Research partnerships with the British Museum: Samian ware from
Pudding Pan Michael Walsh University of Southampton
Slide 2
Slide 3
Thomas Pownall in 1778 Reported: a very peculiar kind of red
earthenware found amidst the cottage furniture of the fishermen of
the Kentish coast At 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
Slide 4
Slide 5
Slide 6
Aims To identify the extent of the recovered assemblage To
establish what the assemblage represents? To establish what, if
anything, remains buried?
Slide 7
Various theories Submerged Pharos or navigation marker
Submerged pottery manufactory Stamps of Atillianus Submerged town
Jettisoned cargo Shipwreck Votive deposit
Slide 8
Public institutions 83 institutions contacted 22 museums did
not respond (11 overseas) Visited 21 museums 5 other museums
provided details Also identified 9 private collectors and recorded
7 collections
Slide 9
Slide 10
Largest collections Whitstable Museum 119 samian vessels
including 2 lamps, 2 mortaria British Museum 103 samian vessels, 1
African RS, 2 roof tiles Maidstone Museum 41 samian vessels, 1
terra rubra cup, 2 roof tiles Swansea Museum 29 samian vessels
Liverpool Museum 27 samian vessels, coarse ware fragments
Slide 11
British Museum collection Prehistoric 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 coverage A complete vessel collection
- comprising Pudding Pan and Colchester, which is one of the
largest collections of complete vessels in the country
Slide 12
Analysis To identify and record vessel type and potter To
record vessel dimensions To identify pre- and post-manufacturing
marks To analyse wear, damage and marine growth
Slide 13
Slide 14
Biographies of the vessels When 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?
Slide 15
Dates at which pots first entered museum collections and dates
of publications (Red columns denote known recovery dates)
Slide 16
Comparison of forms recovered before 1885 and after 1950
Slide 17
Pros and cons Pros Friendly, helpful staff Access to display
material Access to accession records Funding from Friends of the
British Museum particularly the Townley group
Slide 18
Pros and cons Cons Responses can take a long time Some museums
allegedly with PP material didnt respond Cant be too specific Poor
lighting conditions for photography without flash