Source/Archive record SCH8949 - Finds Report: Roman Samian Pottery from the Excavations at Weaver Road, Northwich, Cheshire, 1987 to 1990

Finds report, produced in 2020, for the Roman Samian pottery found during the rescue excavations (1987-1990) undertaken by the South Trafford Archaeological Group to the south-east of Northwich fort, which revealed traces of a Roman Industrial settlement of the late first and early second centuries AD. Much of the samian ware from the excavations at Weaver Road, Northwich, was very fragmentary and abraded, making the forms difficult to identify with certainty and an accurate assessment of the numbers of vessels present impossible. About 480 sherds were examined, including scraps and flakes. Where forms could be identified, excluding scraps, this amounted to at least 224 vessels. Slightly more than half (55.5%) came from the large rubbish deposit (context (2a)). 59% of the material was South Gaulish, from La Graufesenque, 41% from Central Gaul. Of the Central Gaulish ware, a third (14% of the total) was from Les Martres-de-Veyre, two thirds (27% of the total) was probably all from Lezoux. The date-range of the material was extremely limited, c. AD 80-90 to c. AD 140, in line with the results of previous excavations at Roman Northwich. The present excavation grouping adds a further two scraps of early Flavian Samian pottery to that already known from Northwich. It is perhaps not surprising that early material should be lacking in an industrial area away from the earliest fort. The work of the Lezoux potters of purely Antonine date was absent, as were the later Antonine forms. There was only one example of Samian pottery form 38, which started in the Hadrianic period, and fully developed examples of form 31 appeared to be absent. An end date of c. AD 140 or shortly after for this assemblage therefore seems probable. This accords with the date range of the Roman glass analysed from the same excavations (see SCH9545).