NORTHAMPTONSHIRE CLAY TOBACCO-PIPES AND PIPEMAKERS A smoking scene Decoration on a wine-cooler made by Davenport, Staffs, c 1800- 15. Northampton Museums NORTHAMPTONSHIRE CLAY TOBACCO-PIPES AND PIPEMAKERS by w. R. G. Moore Keeper of Archaeology Northampton Museums and Art Gallery Northampton Museums and Art Gallery 1980 @ Northampton Museums and Art Gallery, Guildhall Road, Northampton 1980 ISBN 0 9501 076 1 1 Typesetting by Nene Graphic Ltd., Northampton Printed by G.B. Rotorgraph Ltd., Northampton Contents List of Illustrations Preface page vi Plates THE INTRODUCTION OF SMOKING 1 A smoking scene frontispiece 1 63 Scarletwell Street, Northampton 23 2 Probate inventory of goods belonging PIPEMAKING IN NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 1 to Edward Ward, pipemaker, of Early development 1640-1720 1 Higham Ferrers, 1674 24 A weakening industry 1720-1820 3 Reviva11820-60 3 The final years 1860-1920 3 MANUF ACTURE AND DISTRIBUTION 4 Sources of clay 4 Pipe manufacture 5 Distribution 5 Figures NORTHAMPTONSHIRE PIPES 6 Distribution of Northamptonshire pipemakers Identification and dating 6 1651-1900 2 The pipes 6 2 Numbers of pipemakers working in Northamptonshire ·2 3 Places of birth of pipemakers working in NORTHAMPTONSHIRE PIPEMAKERS 18 Northamptonshire 1851-71 3 Introduction 18 4 Pipemakers in Northampton 1841-1900 4 Abbreviations 19 5 Distribution of pipes made by A. Roberts, Ust of Northamptonshire pipemakers 19 Northampton c 1885-1920 4 Soke of Peterborough 26 6 Bowl types c 1600-1710 7 Rejected names 27 7 Bowl types and spurs c 1700-1820 8 8 Pipes made by F. Street, Northampton Appendix A Probate Inventories 27 1826-50 9 Appendix B Finds from kiln/workshop 9 Pipe bowls c 1825-70 and full-name marks sites 29 c 1850-1900 10 Appendix C Index of makers' marks 29 10-14 Pipes made by A. Roberts, Northampton Notes 32 c 1885-1920 13-17 Bibliography 34 v Preface Fragments of clay pipes are some of the most T. R. Key, R. E. Kitchener, R. Lakin, Mrs. L. familiar objects found in the soil. Their fragile R. Moore, H. Oak-Rhind, L. B. Scarratt, Mrs. nature, low cost and continual use during three J. Scouse, B. Sherlock, T. J. Shirley, J. Small, centuries has resulted in pieces being scattered S. Upex, Mrs. D. Warren, R. Waters, A. Whitehead everywhere. Almost any disturbance of the soil and J. Williams. around a town or village will produce at least a Through the personal recollections of several few portions of pipe stems. Northampton residents, I have gained a valuable During the last twenty-five years, several detailed insight into local pipe-making during the early studies of English clay pipes have been made, part of this century. Thanks are due to Mrs. E. with a particular emphasis on dating by typology Barrett, Mrs. L. E. Dove, Mrs. E. E. Gardner and on matching makers' marks with documented and Miss F. Roberts, grand-daughters of the pipemakers. Both in Britain and North America, pipemaker A. Roberts (1); T. Chick, grandson clay pipes have proved invaluable in the dating of the pipemaker J. Chick (2); and S. W. D. Kent of excavated sites and in tracing patterns of trade for their generous help. and distribution. The staff of Northamptonshire Record Office, This particular study, which is concerned with Northampton Reference Library and colleagues the county of Northampton, attempts to describe at Northampton Museum have been a constant and illustrate the local industry and its products, source of information and their help is gratefully relating it to a wider context. It is hoped that the acknowledged. The illustrations are by Paul work will be of interest to both the archaeologist Goff and I am particularly grateful for his care­ and the local historian. ful work. The manuscript was read by Adrian Oswald and I wish to thank him for his encouragement and helpful advice. I should also I should like to express my sincere thanks to a like to thank Victor Hatley for commenting on number of people who have kindly supplied me the manuscript. My wife Pauline has been an with information or examples of Northampton­ invaluable help throughout and to her go my shire clay pipes. I should like to mention in warmest thanks. particular the following: D. R. Atkinson, Finally, I am indebted to the Curator, W. N. R. Butlin, R. Colliass, Mrs. J. de Goris, G. Terry, and the committee of Northampton Freeston, W. R. Gault, B. L. Giggins, A. Golds­ Museums for the support which made the worthy, R. Harper, B. E. Hensman, G. Hockley, publication of this work a possibility. vi The Introduction of Smoking restrictions were never totally successful and ,when the monopolies were lifted in 1638~9, pipemaking was already becoming an established The smoking of tobacco using a clay pipe was a industry in some English towns and ports. habit copied from the North American Indians and brought to England during the reign of Pipemakers began work in several Northampton­ Elizabeth 11. It soon became a well-known shire towns and in at least one village between practice. William Harrison, writing of the year 1640 and 1680.9 The earliest records of pipe­ 1573 in his Great Chron%gie, observed that making in the county refer to: Northampton, from 'In these daies the taking-in of the smoke of 1~41; Stanwick, 1668; Daventry, from 1670; the Indian herbe called "Tobaco" by an Hlgham Ferrers, 1674 and Towcester, from 1675. instrument formed like a little ladell ... is The first reference is found in the Northampton gretlie taken-up and used in England'. 2 The apprenticeship rolls, when in 1641 William high price of tobacco, however, made smoking Wilby (1) became apprenticed to Andrew Guill, an expensive luxury. During the seventeenth a woollen-draper, to learn the trade of a tobacco- century tobacco prices declined and smoking pipe maker. Guill was presumably a part-time became commonplace. In 1614 Barnaby Rich pipemaker who learned his skills elsewhere remarked that tobacco 'is a commodity that is perhaps in London. After completing his ' nowe as vendible in every tavern, wine and ale­ apprenticeship in 1648, William Wilby (1) took house, as eyther wine, ale or beare'. 3 a succession of apprentices, indicating that pipe­ making was a flourishing and an expanding trade. The earliest evidence for smoking in Northampton­ At Daventry pipemaking was in existence by 1670, shire comes from the excavation of a windmill­ when Thomas Hollowell (1) was granted his freedom. mound at Lamport, where a few clay-pipe stems Thomas, together with his son, trained six apprentices were discovered in a context probably of late­ between 1672 and 1704 and a thriving industry is sixteenth-century date.4 evident here as in Northampton. Many disapproved of smoking. In a letter of With the survival of apprenticeship and freedom 1608, for example, John Isham of Lamport Hall rolls, the records of Northampton and Daventry is praised for not taking up the habit: '1 am are particularly full. Unfortunately, the records for gladd thatt our Englysh Champyon hath the the rest of the county are more sporadic and only vyctorye over thatt Indyan fume'.5 three other seventeenth-century pipemakers have Nevertheless smoking spread rapidly and by 1637 been noted: Joseph Kingston and Peter Davis of tobacco was being sold in almost every county of Towcester and Edward Ward of Stanwick and 6 England. Accordingly we find a probate Higham Ferrers. In view of the flourishing industry inventory dated 1640ofstock owned by John at Northampton and Daventry during the later Pettiver, a mercer of Kettering, includes the seventeenth century, pipemaking was perhaps more following items: significant in other Northamptonshire towns than Tobacco pipes £2 1 Os. Od. the few surviving references might suggest. Tobacco stalks 2s. 6d. By the latter part of the seventeenth century the Tobacco £6 Os. Od. 7 pOI?ularity of smoking had increased considerably. The clay pipes used in Northamptonshire before This had been made possible by the continuing 1640 would have been obtained from pipemakers reduction in tobacco prices. At Bristol, for example, outside the county, as local production did not the cost of best tobacco in 1638 was one shilling an begin until about that time. ounce; by 1681 the price had fallen to two shillings a pound. IQ The accounts of the borough of Northampton show that pipes were regularly purchased between 1692 and 1741 for use in the town hall. 11 Pipes were norn1ally mentioned Pipemaking in Northamptonshire together with candles, but in 1698 '2 grosse of I Pypes' were obtained for three shillings and in (Figs.1,2) 1703 half a pound of tobacco was purchased for one shilling. 12 Fragments of clay-pipe bowls of the later seven­ te~nth century are very often found in Northampton­ Early Development 1640-1720 shire. The most common of all in the Northampton area are those of the period c 1660~80. Clay pipes were made in England from c 1570 The total number of recorded pipemakers continues and within thirty years the industry was well to rise until. c 1720 and it appears that pipemaking established.8 The main centre of production was more WIdespread at the beginning of the eighteen­ during the first half of the seventeenth century th century than at any other time. was London. The industry was controlled by monopolies which attempted to restrict to the capital the importation of tobacco and clay as well as the manufacture of pipes. However these 2 Stanwick• 70 1651-1700 ~ 30 1801- .8 1900 E 1701-50 :> Z 1751-1800 Period miles 4 0 4 8 12 I I II"~ I I 5 0 5 10.- 15 kilometres Fig.