Ham Green Pottery and Dundry Stone

Talk by local historian Philip Ashford in May 2022. Report by Jane Foley.

Philip looked at trade from the Bristol and Somerset area in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries at a time when the Normans were trying to exert their authority on the local population. There was trade in large ships (‘cogs’) between ports in France and Spain and those in the Bristol area and more locally in smaller ships, precursors to the Severn trow.

The remains of such a small ship were found in the Magor Pill in the 1990s, which was found to have been carrying a load of iron ore. A reconstruction of this ship is now in Newport Ship Museum. A local artist, Christine Molan, had a painted a beautiful picture of the ship as it might have been which Philip showed us.

Philip then looked at two of the local exports carried in these ships.

The first was Ham Green pottery, which was made by hand between about 1120 and 1250 on the site where Ham Green Hospital was. The remains of a kiln have been found at the site. Typically large jars used to decant wine were made but jugs, bowls and cooking pots were also created. These often had elaborate designs of stags or people dancing. The pottery was generally either olive or green in colour and was transported wrapped in straw.

Locally, sherds of Ham Green pottery have been found at Marlwood Grange and Alveston and further afield on the islands of Steepholm, Lundy and Tresco. We were amazed to hear that more Ham Green pottery has been found in southern Ireland than in England. The pottery has generally been found at religious sites, castles and merchants houses. Philip speculated that the pottery may have been used at less prestigious sites but that these were perhaps less likely to have been excavated.

The second local export was Dundry stone, which as the name suggests. was quarried at Dundry although the quarries have now been filled in. The landowner of the quarries was Robert Fitzharding. The stone was dragged down from Dundry via a route going through where Hartcliffe now is to the river Avon.

Dundry stone was used before Bath stone became widely available. It was used in the construction of Llandaff Cathedral in 1250 as well in the construction of Chepstow Castle and Newport Castle. The most prestigious building where it was used was in the construction of Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin in the late twelfth century.

Philip raised the interesting question of whether the export of Dundry stone was the main cargo of ships leaving the River Avon or whether it was “paying ballast”. Cargo ships carrying goods such as lead and woollen goods would have needed ballast and it may have been that Dundry stone was used and then sold or it may have been the main cargo.