BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD 1694^* 



Date 



Ship 



Master 



To 



Dec. 6 Happy Returne John Hartwell Maryland 



Cargo, etc. Subsidy 



450 parcels of gd 



Earthen ware 



Another source shows that the Eagle of Bideford 

 arrived at Boston from her home port on October 11, 

 1688, with a cargo consisting entirely of 9,000 parcels 

 of earthenware, while on July 28, 1689, the Freindship 

 (sic) of Bideford landed 7,200 parcels of earthenware 

 and one hogshead of malt. On August 24 of the same 

 year the Delight brought a cargo of "9,000 parcels of 

 earthenware and 2 fardells of dry goods" from Bide- 

 ford. ^^ 



It will be noted that there was a close relationship 

 between vessel, shipmaster, and factor, suggesting 

 that there may have been an equally close connection 

 between all of them and the owners of the potteries. 

 The Exchange, for instance, seems to have been regu- 

 larly employed in the transport of earthenware. In 

 1665, according to the listings, she sailed to New 

 England under command of William Titherly. By 

 1681 Titherly had become a Maryland factor to whom 

 the Exchange's earthenware was consigned then and 

 in 1682. In the same way Bartholomew Shapton in 

 1681 sailed as master on the Sea Faire with earthen- 

 ware to New England, becoming in the following year 

 the factor for earthenware sent on the same ship under 

 command of John Titherly. 



The proportion of earthenware cargo to the carry- 

 ing capacity of the usual 17th-century ocean-going 

 ship, which ranged from about 30 to 50 tons, is diffi- 

 cult to estimate. A ton and a half of milk pans nested 

 in stacks would be compact and would occupy only 

 a small amount of space. A similar weight of ovens 

 might require a much larger space. When earthen- 

 ware shipments are recorded in terms of parcels, we 

 are again left in doubt, since the sizes of the parcels 

 are not indicated. We know, however, that the 

 Eagle, which was a 50-ton ship, carried 9,000 parcels 



'^ Ibid.,E 190/968/10. 



2' Colonial office shipping records relating to Massachusetts 

 ports, typescript in Essex Institute, Salem, Massachusetts, 1931, 

 vol. 1, p. 78. 



of earthenware as her sole cargo in 1688, in contrast 

 to the much smaller amounts shown in the sample 

 listings where the parcel standard is used. Yet even 

 a typical shipment of 1,500 parcels, with each parcel 

 containing an indeterminate number of pots, must 

 have filled the needs of many kitchens w hen delivered 

 in Virginia in 1681. Certainly a shipment such as 

 this suggests a vigorous rate of production and an 

 active trade. 



The export of earthenware from North Devon was 

 not solely to America, .^s early as 1601 there were 

 shipped from Barnstaple to "Dublyn — 100 dozen 

 Earthen Pottes of all sorts." In later years, selected 

 at random, we find the following shipments to Ireland 

 from Barnstaple listed in the Public Record Office 

 Port Books: 1617, 290 dozen; 1618, 320 dozen; 1619, 

 322 dozen; 1620, 508 dozen; 1632, 260 dozen; 1635, 

 300 dozen; 1636, 480 dozen; 1639, 660 dozen. 

 Typical of the destinations were Kinsale, Youghal, 

 Limerick, Cork, Galway, Coleraine, and Waterford. 

 As the century advanced, this trade increased enor- 

 mously. In 1694, 17 separate earthenware shipments 

 totaling 50,400 parcels were made from Barnstaple 

 and Bideford to Dublin, Wexford, and Waterford.^* 

 It is possible that some of these cargoes were 

 shipped to America, since it was necessary to list only 

 the first port of entry. However, the rapid turn- 

 around of many of the ships shows this was not usually 

 the case. 



Besides Ireland, Bristol and Exeter were destinations 

 in a busy coastwise trade. In 1681, for example, large 

 quantities of earthenware, tobacco pipes, and pipe 

 clay were sent to these places.^' Bristol merchants 

 probably re-exported some of the earthenware to 

 America. 



The coastwise trade appears to have diminished 

 very little as time passed. In 1755, The Gentlemen'' s 



26 Port Book, E 190/939/14; 942/13; 944/8; 951. 

 " Ibid., E 190/959/5. 



P.-^PER 13: NORTH DEVON POTTERY 

 544234—60 2 



IN 17TH-CENTURV .^MERIC.\ 



27 



