 most of the 17th centuries, white Border ware production outpaced that of red by a substantial margin. In a study of early 17th-century London assemblages, white outnumbered red by approximately 6 to 1 (Pearce 1992). While it was noted that red ware quantities increased as the century progressed, the numbers remained below that of the white variety. Red Border ware only begins to dominate London Border ware assemblages in the 18th century.
Border ware production reached its peak in the 17th century.
Throughout the 17th century, and into the early 18th century, Border ware was one of the principle sources of good-quality
household pottery used in London. The waning popularity of the ware, an issue inextricably entwined in the
socio-economic apparatuses of the period, can be principally linked to the rise of the various Staffordshire potteries,
which inspired the market collapse of white earthenware in general. Staffordshire quickly established a foothold
in the London pottery market; by the mid 18th century, it was the dominant domestic ceramic producer for the city.
BORDER WARE PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES
All Border ware vessels were wheel-thrown, and some forms exhibit evidence of knife-trimming on their bases. Yellow, green, or mottled brown glaze was usually applied to one surface of the vessel. Toward the end of the 17th century, some vessel types, such as chamber pots and mugs, were glazed on both the interior and exterior surfaces.
Coarser cooking and storage vessels tended to be made of unmixed red-firing clay. Examples can be best seen in 17th-century chamber pots, as well as a select few costrels. Mixed clay was more often used for finer tablewares, such as dishes and porringers (which vary widely in their fabric matrix), and tended toward a pale fabric color.
Standard Border ware base forms generally are either flat or slightly
kicked. Some forms exhibit wheel-impressed concave bases, which may have been to serve the utilitarian purpose
of decreasing the amount of surface area likely to come into contact with other vessels during firing. Indeed,
kiln scars left by the joining of vessels during firing are not uncommon on Border ware vessels.
|Vertical looped handles were constructed principally for drinking vessels, chamber pots, certain bowl forms, chafing dishes, and candle sticks. Horizontal loop handles tend to be found on porringers but are also found on bowls, chafing dishes, and fuming pots. As is shown opposite, handles were typically attached to the body at one end and smoothed all around the joint at the other end. Wiped handles, rather than those which are thumb-impressed, are more common on all vessel forms, although thumb impressions on wiped handle-attachments may be seen on occasion.||
To create green and brown glazes, powdered copper and manganese, respectively, were applied to a basic clear lead glaze. Brown glaze was generally relegated strictly to forms used at the table, such as mugs, bowls, and porringers. Brown was the most typical color for mugs, while green or yellow appear to be the most common colors used for all other vessel forms. Within each of the main glaze colors used, the range of hues is considerable, the end color being heavily dependent upon both the fabric color and glaze thickness. For example, depending on how thickly it is applied, clear lead glaze can appear clear, orange, olive, or brown on the red ware variety. It ranges from yellow through amber to a muted sandy shade when applied to white Border ware.
Forms with different glazes and fabrics were often fired within the same kiln. Abundant kiln scars on the forms from Port Royal attest to this practice. The orientation a given vessel assumed within a kiln may be reconstructed by the direction of the glaze run, as well as diagnostic markings left on the vessel. White Border wares, and to a lesser extent, red wares, may have lighter or darker patches in their fabric, demonstrating uneven firing.
HAMILTON, D. L. 1992. Simon Benning, Pewterer of Port Royal. In Text-Aided Archaeology, edited by B. J. Little, pp.39-53. CRC Press, 