John Henry Benner: The Continued Study About an 18th Century GermanPotter in Abington, Massachusetts

According to the Dyer Memorial Library in Abington, Massachusetts, "A unique natural resource found in Abington, Massachusetts was a clay pit located behind the first meetinghouse. The high quality of the clay attracted John Henry Benner (1726-1796), a master potter to move to Abington, circa 1760. Benner was a German craftsman who had worked at the Glassworks in Germantown (now Quincy, Massachusetts). He lived and worked in Abington until the 1790's. Bennerware is recognized as one of the finest examples of colonial pottery today."

Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins discussed this exact clay pit in 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares,' In 1942, I found Benner's waste pile in Abington on the very edge of a small clay pit filled with water. The recovered sherds were for the most part similar to artifacts found at the Daniel Bayley Pottery Company (circa 1764-1799) in Newburyport, Massachusetts. The one notable exception was a fragment of a bowl or a jar with slip stripings trailed horizontally on the outside.

Much of Benner's ware is of a brilliant reddish orange color with splashings and dribblings of dark glaze. The pottery seems to have closed when Benner died on January 16, 1796."

Note: This type of reddish orange colored glaze with traces of a darker glaze is commonly attributed to southeastern Massachusetts today, circa late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth-century. The following jug demonstrates this  type of glaze.

The form of this jug is also occasionally found today in the antique marketplace; however, it is rarely attributed to John Henry Benner. In recent years, I have seen similar forms attributed to Pennsylvania and Essex County, Massachusetts. I believe that a number of these jugs, which survive today were made by Benner, and the glaze colors vary from what is seen below to brighter and darker colors.

John Henry Benner Pottery Jug

 18th Century Red Earthenware Jug Attributed to John Henry Benner - Abington, Mass.
This was Reportedly a Popular Glaze Style Used by Benner

Circa 1765-1795

Stands Approximately 9" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Anthony Butera - Port Jefferson, NY

View of the Handle

Photo Courtesy: Anthony Butera - Port Jefferson, NY

The story of John Henry Benner's red earthenware production in Abington, Massachusetts really interests me since I believe that a number of examples of Benner's pottery survive today. Unfortunately, rarely is his name used when an attribution is developed. The following group of objects demonstrates the skill that Benner possessed before and after the American Revolution.

Whimsical or end-of-the-day red earthenware objects are commonly attributed to the Pennsylvania-German potters in the nineteenth-century. However, the Dyer Memorial Library owns a whimsical beaver and a whimsical cat that were made by Benner in the 1700's. The idea that a migrant German potter was employed in Massachusetts in the eighteenth-century is somewhat uncommon today in comparison to a state that was largely dominated by English trained or influenced potters.

Personally, I feel that the following group of objects show that Benner was an active potter, who produced red earthenware for thirty-years. I have little doubt that there must be examples of his production today that are either mistaken for another location or another potter. This surviving production could also be left unidentified or even attributed to the early-nineteenth-century.

Interestingly, it also known that Benner worked with slip, which was a popular form of decoration in the eighteenth-century used by potters all along coastal Massachusetts.

Nonetheless, Benner's production was likely smaller when compared to some of the larger companies in Massachusetts during the period; however, I would be curious to learn whether he employed any other potters at his business or if he trained any apprentices in this thirty-or-so years of operation.

Note: The name, John Henry Benner is not widely known today, but I assume his business was similar to Daniel Bayley's (1729-1792) company in Newburyport, Massachusetts, which operated circa 1764-1799. The Bayley Pottery employed multiple potters, where red earthenware was regularly produced for at least thirty-five years.

Archaeological evidence has also proven that Daniel Bayley's company was exporting red earthenware to Salem, Massachusetts, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Portland, Maine, and even colonial military forts in Maine and Canada.

Lura Woodside Watkins discussed the following teapot, which is owned by the Dyer Memorial Library in 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares,' "On the whole, one would say that Benner was a superior potter. This opinion is confirmed by examination of the charming little teapot, which was obtained by a descendent of Benner for the Public Library collection. It is the only complete redware teapot made by an eighteenth century American potter that I have seen. Any question as to its provenance may be answered by the fact that it has a flat base - a characteristic feature of American turned pieces in contrast to the ringed feet of imported ones."

John Henry Benner Pottery Dish or Pan

 18th Century Red Earthenware Dish or Pan Attributed to John Henry Benner - Abington, Mass.

Circa 1765-1795

Measures Approximately 9" in Diameter

Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, Mass.

 Another View of the Pan

Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, Mass.

View of the Base

Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, Mass.

John Henry Benner Pottery Whimsical Beaver

18th Century Red Earthenware Whimsical Beaver Attached to a Felt Base

The Felt is Not Original - It was Likely Added in the 20th Century

Attributed to John Henry Benner - Abington, Mass.

Circa 1765-1795

 Measures Approximately 3" Long

Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, Mass.

John Henry Benner Pottery Whimsical Cat

 18th Century Red Earthenware Whimsical Cat

Attributed to John Henry Benner - Abington, Mass.

Circa 1765-1795

Stands Approximately 2"-3" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, Mass.

 View of the Back

Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, Mass.

View of the Base

Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, Mass.

John Henry Benner Pottery Teapot

 18th Century Red Earthenware Teapot Attributed to John Henry Benner - Abington, Mass.
See Article for History

Circa 1765-1795

Stands 3 5/8" Tall
Pictured in Figure 30 in 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares'

Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, Mass.

 Another View of the Teapot and Lid

Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, Mass.

View of the Handle

Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, Mass.

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

An Important 18th Century Red Earthenware Cup or Porringer that Sold in Maine in 2011

According to Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares), "In 1765, a potter described as either Dutch or German arrived in Abington, Massachusetts, which is located just south of Quincy, Massachusetts. John Henry Benner (1726-1796) is said to have come directly from across the seas, but there is a possibility that he was one of the immigrants to Germantown in Quincy, as well.

In 1942, I found Benner's waste pile in Abington on the very edge of a small clay pit filled with water. The recovered sherds were for the most part similar to artifacts found at the Daniel Bayley Pottery Company (circa 1764-1799) in Newburyport, Massachusetts. The one notable exception was a fragment of a bowl or a jar with slip stripings trailed horizontally (see cup or porringer from Tim Gould auction below) on the outside.

Much of Benner's ware is of a brilliant reddish orange color with splashings and dribblings of dark glaze. The pottery seems to have closed when Benner died on January 16, 1796."

Note: This type of glaze is commonly attributed to southeastern Massachusetts today, circa late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth-century.

 18th Century Jug Attributed to John Henry Benner - Abington, MA

Circa 1765-1795

Stands Roughly 4 1/4" Tall
Pictured Figure 31 in 'Early New England Potter's and Their Wares'
Note: This is a Glaze Style that was Reportedly Common for Benner's Production
This Glaze Style is Also Commonly Attributed to SE Mass Today

Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, MA

Another View of the Pitcher
Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, MA

View of the Handle

Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, MA

It has been about five or six-years since I visited the Dyer Memorial Library in Abington, Massachusetts to view a small collection of red earthenware, kiln furniture, sherds and a couple of kiln bricks that are related to John Henry Benner's eighteenth-century production.

Benner was also reportedly active circa 1765-1795/1796, which is a lengthy period to have produced red earthenware in the 1700's. Watkins also notes that this is a similar period for when the Daniel Bayley Pottery Company operated in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

My latest article in the New England Antiques Journal discusses Peter Clark (1743-1826), who was active in Braintree, Massachusetts, circa 1764-1775. The distance between Abington and Braintree is roughy nine-miles. Presumably, Benner and Clark knew each other before 1775; however, I have also suggested in the past that colonial Massachusetts potters, such as Benner and Clark were also well-aware of the potter's industry located throughout Charlestown, Massachusetts before 1775.

The following red earthenware jug is attributed to John Henry Benner by the Dyer Memorial Library; although, the glaze does not appear familiar for eighteenth-century potters in Massachusetts. Common knowledge today would suggest that this type of glaze would more-likely be attributed to northern New England or western New York after 1820.

Interestingly, I have handled jugs that were made by Peter Clark in the 1780's and early-nineteenth-century, which are owned by Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Surprisingly, there is virtually no difference in the form, glaze or production.

Nevertheless, a matching glazed crock was recovered in Charlestown in an archaeological context that pre-dates 1775. Interestingly, this type of glaze does not appear anywhere else in the Charlestown Archaeology Collection, which includes dozens of boxes of ceramics recovered from various potter's businesses in Charlestown.

In theory, I have wondered if Benner could have exported red earthenware into Charlestown (or Boston) when the turmoil began between English soldiers and American patriots that culminated in the American Revolution (1775-1783). Events, such as the Intolerable Acts likely hampered the production of red earthenware in Charlestown, and I have always speculated if some potters outside of Boston may have exported their products to the Boston-area during the circa 1770-1783 period.

After the American Revolution, red earthenware is found in late-eighteenth and nineteenth-century archaeological contexts in Boston that was made in Essex County, Massachusetts. Pottery from Essex County has also been recovered in nineteenth-century contexts in Charlestown.

This jug and crock may be proof that a domestic export/import business did happen around the American Revolution with certain potters located just outside of Boston. They may have helped fill the demand for utilitarian red earthenware, which had been previously filled by the Charlestown potter's industry. However, that industry was largely affected by the turmoil that led up to the American Revolution - and, even more-so, when Charlestown was entirely burned by British soldiers at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775.

I have also shown an eighteenth-century cup or porringer that Maine auctioneer, Tim Gould sold in Augusta, Maine in 2011, which retained a history of ownership in southern New England. The glaze pattern on this porringer is very-similar to the glaze-pattern that is found on the jug that is attributed to John Henry Benner, where a combination of a dark-reddish and cream-colored-glaze was used.

I should also note that this cup or porringer has subtle traces of slip-decoration, which has also been applied in a style that was produced in Charlestown (see below) before the American Revolution.

I believe the style of slip on this cup or porringer is similar to what Lura Woodside Watkins says she recovered on a slip-decorated bowl or jar at the site of Benner's trash pile in Abington in 1942. I am curious to know if this style of slip-decoration can tie Benner to Charlestown, whether it be by influence or the fact that he was located nearby and he may have seen some of the Charlestown pottery before 1775.

Note: The name, John Henry Benner is not widely known today, but I assume his business was similar to Daniel Bayley's (1729-1792) company in Newburyport, Massachusetts, which operated circa 1764-1799. Archaeological evidence has proven that Daniel Bayley's company was exporting red earthenware to Salem, Massachusetts, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Portland, Maine, and even colonial military forts in Maine and Canada.

 18th Century Jug

 18th Century Jug Attributed to John Henry Benner - Abington, MA

Circa 1765-1795

Stands Roughly 9" Tall
Note: The Glaze Style Matches the Style Found on the Cup Below

Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, MA

 View of the Handle

Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, MA

View of the Handle and the Rim

Photo Courtesy: Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, MA

18th Century Crock

18th Century Red Earthenware Crock Recovered in Charlestown, Mass. 

Glaze Matches the Glaze on the Jug Shown Above, Which is Attributed to John Henry Benner

Made Before 1775

Stands Approximately 10" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

18th Century Cup or Porringer

18th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Cup or Porringer with Multiple Glaze Colors

Glaze Style Seems Related to a Jug that is Owned by the Dyer Memorial Library - Abington, MA

The Dyer Memorial Library's Jug is Attributed to John Henry Benner - Abington, MA

Circa 1765-1795

Stands 1 7/8" Tall

Measures 3 1/4" Rim-to-Rim

Photo Courtesy: Tim Gould - Maine

Another View of the Cup or Porringer

Photo Courtesy: Tim Gould - Maine

View of the Base

Photo Courtesy: Tim Gould - Maine

A Comparison of Slip-Decorations

The Subtle Slip-Decoration is Similar to Styles Applied in Charlestown, MA Before 1775

See Lura Woodside Watkins Description About Benner's Slip Above

Photo Courtesy: Tim Gould - Maine

   18th Century Red Earthenware  Porringenr Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.

Made Before 1775

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

18th Century Red Earthenware Chamber Pot Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.

Made Before 1775

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

An Important Photograph of a Potter's Business in Biloxi, Mississippi, Circa 1901

I assume that I am not alone when I say that I have wondered how an American red earthenware or stoneware potter's business actually appeared in the eighteenth, nineteenth or early-twentieth-centuries. There are only a few known images today, which have captured and preserved such an atmosphere.

However, there have been times when I have tried to place myself in that moment in an attempt to figure out what was exactly happening. It may have been when I was holding an artifact from a specific potter's business or it may have been in an attempt to try and attribute a certain piece of pottery. I have also tried to put myself in that moment when I have been standing at the actual site, where a potter once produced pottery.

Nevertheless, I feel this is an extremely important image, which is owned by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. George Ohr (1857-1918) is pictured, who was a significant potter in Biloxi, Mississippi in the nineteenth and twentieth-centuries. He is seen sitting amidst a huge collection of pottery that he likely recently created. It is fascinating to see the mixture of decorative art pottery combined with utilitarian objects; although, Ohr is mostly known for art pottery today. I can also only imagine the whereabouts of some of these pieces today as-long-as they have survived.

The sign that hangs from a beam in the middle of the room is great! It reads, "BILXOXI MISS"-CLAY. ART WORK. CANNOT BE DUPLICATED. G.E. OHR. 'FECIT (he made).'"

This image comes from a collection of over 25,000 photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company, which was a photographic publishing firm that was established by publisher, William Livingstone (1844-1925) and photographer, Edwin Husher in the late-nineteenth-century.

According to the Library of Congress, "The Detroit Publishing Company Collection of photographs includes city and town views, including streets and architecture; parks and gardens; recreation; and industrial and work scenes, such as railroad lines in the 1880's and 1890's. The group also includes views of California, Wyoming and the Canadian Rockies."

Note: I have included a group of pottery that was made by George Ohr, which is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The reason that I have included these objects is the fact that similar objects are likely represented in this photograph.

Interior of Pottery, Biloxi, Miss.

Interior of George Ohr's Pottery, Circa 1901

Detroit Publishing Company Collection

Photo Courtesy: Library of Congress - Washington, D.C.

Pottery Made by George Ohr, Biloxi, Miss.

Late-19th Century George Ohr Earthenware Teapot - Biloxi, MS

Stands 7 3/16" Tall

Circa 1897-1900

Photo Courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City

Late-19th Century George Ohr Earthenware Vase - Biloxi, MS

Stands 14 1/8" Tall

Circa 1895-1900

Photo Courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City

Late-19th Century George Ohr Earthenware Vase - Biloxi, MS

Stands 7 1/2" Tall

Circa 1890-1905

Photo Courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City

Late-19th Century George Ohr Earthenware Pitcher - Biloxi, MS

Stands 4 1/4" Tall

Circa 1890-1905

Photo Courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City

Late-19th Century George Ohr Earthenware Pitcher - Biloxi, MS

Stands 4 1/2" Tall

Circa 1893-1909

Photo Courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

An Important 19th Century Photograph of the Cambrian Pottery in Neath, Wales

I recently discovered this photograph of the Cambrian Pottery in Neath, Wales, which was reportedly taken in the late-nineteenth-century. Factory workers are shown with various styles of production, such as banks, decorative objects, jugs, miniatures, roof tiles, sewer pipe, tree trunk planters, urns, vases and whimsical objects.

It is also interesting to see the age differences between the factory workers, which range from young children to middle-aged adults.

For multiple reasons, this image is captivating; although, my favorite aspect is the various styles of production that are seen, which also relate to what was happening at numerous industries in America in the mid-to-late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-centuries.

To some degree: it seems that this company's production really combines America's sewer tile industry, the utilitarian pottery industry, as-well-as the art pottery industry.

Note: I have also included a picture of a pair of earthenware shoes that were made at the Cambrian Pottery in Neath, Wales, which were reportedly, "presented as a gift on the occasion of the wedding of Sophia Evans to John James Snow in 1880."

Interestingly, I have also included a picture of a very-similar formed red earthenware shoe, which was previously owned by William Kelly Young in Texarkana, Texas. Young's shoe sold in January 2010 when Crocker Farm sold his collection in Maryland. However, what I find fascinating about this shoe is the fact that it is (properly) attributed to Pennsylvania in the mid-to-late-nineteenth-century, despite having been made in an almost identical form, as were the following objects from Neath, Wales.

Cambrian Pottery, Neath, Wales, Circa 1860

Late-19th Century Factory Workers at the Cambrian Pottery in Neath, Wales

Circa 1890

Photo Courtesy: People's Collection Wales

Cambrian Pottery Earthenware Shoes

Late-19th Century Earthenware Shoes Attributed to the Cambrian Pottery in Neath, Wales

See Article for History

Circa 1880

Photo Courtesy: People's Collection Wales

Pennsylvania Red Earthenware Shoe

Mid-to-Late-19th Century Red Earthenware Shoe Attributed to Pennsylvania

Form is Very-Similar to the Earthenware Shoes from the Cambrian Pottery in Neath, Wales

Stands 4 3/4" Tall

Circa 1860-1890

Ex-William Kelly Young Collection - Texarkana, TX

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

Two Examples of Rare William Pecker Stoneware that have Recently Come to Market

Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland was recently consigned two stoneware objects made by William Pecker (1758-1820) in Merrimacport, Massachusetts in the late-eighteenth or early-nineteenth-century. They were included in the company's sale last weekend. To my knowledge: these were two previously undocumented examples, although, it still leaves the known examples today at under ten.

However, both of these objects were interesting for separate reasons -- first, the jug is an undocumented form, where the previous known jugs were all shaped with a much-more ovoid body -- and, second, the jar is the first known example of stoneware that has been properly attributed to Pecker, which was not marked by Pecker. All of the known previous examples were marked with Pecker's stamp, 'Wm Pecker.'

The jar's attribution was partially based on the bird decoration, which has been seen on previous examples of marked stoneware made by Pecker. But I have also found archaeological evidence at the site of William Pecker's Pottery to support this attribution.

I have written in the past that archaeological evidence suggests that Pecker must have produced unmarked examples, as well. However, that idea has been only theory, but this jar has proven that not all of Pecker's stoneware was marked. I truly believe that there must be additional examples of Pecker's unmarked stoneware that exist today, which may be mistaken for stoneware made in New Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Charlestown, Massachusetts.

Note: Here is a link to an article that I wrote for the August 2015 edition of the New England Antiques Journal, which discusses in detail what is known about William Pecker's stoneware production today.

William Pecker Stoneware Jug

 Late-18th or Early-19th Century Stoneware Jug

Made by William Pecker - Merrimacport, Mass.

Operated the Pecker Pottery, Circa 1790-1820

Stands 9" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Crocker  Farm - Sparks, MD

Another View of the Jug

Photo Courtesy: Crocker  Farm - Sparks, MD

William Pecker Stoneware Jar

  Late-18th or Early-19th Century Stoneware Jar

Made by William Pecker - Merrimacport, Mass.

Operated the Pecker Pottery, Circa 1790-1820

This Side is Decorated with a Bird Perched on a Branch

Stands 9" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Crocker  Farm - Sparks, MD

Another View of the Jar

This Side is Decorated with a Fish

Photo Courtesy: Crocker  Farm - Sparks, MD

William Pecker Stoneware Sherds

 Sherd Recovered at the Site of William Pecker's Pottery - Merrimacport, Mass.

Circa 1790-1820

Sherd Recovered at the Site of William Pecker's Pottery - Merrimacport, Mass.

Circa 1790-1820

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

19th Century Red Earthenware Sherds from a Chicken Water or Animal Feeder Recovered in Marblehead, Massachusetts

I feel a nineteenth-century American-made red earthenware chicken waterer or animal feeder is a rare form to find today - it seems that this type of form is also more common in nineteenth-century American stoneware. Although, it was also a form popular with English country potters in the 1800's in places, such as Buckley, England.

Nevertheless, red earthenware sherds from this type of form were discovered in a nineteenth-century context on the property of a home that was built in the eighteenth-century in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The sherds were uncovered when the home was recently under restoration. They were discovered with a group of eighteenth and nineteenth-century ceramic artifacts that were likely originally used on the home's property. Those ceramic artifacts included locally produced red earthenware, Charlestown, Massachusetts stoneware and imported European ceramics, such as English slipware.

Interestingly, I have suggested in the past that this form was likely also made in Essex County, Massachusetts since I have previously discovered two intact chicken waters or animal feeders in Beverly, Massachusetts. Those examples also retained a history of ownership that dated back to the early-to-mid-twentieth-century, where they were found at separate estate sales in Beverly. The manufacture of each form also likely indicates multiple potters or multiple potter's businesses.

Presumably, this was a form that was probably made at some of the potteries located in Beverly and/or Peabody, Massachusetts during the circa 1840-1900 period.

Note: Keep in mind that this type of form would likely be attributed to another location today if it were not for the history that all of the following objects retain. I think this style of production is more-commonly associated with country potters in rural areas.

I also want to note that I have discovered additional animal feeder forms in homes in Beverly that were also likely made in Essex County, Massachusetts.

Sherd Found in Marblehead, Mass.

 19th Century Red Earthenware Sherd from a Chicken Water or Animal Feeder

Recovered on the Property of an 18th Century Home in Marblehead, Mass.

Likely Made in Essex County, Mass.
The Top on this Sherd is Very-Similar to the Objects Shown Below

Circa 1840-1880

Photo Courtesy: Private Essex County, Mass. Collection

View of the Glazed Interior

Photo Courtesy: Private Essex County, Mass. Collection

Chicken Waters or Animal Feeders Found in Beverly, Mass.

 19th Century Chicken Waters or Animal Feeders 

Found in Two Separate Houses in Beverly, Mass.

Likely Made in Essex County, Mass.
The Top of the These Objects are Very-Similar to the Sherd Shown Above

Circa 1840-1880

Largest Stands 6 1/4" Tall

 Another View of the Chicken Waters or Animal Feeders

View of the Bases

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

A Look at Late-17th or Early-18th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Sherds that were Made in Massachusetts

According to Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares), "The scarcity of surviving specimens of early red earthenware had led to the assumption that only pewter and wooden vessels were used by the pioneers of New England, and the rare mention of potters in historical records has contributed to this belief. Nevertheless, a careful study of land and probate records shows that there were in fact potters among the first arrivals here and that they plied their trade over long periods.

James Kettle (or Kettell) (1764-1712) was among the group of seventeenth-century potters in Massachusetts, where he worked in Beverly and Danvers from about 1685-1710. Although, Beverly and Danvers were both originally parts of Salem, Massachusetts and the boundary line between them was twice changed. After a church had been built in the section now known as Danvers, the parish was called Salem Village to distinguish it from Salem proper. In that parish James Kettel and several other potters lived.

James Kettle was the son of John of Manchester and Gloucester (Massachusetts), for whom Kettle Cove was named. John was perhaps the brother of William Kettell (or Kettle), the founder of the Charlestown family of that name. This theory is strengthened by the fact that James spent his last years in Charlestown. He also may have apprenticed in Charlestown under Samuel Kettell (1642-1694) from about 1678-1685."

There are two red earthenware rim sherds that are known today that may ultimately link James Kettle to Charlestown, which could prove that James Kettle was in-fact, a Charlestown trained potter. This is not a large body of evidence, but I truly believe that it is more than a coincidence that these two artifacts are decorated in such a similar manner. Although the decoration is different, but the amount of slip-decoration and its placement is what is very similar.

These objects are both decorated in slip over a black glaze, which is a similar color-pattern when compared to some of the earthenware that was produced in England during the period. The sherds also appear to be rim sherds that broke off of a pan, which Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares) indicates was a popular form in the seventeenth-century.

"(Red) earthenware is mentioned in Essex County, Massachusetts, probate inventories as early as 1644. (Red) earthenware pans were owned by Francis Lightfoot of Lynn (1646), by Emma Mason of Salem (1647) and milk pans were also noted in the inventory of John Hardy in Salem (1652)."

The first rim sherd (see below) was discovered in an early-eighteenth-century context in Charlestown, Massachusetts. It is believed to have been made in that potter's industry during the period.

Watkins described the second rim sherd in an article that she wrote for 'The Magazine Antiques' in 1957, which was titled, 'New England Pottery in the Smithsonian,' "The rather neat and careful style of early slip decoration, on this sherd is from the side wall of a fifteen inch pan (called a "platter"). It was excavated at the site of the pottery of James Kettle in Danvers"

Note: Interestingly, I have found that there is a crossover that occurred in styles of slip-decoration that were applied at the potter's industry in Charlestown, Massachusetts in the eighteenth-century, which are also found in other industries in Massachusetts. I think in some cases it is a coincidence, but in others it is not. For example, the Daniel Bailey Pottery Company (circa 1764-1799) in Newburyport, Massachusetts created styles of slip-decoration that are comparable to what was done in Charlestown. But I do not believe there is any connection.

I have also shown a picture of a slip-decorated mug (Figure 28, Early New England Pottters and Their Wares) that Lura Woodside Watkins says may have been made in southeastern Massachusetts, circa 1750. Although, the style of slip on this mug is also comparable to what was done in Charlestown during this same period.

Sherd Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.

Early-18th Century Red Earthenware Sherd Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.

This is Also Attributed to the Potter's Industry in Charlestown

The Rim Appears Like it May Have Come from Some Type of Pan

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

Sherd Recovered in Danvers, Mass.

Late-17th or Early-18th Century Red Earthenware Sherd Recovered in Danvers, Mass.

Recovered at the Site of James Kettle's Pottery, Circa 1685-1710

This Sherd is the Remains of a Pan

Lura Woodside Watkins Collection

Photo Courtesy: The National Museum of American History, The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.

A Circa 1750 Red Earthenware Mug

 (Left) 18th Century Century Mug Likely Made in Coastal Massachusetts

The Style of the Slip is Comparable to What was Produced in Charlestown, Mass.

Stands Approximately 6" Tall

Circa 1750

Lura Woodside Watkins Collection

Photo Courtesy: The National Museum of American History, The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.

(Left) View of the Handle

Photo Courtesy: The National Museum of American History, The Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

Red Earthenware From Nova Scotia that was Recently Found on the Property of the Old North Church in Boston

I thought this would be a topic of interest to share since Canadian-made red earthenware or stoneware is not commonly found in American archaeological contexts today. Whereas, whole examples of Canadian-made pottery is often found in various locations, such as Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, upstate New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. However, it is rare to find evidence that supports the idea that these types of wares were actually used in American homes in the nineteenth century. The whole examples could have migrated south at any point in the twentieth century - and, thus why it is so fascinating when archaeology uncovers proof for when Canadian pottery was actually used in America in the 1800s.

The following sherds were recently discovered within a nineteenth century archaeological context on property that is owned by the Old North Church in Boston today. They were uncovered on part of the church's property, where a tenement house once stood in the 1800s.

These sherds are what is left of what I believe to be a double-handled crock with a slip-decorated interior, which was likely made in Nova Scotia in the late-1800s. This type of pottery is also commonly called "Maritime-ware" today. An easy way to identify this type of pottery is the dark-colored clay and the slip-glazed interior; although, similar decoration is also found on wares that were made on Prince Edward Island in Canada in the late-nineteenth century. The general "Martime-Ware" attribution covers the entire area of coastal eastern Canada.

It is unclear if these sherds are from a person, who migrated from Canada to Boston in the 1800s; however, it is also possible that a shipment of red earthenware may have been sent to Boston from Nova Scotia during this period, as well. This would have been a period when the production of red earthenware had declined in coastal Massachusetts in comparison to how much production took place in the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century.

Note: Additional sherds from this object were also uncovered in the same archaeological context at the Old North Church, which included a sherd that still retained one of the crock's handles. I have also included a picture of how this object may have originally appeared; although, the exterior glaze is a little different.

Sherds Recovered at the Old North Church in Boston

 Late-19th Century Red Earthenware Sherds Likely Made in Nova Scotia

These Type of Wares are Commonly Called "Martime-Ware"

Maritime-Ware is Commonly Slip-Glazed on the Interior

Uncovered at the Old North Church in Boston

Circa 1870-1900

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

View of the Slip-Decorated Interior on the Sherds

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

Red Earthenware Pot from Nova Scotia

Late-19th Century Red Earthenware Pot Attributed to Nova Scotia

Recently Saw in a Shop in Southern Maine

These Type of Wares are Commonly Called "Martime-Ware"

Maritime-Ware is Commonly Slip-Glazed on the Interior

Circa 1870-1900

Stands Approximately 10" Tall

 Photo Courtesy: Antiques USA - Arundel, ME

 View of One Handle

 Photo Courtesy: Antiques USA - Arundel, ME

 View of the Other Handle

 Photo Courtesy: Antiques USA - Arundel, ME

View of the Slip-Glazed Interior

 Photo Courtesy: Antiques USA - Arundel, ME

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