Analysis of Ceramic Assemblages from Four Cape Historical Sites Dating from the Late Seventeenth Century to the Mid-Nineteenth Century

J!to vQJ. r Analysis of ceramic assemblages from four Cape historical sites dating from the late seventeenth century to the mid-nineteenth century Jane Klose Submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of Cape Town, inUniversity fulfilment of the requirements of Cape for the degree Town of Masters of Arts in Archaeology. 1997 PART ONE OF TWO The financial assistance of the Centre for Science Development (HSRC, South Africa) towards this research is hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at, are those of the author and are not necessarily to be attributed to the Centre for Science Development Tht; l! :,;ven:~·t cf C !i'C ;r·:i1 h.:s been ~ the ri:;h! to r~p-- .:;:.;r:t: this :hesis in wbote or in prt. C0iJ>'d gh! I[) rd by tha author. The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University of Cape Town ANALYSIS OF CERAMIC ASSEMBLAGES FROM FOUR CAPE HISTORICAL SITES DATING FROM THE LATE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY TO THE MID-NINETEENTH CENTURY Jane Klose Department of Archaeology University of Cape Town 7700 Rondebosch ABSTRACT This dissertation sets up a standardised system for analysing mid-seventeenth to mid nineteenth century Cape colonial ceramic assemblages and then applies it to a number of Dutch and British historical sites in the south-western Cape region of South Africa in order to trace patterns of change in the availability and use of domestic ceramics in the colony. The system accommodates the wide range of African, Asian and European ceramics used during the period of Dutch East India rule from 1652 to 1795, the following Transitional years when the Cape was governed for short periods by both the British and Dutch governments and the period from 1815 onwards when the Cape became a British Crown Colony. A systematic ceramic classificatory system was required to form a framework for the first stage of a proposed study of the role of Asian porcelain in the Cape during the 17th and 18th centuries. The resulting Cape Classificatory System has five sections. (i) Ware Table, a ware based classification, records ceramics by sherd count and minimum number of vessels, and acts as a check list for Cape colonial sites. (ii) Date Table provides the accepted dates of production and references for all ceramics excavated in the Cape. (iii) Form & Function Table lists excavated ceramics by vessel form within functional categories. (iv) The Site Catalogue accessions and references (where possible) all the ceramics in an assemblage. (v) A catalogue of previously unreferenced Asian market ware (coarse porcelain) excavated from 17th to 19th century colonial sites in the south-western Cape. Thirty ceramic assemblages from Cape colonial sites and four assemblages from shipwrecks in Cape waters were analysed or examined. The Cape Classificatory System was applied in full to the ceramics from four sites: the Granary, a late seventeenth century Dutch East India site; Elsenburg, an elite mid-eighteenth century farmstead; Sea Street, Cape Town, a town midden in use from the last quarter of the eighteenth century to ca.1830; and a well in Barrack Street, Cape Town, that was open from ca.1775 till the late nineteenth century. The results clearly demonstrated changes in ceramic availability, usage and discard in the Cape over a two hundred year period, differences in refuse disposal practices and the dependence of the colony on Asian porcelain, including Asian market coarse porcelain, during the late seventeenth century and eighteenth century. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1 thank Professor Carmel Schrire for introducing me to historical archaeology and for her guiding hand both before and during this project. 1thank my supervisor Professor Martin Hall for his advice and interest in my work and Dr Antonia Malan for teaching me historical archaeology and for her unfailing kindness and encouragement. The invaluable help and assistance from everyone in the Department of Archaeology is gratefully acknowledged. In particular, I thank Tim Hart and Dave Halkett, who excavated the sites, for helping with the interpretation of the artefacts; John Lanham for sorting out my computer problems; and Karim Sadr for drawing profiles of the Chinese porcelain and various maps. I am indebted to Dennis Neville who skilfully turned my manuscript into a presentable dissertation . Many people outside the University were involved in my work. Dr Christiaan Jorg of the Groninger Museum regularly helped me with identifying the porcelains and I also thank him for his ongoing interest in my research. Jean Martin of the Oriental Ceramic Society in London kindly introduced me to many experts in the field of Chinese, Japanese and Persian ceramics. I thank Hennie Vos for the time we spent discussing Cape ceramic assemblages and for allowing me access to the archaeological collections at the Stellenbosch Museum. Finally, I thank my family for their patience and support over the past four years. TABLE OF CONTENTS FIGURES & TABLES APPENDICES A -L (please note: these are contained in a separate volume) page 1. INTRODUCTION 1 Outline of dissertation 2 The Cape of Good Hope 3 Historical archaeology in the Cape 7 Overview of ceramics used by colonists at the Cape 9 The seventeenth century 10 The eighteenth century 12 The nineteenth century 14 2. AN OVERVIEW OF DUTCH PERIOD CERAMIC STUDIES WITH RESPECT TO THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE 15 3. METHODOLOGY 27 Sites used in the project 28 Assessment of existing ceramic classifications 29 Ware Table 35 The use of ceramics in dating assemblages 38 Date Table 41 Further development of Ware Table 41 Porcelain 44 Stoneware 48 Coarse earthenware 51 Tin-glazed wares (Engobes) 52 Refined wares 53 Minimum vessel analysis 61 Classification by form and function 63 Identification of vessel forms excavated from Cape sites 64 1. Cooking and food preparation 66 2. Food and drink storage 68 3. Food distribution and consumption 69 4. Drinking 72 5. Health & Hygiene 73 6. Utilitarian 75 7. Ornamental 75 8. Unidentified 76 Application of the CCS 76 4. ASIAN MARKET WARE: 17TH - 19TH CENTURY COARSE PORCELAIN AND 19TH CENTURY REFINED WARES 81 Outline 82 Terminology 84 Seventeenth to nineteenth century coarse porcelain 86 The Inter-Asiatic trade 88 Description of Asian market coarse porcelains and later refined wares with reference to excavated Cape assemblages 95 Marks 97 Attribution 97 Nineteenth century Asian market ware - later refined wares 99 Methodology 100 Catalogue 101 Presence on Cape sites 102 Importance of Cape sites in international research 106 5. THE GRANARY, THE CASTLE OF GOOD HOPE, CAPE TOWN 107 History 107 Archaeological investigations 110 Summary of ceramic analysis 113 Commentary 118 6. ELSENBURG- THE KITCHEN MIDDEN 123 History 123 Archaeological investigations 123 Summary of ceramic analysis 126 Commentary 131 7. JAMES' HOUSE, SEA STREET, CAPE TOWN 136 History 136 Archaeological investigations 136 Summary of ceramic analysis 141 Commentary 148 8. THE BARRACK STREET WELL 151 History 151 Archaeological investigations 152 Summary of ceramic analysis 154 Commentary 162 9. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 166 REFERENCES 184 Personal communications 184 Shipwrecks 185 General references 186 FIGURES AND TABLES FIGURES page Figure 1-1 : Map of the south-western and southern Cape regions of 4 South Africa. Inset shows central position of the Cape on the 16th to 18th century trade routes linking Europe to the East. Figure 1-2: The Cape colony, 1705 (Bredekamp & van den Berg 1986). 6 Figure 3-1 : Comparison of sherd counts and MNVs from two Cape colonial sites (Eisenburg and Sea Street) 40 Figure 3-2: European-style coarse earthenware cooking pots (Abrahams 1994) 66 Figure 3-3: Khoi pottery from the south western Cape (Rudner 1968) 66 Figure 3-4: Coarse earthenware dishes & bowls (Abrahams 1994) 67 Figure 3-5: Coarse earthenware colander & lids 67 Figure 3-6: Japanese stoneware donabe (Japanese Archaeological Reports 1989; 1990) 67 Figure 3-7: European stoneware jars (Thijssen 1991) 68 Figure 3-8: Chinese stoneware jar & martevans 68 Figure 3-9: European stoneware jugs 68 Figure 3-10: 'Ginger' jars 68 Figure 3-11 : European stoneware mineral water or 'gin' bottles 68 Figure 3-12: Table I dinner plate 69 Figure 3-13: Deep I soup plate 69 Figure 3-14: Flared rim plate 69 Figure 3-15: Straight-sided bowl 70 Figure 3-16: S-shaped bowl 70 Figure 3-17: Klapmuts 70 Figure 3-18: Saucer-dish 70 Figure 3-19: Flared-rim dish 70 Figure 3-20: Flat-rimmed dish 70 Figure 3-21 : Narrow rimmed deep dish 71 Figure 3-22: Covered bowl I tureen 71 Figure 3-23: Lidded jar 71 Figure 3-24: Hot water plate I dish 71 Figure 3-25: (a) Salts (b) Mustard pot (c) Condiment bottle 71 Figure 3-26: Porcelain cutlery handles 71 Figure 3-27: Chinese export porcelain cups & saucers 72 Figure 3-28: Chinese porcelain & Yixing stoneware teapots 72 Figure 3-29: Tea cannister 73 Figure 3-30: Pattipan 73 Figure 3-31 : Punch bowl 73 Figure 3-32: Earthenware flasks- probably S.E. Asian 73 Figure 3-33: Chamber pots: (a) cream coloured (b) Chinese lmari 73 (c) Japanese porcelain Figure 3-34: Basin & gog let 74 Figure 3-35: Shaving dish 74 Figure 3-36: Spittoon 7 4 Figure 3-37: Japanese porcelain flask & bottle 74 Figure 3-38: Tin-glazed & porcelain apothecaries' ware 74 Figure 3-39: Coarse

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