Miscellaneous finds.
“Finds” made during the excavation of the site were very few. This is not surprising, as the site has been disturbed on several occasions before 1935. The most interesting object discovered was a penny of Edward II struck at the Canterbury mint.
The following report on the coin was kindly furnished by Mr. Crowther-Beynon of the British Numismatic Society and checked by the Keeper of the Coins at the British Museum:—
| Obverse. | EDWA R ANGL DNS HYB. |
| Reverse | CIVITAS CANTOR. |
The legend extended would read: “EDWARDUS REX ANGLIAE DOMINUS HYBERNIAE,” but some of the lettering on both faces is a good deal rubbed.
The reverse is the “long cross” type, introduced under Edward I with a view to making the detection of coin-clipping easier.
The coin was found on the site of the apsidal chapel. As the whole site had been much disturbed previously, it would not be wise to draw conclusions from the positions of any objects found. Little pottery of interest was unearthed. About two dozen pieces of broken tile were discovered.
Tiles.
The tiles discovered are described in a separate paper by Mr. A. Parker.
Possession of miscellaneous finds.
The coin, the broken tiles and a key from the site of Lenton Priory have been presented by Major P. H. Lowe to University College, Nottingham. They will be kept in the College collection housed in the buildings at University Park, Highfields. The key is No. 5 of those illustrated opposite page 230 in Godfrey’s History of the Parish and Priory of Lenton. It has been in the possession of Major Lowe for many years.
Acknowledgments and thanks.
The discoveries relating to Lenton Priory described herewith were made possible in the first instance by the kindness of the owner of the site—Major P. H. Lowe, of Castle Hedingham, Essex. To Major Lowe for this privilege I make grateful acknowledgment. Mr. G. Bott, tenant, has constantly kept a watchful eye upon the remains of the Priory, and his care has been responsible in no small degree for the preservation of these valuable relics from damage. He has helped in many ways.
Mr. Holland Walker has shown great interest in our work and has visited the site from time to time.
Almost all the digging has been done by members of the staff and senior boys of the Cottesmore Central School, which is situated about half-a-mile from the site. Upwards of a hundred boys have, at one time or another, taken part in the work. Some of the excavating was carried out as part of the History course, but much has been done on Saturdays and during holidays. This departure from the usual methods of teaching history has been fully justified by the interest shown, and by the contribution made to existing knowledge of the history of Lenton. If the criticism be made that this is but knowledge for its own sake, the answer is ready to hand. The preservations of the foundations for all time, and the laying-out of the remainder of the site in a fitting manner, would restore some of the beauty to a district to which industrialism has been unkind. The school has already produced its own volume on Lenton Priory, and copies may be found in the chief libraries of the city. Throughout this interesting experiment I have been greatly encouraged by the interest taken by the Director of Education for Nottingham. Mr. A. H. Whipple, M.A., B.Sc., and by the Headmaster of the school, Mr. C. W. Leaning, B.Sc. (Econ.).
The assistance rendered to me by Mr. S. Gunby, one of my colleagues on the staff of Cottesmore School, has been invaluable. He has always been ready to help in any way within his power. On a number of occasions he has taken charge of the digging.
My thanks are also due to members of the Geography Society of University College, Nottingham, and especially to Mr. A. G. Powell. They willingly undertook the surveying of the site, and, with the help of the staff of the Department of Geography of the College, discovered the origin of the various kinds of stone used in the building of the Priory. The site plan accompanying this paper is the work of Mr. H. H. Brittle. To him acknowledgment and thanks are due not only for the plan, but also for valuable assistance and suggestions. Information supplied by the City Engineer's Department proved extremely useful in the making of the plan.
Note on pottery and tiles discovered during the Lenton Priory excavations.
By Alfred Parker.
AMONG the material brought to light during the excavations at Lenton Priory, the fragments of pottery and encaustic tiles proved to be particularly interesting.
The former included pieces of green-glaze ware similar to that generally associated with medieval finds in this district, in addition to which there was one small fragment of the hard-compact body referred to in my article on the “Campion” Exhibition as being first noted on the “Ritz” site, Angel Row, Nottingham. The small piece turned up at Lenton carries a dark glaze on the inner surface.
Glazed tiles varying from 5½ inches to 4¼ inches square show colour ranging from light brownish-green to dark brown, their thickness differing between 1¼ inches and ¾ inch.
There are eleven different patterns traceable on the encaustic tile fragments.
Three of the designs have previously been recorded in connection with the Priory site (Nos. 35, 56, 77; Thoroton Society Transactions, Vol. XXXVI).
Five are figured as from other sites in the Nottingham district (Nos. 31, 41, 47, 49, 53).
One is a varient of a pattern there figured as No. 81—here numbered 95.
Two (Nos. 96 and 97) are quite new designs so far as the Nottingham area is concerned, and a good deal of research has, up to date, failed to trace them as being noted on any other site. Both these are fragmentary and, therefore, the completion of the pattern where figured is only conjectural, but, it is hoped, may serve towards identification should any further pieces be found.
Though these tiles, with the three exceptions, were illustrated in my article on Nottingham Pottery in the 1932 Transactions, they are again described and figured here for convenience of record and reference: —
31. A cross cercellee upon a shield within a circle and outer ring of petals. Anthony Bec, Bishop of Durham.
35. A white hart. Badge of Richard II.
41. Monogram of the Virgin Mary under a crown.
47. A ram (the zodiacal sign for March) within a circle; broken inscription SOL IN ARIETE and MARC IV in Lombardic characters in the corners.
49. Grotesque figure with a hood, lion’s body and man’s head, within a lozenge-shaped frame, leaves in bottom corners.
53. Grotesque mask with protruding tongue, within fret formed by two vesicas.
56. Fleur-de-lis.
77. Two birds adorsed.
95. An eight-petalled rosette enclosed by a circle within a square placed diagonally on the tile; the inner corners filled with a trefoil ; in each corner a rosette within two concentric arcs.
96. A nine-compartment tile, three squares of which are preserved, the two outer compartments containing a ghoulish figure holding a sword, the centre a five-petalled rosette.
A butterfly between rosettes with a three-hooped band.
These latest finds bring the total number of tile patterns associated with Lenton Priory to twenty-four.