Seventeenth-century tin-glazed earthenware from Ferryland, Newfoundland

Stoddart, Eleanor (2000) Seventeenth-century tin-glazed earthenware from Ferryland, Newfoundland. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The subject of this thesis is seventeenth-century tin-glazed earthenware excavated from Ferryland, Newfoundland. This type of ceramic was prized during the seventeenth century for the whiteness of its glaze and its similarity to porcelain. No documentation exists which describes tin-glazed earthenware being shipped to Ferryland, but it is found in relatively large quantities in many areas of the site. This thesis considers the identification of forms of vessels, their date and country of manufacture, and the trade partnerships between Newfoundland and Europe which allowed the tin-glazed earthenware to be brought to Ferryland. Historical documentation and artifact analysis were used in conjunction with fieldwork in Portugal, the United States and Canada, to research these topics. 570 different tin-glazed earthenware vessels were identified and classified according to a modified Potomac Typological System and the results indicate the majority of the vessels were used for the presentation and serving of food. Strong economic links with both England and the Iberian peninsula are illustrated by the large proportions of these tin-glazed earthenware found in the Ferryland archaeological record. The importance of Spain and Portugal as trade partners with Ferryland shifted as the seventeenth century progressed, and this is reflected in the changing amounts of tin-glazed earthenware arriving in the settlement. Most of the tin-glazed earthenware which could be dated closely pertains to the Kirke occupation. Trade in these goods to Ferryland appears to have been based on personal connections, and the presence of exotic ceramics in Ferryland can be seen to be more closely related to the presence of a wealthy patron in the settlement than with English trade policies of the seventeenth century.

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