A Saxo-Norman Oyster Colour-Dish from St Mary's Church, New Shoreham, Sussex

This short paper reports the recent discovery of an oyster shell containing paint, within the fabric of the ruined north aisle wall of the Norman nave of St Mary's church, New Shoreham. Microscopic paint analysis has identified the pigment as pure yellow ochre, and subsequent radiocarbon dating has shown the shell itself to be mid- to late Saxon in origin. The shell represents a medieval colour-dish, used as such by a 12th-century artist at the church, prior to the reuse of the dish as mortared rubble in the nave wall. On current evidence, this colour-dish represents the oldest dated example, and the oldest dish found in physical association with a building, from medieval Britain

Aisle · Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Nave · Oyster · Radiocarbon dating · Rubble · Shell (structure) · Visual arts · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Building materials and conservation · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis · Engineering · Geology · History

• The Building History of St Mary De Haura, New Shoreham

  Sally Woodcock•Journal of the British…•1992

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