A lunchtime lark!

Since I got my current job at a location very close to the foreshore, I imagined I would be able to lark on the daily. However, since my break is only either 30/40 mins, by the time I get there, usually there is just not enough time. But yesterday, I had the urge to lark so bad, that I just had to make it possible. And I did! However only for 10 minutes.

Mudlarking finds: Possibly Medieval, Tudor and Stuart pottery

None of it is particularly amazing, but I did get one nice piece of Surrey/ Hampshire borderware that I like. I love the yellow glaze with a subtle hint of green.

Mudlarking find: Surrey/Hampshire borderware

Mudlarking find diagram: a rough guide to the circumference of the complete vessel

I think I will use the technique of trying to recreate the vessel shape from now on. Its so interesting to think of the size and shape of the complete items. Sometimes I try to picture how much space all of the finds would take up if they were all whole. I'm pretty sure that they would not all fit inside the flat! Some of the shards are huge!

   My guess for this shard is that it would have been a chamber-pot based on the rim shape and circumference. Below is an example of how it may have once looked:

Surrrey Hampshire border ware chamber-pot, 1551-1700- Museum of London

Midlands Purple ware- Mid 14th to 16th century

Ok so this has been on my hitlist ever since I found out it existed: Midlands Purple. I love it. It's plain and utilitarian, but it was made right near my hometown so I was desperate to find a shard for myself.

Mudlarking find: Midlands Purple shard

Mudlarking find: Inside view of large Midlands Purple shard

Mudlarking find: Outside view of large Midlands Purple shard

Mudlarking find: detail of inclusions in Midlands Purple shard

Mudlarking find: detail of inclusions in Midlands Purple shard

Mudlarking find: I know this one is a little blurry, but it gives a nice indication of how the rim was designed so that it could be more easily lifted

Mudlarking find: Another Midlands Purple shard with trace of luscious green glaze

  In the Fourteenth and Fifteenth centuries technological advances meant pottery became increasingly higher fired. Also because of new cooking methods, the types of vessels produced changed, there was a new demand for pipkins, cups and lids, dripping dishes, and cisterns.

  This Midlands Purple ware was produced in Chilvers Coton and Ticknall in Derbyshire. The ware has a characteristic purple hew, but also the colours can vary with tinges of grey, red, orange, brown and salmon pink.

  The wares have a pimply texture which is created by the quartz sand in the clay, and could be unglazed or be dripped with black, brown and yellow-brown glazes. The workmanship is generally quite poor, and there is seldom any signs of decoration, but its still lovely in its own purpley way.

Group of Midlands Purple Ware items. 

Bottom Image: University of Leicester

Battle of Culloden clay pipe

Mudlarking find: clay pipe bowl commemorating the battle of Culloden

   









    I was thrilled to find this little fellow. It's really exciting finding something that shows a figure. It really makes me wonder about their story, buried in the river for centuries. With this piece, I have (with the help of a D. Higgins, thank you!) been able to identify the find, and somewhat unravel its secrets. The figure is William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland celebrating his victory at the Battle of Culloden.

Here is D. Higgins description of how the full pipe would have looked:

“The bowl depicts a standing English figure (Cumberland) with upheld sword and scroll on the left hand side and ‘I.VICTORY.GAIND’ above and a Scotsman in traditional dress with round shield and downturned sword on the right hand side, with ‘I.BUT.DISTURB’ above. There is a Royal Standard on the seam facing the smoker and vine scroll type leaves away from the smoker’.

I feel very grateful to have been given this information, and can only imagine how impressive the complete pipe would have once looked. 

Left: William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, commander of  UK Government army. Right: Charles Edward Stuart, leader of Jacobite army.

 The pipe I found was made to mark the victory at Culloden, which was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite rising- the last major battle fought on British soil. The battle took place on 16 April 1746, when the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart fought loyalist troops known as ‘redcoats’ commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland near Inverness. The Jacobites were decisively defeated and Charles Stuart never again mounted any further attempts to challenge Hanoverian power in Great Britain.

  Charles Stuart’s, (affectionately known as ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’s’) Jacobite army mainly consisted of Catholics, whilst the British Governments Hanoverian loyalist forces were mostly Protestants. The battle was quick and bloody, finishing in less than one hour. Around 1200-1500 Jacobites were killed or wounded, compared to only around 300 UK Government soldiers.

Left: Example of UK Government army soldiers uniform. Right: Example of the Highland units Jacobite soldier uniform. 

 The prince himself had invaded Britain to put his own father back on the throne of Great Britain and the army had worked their way south to London. However, by the time they had reached Derby it became very apparent that they weren’t going to get the support they expected. And so, they began their march north again, hoping to fight the British governments’ armies back on their own soil in Scotland. 
   By the time they had arrived back in Culloden in the morning of the 15^th April, they stood there waiting for the opposition to approach Inverness. Unbeknown to the Jacobites, that morning was the Duke of Cumberland’s 25^th birthday, and he had no intention of fighting a battle. He remained in his camp at Nairn and issued brandy and cheese to his men to celebrate. So it wasn’t until the morning of the 16^th April after the Jacobites had made an aborted night march against the government camp that the battle itself began, and Charles's dreams of victory evaporated.

   Ignoring the advice of his best commander, Lord George Murray, Charles chose to fight on flat, open, marshy ground where his forces would be exposed to superior government firepower. Charles commanded his army from a position behind his lines, where he could not see what was happening. Hoping Cumberland's army would attack first, he had his men stand exposed to Hanoverian artillery. Seeing the error in this, he quickly ordered an attack, but the messenger was killed before the order could be delivered. The Jacobite attack, charging into the teeth of musket fire and grapeshot fired from the cannons, was uncoordinated and met with little success.

   The Jacobites broke through the bayonets of the redcoats in one place, but they were shot down by a second line of soldiers, and the survivors fled. Murray managed to lead a group of Jacobites to Ruthven, intending to continue the fight. However Charles, believing himself betrayed, had decided to abandon the Jacobite cause.

   At a time when the etiquette of warfare was considered very important, Cumberland was able to dispense with it by labelling the Highlanders inhuman savages. The brutish way in which Cumberland went about dismantling Highland culture by disarming the clans, banning the wearing of Highland dress, suppressing certain surnames and the use of the Gaelic language amounted to an early example of ethnic cleansing. Cumberland set about destroying the social nexus of the clan that was at the heart of Highland society. After the battle, as a result of his ruthless treatment of the rebels William Augustus was known as the ‘Butcher’.

   After Culloden, Cumberland emerged a powerful and opinion dividing character. He was despised by the Highlanders and remains perhaps the most villainised historical figure of his age, yet idolised in England and the Lowlands.  

Due to his unpopularity in the Highlands, Cumberland was frequently satirized.

    As for Charles's, his subsequent flight has become the stuff of legend and is commemorated in the popular folk song The Skye Boat Song and also the old Irish song Mo Ghile Mear.

   Hiding in the moors of Scotland, he traveled about, always barely ahead of the government forces. Though many Highlanders saw Charles, and indeed aided him, none of them betrayed him for the £30,000 reward offered. Assisted by supporters such as the pilot Donald Macleod of Galtrigill, Captain Felix O'Neill of the O'Neills of the Fews dynasty and Flora MacDonald, who helped him escape pursuers on the Isle of Skye by taking him in a small boat disguised as her Irish maid, "Betty Burke,” he evaded capture and left the country aboard the French frigate L'Heureux, arriving back in France in September.

Left: Flora Macdonald. Right: Charles Edward Stuart dressed as Betty Burke.

   The Prince's Cairn marks the traditional spot on the shores of Loch nan Uamh in Lochaber from which he made his final departure from Scotland. With the Jacobite cause now lost, Stuart would spend the remainder of his life — with one brief secret visit to London — in exile.

The 'Princes Cairn' today

Images: National portrait gallery, wikipedia, 1745association, clanmacfarlanegeneology.

Real Gorgona Anchovy paste, and the history of the humble sandwich

When I first found this shard, I thought it was part of an old toothpaste lid because of the similar style and appearance, but actually it's from a pot of anchovy paste.

Mudlarking find: Anchovy paste lid shard

Mudlarking find: Shard overlapping the complete lid design

I inserted the picture of the shard onto the complete lid and it fits perfectly. I love the how it says 'so highly approved of for toast sandwiches'. 

John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich by Thomas Gainsborough , c1783

The sandwich which has become a British icon and a lunchtime staple, is considered to be the namesake of John Montagu, 4^th Earl of Sandwich because of the claim that he was the inventor of the food combination. John Montagu was a keen gambler and the story goes that in 1726 during a 24 hour gambling binge he instructed the cook to prepare his food in such a way that it would not interfere with his game. The cook presented him with sliced meat between two pieces of toast- perfect! This meal required no utensils and could be eaten with one hand, leaving the other free to continue the game. Others began to order ‘the same as Sandwich’ and thus the ‘Sandwich’ was born.

The Sandwich began its life as a popular food that men shared whilst gaming and drinking at night, and slowly began filtering into polite society as a late night meal. The popularity of the sandwich gained momentum during the 19^th century, when the rise of industrial society and the working classed made fast, portable, and inexpensive meals essential.

I found a couple of recipes for Anchovy Sandwiches:

[1869:Paris]
"Anchovy canapes.
Cut some slices of crumb of bread, 1/4 inch thick; cut these in pieces 2 1/2 inches long, 1 1/2 inch wide; and fry them in clarified butter, till a nice golden colour; When cold, spread the pieces with Anchovy Butter; Steep some anchovies in cold water; drain, open, and trim them; Place 4 fillets of anchovies, lengthwise, on each piece of bread, leaving three small spaces between the fillets; fill the first space with chopped hard-boiled white of egg; fill the middle space with chopped parsley, and the third with chopped hard-boiled yolk of egg; Dress the canapes in a flat china boat, or small dish, generally used for all these cold Hors d'oeuvre."
---The Royal Cookery Book, Jules Gouffe, translated and adapted for English use by Alphonse Gouffe [Sampson Low, Son & Marston:London] 1869 (p. 409)

[1874:London]
"234. --Anchovy toast.
Ingredients: Toast 2 or 3 slices of bread, or, if wanted very savoury, fry them in clarified butter, and spread on them the paste, No. 233. Made mustard, or a few grains of cayenne, may be added to the paste before laying on the toast."
---Mrs. Beeton's Cook Book, Isabella Beeton

The first instalment of of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management was published in 1861. It sold over 60,000 copies in its first year of publication and nearly two million by 1868. I actually own a Victorian copy myself.

Call me romantic, but I really love the idea that this lid may have once graced a Victorian picnic.

Happy new year!

I would like to wish you a happy new year, and may 2016 be the year we all find gold, (or cool bits of pottery... either works.) I have already managed to sneak in the first lark of the year, and I have to say one item is particularly exciting! Stay tuned for plenty more articles, and snippets of history.