Figure 14. — Brown lead-glazed earthenware creampan of typical Yorktown 

 type, probably dating from the second quarter of the 18th century. Found 

 in Williamsburg. Rim diameter 35.56 centimeters. 



Stoneware Manufacturing Processes 



The types of kiln used by the Yorktown potters as 

 well as their techniques of manufacture will not be 

 known until the factory site is located and carefully 

 excavated. Until that time, the Yorktown stone- 

 wares raise more questions than they answer. The 

 most important of these is the shape of the kilns and 

 how they were fired. The wares run the gamut from 

 such underburning that the iron-oxide slip has evolved 

 no further than a zone of bright-red coloring, to over- 

 firing which has turned the slip a deep purple and the 

 body to almost the hardness and color of granite. Do 

 these differences result from a lack of control over 

 entire batches, or do they stem from temperature 

 variations inherent in different parts of the kiln.' 

 Mr. Maloney's experiments, made without the use of 

 saggers, have shown that close proximity to the firebox 

 can unexpectedly and dramatically affect the wares. 



Thus, one mug of his first test series was placed much 

 closer to the direct heat than were the rest, with the 

 result that it emerged with an overall dark, highly 

 glossed surface somewhat reminiscent of Burslem 

 brown stoneware. 



The only real evidence of the Yorktown manufac- 

 turing process comes from the many sagger fragments 

 that have been found around the town. The largest 

 single assemblage was discovered on the Swan Tavern 

 site, but another group of large pieces was recovered 

 from beneath the Archer Cottage at the foot of the colo- 

 nial roadway leading down to the river frontage. In 

 neither instance is it likely that the sherds were serving 

 any practical purpose, and so it is hard to imagine 

 why they would have been taken to these widely 

 distant locations. 



The Park Service Yorktown collection includes 



102 



BULLETIN 249 1 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



