An Analysis of 17Th-Century Ceramics in Plymouth Colony
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University of Massachusetts Boston ScholarWorks at UMass Boston Graduate Masters Theses Doctoral Dissertations and Masters Theses 8-2020 “We May Have Profitable Commerce And Trade Together”: An Analysis of 17th-Century Ceramics in Plymouth Colony Elizabeth G. Tarulis Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umb.edu/masters_theses Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, and the United States History Commons “WE MAY HAVE PROFITABLE COMMERCE AND TRADE TOGETHER”: AN ANALYSIS OF 17TH-CENTURY CERAMICS IN PLYMOUTH COLONY A Thesis Presented by ELIZABETH G. TARULIS Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston, In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS August 2020 Historical Archaeology Program © 2020 by Elizabeth Tarulis All rights reserved “WE MAY HAVE PROFITABLE COMMERCE AND TRADE TOGETHER”: AN ANALYSIS OF 17TH-CENTURY CERAMICS IN PLYMOUTH COLONY A Thesis Presented by ELIZABETH TARULIS Approved as to style and content by: ________________________________________________ Christa M. Beranek, Research Scientist Chairperson of Committee ________________________________________________ David B. Landon, Associate Director Member ________________________________________________ Stephen A. Mrozowski, Professor Member _________________________________________ David B. Landon, Program Director Historical Archaeology Program _________________________________________ Stephen W. Silliman, Chairperson Department of Anthropology ABSTRACT “WE MAY HAVE PROFITABLE COMMERCE AND TRADE TOGETHER”: AN ANALYSIS OF 17TH-CENTURY CERAMICS IN PLYMOUTH COLONY August 2020 Elizabeth G. Tarulis, B.A., Cornell University M.A., University of Massachusetts Boston Directed by Dr. Christa M. Beranek This thesis analyzes the formation of early English colonial trade networks through an examination of three Plymouth Colony sites. Although Plymouth Colony has been studied extensively by both historians and archaeologists, materials from the original settlement have only recently been identified by University of Massachusetts, Boston archaeologists at Burial Hill in downtown Plymouth, Massachusetts. This thesis compares the 17th-century ceramics from Burial Hill (1620-c. 1660) to two homesteads established later by Plymouth colonists, the Alden First Home Site and the Allerton/Prence/Cushman Site. A minimum number of vessels (MNV) was established for each site and the country of origin was established for each vessel to determine the origin of consumer goods, specifically ceramics, in Plymouth Colony. These vessels were then divided up into “English” and “foreign” categories, and a iv chi-square analysis was conducted to determine whether the composition of ceramics was significantly different at Burial Hill than at the later two sites. By comparing a site that likely pre-dates the implementation of most of the Navigation Acts (1651, 1660) to two sites that continue decades after their passage, it is possible to determine whether there was a significant effect on Plymouth’s trade. The results of this analysis demonstrate that the difference between Burial Hill, the Alden First Home Site, and the Allerton/Prence/Cushman Site with respect to proportions of English to Foreign vessels is not statistically significant. This suggests that the percentage of foreign vessels did not significantly change over time. In addition, there were more English and foreign ware types found at the later sites than at Burial Hill. Combined with documentary evidence, this indicates that the Plymouth colonists were skirting regulations and establishing their own personal and intercolonial trade networks, even as the English government tried to limit them. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project would not have been possible without the help and support I received from a variety of people. I would first like to thank Christa Beranek for her patience and guidance throughout this process, along with my other committee members, David Landon and Stephen Mrozowski. I would also like to thank John Steinberg, Melody Henkel, and Dennis Piechota. I am grateful to Desiree Mobed and the Alden Kindred of America, as well as Kathryn Ness, Jade Luiz, and Plimoth Plantation, for allowing me access to their collections. Thanks also to Sarah Carr for her assistance throughout the cataloging process. Finally, I would like to thank my friends and family, and especially my spouse, Kirk Tarulis. Thank you for always being there, and for encouraging me to keep going. This project has been made possible by two major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this thesis do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. ix LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER Page 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 2 Chapter Outline .................................................................................................................... 3 2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND .......................................................................................... 5 History of Plymouth Colony ............................................................................................... 5 Burial Hill Site ...................................................................................................................... 8 Alden First Home Site ....................................................................................................... 10 The Allerton/Prence/Cushman Site (C-21) ..................................................................... 13 Economic Background ...................................................................................................... 18 3. CERAMIC ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................... 22 Ceramic Studies of 17th-Century New England ............................................................. 22 Burial Hill Assemblage ..................................................................................................... 23 The Alden First Home Site Assemblage ......................................................................... 24 The Allerton/Prence/Cushman Assemblage ................................................................... 24 Ware Type Analysis........................................................................................................... 27 4. RESULTS ............................................................................................................................... 67 vii CHAPTER Page 5. DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................ 77 Acquisition of English Goods .......................................................................................... 77 Acquisition of Foreign Goods .......................................................................................... 79 Colonial Smuggling ........................................................................................................... 82 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 89 APPENDICES A. SHERD COUNT FOR 17TH CENTURY WARE TYPES .............................................. 91 B. BURIAL HILL VESSEL LIST ........................................................................................... 92 C. ALDEN FIRST HOME SITE VESSEL LIST ................................................................... 93 D. ALLERTON/PRENCE/CUSHMAN VESSEL LIST ...................................................... 95 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................... 99 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1: Map of Massachusetts Showing Research Area .............................................................. 7 2: Map with Locations of the Burial Hill Site, the Alden First Home Site, and the Allerton/Prence/Cushman Site ............................................................................................. 7 3: Photo of the Allerton/Prence/Cushman Site courtesy of Plimoth Plantation ................ 17 4: Two distinct rims originally identified as V28, Allerton/Prence/Cushman Site ........... 34 5: Cistercian Sherds, Alden First Home Site ..................................................................... 35 6: Close-up of Cistercian Paste .......................................................................................... 36 7: Reconstructed Iberian Storage Jar, Alden First Home Site ........................................... 39 8: Unglazed Midlands Purple (V9), Allerton/Prence/Cushman Site ................................. 40 9: North Devon Sgraffito Flatware (V5), Allerton/Prence/Cushman Site ......................... 45 10: North Italian Marbled Slip (V36), Allerton/Prence/Cushman Site .............................. 45 11: North Midlands Hollowware