Early pottery bottles on construction sites

[jerrypev]

A couple of years ago driving through New Brunswick, NJ I passed a high mound of dirt on a construction site along the street by the bridge crossing the Raritan River downtown. There had originally been a ferry in that location during Dutch settlement times and an old Inn (The Indian Queen I think?) long since gone.
Turning the corner I noticed something at the top of this 30ft mound of dirt which looked like a bottle. Naturally I stopped, did some quick mountain climbing and retrieved an intact pottery bottle. It looked older, different than any other pottery bottles I have seen locally. Cleaning the bottle at home I found the letters "JC" etched on the bottle, the only markings.
The lip of the bottle is different than the usual pottery mead bottle. The only similar bottle I could find on the Internet is an English bottle attributed to a bottler of 1802 - 1805. I suspected from the beginning this piece may date from that period or slightly earlier. But I'm not a pottery person, my knowledge limited.

My first similar find was a pottery mead bottle embossed "Connell and Tallon Bordentown, NJ 1846" which I found laying on a construction site in Hightstown, NJ when I first began collecting bottles. It's a case of beginners luck and beginners ignorance. I sold the bottle at the Englishtown Flea Market for 3.00 and haven't seen one since. Well, hopefully we learn from experience!

 

[edndlm]

There are J.C. debossed stonebeers from Newburgh N.Y. which stands for John Cunningham , but this bottle doesn't look anything like them . It looks English to me too . Ed

 

[jerrypev]

Early American bottles generally were based on British bottles of the era. The shape of American squat style bottles of the mid 1800s was adapted from English free blown black glass ale bottles a decade or two earlier. During Colonial times the British prohibited certain kinds of glass manufacture in their colonies, like window glass, to prevent competition with English companies. That inhibited glass manufacturing in America until after the Revolution War.
The English ale pictured dates mid 1830s.

It will be interesting to read what other forum users have to share about this bottle.

 

[tigue710]

I'd have to agree with you on the date, everything about that bottle screams pre 1830 or so. Very nice find. Most English potters used halmarks of some type, but that doesn't mean there would be one on the bottle if it was English. I'd guess it's an early new York or jersey potter...

 

[baltbottles]

The bottle is American, early British pottery bottles are much different forms the MEAD shape is kind of unique to American stoneware bottles. As for age I would expect no older then the 1830s and I wouldn't be surprised if the bottle is more 1840s in age. I have dug some pre 1830s stoneware and redware bottles that are also clearly American however the forms were still emulating British bottles.

Chris

 

[JOETHECROW]

Cool...

 

[tigue710]

I figured the redware, lip treatment would date it before 1830 Chris, by 1840 saltglaze stoneware was more commonly used for bottles? I thought I have seen that form a little earlier in use, although more often a more bulbous form...

 

[NYCFlasks]

Please do not think redware is necessarily earlier. The local pottery here on Long Island for example produced large amounts of redware up to the Civil War, and likely afterward.
To add to the interest, it is much easier to find the earliest potters mark (Lewis & Gardiner/Huntington, L.I.) on stoneware, even though records show the partnership lasted but 2 years, than it is to find the following potters mark (Lewis/Huntington L.I. and variations of such) which operated for a good 25 years.

 

[tigue710]

So is redware generally earlier, or more found by area it was used? I've always believed it was used more prior to 1830-40 although sure it turns up later. Possibly because seeing it dug more in early privys then anywhere else I suppose... (that is privys dug by other people in areas I don't dig) the little bit I've seen in areas I have dug it was always quite early...

 

[jerrypev]

Something I factored into dating the bottle is the place it was found. It came out of the ground at a busy intersection along the early Dutch road connecting New Amsterdam and Philadelphia. The spot was at the foot of a ferry, near the site of an old Inn both which date to about 1700. Not that I assume the bottle to be that old but if something much earlier than the usual 1850s and 60s bottles was to be found that would be a likely place to find it.
But of course taken out of situ, tossed on a pile of dirt makes determining age more speculative.