Hawkins-Davison Houses, Frederica, St. Simons Island, GeorgiaCate, Margaret Davis
History
Hawkins-Davison Houses, Frederica, St. Simons Island, Georgia
Cate, Margaret Davis
Dwellings -- Georgia -- Saint Simons Island; Fort Frederica National Monument (Ga.); Saint Simons Island (Ga. : Island) -- History
Ceramics are usually of great interest to the archaeologist because they
reflect so clearly the changing styles and technology of the times. A
wide variety of pottery and porcelain was found, surprisingly varied, as
the excavations in the regimental barracks had led us to expect a rather
limited variety. The great majority were simple earthenwares with
various lead glazes. These were made in England and used for kitchen and
domestic purposes. They range from large bowls to small oven casseroles.
A few sherds of Spanish olive jars were found, evidently loot from
Oglethorpe’s expeditions against Spanish Florida.
There was a large group of soft-paste ceramics with yellow and brown
glazes that are the forerunners of the famous Staffordshire potteries.
The design is a random trailing of brown lines on a yellow ground. They
were apparently more kitchen than table wares. Especially common around
the Davison house were pieces of English salt glazed stoneware mugs.
White, grey, and brown examples were found. All are tall mugs with large
handles on the side. They were apparently the common ale or porter mug
of the Davison tavern. Red and tan wares of the Nottingham type were in
a minority.
The chief table ware in both the Hawkins and Davison houses was the blue
on white soft-paste ware called variously English Delft or English
Faience. It is decorated with tin enamels on a soft body, generally in
blue on white; although green, red, and brown do occur. The designs
mostly copy Chinese porcelains and quite a variety is known. From the
Hawkins house and wells we have a number of small white English Delft
jars that are evidently medicinal ointment containers. All the fragments
found here seem to have been made in England, presumably in Lambeth or
Bristol. It is clearly the common table ware of the better sort for the
early 18th Century.
A relatively large number of porcelain sherds were found, especially in
and near the Hawkins house. At first it was assumed that this was
Chinese export porcelain. Expert identification indicates that the bulk
of this porcelain is Japanese Imara ware. It was somewhat surprising as
little trade with Japan might be expected in the first half of the 18th
Century. Occasional pieces of Japanese porcelain had been noted from
Spanish sites in Florida but such a large collection had not previously
been located. The bulk of the porcelain is blue and white in floral
designs. Sometimes green, pink, and gilt were added over-glaze to form
very attractive decorations on handleless cups and shallow saucers.
Several pieces of Chinese porcelain are included in the group. All this
is another illustration of the rather luxurious life of some of the
colonists. True porcelain then, as now, was expensive, especially so as
it was not made to any extent in Europe at the time and the pieces had
to be brought from China or Japan.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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