Research partnerships with the British Museum: Samian ware from Pudding PanMichael WalshUniversity of Southampton

Thomas Pownall in 1778Reported:a very peculiar kind of red earthenware found amidst the cottage furniture of the fishermen of the Kentish coastAt Pan Speck : His brother recovered, through trawling, half a hundredweight of brickwork cemented together, some small pieces of broken pans and then three entire pans

AimsTo identify the extent of the recovered assemblageTo establish what the assemblage represents? To establish what, if anything, remains buried?

Various theoriesSubmerged Pharos or navigation markerSubmerged pottery manufactoryStamps of Atillianus Submerged town Jettisoned cargo Shipwreck Votive deposit

Public institutions83 institutions contacted22 museums did not respond (11 overseas)Visited 21 museums5 other museums provided detailsAlso identified 9 private collectors and recorded 7 collections

Largest collectionsWhitstable Museum 119 samian vessels including 2 lamps, 2 mortariaBritish Museum 103 samian vessels, 1 African RS, 2 roof tilesMaidstone Museum 41 samian vessels, 1 terra rubra cup, 2 roof tilesSwansea Museum 29 samian vesselsLiverpool Museum 27 samian vessels, coarse ware fragments

British Museum collectionPrehistoric and Europe have two samian collections:A sherd collection from their own excavations at Stonea (published) and Mucking (soon to be published)a haphazard but broad national coverageA complete vessel collection - comprising Pudding Pan and Colchester, which is one of the largest collections of complete vessels in the country

AnalysisTo identify and record vessel type and potterTo record vessel dimensionsTo identify pre- and post-manufacturing marks To analyse wear, damage and marine growth

Biographies of the vesselsWhen did current owners acquire pots?How many collections had vessels passed through?When were vessels originally recovered?Has recovery decreased or altered since perceived peak?Is there a cyclical recovery?

Dates at which pots first entered museum collections and dates of publications(Red columns denote known recovery dates)

Pots & papers

2

19

0

0

1

37

8

9

0

1

1

1

1

5

2

0

1

3

0

0

1

5

4

3

0

123

56

0

51

5

6

1

28

8

1

9

8

6

0

1

75

1

1

14

2

4

4

1

1

2

0

1

0

0

1

2

3

11

0

1

28

0

18

1

No. of vessels

Year

No. of vessels

Walsh

Sealey & Tyers

Porter

McDonald

Singer

Smith CR

Brent

Jacob & Keate

Pownall

Spurrell

Payne

Smith RA

Smith RA

Page

Pots & papers data

First recordedNo. of vesselsAccessionPub. datesAuthor

17732British Museum (Rhudde)1778Pownall

177619Liverpool (Faussett);1782Jacob & Keate

1778Pownall1861Brent

1782Jacob & Keate1877Smith C R

18101British Museum1885Spurrell

181437British Museum (Townley)1887Payne

185381907Smith R A

185691909Smith R A

1861Brent1932Page

18611Kelvingrove (Guildhall)1972Singer

18621Kelvingrove (Guildhall)1977McDonald

18641National Museum of Wales1978Porter

18651British Museum (Guildhall)1989Sealey & Tyers

186851999Walsh

18702British Museum (Gibbs)2002Walsh

1877Smith CR

18821

18843Herne Bay

1885Spurrell

1887Payne

18921Cambridge University Mus. Of Arch. & Anth.

19015

19034

19063Maidstone (Donaldson)

1907Smith RA

1907123Smith R (5 Bethnal Green (MoL); 2 Guildhall; 12 Liverpool; 19 Canterbury; 5 Maidstone; 7 SoA; 2 Christ Church; 3 Pitt-Rivers; 2 Alnwick; 1 Ashmolean; 1 Dorset; 25 GMA; 14 SE; 4 JWH; 8 WH; 12 FGHP; 3 VCB

19085639 Swansea (Saunders); 10 British Museum (Saunders); 7 Guildhall (Saunders); Saunders

1909Smith RA

1909514 British Museum (Smith E); 39 Smith R (18 Guildhall; 4 JWH; 1 CUMAA; 1 Kingston; 5 LA; 1 MB; 1 PH; 9 FJS; 1 JS; 2 CW

19105

19116

19121

192028British Museum (Guildhall)

19218Maidstone

19231

19269Manchester (Sharp Ogden)

19278

19306

1932Page

19341Museum of London

19377572 Whitstable (Holden); 3 British Museum (Smith R)

19381

19391

194014Whitstable collector (RA)

19482Herne Bay (Tester)

19504

19514Cambridge University Mus. Of Arch. & Anth. (DeCourcy)

19581Herne Bay

19601Museum of London

19612

1972Singer

19771

1977McDonald

1978Porter

19811Museum of London

19862Marine Archaeological Survey

19873Fisherman B

198811

1989Sealey & Tyers

19931

199728Fishermen A & C

1999Walsh

20011812 Whitstable (Harvey); 5 Roman Shipwreck Project

20021

Total576

Comparison of forms recovered before 1885 and after 1950

Rf forms 1885-1950

3.6053130931.33333333330

6.6413662239810.8108108108

2.08728652752.66666666674.0540540541

0.759013282700

1.89753320681.33333333331.3513513514

11.005692599614.666666666713.5135135135

1.51802656551.33333333332.7027027027

23.90891840611620.2702702703

2.84629981025.33333333331.3513513514

0.948766603400

1.70777988615.33333333331.3513513514

22.201138519917.333333333321.6216216216

15.370018975318.666666666721.6216216216

0.37950664141.33333333330

2.656546489641.3513513514

0.379506641400

2.08728652752.66666666670

Assemblage

Pre-1885

Post-1950

Dragendorff/Ludowici/Walters/Curle forms (Bet & Delor 2000)

Percentage (%)

Pros and consProsFriendly, helpful staffAccess to display materialAccess to accession recordsFunding from Friends of the British Museum particularly the Townley group

Pros and consConsResponses can take a long time Some museums allegedly with PP material didnt respondCant be too specific Poor lighting conditions for photography without flash