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Treasures from Worcestershire’s Past: ~3~ A floor tile excavated in Lowesmooor, Worcester

  • 13th December 2013

Our Treasure today is a floor tile that has been chosen by Laura Griffin, Senior Finds Archaeologist. Here she tells us more about the find:

This small floor tile was found during the excavations ahead of the St Martin’s Quarter development in Worcester. It is just one of the 209 floor tiles which were found associated with a medieval tile kiln on the site. The kiln can been dated to the late 14th century because the designs identified on many of the tiles are the same as those seen in the Worcester Cathedral Singing School pavement, which is documented as having been laid in 1370.

Whereas the majority of these tiles were decorated with heraldic designs, the tile in the photograph is of particular interest because it is decorated with the Arabic number ‘3’. Use of Arabic numerals was rare in the 13th-14th centuries and therefore this tile stands out from the rest of the group.

Don’t forget to check back next week to find out what Treasure number 4 is!

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