Book Description

This study of the design, manufacture and use of medieval floor tiles shows the long-lasting influence achieved in the north of England, especially by the Cistercian monasteries. It serves to demonstrate how these monastic houses made use of the resources and contacts available to them. The study focuses on one of the richest medieval floor tile assemblages in the world, with material from 118 sites. Over 500 different designs and 60 mosaic arrangements have been identified. Jennie Stopford examines the monastic influence on northern England's manufacture and use of floor tiles. Split into three sections - Chronological Survey, The Tile Groups, and The Sites and Collections - this in-depth study covers an immense body of work. Contents include: a view of the world - plain mosaic floor tiles and the Cistercians, c.1230-1270; long distance supply and personalised designs, c.1350; standardisation - plain-glazed tiles; the plain tile mosaic group, c.1220-1270; inferior quality plain mosaic, later 13th century; the decorated mosaic tile group, c.1300; parallels to the decorated mosaic tile group, possibly c.1300; the Nottinghamshire tile group, c.1325-1365; fourteenth-century copies; the plain-glazed tile groups; small assemblages dating from the 14th or 15th centuries; the Transpennine tile group, later 15th century; the Huby/Percy tile group, c.1500.