Buckley-type

Defining Attributes

A hard brick-red to purplish earthenware paste made by combining red and yellowish clays. Vessels are usually thick, often with ribbed exteriors, and generally glazed with a thick black lead glaze.

Chronology

Mid-17^th – 19^th centuries. Black lead glazed wares made from mixed red and yellow clays were being produced in Wales and England, particularly Northwest England, by the mid-17^th century, and continued to be made into the 19^th century. They have been recovered from 1690 – 1720 contexts at kilns in Buckley, Wales, and from late 18^th - early 19^th century contexts at sites in Merseyside (Davey 1987, 1991; Cresswell and Davey 1989).

Buckley-type vessels are rare on Chesapeake sites dating before the 1720s, when they were heavily imported, and become rare again on sites occupied after the American Revolution (Noel Hume 1970). However, a few examples have been recovered from late 17^th century contexts in Maryland (Miller 1983; Hornum et al. 2001).

Description

Fabric
Buckley-type wares are made from a mixture of red and yellow/white clays. The mixture is most often evident in cross-section as striations or lenses of clay, but roundish clay inclusions also occur. The use of two clays tends to be more obvious on utilitarian pieces than on tablewares, which are more finely and completely mixed, but this is not a hard and fast rule (Philpott 1985a:85; Davey 1987:98). Generally, the darker clay predominates, which produces a dark red to purple paste. However, sometimes the lighter clay predominates, and the vessel fires to a light orange color (Philpott 1985a: 85). This variant is occasionally seen on sites in the Chesapeake. Inclusions of small particles of quartz or other stone, as well as grog, can be present in the paste (Philpott 1985a:85).

Glaze
Buckley-type wares are generally covered by a dark brown to black lead glaze. However, variants with a clear lead glaze, which appears brown on the vessel, also occur. Vessels from the 17^th century can have a dull dark brown glaze due to over-firing, while a glossy, metallic black glaze was introduced in the mid-to-late 18^th century (Philpott 1985a:86). Bowl forms are usually glazed on the interior surfaces only, while storage jars are glazed on both surfaces. A red slip under the glaze covers many vessels, particularly the larger ones (Philpott 1985a).

Decoration
Buckley vessels were not decorated, but throwing marks or ribbing, produced during the manufacturing process, are apparent.

Form
Vessels range from tablewares such as cups, tygs, bowls, and  pitchers  to large storage vessels, butterpots, milkpans, and even some cooking pots. Rims on the utilitarian vessels are generally large and thick. The tablewares declined in popularity by the early 18^th century (Philpott 1985a), and Maryland assemblages are dominated by utilitarian forms.

Notes

In the 1950s, K. J. Barton noted the similarity between the mixed clay, black lead glazed earthenwares excavated in Buckley and those found elsewhere in Britain and North America. This led to the common assumption that all such wares were made in Buckley or North Wales. However, similar wares were also produced in English centers, particularly Merseyside and Staffordshire, so it has been argued that the use of the term "Buckley" for these vessels is misleading, especially since other types of ceramics, such as Manganese Mottled, were also made in Buckley (Davey 1987:100 -101).

Black lead glazed earthenwares made of red clay with small white/yellow clay inclusions have been found on mid-17^th century contexts in Merseyside. Striated clay vessels were also present, and may have developed from earlier Cistercian-type wares (Philpott 1985a; Davey 1991).

Mixed clay wares are produced using clay from coal measures, areas where strata of coal, clay, and sand are present (Philpott 1985:88).

Reference

Cresswell and Davey 1989; Davey 1987, 1991; Hornum et al. 2001; Miller 1983; Noël Hume 1970; Philpott 1985a