The Ronaldsway Pottery of the Isle of Man: a Study of Production, Decoration, and Use

Abstract

The Late Neolithic pottery of the Isle of Man falls into two types: Ronaldsway and Grooved Ware. This paper focuses on the former style which is markedly different from other contemporaneous pottery styles in use in Britain and Ireland. The discussion draws upon the biographical history of Ronaldsway vessels from the choice of raw materials to the deposition of the finished pots. At each stage in this biographical history the approach adopted by Manx potters and pottery users is compared with that employed in surrounding parts of the British Isles.

Polychrome Pottery from the Later Neolithic of the Isle of Man

“…Conceptually, the form of Ronaldsway jars represent a wholly local tradition unique to the Isle of Man, but nonetheless influenced by the changing styles favoured by communities living around the Irish Sea and beyond (Burrow 1999;Sheridan 1995). Relatively local materials were used in making the F42 jar, and it is reasonable to infer that the vessel was made within a few kilometres of Billown and carried to the site.…”

Islandscapes and ‘Islandness’: The Prehistoric Isle of Man in the Irish Seascape

“…Though most of these sites lack accurate radiocarbon dates, Davey and Woodcock (2003) suggest that their initial phases date to the middle of the fourth millennium. It is clear that these sites are situated along the edges of the Isle of Man – and in particular along the eastern edge as Burrow (1997, 16) has pointed out.…”

“…The pots themselves were not meant to be seen: they were covered with unmarked and unobtrusive stone slabs. They were mostly limited to the island's inland areas and they seem to have been linked to places made important by the regular gatherings of living people (Burrow 1999). This shift in mortuary activity and location occurs within what Woodcock (2004) refers to as the Ronaldsway isolation, which probably lasted between 600 and 900 years during the third millennium BC.…”