Mill Green ware
(1270 - 1350)
Fine, thin-walled and distinctive red earthenwares, mostly jugs of various forms, with a white slip coating and green glaze, were supplied to London from centres situated to the north-east of the capital for a relatively short period during the late 13th and first half of the 14th century. Once known as 'West Kent ware', the source of the pottery has now been identified by comparison with large quantities of wasters from in kiln dumps in and around Mill Green, near Ingatestone, in Essex. These kilns produced fine glazed wares, which reached London and had a wide distribution Essex and Kent, as well as into Hertfordshire and as far north as Cambridge. At the height of their popularity, between c 1270 and 1350, Mill Green wares accounted for between 10% and 20% of the pottery used in London. The kilns also made undecorated and unglazed coarsewares, which are of considerable importance in south and central Essex but are relatively uncommon in London and areas further south. Recent finds from Essex suggest that both glazed finewares and coarsewares were first made in the early to mid 13th century, although they do not appear to have been traded with London until nearer the end of the century. Production probably continued for some time after the mid 14th century, perhaps until c 1400, focusing on domestic pottery and floor tiles with a largely local distribution.
Mill Green fineware is hard and smooth to the touch, and generally brick-red in colour with a distinctive dark grey core, although completely reduced (grey) or oxidised (red) examples are known. The fabric consists of abundant, very fine quartz, with sparse to moderate mica and iron-rich compound, with an added tempering of fine to medium, ill-sorted quartz, which is especially noticeable in the coarseware and a sandy variant of the fineware. The majority of Mill Green vessels found in London have an overall white slip applied by hand, with clear wipe marks visible around the body.
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