Ceramic Floor Tiles in Medieval Kent: An appeal for information

In 1886, floor tiles decorated with a king and a bishop were found in Maidstone Church. Most decorative floor tiles had simpler designs and were first used in Kent in the late 12th century but the more familiar ones date from the late 13th and 14th centuries. Preliminary investigations have identified that they were used in over 100 parish churches, over 20 monastic houses and several high status private dwellings in Kent. However, unlike other counties where lists of such tiles have been compiled, the overall position in Kent remains unknown. A national census of medieval floor tiles was started over 40 years ago and publications for Somerset, Dorset, Wales and the North of England have already appeared. Floor tiles in Kent can be split into 3 main types before their production in England was curtailed by imports from the Low Countries in the 15th century.

Inscribed Tiles

Inscribed tiles were used extensively in the 12th century Royal Abbey at Faversham and found by Philp in his 1965 excavations. They are square tiles with a hand scored line drawn whilst the clay was wet. White slip was only applied on one side of the line.

They were made locally in the late 12th century. An example can be seen in the Fleur de Lys Museum in Faversham.

They have also been found in St Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury.

Mosaic Tiles

These tiles are usually about 120 mm (4 ½ inches) square. The two coloured tiles have a design stamped on them giving a yellow design on a brown background.

A wide variety of patterns is known from Kent including geometric designs, a fleur de lys set diagonally and a stylised daisy set inside a circle.

Often these decorated tiles were laid with square tiles of a single colour or in multiple tile patterns. Such tiles, along with their Victorian copies, can be seen in Southfleet Church.

Two Coloured Stamped Tiles and Single Coloured Tiles

In Kent, mosaic tiles mainly have just one colour glaze but the decoration is achieved by tiles being of different shapes. Some are circular, some rectangular, some triangular and others are diamond shaped.

The pattern is made by interlocking tiles of different shapes. In Kent, mosaic tiles can be seen in the north east transept of Rochester Cathedral but unfortunately the glaze has worn off during the eight centuries that they have been on the floor. They have also been discovered in the excavations at Boxley Abbey and are preserved in Maidstone Museum.

Information Required

In November last year, the Shorne Archaeological Project hosted a day conference on ‘Medieval and Later Ceramic Building Materials’ given by Ian Betts of the Museum of London. This conference identified that Kent was lacking a list of ceramic medieval floor tiles and it was suggested that its compilation would be a satisfactory outcome of this conference. If you know of any ceramic medieval floor tile in Kent please let Gerald Cramp know on 01474 704849 or gcaramp038@btinternet.com.