ABSTRACT Kimberly M. Smith. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CASK MATERIAL FROM LATE SIXTEENTH THROUGH EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY SHIPWRECKS (Under the direction of Dr. Charles R. Ewen) Department of Anthropology, July 2009. This thesis examined cask material, including cask staves, heads, hoops, bungs and other components that casks consist of, recovered from 13 eighteenth century, three nineteenth century, one seventeenth, and two sixteenth century shipwrecks in an effort to discern a pattern in the types of cask material recovered within different types of vessels (e.g. pirate, merchant, and naval). Literature reviews were conducted and numerous archaeological, anthropological, and historical journals; namely, the International Journal for Nautical Archaeology, Historical Archaeology, The Australian Journal of Historical Archaeology were consulted. Published and unpublished theses and dissertations, proceedings from maritime and historical archaeological conferences for reports on shipwrecks containing cask material, and Parks Canada and National Park Service publications were also reviewed. Cask materials were studied and compared using bar graphs, histograms, and pie charts. Several potential patterns were identified, but none were definitive. This was not because they may not exist, but rather due to the inconsistent reporting methods creating a lack of available data to conduct comparative analysis. The inconsistent nature of the data obtained influenced the need to establish a standard reporting method. The final product of this research was the introduction of a standard reporting method and associated terminology and reporting forms. While the data set was too inconsistent to make conclusive statements, this type of comparative analysis should begin to establish a framework for the interpretation of cask materials from future excavations. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CASK MATERIAL FROM LATE SIXTEENTH THROUGH EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY SHIPWRECKS A Thesis Presented To The Faculty of the Department of Anthropology East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Anthropology By Kimberly M. Smith July 2009 ©Copyright 2009 Kimberly M. Smith COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CASK MATERIAL FROM LATE SIXTEENTH THROUGH EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY SHIPWRECKS by Kimberly M. Smith APPROVED BY: DIRECTOR OF THESIS: ___________________________________________ (Dr. Charles R. Ewen) COMMITTEE MEMBER: ____________________________________________ (Dr. I. Randoph Daniel, Jr.) COMMITTEE MEMBER: ____________________________________________ (Dr. Lawrence E. Babits) COMMITTEE MEMBER: ____________________________________________ (Ms. Sarah Watkins-Kenney) CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY: ___________________________________________ (Dr. Linda D. Wolfe) DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: ___________________________________________ (Dr. Paul Gemperline) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, in particular Dee DeRoche for access to the Archaeological Collections to view and analyze Betsy cask materials, Chuck Fithian for his assistance in obtaining the raw data for DeBraak cask materials, Chuck Meide for his assistance and guidance in obtaining resources pertaining to cask materials, and Marshal Sheetz, a journeyman cooper at Colonial Williamsburg, for his in depth knowledge of cask materials and his assistance in understanding such materials. In addition to the aforementioned, I would like to thank the entire staff with the Queen Anne’s Revenge Shipwreck project, but in particular I would like to thank Sarah Watkins-Kenney. Had it not been for her suggestions, I would have never conducted this research and Wendy Welsh, who patiently assisted me with accessing the materials from the Beaufort Inlet Wreck. My grateful thanks go to my committee members, Dr. Lawrence E. Babits, Dr. I. Randoph Daniel, Jr., Sarah Watkins- Kenney, for their direction, patience, and many suggestions during the completion of this work. Most of all I would like to thank Dr. Ewen for his patience and continual guidance and support in finishing my thesis, and Nate, my husband, for his motivation and guidance from start to completion. Finally, I would like to thank my parents, who persistently pushed me to finish! TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ..................................................................................................................vi List of Figures .................................................................................................................vii Introduction ...................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1: Historical Background .................................................................................... 9 Coopering and Cask Construction ...................................................................... 13 Stave and Head Cask Construction......................................................... 14 Hoops, Hoop Material, and Construction ............................................... 25 Cask Repairs ....................................................................................................... 28 Disassembly and Reassembly............................................................................. 33 Stowage of Casks................................................................................................ 35 Coopers and Casks.............................................................................................. 38 Cask Contents, Function, and Cultural Variation ............................................... 41 Chapter 2: Archaeological Background.......................................................................... 48 Beaufort Inlet Wreck (Queen Anne’s Revenge).................................................. 52 Betsy (Yorktown Wreck 44YO88)...................................................................... 53 British Merchant Vessel from Chub Heads Cut ................................................. 55 Defence ............................................................................................................... 56 Federal Period Vessel from Oriental, North Carolina ....................................... 57 Henrietta Marie .................................................................................................. 59 HMS Charon....................................................................................................... 60 HMS DeBraak .................................................................................................... 61 HMS Fowey ........................................................................................................ 64 HMS Invincible................................................................................................... 68 HMS Sirius.......................................................................................................... 70 La Belle ............................................................................................................... 73 Le Machault ........................................................................................................ 77 Lossen ................................................................................................................. 78 Mary Rose ........................................................................................................... 79 Millecoquins Wreck............................................................................................ 83 San Juan.............................................................................................................. 84 William Salthouse ............................................................................................... 85 Whydah ............................................................................................................... 87 Chapter 3: Methodology and Data Sets .......................................................................... 90 Beaufort Inlet Wreck (Probable Queen Anne’s Revenge)................................... 94 Betsy (Yorktown Wreck 44YO88).................................................................... 101 British Merchant Vessel from Chub Heads Cut ............................................... 106 Defence ............................................................................................................. 107 Federal Period Vessel from Oriental, North Carolina ...................................... 109 Henrietta Marie................................................................................................ 112 HMS Charon..................................................................................................... 112 HMS DeBraak .................................................................................................. 112 HMS Fowey ...................................................................................................... 113 HMS Invincible................................................................................................. 114 HMS Sirius........................................................................................................ 115 La Belle............................................................................................................. 116 Le Machault ...................................................................................................... 120 Lossen ..............................................................................................................