Durham E-Theses Medieval glass vessels in England AD 1200-1500 : a survey. Tyson, Rachel Caroline How to cite: Tyson, Rachel Caroline (1996) Medieval glass vessels in England AD 1200-1500 : a survey., Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1223/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk Medieval Glass Vessels in England AD 1200-1500: A Survey Volume I (of II) Rachel Caroline Tyson The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without the written consent of the author and information derived from it should be acknowledged. Ph.D. Thesis Submitted to the University of Durham Department of Archaeology March 1996 1 0 OCT 1997 Abstract Medieval Glass Vessels in England AD 1200-1500: A Surve\ Rachel Tyson PhD thesis submitted to the University of Durham, Department of Archaeology 1996 A considerable amount of vessel glass of the period 1200 to 1500 has been excavated in England, particularly since the 1960s. This thesis conducts a survey of the vessel glass from museums and archaeology units, from over two hundred sites across England. The glass includes goblets, beakers, bowls, jugs and other decorative vessels, lamps, some liturgical vessels, flasks, urinals, distilling and other 'industrial' vessels, from England, Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. The glass was catalogued, and the functions, dates and production areas of the vessels were examined, to provide a basis for further research. Other sources of evidence used include documentary, iconographical, furnace site and scientific evidence. The use of glass in medieval society was then examined. The sites where glass was excavated were investigated, to establish who used glass. They were found to be high-status castles, manors and palaces; monastic and other ecclesiastical sites; and affluent urban residences. Surprisingly, no glass was found to have been used on less wealthy sites. The social situations in which glass might have been used were proposed. The use of glass vessels as 'symbols of power', suitable for 'conspicuous consumption' were examined. The reasons for the high status of the glass, which was not intrinsically valuable, and much of which is utilitarian, were considered. The forms and decoration of tablewares often emulated other highly valued metal vessels. The goblet and the medieval banquet made use of religious symbolism. Table vessels were used communally in the 13th and 14th century, but some evidence suggests that they were used individually by the 15th century. Changes in the use of glass throughout the period were outlined, showing how the quantities of each form change, from the dominance of tablewares in the 13th and 14th centuries, to that of utilitarian wares by the 15th century. III Table of Contents Volume I Abstract ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.•••• 111 List of Figures and Tables •••••••••••••••••••....••••......................... VII Acknowledgements .....••..•...••......•...•...••..•••••.•••........... L~ List ofAbbreviations ..•..•••••••••.•.••••••••••••..•••...............••.. Xl Chapter 1: Introduction ...................................................... 1 l.1 The development of different areas of research ............................. 1 1.1.1 Medieval archaeology .............................................. 1 l.l.2 Previous study on medieval glass ............................. -+ 1.1.3 Theoretical approaches to artefact studies ............. 11 1.2 The thesis .................................................... 1-+ 1.3 Data collection and methodology ................................................. 15 Chapter 2: The Sources of Evidence Available and their Potential. ............... 18 2.1 The composition and deterioration of medieval glass vessels ..... 18 2.l.1 The composition of medieval glass ........................ 18 2.1.2 The deterioration of medieval glass ....................... 21 2.2 Glass production sites .................................................... 22 2.2.1 Glass production sites in England .......................... 24 2.2.2 Other European areas producing potash glass ........ 26 2.2.3 Areas producing soda glass .................................... 27 2.2.4 Areas producing high-lead glass ............................ 30 2.3 The documentary evidence .................................................... 32 2.-+ The iconographical evidence .................................................... 37 2.5 Scientific analysis .................................................... 40 Chapter 3: A Survey of Medieval Glass Forms Found in England ................ .46 3.1 Stemmed Glasses: Goblets or Chalices ....................................... -+7 3.2 Beakers .................................................... 52 3.3 Bowls .................................................... 60 3.-+ Jugs, Flasks and Bottles .................................................... 66 3.5 Lamps .................................................... 71 3.6 Wide- and Narrow-Necked Flasks, including Urinals ................. 77 3.7 Distilling Vessels: Alembics, Cucurbits, Receivers, and Other Forms Connected with Industrial Processes ................................................... 85 3.8 Miscellaneous Decorated, Coloured and Other Glass Fragments of Special Interest .................................................... 9-+ I\, Chapter 4: The Distribution of Medieval Glass Vessels in England ............... 96 4.1 Introduction .................................................... 96 4.2 Glass from monastic sites .................................................... 97 4.3 Glass from castles, manor houses and palaces ........................... 106 4.4 Glass from towns .................................................. III 4.5 The national distribution patterns of glass in England ............... 11..+ 4.5.1 Potash glass .................................................. 115 4.5.2 High-lead glass .................................................. 116 4.5.3 Mediterranean European soda glass ..................... 117 4.5.4 Eastern Mediterranean and other Islamic soda glass .................................................. 119 Chapter 5: The Social Context of Glass Vessels in Medieval England ......... 137 5.1 The evolution of glass vessels between the 13th and 15th centuries .................................................. 137 5.2 The value and social status of glass vessels ............................... 142 5.3 Glass tableware vessels as symbols of power ............................ 146 5.4 Glass tableware and 'conspicuous consumption' ........................ 148 5.5 The communal use of glass drinking vessels ............................. 152 Chapter 6: Conclusions, Evaluations and Suggestions for Further Research158 6.1: Conclusions .................................................. 158 6.2 Contributions made by the thesis ............................................... 160 6.3 Limitations of the thesis .................................................. 161 6.4 Suggestions for further research ................................................. 162 Bibliography .................................................. 164 v Table of Contents Volume II Introduction to the Appendices and Glossary ..................................................... 1 Appendix 1: Types of Glass ...................................................... ... A: Types of Stemmed Glasses: Goblets or Chalices ........................... of B: Types of Beakers .................................................... 16 C: Types of Bowls .................................................... 32 D: Types of Jugs, Flasks and Bottles ................................................. 39 E: Types of Lamps .................................................... 53 F: Types of Wide- and Narrow-Necked Green Glass Flasks, including Urinals .................................................... 55 G: Types of Alembics, Cucurbits, Receivers and Other Forms Connected with 'Industrial' Processes ................................................. 59 H: Miscellaneous Decorated, Coloured and Other Glass Fragments of Special Interest .................................................... 63 Appendix 2: Catalogue .................................................... 71 A: Catalogue of Stemmed Glasses: Goblets or Chalices .................. 71 B: Catalogue of Beakers .................................................... 87 c: Catalogue of Bowls .................................................. 108 D: Catalogue of Jugs, Flasks and Bottles ......................................... 116 E: Catalogue of Lamps .................................................. 137 F: Catalogue of Wide- and Narrow-Necked Green Glass Flasks, including Urinals .................................................. 150 G: Catalogue of Alembics,