124 MEDIAEVAL PAVEMENT AND WALL TILES OF DERBYSHIRE. 



impressed, that is, in intaglio, or were rendered more evident by 

 the introduction into the hollows of a different colour from the 

 ground. When the simple intaglio was intended, the stamp was 

 usually so carved as to impress a pattern of narrow V-shaped 

 grooves — whence the popular name for such tiles, incised. In 

 true encaustic tiles, the hollows were wider, shallower (rarely 

 exceeding -^-^ inch), and flat-bottomed. The usual treatment — at 

 least so far as our county is concerned — was to fill in these hollows 

 with a white clay, perhaps pipeclay. Apparently, the square of 

 clay was allowed to dry, and then it was covered with the white 

 clay in a rather soft condition. This was then scraped off to the 

 level of the face of the tile, which would thus present a smooth 

 surface, having the pattern depicted in a different colour. Such 

 encaustic tiles are appropriately termed, inlaid. But in some 

 specimens, notably at Newton Solney, Repton, and Cubley, a 

 mere film of colouring matter takes the place of a definite inlay, 

 so thin that it fails to appreciably level up the hollows, which in 

 these cases were made very shallow. These tiles had two advan- 

 tages over the inlaid kind — the pattern colour, being slightly 

 depressed, would allow of its glaze being longer preserved, and the 

 depressions themselves would add strength and richness to the 

 design. The exact method by which the film was introduced is 

 rather obscure. I have noted several instances in which it seems 

 to have been pencilled in, and Mr. Goss, in a private communica- 

 tion, has suggested the name " clay-pencilled " for these tiles. 

 There is, however, little doubt that this was not the usual method. 

 Some plain yellow tiles at Newton Solney and Dale throw a light 

 on the matter. Their body-clay is red, and their surface-colour is 

 produced by a film identical with those just described. Some 

 worn specimens of these tiles disclose that this film was brushed 

 over the surface. Apply this process to the above tiles : —brush 

 a thin white " slip " (that is, clay in a liquid state) over the face 

 of the dried quarry ; the watery part is immediately sucked into the 

 body, leaving a film on the surface ; then pass over the face a 

 straight scraper —this removes all the film except what Hes in the 

 hollows. Such tiles cannot stricdy be called "inlaid." I cannot 



