassessment of the evidence for the composition, distribution, manufacture and dating of Roman pewter in the light of recent research and examination of unpublished finds in museums.

The Hoarding, Deposition and Use of Pewter in Roman Britain

“…If this distribution is meaningful (and the fact that it is little altered by the plethora of more recent finds from that published by Wedlake (1958) may encourage such a view) then it should, on the arguments advanced above, reflect regional patterns of ritual activity rather than any domestic use of pewter. That such was occurring may be indicated by the wider spread of pewter small finds (Beagrie 1989, fig. 3), which are likely to represent casual losses of domestic material, and by the slightly broader distribution of evidence for pewter manufacture (ibid.…”

“…The most recent distribution map (Beagrie 1989, fig. 3) shows a concentration of finds south of the Fosse way beyond Cirencester and to the north of a line drawn between the southern shore of the Bristol Channel and Canterbury.…”

“…Wedlake 1958; Peal 1967;Beagrie 1989). Certain points have become generally agreed: while the circumstances and date of deposition of many of the known pieces of Roman pewter are obscure, the evidence from the remaining pieces suggests that the great majority were not manufactured until after circa AD 250 and that they were deliberately buried.…”

Peeling the onion: an approach to comparing vessel glass assemblages

“…73 A rise in metal jugs or flagons might be a possibility, though, as these would have belonged to the more expensive end of the market, they can scarcely have been an option for the poorer members of society. The late Roman period admittedly did see the rise of the pewter vessel industry, 74 which included jugs amongst its wares and which might be seen as a cheaper option to other metal vessels. However, any suggestion that pewter vessels filled the flagonshaped 'hole' in the overall vessel assemblage in the late Roman period should be treated with caution.…”

“…was one of the three permanent legionary fortresses in Britannia. It was founded on the NW bank of the Ouse in c. [71][72][73][74], and a civilian settlement grew up on the SE bank in the later 2nd c. By 237 a colonia existed at York, and this is generally equated with the settlement on the SE bank. The lst-2nd c. assemblage used in Tables 1 and 2 comes from the excavations within the fortress and is mainly derived from 9 Blake Street, with a small amount of additional material from various sites in the Swinegate area.…”