Part 28 (2/2)

[Ill.u.s.tration: Ill.u.s.tration 55.--Left, fragment of long-tined fork.

Second-half (?), 17th century. One-half. (USNM 59.1663.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Ill.u.s.tration 56.--Center, fragment of long-tined fork.

Early 18th century. One-half. (USNM 59.2029.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Ill.u.s.tration 57.--Right, fork which had two-part handle of wood, bone, or silver. One-half. (USNM 59.1939.)]

Mercer, as we have seen, had a lavish supply of plate. Little of this, understandably, was likely to have been thrown away or lost, except for an occasional piece of flatware. One such exception is a teaspoon from the Structure B foundation (USNM 59.1827, fig. 86). It has a typical early Georgian form--ribbed handle, elliptical bowl, and leaf-drop handle attachment on back of the bowl. As in the case of small objects worked after the marks were applied, this has evidence of two distorted marks. Corrosion has obliterated such details as may have been visible originally, although there are fairly clear indications of the leopard's head crowned and lion pa.s.sant found on London silver.

TABLE CUTLERY.--Fragmentary knives and forks from the site date mostly from before 1750. Forks are all of the long, double-tine variety. One, which may date back to the second half of the 17th century, has a delicate shank, widening to a tooled, decorative band, with shaft extending downward which was originally enclosed in a handle of horn, bone, or wood (USNM 59.1663, ill. 55). A fragment of a narrow-bladed knife (USNM 59.1882, fig. 85) may be of the same period as the fork. Two forks, each with one long tine intact, show evidence of having had flat cores for wood or silver handles (USNM 59.2029, 59.1939, ills. 56 and 57). The shanks, differing in length from each other, are turned in an ogee shape. Three blades, varying in completeness, are of the curved type used with ”pistol-grip” handles (USNM 59.1667-1668, 59.1939). A straight blade fragment (USNM 59.1999) is probably contemporary with them. Only two knife fragments (USNM 59.1799 and 59.2082) appear to be 19th century (fig. 85).

One of the most unusual artifacts is a half section of a hollow Sheffield-plated pistol-grip knife handle. Sheffield plate was introduced in 1742 by a process that fused sheets of silver to sheets of copper under heat and pressure.[212] The metal, as here, was sometimes stamped (USNM 59.1668, fig. 86b).

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 86.--METALWORK: a, rim of pewter dish; b, table knife with Sheffield-plated handle; c, lid of pewter teapot (ill. 60); d, silver teaspoon; e, wavy-end pewter spoon, early 18th-century shape; f and g, two trifid-end pewter spoons, late 17th-century shape (holes in g were probably drilled to hold cord for suspension from neck).]

FOOTNOTES:

[212] SEYMOUR B. WYLER, _The Book of Sheffield Plate_ (New York: Crown Publishers, 1949), pp. 4-5.

PEWTER

Three, whole pewter spoons, as well as several fragments of spoons, were salvaged from the large trash pit (Structure D). Two whole specimens and a fragment of a third are trifid-handle spoons cast in a mold that was probably made about 1690. One of these (USNM 59.1669, fig. 86g, ill. 58) has had two holes bored at the top of the handle, probably to enable the user to secure it by a cord to his person or to hang it from a loop.

This circ.u.mstance, plus the presence of such an early type of spoon in an 18th-century context, suggests that the spoons were made during the Mercer period for kitchen or slave use from a mold dating back to the Port Town period. The spoons themselves may, of course, have survived from the Port Town time and have been relegated to humble use on the plantation.

A somewhat later spoon, with ”wavy-end” handle, comes from a mold of about 1710. It has the initial N scratched on the handle (USNM 59.1672, fig. 86e, ill. 59). Another fragmentary example has a late type of wavy-end handle, dating perhaps ten years later (USNM 59.1672).

[Ill.u.s.tration: Ill.u.s.tration 58.--Trifid-handle pewter spoon (fig. 86g).

One-half. (USNM 59.1669.)]

A pewter teapot lid with tooled rim and the remains of a finial may be as early as 1740 (USNM 59.1676, fig. 86c, ill. 60). Two rim fragments of a pewter plate also were found (USNM 59.1675, fig. 86a).

KITCHEN AND OTHER HOUSEHOLD UTENSILS

CUTLER'S WORK.--In 1725 Mercer bought a pair of ”Salisbury Scissors”; there is no clue as to what is meant by the adjectival place name. He purchased another pair of scissors in 1744. In any case, a pair of embroidery scissors, with turned decoration that one would expect to find on early 18th-century scissors, was found in the site (USNM 59.1680, ill. 61).

[Ill.u.s.tration: Ill.u.s.tration 59.--Wavy-end pewter spoon (fig. 86e).

One-half. (USNM 59.1672.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Ill.u.s.tration 60.--Pewter teapot lid (fig. 86c). Same size. (USNM 59.1676.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Ill.u.s.tration 61.--Steel scissors. One-half. (USNM 59.1680.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 87.--IRONWARE: a, lid for iron pot; b, cooking-pot fragments; c, andiron leg; d, iron ladle; and e, two beaters for box-irons.]

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