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Exchanging Medieval Material Culture Studies on archaeology and ...

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160<br />

Mark Redknap<br />

Fig. 3 Group Bb ewer from Bettws<br />

Newydd, M<strong>on</strong>mouthshire (© Nati<strong>on</strong>al<br />

Museum of Wales).<br />

Sites producing evidence for the casting of copper-alloy domestic<br />

vessels in medieval Engl<strong>and</strong> include large urban centres, as<br />

well as castles; the number of known sites peak from the sec<strong>on</strong>d<br />

half of the 13th to the end of the 15th century. Th is suggests<br />

a widespread distributi<strong>on</strong> of producti<strong>on</strong> sites across<br />

Engl<strong>and</strong>, though mould fragments are sometimes too small to<br />

allow the certain identifi cati<strong>on</strong> of the objects being cast50.<br />

50 see Dungworth & Nicholas 2004 for a recent<br />

review of the evidence.<br />

51 e.g. Sotheby’s 2006, 147; Barnet & D<strong>and</strong>ridge<br />

2006, cat. No. 53; Renaud 1963.<br />

Other commentators have argued for a ‘Netherl<strong>and</strong>ish or<br />

North German’ source for some Group B ewers51. Certainly the<br />

Meuse Valley <strong>and</strong> north Germany were the sources of so much<br />

copper-alloy metalware imported to Britain in signifi cant<br />

quantities, <strong>and</strong> some alloy compositi<strong>on</strong>s (leaded brasses with<br />

higher zinc comp<strong>on</strong>ents) have suggested manufacture in Fl<strong>and</strong>ers52.<br />

Archaeological evidence for the producti<strong>on</strong> of large<br />

52 Brownsword 2004, 97.

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