Book: Ceramics - Art or Science? Author: Dr. Stan Jones

12. European Pottery - Fall of Romans to the Present

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12.2 Britain

12.2.1 Introduction

On the collapse of the Roman Empire and the withdrawal of Roman legions from Britain at the end of the 4th century, enormous changes took place. During the three centuries of Roman occupation, the Christian Romano-British had been protected from the Picts and Irish, and the population had become very sophisticated. They followed the Roman way of life and absorbed their technology, including roads. For example, the elite would have lived in villas, some having under floor heating and mosaic floors. Suddenly they found themselves with much reduced defences and crumbling civilisation, as the Romano-British culture and political life were overwhelmed. Whereas in Gaul and Italy there was a more orderly integration of natives and invading “barbarians”, in Britain the latter took over by force.

During their time in Britain, the Romans had considered the pagan Irish to be “uncivilised”, having no roads or towns, and they called Ireland “Hibernia - land of winter”. On the withdrawal of the Romans, the Irish attacked the British coast taking thousands of people as slaves, one of which was a 16 year old youth called Patrick – later Saint Patrick. At the same time the Picts in Scotland attacked Hadrian’s Wall. Towns had to be abandoned, others built rushed fortifications, the economy collapsed and coins were melted down. Pagan Saxons, Angles and Jutes, tribes from Germany and Denmark who had never succumbed to the Romans, arrived from the Continent. They were possibly initially invited in to fight the Irish and Picts, but as the British had no money to pay them they reverted to invaders, killing many natives. A new language came with the Angles – English – displacing the Celtic-based Brethonic. Industry declined, together with the administration. Literacy fell sharply and historic records were practically non-existent for some 250 years until the 7th century, hence the term “Dark Ages”. Building in stone ended and Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were formed in East Britain pushing out native Celts. Anglo-Saxon is a term embracing Angles, Saxons, Frisians and Danes. However, Anglo-Saxons did open up diplomatic relations with the Continent. The indigenous British people were divided into those being squeezed into the remote areas of Britain, becoming slaves, leaving for the Continent or becoming absorbed as Anglo-Saxons.

Within 50 years of the departure of the Romans, Christianity was abandoned in Britain, as the Anglo-Saxons were pagans. However, in marked contrast, over this time St Patrick had converted the Irish to Christianity! He set up Christian monasteries that were particularly important at the time as they were centres not only of faith but also of ideals, learning and invention, and formed a base for craftsmen, including potters. As an example of the ingenuity of the monks, the first tidal mill in the world was attached to an Irish monastery. Irish monks then took Christianity back into Continental Europe, building many monasteries. St. Augustine arrived in Britain in 597 AD and started to convert the Saxons, and Christianity spread from Kent and Northumbria throughout the country over the next 100 years. Stone churches started to be built after 650 AD. The Vikings were somewhat later raiders, who particularly attacked the East Coast from 880 to 911 AD.

12.2.2 Earthenware

Once the Romans had left in the late 4th /early 5th centuries AD, little notable pottery was produced in Britain for centuries. In fact British pottery reverted, and potters produced cruder wares, sometimes with naïve inlaid, relief or slip decoration. Little effort was made to hide the manufacturing method so ridges are often evident. Native and Anglo-Saxon potters produced these handmade pots as local cottage industries until the 12th century, using few and simple tools and developing much slower than on the Continent.

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