INVESTIGATION OF THE WHITESHEET DOWN ENVIRONS 1989-90 159 
vessel numbers. For the manually recovered 
material each sherd was assigned a Pottery Record 
Number (PRN). 
Pl: Fabric Q3, context 1309, cleaning of pit 1293, PRN 
70260. 
P2: Fabric Q2, context 1321, feature 1295, PRN 70262. 
P3: Fabric D2, context 1338, feature 1368, PRN 70018, 
19. 
P4: Fabric D3, context 1294, feature 1295, PRN 70049. 
P5: Fabric QI101, context 1317, feature 1291, PRN 
70177 (Iron Age/Romano-British). 
P6: Fabric D1, context 1302, feature 1368, PRN 70041. 
P7: Fabric Cl, context 1333, feature 1288, PRN 70284, 
85. 
P8: Fabric C3, context 1342, feature 1303, PRN 70251, 
SW, 
P9: Fabric D2, context 1342, feature 1303, PRN 70250. 
P10: Fabric D2, context 1322, feature 1295, PRN 70040. 
Pll: Fabric F2, context 1354, feature 1288, PRN 70029, 
30; context 1328, feature 1331, PRN 70162. 
P12: Fabric D4, context 1328, feature 1331, PRN 70038. 
P13: Fabric Fl, context 1333, feature 1288, PRN 70179- 
217. 
P14: Fabric $1, context 1360, feature 1293, PRN 70108. 
P15: Fabric Fl, contexts 1323 and 1350, feature 1293, 
PRN 70062, 80, 81, 92, 123. 
P16: Fabric D3, context 1346, feature 1368, PRN 70163- 
65, 173. 
P17: Fabric El, context 1354, feature 1288, PRN 70032, 
33. 
P18: Fabric S1, context 1342, feature 1303, PRN 70026, 
75-79, 127-140. 
Peterborough Ware 
A single rim sherd of the Mortlake sub-style and 
three plain body sherds possibly belonging to the 
same vessel were recovered from the recut of the 
enclosure ditch. Peterborough Ware is known from 
similar contexts elsewhere (e.g. Maiden Castle; 
Cleal 1991, 181). 
Late Iron Age — Romano-British 
A small amount of later pottery was recovered 
(fabrics Q100-Q102). Small fragments recovered 
from sieving occurred in considerable numbers in 
feature 1291 (Table 2). Clearly some small-scale 
activity is represented by this material, but feature 
1291 is not considered to be of Late Iron Age or 
Romano-British date and all this later material 
could be intrusive. 
Discussion 
Although small, this assemblage is distinctive 
enough to merit comment. The ceramics can give 
us some insight into two main areas of inquiry: the 
external relations of the users of the causewayed 
enclosure, and the internal organisation and use of 
the enclosure. As a result of the extremely restricted 
nature of the excavations, more can be gained from 
the former than the latter. 
In both fabrics and style there appear to be more 
links with the south and west than with the north 
and east. Apart from two sherds with heavy rims 
found earlier (Piggott 1952, fig. 3), there are no rim 
types typical of the Windmill Hill or Decorated 
Style (Whittle 1977). The only decorated sherds are 
from the bowl with interior fingernail impressions 
(Figure 9, P11) and even in this case, the fact that 
the impressions are on the interior, and that this is 
also burnished, suggests that the vessel is likely to 
have been an open (and possibly shallow) form, one 
atypical of the Decorated or Windmill Hill style. 
In comparison with the lack of heavy rim forms 
and paucity of decoration there are more features 
directly comparable with the South-Western or 
Hembury style (Whittle 1977). The gabbroic ware 
vessel P17 is made of clay from the Lizard Peninsula, 
and is comparable to vessels from Cornwall. Similar 
vessels occur at Maiden Castle and Hambledon Hill 
(Dorset), Hembury (Devon) and elsewhere in the 
south-west (Peacock 1969; 1988). 
Trumpet lugs are typical of this pottery, but at 
Whitesheet Hill only P17 is in a Cornish fabric, P16 
almost certainly having been produced within a few 
kilometres of the site. This copying of South- 
Western style features occurs elsewhere: at Maiden 
Castle only two out of nine trumpet lugs were in 
gabbroic ware (Cleal 1991, table 61). However, it is 
usual for the form of the vessels with this 
characteristic to also reflect the forms of South- 
Western style vessels, and this is certainly not the 
case with P16. In the classification recently 
proposed by the writer this vessel can be termed a 
Closed Composite Independent Restricted vessel 
(Cleal 1992, fig. 21.2), and is a rare form which 
occurs in widely spaced assemblages, including 
Broome Heath, Norfolk (Wainwright 1972, fig. 21, 
P166), and at Staines, Middlesex (Healey and 
Robertson-Mackay 1987, P79?). No examples of 
lugs attached to this form have been noted by the 
writer (Cleal 1992, fig. 21.5). 
All vessels except P17 may have been produced 
within 15-20km of the site and therefore may be 
