An Artifact of an Elite Merchant: Analyzing the Wentworth Chamber Pot

During my recent talk at Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, an eighteenth century slip decorated red earthenware chamber pot drew significant attention. This American-made piece—crafted either locally or by a Massachusetts potter—was previously featured in a temporary exhibition at the Portsmouth Historical Society fifteen years ago. Its history traces back to property once owned by Colonel Joshua Wentworth (1740-1809), where archaeologists originally recovered the artifact from a privy.

Here is a brief history of the site: Colonel Joshua Wentworth was a wealthy merchant and a soldier during the Revolutionary War. Around 1770, he built a large mansion on Hanover Street in Portsmouth. In 1973, the city wanted to tear the house down to build new buildings. To save the house, a local businessman put the entire 190-ton home onto a flat boat and floated it down the river to a new neighborhood. However, when the house was moved, its old backyard and underground spaces were left behind.

In 2011, builders started working on a massive new apartment and shopping complex where the house used to stand. Before they could build, an archaeologist named Dr. Kathleen Wheeler searched the dirt. She discovered Colonel Wentworth's old privy, which is a historic outdoor toilet. In the 1700s, people used their outdoor toilets as trash cans. Because everything was buried for over 200 years, the privy acted like a time capsule. It was filled with valuable broken dishes, old food seeds, and animal bones that showed how people of this class-status ate back then. The most amazing discovery was an intact glass wine bottle from 1773 that actually had Wentworth's name stamped right onto it.

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Nonetheless, for those interested - these are some of my upcoming talks: 

1) June 26th with Gene Pratt - LeRoy, New York Historical Society

2) This Summer (Date TBA) - Merrimac, Mass. Historical Society

3) September 23rd - Bidwell House in the Berkshires

4) This Fall (Date TBA) - Golden Ball Tavern Museum in Weston, Mass.

5) This Fall with Boston Archaeologist Joe Bagley (Date TBA) - Charlestown, Mass. Historical Society

18th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Chamber Pot

Recovered from the Col. Joshua Wentworth Privy in Portsmouth, N.H.

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