Trial excavations on the site of a 17th century clay tobacco pipe kiln near Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, 2001
David Higgins, 2002. https://doi.org/10.5284/1000346. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © Dr David Higgins unless otherwise stated
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- ADS Collection: 329
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1000346
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
The levelling and ploughing of a field in 1948 on Barnslands Farm, about 1.5km to the south-west of Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, led to the exposure of a patch of dark soil containing a dense scatter of clay pipes. The Shropshire area, especially the region north of Cleobury Mortimer around Broseley, is known for its clay tobacco pipes, and five or six manufacturers have been documented in the Cleobury Mortimer area alone between 1655 and 1718 (Higgins 1987, 353 & 503). Despite this, very few recovered pipes have been attributed to the Cleobury Mortimer area itself.
However, a preliminary visit in 2001 to the Barnslands Farm site and the excavation of three trial trenches provided evidence that stone wall footings survived beneath the earthworks and that clay tobacco pipe kiln waste was present in large quantities. Several recovered pipes bore the initials 'IN', implying the site can be identified as the house and workshop of John Newall, a documented pipemaker who died in 1719. A further, more detailed programme of documentary research, fieldwork and excavation is envisaged to aid the investigation of this important and well preserved site.
