Sherds from black-glazed utilitarian wares attributed to Buckley have been recovered in numerous eighteenth-century archaeological contexts in America, such as Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Salem, Massachusetts, Charlestown, Massachusetts, Boston and New York City.
For example, various black-glazed sherds attributed to Buckley were recently uncovered by archaeologists at Faneuil Hall in Boston that predate 1742. Faneuil Hall was Boston's major import and export location before the American Revolution - the fact that sherds from red earthenware products made in Buckley were recovered at this location suggest that these type of products were imported from England in the eighteenth-century. It should not be surprising, either that eighteenth and nineteenth-century Buckley-made products are found in a variety of American contexts today. These objects are sometimes attributed to certain American potters.
For example, various black-glazed sherds attributed to Buckley were recently uncovered by archaeologists at Faneuil Hall in Boston that predate 1742. Faneuil Hall was Boston's major import and export location before the American Revolution - the fact that sherds from red earthenware products made in Buckley were recovered at this location suggest that these type of products were imported from England in the eighteenth-century. It should not be surprising, either that eighteenth and nineteenth-century Buckley-made products are found in a variety of American contexts today. These objects are sometimes attributed to certain American potters.
According to Prifysgol Aberystwyth Univeristy in England; "The area around Buckley has been associated with the production of pottery from the medieval period up to the closure of the last pottery in 1946. The most productive time was from the late-seventeenth-century through the late-eighteenth-century although there was still an extensive market for Buckley slipware in the nineteenth-century. Characteristics of Buckley ware are all kinds of large (hand) thrown storage vessels for household and dairy use along with press moulded baking dishes with bold slip decoration. Towards the end of the nineteenth-century with the decline in the market for brown household pottery the potters diversified and produced more small decorative pieces."
Despite comparable characteristics, I am not, yet certain that the pot owned by Old Sturbridge Village is an English product. Although, the glaze-style and clay color does correspond with black-glazed wares made in Buckley in the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries.
Yesterday, when I was reviewing Winterthur's red earthenware collection kept in Wilmington, Delaware, when I realized that the museum owned a similar object. The only difference was the size of their pot, which also exhibited less tooling around the base. However, the lack of tooling around the base may have also been the result of the smaller pot, as well. Otherwise, the two pots are basically mirror images of each other in form and glaze.
According to Winterthur, "The pot was made in Nova Scotia, Canada during the 1850-1870 period." I have asked knowledgeable people in Canada, whether Winterthur's attribution is correct, and the feeling is that Winterthur's pot does not completely comply with what is perceived as traditional Nova Scotia-made red earthenware today. However, they also said that there are always exceptions to the rule. Nonetheless, the Nova Scotia's potter's industry was influenced by English-made red earthenware in the nineteenth-century.
Personally, I still feel there is a solid argument that can be made for a Buckley, England attribution for both of these objects. There is just something about the pot owned by Old Sturbridge Village that suggests (to me) that it was manufactured in the eighteenth-century.
Old Sturbridge Village Black-Glazed Pot
Personally, I still feel there is a solid argument that can be made for a Buckley, England attribution for both of these objects. There is just something about the pot owned by Old Sturbridge Village that suggests (to me) that it was manufactured in the eighteenth-century.
Old Sturbridge Village Black-Glazed Pot
18th or 19th Century Black-Glazed Red Earthenware Pot
Possibly Made in Buckley, England or Nova Scotia
Stands Approximately 12" Tall
Possibly Made in Buckley, England or Nova Scotia
Stands Approximately 12" Tall
Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village - Sturbridge, Mass.
View of the Handle
Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village - Sturbridge, Mass.
Winterthur Black-Glazed Pot
19th Century Black-Glazed Red Earthenware Pot
Purportedly Made in Nova Scotia
Circa 1850-1870
Stands 7 5/8" Tall
Photo Courtesy: Winterthur - Wilmington, DE
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