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English Brown
Defining Attributes
A generally buff to light gray, grainy stoneware
body often with small dark inclusions, covered at least partly with
a speckled brown slip and salt glazed. It most commonly occurs on
archaeological sites as drinking vessels and bottles.
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Chronology
Efforts to make salt glazed stoneware had begun
in England by the 1650s, if not earlier, but real success was not
achieved until ca. 1675, when John Dwight perfected production of
imitations of Rhenish brown stoneware in Fulham. Dwight had secured
a patent for his ware in 1672, but other potters soon began copying
him (Hildyard 1985:11; Gaimster 1997:309-310; Green 1999:4, 13).
Nearly all Fulham-type stoneware found on American sites will date
between ca. 1690 and 1775, except perhaps for areas occupied by
the British during the Revolutionary War (Noel Hume 1970:114).
Description
Fabric
A hard, often grainy body which can be partly vitrified, ranging
in color from whitish to buff to gray to light brown. Many English
brown stonewares have small, dark inclusions in the paste, which,
along with the graininess, helps to distinguish them from most German
products (Green 1999:109). Vessels were thrown, and could be turned
on a lathe to thin them (Hildyard 1985:20-22).
Glaze
English Fulham-type stonewares were salt glazed. Pieces were typically
dipped in a brown slip which covered all or part of the vessel.
Variations in the application of the slip and glaze resulted in
overall glaze colors that could range, even on a single vessel,
from greenish yellow to yellowish brown to reddish brown to dark
brown. On a finished vessel, the brown slip had a more or less "speckled"
appearance. Sometimes a white slip, like that used on white salt
glazed stonewares, was added to brown stonewares in an effort to
whiten them (Hildyard 1985; Green 1999).
Decoration
The majority of Fulham-type stoneware mugs and bottles were undecorated
beyond simple turned bands or cordons (Green 1999:151; Noël Hume
2001:155). However, decorations did occur. Drinking vessels for
use in commercial establishments were generally stamped with the
crowned "WR" (William III) excise mark, although "AR"
and "GR" were also used. However, these marks are not
always a definitive dating tool, as the WR stamp was used as late
as 1792. Vessels intended for use in public houses could also be
incised with a date and the name of the tavern keeper. By the 1750s
or 1760s, molds and printers’ type were being used to add the names,
rather than hand incising. Sprig-molded tavern signs also appear
on vessels. On larger pieces, the sprig designs could include figures,
hunting scenes, buildings, and trees (Noël Hume 1970: 113-114; Hildyard
1985:24). Rarer decorations on Fulham-type pieces included engraving,
engine turning, piercing on double-walled vessels, painting with
various colors, and stamped medallions (Hildyard 1985; Green 1999).
Form
Drinking vessels and bottles were by far the most common Fulham-type
stoneware forms. Mugs and tankards ranged in capacity from 0.25
pints to 2.5 quarts (Noël Hume 1970: 113-114; Gaimster 1997: 320;
Green 1999:17). Mugs could be globular, waisted, or straight sided,
and some tankards had pouring lips (Hildyard 1985; Green 1999:153).
Jugs, puzzle jugs, jars, drug jars, bowls, and tea and coffee services
were among the other forms produced (Hildyard 1985; Green 1999;
Noël Hume 2001). Early Fulham-type vessels copied German forms,
but had moved away from this by the 18th
century. These included the Bartmann-type bottles, which were made
for only for a few years (Hildyard 1985; Gaimster 1997:311; Green
1999:17). In the 19th century,
a wide variety of specialized forms were produced (Green 1999).
Notes
Although brown stoneware drinking and serving vessels made
in imitation of German stoneware have become known as "Fulham
wares" because of their association with John Dwight of Fulham,
similar pieces were made elsewhere in England, including Greater
London, Bristol, and Staffordshire (Noël Hume 1970:113; Hildyard
1985). Large quantities of Rhenish stoneware were imported into
England in the 17th century, but
by 1700 English manufacturers had captured much of the domestic
market for brown stoneware (Green 1999:3).
By ca. 1730, American potters, including at least
one in Virginia, were producing brown stoneware that was often indistinguishable
from the English Fulham-type (Watkins and Noël Hume 1967).
John Dwight also produced limited quantities of
imitations of Rhenish blue and gray stoneware (Hildyard 1985:32).
References
Watkins
and Noël Hume 1967; Noël
Hume 1970, 2001;
Hildyard 1985;
Gaimster 1997;
Green 1999 |
