There are very few objects from the site which can be used to indicate any Saxon occupation. A small number of pieces of late Saxon pottery known as Chester ware have been found in both area A and area B but they all appear to be residual in much later deposits. However, further study of the stratigraphy may reveal a different picture.
The quantity of medieval finds from the site is relatively small. Yet amongst the broken pottery, bits of antler, animal bone and building materials are several objects which are outstanding both because they are complete and also because they have rarely if ever been found before in Chester. Described below are these objects and some of the other medieval finds.
The medieval pits in area A produced relatively well preserved fragments of medieval pottery but although there are a few pieces that join together the majority do not make up into substantial parts of vessels. The exceptions are about 20 sherds from the fill of a very large medieval pit which join to make an almost complete brightly coloured and decorated jug that was probably smashed when it was thrown into the pit. This squat rounded jug is made from hard pinkish-white firing clay which has been decorated with applied strips and discs of red clay and impressions made with a starburst patterned stamp. One similar jug has been found before in Chester along with fragments from other jugs but it is uncertain where they were made: north Wales is a possibility. Most of the medieval pottery appears to have been made locally but some was imported. Fragments of Saintonge wares come from south-west France. Saintonge ware is the most common type of imported medieval pottery found in the city from the middle of the thirteenth century. It appears to have arrived in Chester on ships carrying wine from France, as did perhaps a 15th century French silver coin found in area B. Less common is the base of a thirteenth century jug made in Stamford, Lincolnshire.
An rare discovery for Chester is the rim and spout of a 12th or early 13th century spouted pitcher; we have very little evidence for what sort of pottery was in use at this time in Chester. Possibly of a similar or slightly earlier date is a small (70 mm x 37 mm) antler or bone hair comb which was also found in one of the medieval pits in area A. The comb is double-sided and made of several pieces of antler and/or bone held together by four copper-alloy rivets. The comb is currently with the project conservator at English Heritage; more information will be available once it has been cleaned.
Three copper alloy objects form an interesting group although they were found in different areas of the site and two are much earlier than the contexts in which they were found. A pen, a parchment clip or page holder and a seal matrix can all be related to medieval documents and writing.
The pen (100 mm long) is quite unusual and a little different to the quill pens generally associated with writing in the past. It is made from a narrow rod of metal with a nib section made of four flanges of metal that taper to a point. The pen would have been dipped into ink which was then held in the grooves between the flanges. Similar pens have been found in London as well as Canterbury and Cirencester. It is not known exactly when these sorts of pens would have been in use, a thirteenth century date (1200s) has been suggested but in London a sixteenth-century date (1500s) has also been thought possible.
The clip (54 mm long) resembles a pair of tweezers but with flat, almost square (16 mm x 17 mm) ends. A ring, which was probably moveable, holds the two arms of the clip together. Similar objects have been found at a variety of places e.g. London, Winchester, Northampton, York and Whitby Abbey. Often the terminals are decorated but the ones from the amphitheatre are plain. Examples from London and York are dated to the late thirteenth century and mid-fourteenth century respectively. This one was found in a medieval pit in area A. It has been suggested that these clips were for holding sheets of parchment together or for holding pages down.
The seal matrix is a flat pointed oval (25 mm long, 19 mm wide) with a suspension loop on the back. The matrix would have been used to stamp a wax seal onto personal documents such as letters or business agreements. Medieval seals would often show an image and words to show who was sending or authorising the document. This one appears to show a bird (a stylised pelican) with her young in a nest within a border of lettering. This image was fairly popular in medieval times and is known as ‘the pelican in her piety’; it appears in heraldry and sculpture and was used by a number of different people for their personal seals. The image had religious significance but could also be used as a symbol of a person’s piety and virtue. When the seal has been cleaned it should be possible to read the name of the person who owned the seal.
It is tempting to link these objects with St John’s church especially as the pen and seal matrix were found in area B but although by the 13th century reading and writing was not widespread in society it was not restricted to the clergy. Many civic and legal documents would have been written by secular clerks and those who could read and write included wealthy townspeople.
Other medieval objects from area B which may come from St John’s are two complete decorated medieval floor tiles, fragments of window lead, late medieval window glass including a decorated piece and decorative metal mounts. Copper alloy mounts and clasps were used to decorate and secure leather bound books and some of the pieces from the site may have had that purpose.
Another use for metal mounts and clasps was on small boxes and caskets. The remains of a small bone plaque decorated with a carved ring and dot pattern and with a small copper alloy rivet at one end is a type generally known as a casket mount. Such boxes would have been used as private possessions as well as used in a church for storing a variety of objects including precious belongings.
Metal mounts and studs were also used to decorate clothing and accessories such as belts and bags. Some complete and fragmentary examples of these were found at the amphitheatre. One of the best preserved is a late medieval six-petalled flower.
A number of pieces of iron were also found in the medieval pits in area A, most are corroded and covered in rust but a key and nails including ones used for horseshoes can be identified. All the iron and copper-alloy will be x-rayed and after that it may be possible to identify more objects.
In conclusion the medieval objects identified so far from both area A and B appear to represent a whole range of uses, from personal possessions, domestic objects and coins to materials used in building construction. The character of some of these objects suggest that they may be related to activities and buildings of St John’s church but many others appear to have been dumped on the site as rubbish. Therefore not all the objects necessarily reflect activities carried out on the site. Further study of the objects and the deposits in which they were found may shed more light on to how and when these finds appeared on the site.
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