Woodiwiss Simon (Ed.). Iron Age and Roman Salt Production and the Medieval Town of Droitwich: Excavations at the Old Bowling Green and Friar Street

Council for British Archaeology, 1992. — 240 p. — (CBA Research Reports 81).This is the first of a proposed three volume series, reporting on six excavations carried out in Droitwich between 1967 and 1985. The town has been a centre for the large-scale production of salt from the Iron Age until the early part of this century. This industry was based on the brine springs of exceptional purity and strength that naturally occurred in the area of the town.
This volume commences with a general introduction which considers some of the geological, technological, and economic aspects of the industry.
The main evidence for salt production from these excavations dates to the late Iron Age. It consists of large tanks lined with clay and revetted by stakes and probably used primarily for the storage of brine. These tanks were also associated with hearths and vast quantities of briquetage. The size and arrangement of these structures indicate a well organised and large-scale industry. The term briquetage is here used to refer to a coarse sandy or organic pottery fabric, almost exclusively in the form of vessels, probably used for the draining of salt crystals. A high water table led to the preservation of a range of wooden artefacts recovered from the tanks and again probably used in the production of salt.