Sherds owned by C. H. Brannam, Ltd., and excavated at the site of the
Litchdon Street pottery in Barnstaple.--The largest of these is part of a
deep dish (fig. 2). Its border design seems to be a degenerate form of a
beetle-like device found on Portuguese majolica of the period. From a
crude oval with a stippled line running the length of it, extends a spiral
scroll, terminating in a heavy dot, reminiscent of the tendrils found on
the Portuguese examples. From incised lines near the rim and on the edge
of the bezel are small linear "hooks." The interior has sunflower petals
flanking a short, stylized palmette, with another stalk and pair of leaves
above, reaching up to what may have been an elaborate floral center, now
missing. This decoration resembles closely the interiors of the
floral-type plates and chargers found at Jamestown. A section of plate rim
is similar to typical rims found in American sites. The surface color is
the butter yellow found on the best Jamestown pieces. Paste color also
matches.
Sherds from the North Walk pottery in Barnstaple, described by
Charbonnier.--These were found near the site, on the banks of the Yeo and
in a pasture. They include plates and dishes, some finished and others
thrown out in the biscuit state. Charbonnier illustrates a plate with a
zig-zag or chevron border and an incised bird in the center. The chevron
appears on Jamestown specimens but the bird does not.
Harvest jugs.--18th-century North Devon harvest jugs examined by the
writer display the same characteristics of paste, slip, and glaze as the
Jamestown sherds. However, the jugs differ stylistically to a marked
degree, suggesting that later potters were not affected by the influences
that appear in the earlier work (fig. 16). The earliest harvest jug of
which we are aware is a hitherto unrecorded example, dated 1698, that is
in the collection of Charles G. Dorman. This is the only harvest jug yet
encountered with a history of use in America and the only North Devon
sgraffito piece known to have survived above ground on this continent. It
is a remarkably vigorous pot, having a great rotund body, a high flaring
collar, and a lengthy inscription (see fig. 17). A female figure under a
wreath of pomegranates forms the central motif. The head is turned in left
profile, with hair cascading to the shoulders. The bust is highly stylized
in an oval shape, within which are intersecting curved lines forming areas
decorated with diagonal incising or with rows of short dashes. The
design here is strongly reminiscent of the geometrical decoration on
Jamestown plates and deep dishes. A pair of unicorns flanks the central
figure, and behind each unicorn are a dove and swan, at left and right
respectively. Under these are sunflowers and tulips, while a tulip stands
above rows of leaves on a stem below the handle. Feather-like leaves flank
the lower attachment of the handle. At the junction of the shoulder and
collar is a narrow band of incised tulips. Above this is a heavy ridge
from which springs the flaring collar. Under the spout is a male head,
wearing a wig which is depicted in the same manner as the pomegranates on
the wreath, and a stylized hat and stock-like collar. One suspects that
the man is a clergyman, although his eyes are cast down in a most worldly
manner upon the lady below. He is flanked by a pair of doves; behind each
dove is a vertical tulip with stem and leaves.
[Illustration: FIGURE 25.--Gravel-tempered food-storage jar from Townsend
site, Lewes, Delaware. Height, 12 inches; diameter at base, 9 inches.
(_USNM 60.1188; Smithsonian photo 38821._)]
[Illustration: FIGURE 26.--Gravel-tempered sherds from Plymouth,
Massachusetts: fragment of oven (left) and rim sherd (upper right), from
John Howland house site; and pan-rim sherd from "R. M." site. Plimoth
Plantation, Inc., Plymouth. (_Smithsonian photo 45008-B._)]
Some of the shading is applied with a four-pointed tool, as in many of the
Jamestown pieces, although the tool was smaller. The handle bears the same
characteristics as those on jugs found at Jamestown--the same carelessly
formed ridge, the same spreading, up-thrust reinforcement at the base of
the handle. Unlike the Jamestown jugs, this one is covered completely on
the exterior with slip and glaze. However, since this was a presentation
piece, we could expect more careful treatment than was usual on pots made
for commercial sale.
The jug descended in a Sussex County, Delaware, family--on the distaff
side, curiously. Family recollection traces its ownership back to the
early 19th century, with an unsubstantiated legend that it was used by
British soldiers during the Revolutionary War. We may conclude at least
that the jug is not a recent import and surmise that it was probably
brought to America as an heirloom by an emigrating Devon family, perhaps
before the Revolution. Sussex County has a stable population, mostly of
old-stock English descent. It was settled during the second half of the
17th and first half of the 18th centuries. There is a strong possibility,
therefore, that the jug was introduced into Delaware at a comparatively
early date.
Many other harvest jugs have been similarly cherished in England. An
almost exact counterpart of the Delaware jug, and obviously by the same
potter, is in the Glaisher collection in Cambridge. This jug, dated
"1703/4,"[69] displays such variations as absence of the male head and a
different inscription. Another jug, with a hunting scene but with a
similar neck and collar treatment, seems again to be by the same hand;
it is dated "1703."[70]
[Illustration: FIGURE 27.--Gravel-tempered sherds from Angelica Knoll
site, Calvert County, Maryland. United States National Museum.
(_Smithsonian photo 45008-A._)]
From the standpoint of identifying and dating the archeologically
recovered sgraffito ware, these jugs are important in showing certain
traits similar to those found in the sherds, while displaying other
characteristics that are distinctly different. They support the
archeological evidence that the Jamestown pieces are earlier than the jugs
and that new design concepts were appearing by the turn of the century in
a novel type of presentation piece.