Excavations in Castletown, Isle of Man, 1989-1992

• ISBN13: 9780853233893
• ISBN10: 0853233896
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-01-06
• Publisher: Liverpool University Press

Summary

This volume is a full report on three excavations carried out in Castletown: Castle Rushen (1989); Bank Street (1989); and Castle Rushen Stores (1992). The first (carried out by David Freke) is concerned with the medieval and post-medieval castle; the second (carried out by Andrew Johnson) and the third (carried out by David Higgins) reveal a developing urban archaeology in the sixteenth century and later. The Castle Rushen Stores excavation, in particular, is important as the first major urban excavation on the Isle of Man. An introductory chapter sets the context for the excavations in historical, cultural and geographical terms. Part I considers the Castle Rushen excavation, in general and in terms of a wide range of specialist information bone implements, coins, clay pipes, flint, glass, ironwork, non-ferrous metal, pottery, and stone and plaster. Part II reports on the Bank Street excavation generally and presents the pottery evidence found on the site. In Part III a general report on the Castle Rushen Stores excavation is followed by the specialist evidence bone implements, brick and clay, coal, coins, clay pipes, flint, floor tiles, glass, ironwork, non-ferrous metals, pottery, and slag. The environmental evidence (animal and fish bone, bird bone, mollusks) for both the Castle Rushen and Castle Rushen Stores excavations is considered in Part IV. A concluding chapter reviews the results of the excavations and suggests directions for future research, and the volume is completed by a bibliography.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
List of Tables
List of Contributors
Acknowledgements
The Archaeology of Castletown: Introduction	p. 1
Excavations at Castle Rushen, 1989
The Excavations	p. 5
The Finds
Pottery	p. 16
Clay Tobacco Pipes	p. 22
Glass	p. 26
Ironwork	p. 29
Non-Ferrous Metal	p. 29
Coins	p. 35
Flint	p. 35
Stone and Plaster	p. 37
Worked Bone	p. 39
Excavations at Bank Street, 1989
The Excavations	p. 41
The Finds
Pottery	p. 43
Excavations at Castle Rushen Stores, 1991-1992
The Excavations	p. 49
The Finds
Pottery	p. 65
Floor Tiles	p. 89
Clay and Briar Tobacco Pipes	p. 90
Hair Curler	p. 96
Clay Marbles	p. 96
Brick	p. 97
Building Materials	p. 99
Glass	p. 100
Ironwork	p. 105
Non-Ferrous Metal	p. 109
Coins	p. 117
Flint	p. 118
Coal, Coke, Cinder and Burnt Stone	p. 120
Vitreous and Burnt Debris	p. 122
Slate Pencil	p. 123
Worked Bone and Shell	p. 123
Leather	p. 123
Fibre	p. 125
Wood	p. 125
Bottle Corks	p. 125
Environmental Evidence from Castle Rushen and Castle Rushen Stores
Animal Bone	p. 127
Bird Bone	p. 144
Molluscs	p. 151
Plant Remains	p. 154
Epilogue	p. 155
App. Castletown Cottages	p. 157
App. Pottery Thin-Section Analysis	p. 160
App. Technical Appendix	p. 162
App. Castle Rushen Context List and Matrix	p. 163
App. Castle Rushen Stores Context List and Matrices	p. 166
App. List of Pottery Codes	p. 170
Bibliography	p. 173
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