Find Spot MPM5 - Roof Finial, Dolphin Hotel

A pottery finial with an ochreous lead glaze. Section of crested ridge tile, integral part. Late 13th century. Found when foundations were dug for small extension to hotel. Presented by Brickwoods Brewery. [1]

13th century pottery roof-finial found by workmen 14ft below the yard of the Dolphin Hotel in 1957. Due to the depth at which it was found, it was thought likely that the finial had been contained in the filling of a deep pit or well, but it was not possible to carry out an archaeological recording of the site. The finial suggests the presence of a building of substance within the vicinity during the 13th century.

The finial was attached to a ridge tile at one end. Both the tile and finial were made of a light red sandy ware with fine flint grits covered with a thin green glaze. The finial was hollow, measured 16in high and consisted of a cylindrical stem/shaft surmounted by two globular parts which were graduated in size. The lower globular part was approximately 6 ½ inches diameter, and the upper part 4 inches. The upper and lower parts had each been decorated with three applied horns arranged vertically above one another. The lower part had a prominent squared-off flange, above which were three bands of lightly incised girth-grooves which ran in a continuous spiral around the finial. The upper part terminated in a flat knob moulded round the edge. A decorative finger-pressed strip ran down each side of the stem and onto the side of the ridge tile.

[2, p95-101]

The finial and tile have been dated to around the mid-13th century, and are held in the collections of Portsmouth Museum Service under the Accession No: 1957/206. [3]

<1> Portsmouth City Council, n/a, Portsmouth City SMR Cards, SZ69NW2 (Index). SPM1.

<2> Dunning, G. C., 1969, A Medieval Pottery Roof-Finial Found at Portsmouth, Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeology Society XXV (1968), p95-101 (Bibliographic reference). SPM4.

<3> Portsmouth Museum Service, N/A, Portsmouth Museum Service Collections Database (Index). SPM424.