Floor tile
Category
Archaeological material
Date
c. 1150 - c. 1600
Materials
Clay
Measurements
20 x 110 x 160 mm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire
NT 579486
Summary
Floor tile with inlaid fleur-de-lys and vine design. Made from a fine oxidised, sand bedded clay with knife cut edges. Possibly Mareham le Fen, Lincolnshire.
Full description
This inlaid medieval floor tile has been made from light firing clay and features a stylised floral pattern. Inlaid tiles are first produced in the 12th century, although this one may be later perhaps dating to the 13th or 14th century. Floor tiles help to understand how high a status a property may be, the more decorated they were the more money the owners had to spend on their living spaces. This artefact was recovered during an excavation of the castle moat between 1912 and 1914 by William Weir at the bequest of Lord Curzon as part of the site’s restoration works. Around 1,300 objects were found during this excavation and largely date to the medieval and post-medieval periods when the castle was occupied. The collection comprises pottery, ceramic building material, plaster, worked stone, vessel and window glass, metal work and clay pipe.
