G:\Finds\BM\Fabrics\POST-ROMAN\med&post-med brick fabrics.doc
Medieval and post-medieval brick and drain fabrics
July 2007
*: occurrence is occurrence in London
Brick fabrics
Fabric 3030
Red, orange, light brown
Yellow and brown mottled clay matrix
Rare*
Fabric 3031
White, yellow, pinkish red, light brown
Common very small quartz (up to 0.3mm). Scatter of rounded yellow or brown silty pellets (up to 4mm) in some bricks. Fairly soft, friable fabric with an even sandy texture
Very common
Fabric 3032
Dark red, reddish purple
Parts of the surface are often discoloured by fine yellow speckling. Common burnt black ash and flint inclusions (up to 6mm) with varying amounts of quartz (up to 0.8mm). Clay pipe stems in some bricks
Very common
Fabric 3033
Orange, red
Fine fabric with scatter of quartz (up to 0.8mm), with calcium carbonate inclusions (up to 1.5mm) and black iron oxide (up to 1.5mm). Occasional flint fragments and small pebbles (up to 7mm)
Very common
Fabric 3034
Dark red, reddish purple
As fabric 3032 but with common yellowish white silty bands in clay matrix
Fairly rare
Fabric 3035
Generally yellow, examples can show greyish or pinkish-orange tinges. Occasionally pale brown
Common burnt black ash and chalk inclusions (up to 4mm). Scatter of quartz (up to 0.6mm).The fabric is hard and riddled with tiny air pockets where organic matter has burned out during firing
Very common
Fabric 3036
Yellow
Hard uniform texture with common quartz (up to 0.3mm), although difficult to distinguish from the background matrix
Common
Fabric 3037
Light brown or orange red
Fine, sandy texture. Hard and well fired with pellet like, balled clay inclusions
Rare
Fabric 3038
Brown light orange
Very hard and distinctive granular fabric with numerous small white inclusions
Fairly common
Fabric 3039
Dull red
As fabric 3033 but with lenses of light clay giving a streaky appearance to the core
Fairly rare
Fabric 3040
Yellow, light grey, light red
Soft fabric with lenses and banding of different coloured clay. Occasional black iron oxide (up to 0.3mm)
Fabric 3041
Light red, light brown.
Fabric characterised by moderate calcium carbonate (up to 1.5mm) and occasional quartz (up to 0.1mm) and ash fragments (up to 1.5mm), lumpy clay texture
Rare
Fabric 3042
Maroon
Clay matrix characterised by yellow speckling. Reddish maroon clay inclusions give the fabric a slight lumpy texture. Occasional sandy lenses, otherwise few other inclusions, apart from scatter calcium carbonate (up to 1.5 mm) and quartz (up to 0.6mm)
Fairly common
Fabric 3043
Light brown, yellowish-brown to yellow
Clay matrix with frequent streaking, plus speckling. Occasional shell fragments with a scatter of quartz grains up to 0.6mm. Where frequent, the quartz occurs in sandy bands. Other features: Certain bricks have gastropod and other shell fragments up to 4mm across
Fairly rare
Fabric 3044
Yellow
Yellow clay matrix with red mottling. Abundant small quartz up to 0.2mm
Rare
Fabric 3045
Brown, orange, maroon
Speckled clay matrix. Few visible inclusions apart from mica specks and red iron oxide (up to 2.0mm)
Rare
Fabric 3046
Orange, brown
Sandyversion of fabric 3033 with, frequent quartz (up to 1.0mm), occasional calcium carbonate
Very common
Fabric 3047
Orange
Fine sandy fabric, common quartz (up to 0.4mm) and dark red iron oxide (up to 6.0mm). Other features: fine quartz moulding sand (up to 0.1mm) on outside
Rare
Fabric 3065
Orange
Very sandyfabric with frequent quartz (up to 0.8mm), occasional dark red iron oxide (up to 3.0mm) and white flint/shell(?) inclusions
Fairly common
Fabric 3071
Brown
Occasional iron oxide, calcium carbonate and small quartz (up to 0.2mm)
Rare
Fabric 3073
Yellow, light brown
Fairly frequent quartz (up to 0.3mm). Occasional red iron oxide and light brown clay inclusions (up to 4mm). Shell fragments sometimes present
Rare
Fabric 3093
Reddish-brown
Fine clay matrix with mixture of two fine clay types; hence streaked clay matrix. Occasional iron oxide inclusions (up to 17mm)
Rare
Fabric 3206
Brown
Abundant white and cream calcium carbonate inclusions (up to 1mm). Occasional large white inclusions (up to 6mm) and dark red iron oxide (up to 1mm)
Fairly rare
Fabric 3208
Yellow, pink, light brown
Fine silty fabric with occasional burnt out organic voids
Rare
Fabric 3209
Orangey-brown
Yellow and orangey-brown mottled clay matrix. Scattered quartz (up to 0.6mm) anddark red iron oxide (up to 1mm)
Fairly rare
Fabric 3210
Orangey red
Lumpy clay matrix. Large fine rounded clay pellets (up to 27mm) in sandy clay matrix with common small quartz (up to 0.3mm). Scatter of iron oxide inclusions up to 15mm
Rare
Fabric 3211
Orangey-brown
Fine silty background clay matrix with very small white calcium carbonate, quartz and muscovite mica (0.01mm). Scatter of orange clay inclusions (up to 7mm)
Rare
Fabric 3215
Orange, red
Very fine sandy clay with numerous very small quartz and black iron oxide grains (up to 0.01mm). Occasional large chalk and brown iron oxide (up to 15mm) in certain bricks
Rare
Fabric 3217
Orange
Sandy fabric with common quartz (up to 0.7mm). Common cream silty bands and occasional darker reddish-orange rounded inclusions (up to 3mm) and clay bands. Some flint pebbles (up to 15mm)
Fairly rare
Fabric 3221
Orange
Fairly frequent quartz (up to 0.5mm) with scatter of black and dark red iron oxide (up to 4mm). Occasional paler coloured clay pellets (up to 4mm) and flint pebbles (up to 8mm)
Rare
Fabric 3223
Orange, red
As fabric 3257 but with occasional large flint (up to 14mm). Probably same fabric as 3257
Fairly rare
Fabric 3224
Orange
Fine silty clay matrix with occasional red iron oxide (up to 7mm)
Rare
Fabric 3235
Orange
Silty clay matrix with common white and cream silty inclusions (up to 2mm) and red clay inclusions (up to 4mm). Scatter dark red iron oxide (up to 1mm)
Fairly rare
Fabric 3241
Orange, light brown
Sandy fabric, well sorted large quartz (up to 1mm), with common iron oxide and rounded clay inclusions (up to 2mm). Occasional small silty inclusions (up to 2mm) and siltstone (up to 10mm).Similar to fabric 3217 but much less silty
Fairly rare
Fabric 3242
Reddish-orange
Common well sorted quartz (0.3-0.8mm) with scatter of red iron oxide (up to 1.5mm) and occasional cream silty inclusions (up to 2mm)
Rare
Fabric 3247
Brown
Fine silty fabric with frequent muscovite mica
Very rare
Fabric 3248
Yellow, pink
Fine hard fired fabric with scatter of black iron oxide (up to 2mm)
Rare
Fabric 3250
Brownish-orange
Fine silty background matrix with occasional larger quartz and red iron oxide (up to 1mm)
Rare
Fabric 3257
Orange, brown
Fine sandy fabric, abundant small quartz (up to 0.3mm) and common muscovite mica. Occasional large cream silty inclusions (up to 6mm) and scatter of large dark red iron oxide (up to 7mm). (See also fabric 3223)
Fairly rare
Fabric 3260
Brownish-orange
Frequent quartz (up to 0.6mm) and numerous white crushed shell inclusions (up to 1mm). Occasional red iron oxide (up to 1mm)
Rare
Fabric 3261
Yellow
Refractory brick. Hard fabric with common large quartz (up to 2mm), Scatter of very small red iron oxidespots in clay matrix
Fairly common
Fabric 3271
Orange
Fine white mottled orange clay matrix. Scatter black iron oxide (up to 0.4mm)
Fairly rare
Fabric 3272
Orange
Common well sorted moderate sized quartz (up to 0.3mm) with scatter of white calcium carbonate and black iron oxide (up to 1mm)
Very rare
Fabric 3274
Brownish-red
Very sandy fabric with abundant small quartz (mainly up to 0.3mm) with scatter of white calcium carbonate (up to 1mm)
Rare
Fabric 3275
White, pale grey, cream. Refractory brick
Hard very sandy fabric with abundant very small quartz (up to 0.2mm) with common black iron oxide (up to 1mm)
Rare
Fabric 3276
Dark purplish-red. Refractory brick
Very heavy brick with abundant large round pebbles and dark red, white and light grey rock fragments (up to 10mm)
Rare
Fabric 3277
Brown
Sandy fabric with common quartz (up to 0.5mm) with common muscovite mica (up to 0.2mm). Scatter of red iron oxide (mainly up to 1mm). May be from same/similar source to micacous brick in fabric 3247
Very rare
Drainage tiles
Fabric 2280
Light brown, orange
Very fine sandy fabric with frequent small quartz and black iron oxide grains
Fabric 2281
Orange
Sandy fabrics with abundant quartz grains, with iron oxide and occasional silty inclusions
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