Goblets, Talboys and Such Other Bacchic Artillery.''''

Durham E-Theses Tudor and early Stuart vessel glass: an archaeological study of forms and patterns of consumption in England, 1500 to 1640 Willmott, Hugh Benedict How to cite: Willmott, Hugh Benedict (1999) Tudor and early Stuart vessel glass: an archaeological study of forms and patterns of consumption in England, 1500 to 1640, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/4291/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Tudor and Early Stuart Vessel Glass; an archaeological study of forms and patterns of consumption in England, 1500 to 1640. Hugh Benedict Willmott The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should he published in any form, including Electronic and the Internet, without the author's prior written consent. All information derived from this thesis must be acknowledged appropriately. Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Archaeology University of Durham December 1999 1 9 JUN 2001 Statement of Copyright The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. © Hugh Willmott 1999. All Rights Reserved. Abstract Tudor and Early Stuart Vessel Glass; an archaeological study of forms and patterns of consumption in England, 1500 to 1640. Hugh Benedict Willmott Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Archaeology University of Durham December 1999 The aims of this thesis are twofold. The first is concerned with the establishment of a typology for vessel glass in England between 1500 and 1640. There has been no morphological classification for glass of this period and one is constructed in this thesis from museum collections, published and unpublished material derived from archaeological excavations. The second aim of this thesis is to explore the way that glass vessels were used in Tudor and early Stuart society. The rise of consumerism and role of consumption in early modern Europe has been explored by a number of scholars, but there has been little attempt to link these ideas with excavated material culture. To achieve these aims twelve groups of glass from a variety of well contexted sites have been examined. The glass from these, in conjunction with seventy-four published excavation reports, forms the basis for the vessel classification. Although classified primarily by their form the typology considers questions concerning the manufacturing provenance and the decorative techniques used on the vessels. Likewise the twelve study sites are used as the basis for a more contextualised material culture study. Differences between assemblages from urban and elite sites are considered, as are their relative forms of disposal. Further questions concerning the role of glass during dining and the importance of vessel decoration as a means of conveying social messages are addressed. Finally contrasting patterns of repair and conspicuous consumption are considered. Whilst providing a framework for future research into the glass used in Tudor and early Stuart England, this thesis advocates a new methodological approach for material culture studies. It has demonstrated that through a more contextualised study of artefacts, a greater understanding of material culture use can be achieved. iii "on one side was to be seen a long train of flagons, leathern bottles, flasks, cans, glass bottles, barrels, nipperkins, pint pots, quart pots, pottles, gallons and old fashioned semaises (swindging wooden pots such as those out of which the Germans fill their glasses)...on another were a hundred sorts of drinking glasses, cups, cisterns, ewers, false cups, tumblers, bowls, mazers, mugs, jugs, goblets, talboys and such other Bacchic artillery.'''' Rabelais Pantagruel 1532. iv Contents Page List of Figures ix Acknowledgements xii Chapter 1 Introduction and Present State of Studies 1.1 The Aims of This Thesis 1 1.2 The Development of Glass Studies 2 1.2.1 The Nature of Glass 2 1.2.2 Previous Studies of English Glass 3 1.3 Glass Production in The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries 5 1.3.1 The Documentary Industry 5 1.3.2 The Excavation of Glass Production Sites 8 1.4 Post-Medieval Archaeology in England 11 1.5 The Development of Consumption Studies 11 1.6 Summary 13 Chapter 2 Contemporary Accounts of Dining and Glass 2.1 Introduction 14 2.2 The Progress of the Meal 15 2.3 The Historical Presence of Glass 20 2.4 Contemporary Attitudes to Glass 26 2.5 Summary 29 Chapter 3 The Background to the Typological Construction 3.1 The Development of the Concept of Typological Classification 30 3.1.1 Statistical Classification 30 3.1.2 Contextualised Typology 31 3.2 The Methodological Basis for The Classification 33 3.2.1 The Purpose of the Classification 33 3.2.2 Variations in Metal 33 2.3.3 Division into Type, Group and Subgroup 34 3.3 The Type Variations 35 3.3.1 Beakers 35 3.3.2 Tankards 36 3.3.3 Goblets 36 3.3.4 Jugs 37 3.3.5 Flasks 37 3.3.6 Bowls and Dishes 3 8 3.3.7 Jars 38 3.3.8 Chemical and Medicinal 38 3.4 Discussion of Decorative Techniques Described in the Classification 39 3.4.1 Formative Techn iques 3 9 3.4.2 Late Stage Techniques 41 3.4.3 Cold Working Techniques 42 v Chapter 4 A Typology of Glass Vessels 1500-1640 4.1 Beakers 44 4.1.1 Cylindrical Beakers 44 4.1.2 Barrel Beakers 48 4.1.3 Squat Beakers 49 4.1.4 Pedestal Beakers 5 0 4.1.5 Pedestal Fluted Beakers 53 4.1.6 Roemers 54 4.2 Tankards 55 4.2.1 Cylindrical Tankards 55 4.2.2 Bellied Tankards 55 4.3 Goblets 57 4.3.1 Knopped Stem Goblets 57 4.3.2 Mould-Blown Stem Goblets 60 4.3.3 Compound Stem Goblets 61 4.3.4 Pedestal Stem Goblets, single parison 62 4.3.5 Applied Pedestal Goblets 63 4.3.6 Rod Stem Goblets 64 4.3.7 Cage Stem Goblets 64 4.3.8 Goblet Lids 64 4.4 Jugs 66 4.4.1 Pedestal Jugs 66 4.4.2 Globular Jugs 66 4.5 Flasks 67 4.5.1 Globular Flasks 67 4.5.2 Oval Flasks 68 4.5.3 Pedestal Flasks 68 4.5.4 Conical Flasks 69 4.5.5 Case Bottles 69 4.6 Bowls & Dishes 71 4.6.1 Pedestal Bowls 71 4.6.2 Hemispherical Bowls 71 4.6.3 Dishes 72 4.7 Jars 73 4.7.1 Albarello Jars 73 4.7.2 Globular Jars 73 4.8 Chemical & Medicinal 75 4.8.1 Distilling 75 4.8.2 Urinals 75 4.8.3 Lamps 75 Chapter 5 Glass Vessels from Urban Contexts 5.1 Introduction 76 5.2 Urban Archaeology in England 76 5.3 Gracechurch Street, London 78 5.4 Abacus House, London 82 5.5 Chester 84 5.5.1 Crook Street 84 5.5.2 Hunter Street 85 5.6 Bagshot 87 5.7 Poole 89 vi 5.8 Glass from Urban Contexts; Summary 91 5.8.1 Chronological Trends in the Material 91 5.8.2 Inns and Household 92 5.8.3 The Context of the Deposits 93 5.8.4 The Use of Glass in the Urban Setting 94 5.8.5 Conclusions 96 Chapter 6 Glass Vessels from Palaces, Castles and Manors 6.1 Introduction 97 6.2 The Archaeology of the Elite 97 6.3 Camber Castle 99 6.4 Acton Court 102 6.5 Nonsuch Palace 105 6.6 Norton Priory 108 6.7 Eccleshall Castle 110 6.8 Wood Hall 113 6.9 Glass from Elite Contexts; Summary 116 6.9.1 Chronological trends in the Material 116 6.9.2 The Context of the Deposits 117 6.9.3 The Use of Glass in the Elite Setting 118 6.9.4 Conclusions 119 Chapter 7 Dining, Taste and the Consumption of Glass 7.1 Introduction 121 7.2 Dining and the Consumption of Culture 121 7.2.1 The Complexities of Dining 122 7.2.2 Manners and Meanings 123 7.2.3 Material Culture and the Expression of Taste 124 7.3 Emulation and Innovation 128 7.3.1 Echoes of the Traditional 128 7.3.2 New Perspectives in Style 130 7.3.3 Conservatism and the Novelty of Taste 132 7.4 The Exclusivity of Design 134 7.4.1 Mould-Blown Stems 134 7.4.2 Engraved Vessels 141 7.4.3 Decorative Metaphors and the Puritan Ethic 148 7.5 To Shards at the Last? An Archaeology of Repair 150 7.6 Conspicuous Consumption and the Discard of Material Culture 156 7.6.1 The Patterned Discard of Glass 156 7.6.2 Consuming Theories 157 7.6.3 The Use of Glass as an Expression of Conspicuous 158 Consumption 7.7 Summary 160 Chapter 8 Conclusions 8.1 A Typology for Vessel Glass in England 161 8.2 Glass from the Study Sites 162 8.3 The Style and Use of Glass 163 8.4 Limitations of the Thesis 166 8.5 Directions for Further Research 166 Bibliography 168 Glossary 197 vii Illustrations Appendix 1 Catalogues of Glass from the Study Sites Appendix 2 Mould-Blown Stem Descriptions Appendix 3 Gazetteer of Sites with Published Groups of Glass Illustrations Figure Page 1.1 Location of Sites Mentioned in the Text 205 1.2 Number of Published Glass Reports 206 2.1 Henry VIII Inventory 207 2.2 Sir William More's Inventory 208 2.3 Kenilworth Castle Inventory 209 3 .1 Goblet Bowl Forms 210 4.1 Cylindrical Beakers (4.1.1) 211 4.2 Barrel Beakers (4.1.2) 212 4.3 Squat Beakers (4.1.3) 213 4.4 Pedestal Beakers (4.1.4) 214 4.5 Pedestal Fluted Beakers (4.1.5) 215 4.6 Roemers (4.1.6) 216 4.7 Tankards (4.2) 217 4.8 Knopped

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