Featured artifact: The Graeme's Tin-Glazed Tiles

The most exciting find of the excavation so far revealed itself yesterday morning.  While I was digging, a small piece of tin-glazed ceramic popped out of the soil.  As I examined it, it struck me as very familiar for two reasons: (1) I had found similar pieces of it in a previous unit and (2) it has a small portion of the hand-painted design on it that looked like the tiles from the two upstairs bedrooms in the Keith House.  As the day progressed, I found about 10 more pieces of the same ceramic type, some plain and others decorated.  When I came home later that day, I looked at the picture I took of the reproduction tiles that currently adorn the two bedroom fireplaces.

The  colors were similar as well as the patterns and design (from what I could discern from the sherds).  This morning, I revisited the Keith house and looked at the three original tiles that are displayed in Dr. Keith's bedroom.  Much to my excitement, the artifacts were an exact match to the original tiles!  By the end of the day, I had found about 6 or 7 more pieces for a total of 18 sherds.  Additionally, the last piece I found fit with one of the larger pieces I found yesterday.

The sherds were found in what I believe is Penrose period trash.  It was found with other types of ceramics, glass, animal bones and nails that date later than Elizabeth's time at the house.  It seems as though the tile(s) was broken and discarded with other trash.  The tile date to the Graeme period, however.  It is quite amazing to discover artifacts that not only can be definitively dated to EGF's era, but that were once displayed in her and her father's bedrooms.  

For more information on tin-glaze earthenware, visit:

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/portroyal/tinglaze/index.htm

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/ceramics/pages/category.asp?cat_name=Tin%20glazed%20wares&cat_id=710

Stay tuned for more updates!