The text on this site (other than quoted text), photographs and diagrams (other than maps) are © Copyright Jo Dawson 1999, 2000, 2001. It may be copied in full or in part as long as it is unedited and this copyright notice is retained.
This dissertation is submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of M.A.
(combined) with Honours of Archaeology and Mathematics at the University of Glasgow
February 2000
List of figures
List of plates
Acknowledgements
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Local context of the crockery from the Poorhouse at Craiglockhart
1.3 Aims and Objectives - Some possible questions/ approaches to the midden
1.4 The Poor Law in Scotland and the introduction of Poorhouses
1.5 The Poorhouses of Edinburgh
1.6 Edinburgh City Poorhouse at Craiglockhart
1.7 Diet in English Workhouses
1.8 Diet at Craiglockhart Poorhouse
1.9 Serving arrangements in English Workhouses at mealtimes
1.10 Crockery in Poorhouses and Workhouses
1.11 Crockery at Craiglockhart Poorhouse
1.12 Factors influencing the midden at Craiglockhart Poorhouse
1.13 Previous research which is of relevance here
2.1 The excavation
2.2 The analysis of the pottery
2.3 Crockery from British potteries around the 1900s
3.1 Manufacture of crockery found on the midden at Craiglockhart Poorhouse
3.2 Dating of the midden at Craiglockhart poorhouse
3.3 Articles of crockery and their decoration
3.4 Numerical analysis of different patterns and types of crockery
3.5 Depth analysis of different patterns and types of crockery from excavation
3.6 Marks represented on the crockery
4.1 Preview of results
4.2 Discussion of the dating and depth of the midden
4.3 Chronological sequencing of crockery by pattern
4.4 Serving arrangements at mealtimes
4.5 Diet re-examined in the light of the chronology for crockery
4.6 Was blue-striped crockery used for one sex and red-striped for the other?
4.7 Different colours of crockery for different classes
4.8 Conclusions
4.9 Bibliography
5.1.1 Clay pipes from the Poorhouse Midden excavation
5.1.2 Toys at Craiglockhart Poorhouse
5.1.3 Military activity on Wester Craiglockhart Hill
5.1.4 Finds relating to sewing and clothing
5.1.5 Food storage containers
5.1.6 Agriculture in the grounds of Craiglockhart Poorhouse
5.1.7 Structural refuse
5.1.8 Furniture and accessories
5.1.9 Finds relating to the Hospital or Infirmary Wing of the Poorhouse
5.1.10 Sanitary objects
5.1.11 Coal
5.2 About the finds catalogue of Ian Mitchell's collection of sherds from the surface of the midden
Find catalogue of Ian Mitchell's sherds from the suface of the midden
Finds catalogue from the surface of the Midden
Finds catalogue from the excavation of the Midden
Finds catalogue for area of the Dams
Finds catalogue for East Midden in area of the Dams
Finds catalogue from Poorhouse drive from East Lodge
Finds catalogue from fieldwalking area to north of Poorhouse buildings
Figure 1: Map, dating to 1893, showing location of Craiglockhart Poorhouse, the Midden, the Dams, the East Midden in the Dams, the area fieldwalked, the Poorhouse Drive, the Royal Edinburgh Asylum, and the site of Edinburgh City Hospital (from Post Office1867-1907)
Figure 2: Map, showing location of Craiglockhart Poorhouse (marked Glenlockhart Hospital), Craigleith Poorhouse (marked Western General Hospital), and Leith Poorhouse (marked Eastern General Hospital) (from Third Statistical Account, Vol for Edinburgh)
Figure 3: The diet for the aged and infirm under Local Government Board Rule 67 for the Management of Poorhouses, which was in use until 1897 in Craiglockhart Poorhouse
Figure 4: Diet in use for the aged and infirm from 1897 until 1903 possibly only in Craigleith Poorhouse
Figure 5: The diet for Classes A - C, prescribed by the Local Government Board for Poorhouses across Scotland, which was adopted in Craiglockhart Poorhouse in 1903 when it became compulsory.
Figure 6: The diet for Classes D-F, prescribed by the Local Government Board for Poorhouses across Scotland, which was adopted in Craiglockhart Poorhouse in 1903 when it became compulsory.
Figure 7: The diet for Classes G-H, prescribed by the Local Government Board for Poorhouses across Scotland, which was adopted in Craiglockhart Poorhouse in 1903 when it became compulsory.
Figure 8: Section drawing of bottom left hand side of the trench (SW)
Figure 9: Dating the part of the midden from which the surface finds and the excavation finds are from.
Figure 10: Date indication details for artifacts a-z from Figure 11
Figure 11: Finds indicative of date from the excavation plotted against their
Figure 12: Crockery with the 3-stripe and 2i-stripe patterns, at scale 1:2
Figure 13: Crockery with the 2i-stripe and 2-stripe patterns, at scale 1:2
Figure 14: Crockery with the 2-stripe pattern, at scale 1:2
Figure 15: Blue striped vegetable dish, at scale 1:2
Figure 16: Numbers of bowl and plate rim sherds of different colours from surface of midden - red refers to red-striped and blue to blue-striped, and white to white
Figure 17: Numbers of bowl and plate rim sherds of different colours from excavation of midden - red refers to red-striped and blue to blue-striped and white to white
Figure 18: Numbers of bowl and plate rim sherds of different colours from midden surface and excavation combined - red refers to red-striped and blue to blue-striped, and white to white
Figure 19: Relative proportions of different articles of red-striped and blue-striped pottery rim sherds from the excavation and the surface of the midden combined.
Figure 20: Sets of crockery as shown by rim sherds from surface and excavation of midden combined, where red refers to red-striped and blue to blue-striped
Figure 21: Numbers of rim sherds of bowls and tankards with different stripe patterns, from the surface of the midden
Figure 22: Numbers of rim sherds of bowls and tankards with different stripe patterns, from the excavation
Figure 23: Numbers of rim sherds of all articles of crockery with different stripe patterns, from the surface of the midden
Figure 24: Numbers of rim sherds of all articles of crockery with different stripe
Figure 25: Depths of red-striped and blue-striped crockery from excavation of the following types: 1. 2-stripe pattern bowls and tankards 2. 3-stripe and 2i-stripe pattern bowls and tankards 3. flat plates, soup plates and pudding bowls; where zero is the point vertically above the find on the surface of the left hand edge of the trench
Figure 26: The numbers of 3-, 2i- and 2-stripe pattern bowls in use in the poorhouse from 1870 to 1907, expressed in multiples of the constant X.
Figure 27: The percentages of 3-, 2i- and 2-stripe pattern bowls in use in the poorhouse from 1870 to 1907.
Plate 1: Plate rim sherd from Edinburgh City Hospital
Plate 2: Red striped rim sherd from Royal Edinburgh Asylum with Royal crest and banner with the initials R.E.A.
Plate 3: One of the gold-striped items of pottery housed in the Clouston Room at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. This is in two parts - note that the royal crest with the R.E.A. banner appears on both parts
Plate. 4: Men eating in a London workhouse at the turn of the century (May 1999: 23)
Plate 5: Women eating in St Pancras Workhouse, London, 1901 (Bentley 1968: 66)
Plate 6: A Victorian soup kitchen (detail) (Bentley 1968: 98)
Plate 7: Sunday lunch at the Foundling Hospital in Bloomsbury (detail) (Bentley 1968: 197)
Plate 8: An advert for 'earthenware suitable for workhouses, hospitals, schools, asylums &c.' (May 1999: 4)
Plate 9: Detail of Plate. 4- Men eating in a London workhouse at the turn of the century,
Plate 10: Detail of Plate 5- Women eating in St Pancras Workhouse, London, 1901, showing knives and forks being used with flat plates and a white mug of some sort; a cruet is also on the desk
Plate 11: The trench early on in the excavation, looking south down the hill, showing the stoney layer in the top half of the trench, which was plotted before being removed
Plate 12: Different colours of ash in the bottom half of the trench, with some sherds,
Plate 13: Deep soup bowls: left - B2iB, from midden surface, and right - R2iB, Find No. 1BW, from excavation
Plate 14: Two styles of tankard: left - B2iT, Find No. 2EL, from excavation, and right - B2T, Find Nos. 2AA, 2BL, 2AH (part), also from excavation
Plate 15: Deep soup bowls showing sausage footring: left - R2B and right - B2B, both from midden surface
Plate 16: Two styles of tankard and a mug: left - 2 x R2iT from surface, centre - R2T, Find Nos. 2CV, 2DG (part), from excavation, and right - R2Mg, Find No. 2EG from excavation
Plate 17: Pudding bowls: BPB, Find No. 2ED, from excavation, and RPB, from surface of midden, on top
Plate 18: T & S mark on Asiatic Pheasants soup plate, Find No. 2DP from excavation
Plate 19: Mark on base of urinal, Find No. 2BB, from excavation, manufactured by Maling: 'Rd.No.297.132 Aberdeen, CTM Trade Mark, Newcastle, England'
Plate 20: Painting showing a milk-skimming dish on the ground with peas in it (Outside the Cottage, Woman Shelling Peas by Arthur Claude Strachan, 1865-1954)
Plate 21: Some of the miscellaneous patterned sherds found on the surface of the midden
Plate 22: Chinese china cup rim sherd, and two adjoining sherds from bonbonnière, all with gold enamel, all from surface of midden
Plate 23: Left- sherd from screw-top stoneware hot-water bottle; right- funnel section of white earthenware spit mug, both from surface of midden
Plate 24: Examples of two stoneware screw-top hot-water bottles, similar to the one which the sherd in Plate 23 came from (Hedges 1998: 20)
Plate 25: Soup plate, Find No.2DP, from excavation, Asiatic Pheasants, manufactured by John Tams & Son, Crown Pottery, Staffordshire - see Plate 18 for mark on reverse
Plate 26: Left- R2Mg, Find No. 2EG, from excavation, and right- B2iMg, Find No. 2FD, from excavation
Plate 27: Bedpan, Find No. 2BZ, from excavation, for use in infirmary wing of Poorhouse
Plate 28: Urinal, Find No. 2BB, from excavation, manufactured by Maling, inside view
Plate 29: Urinal, Find No. 2BB, from excavation, manufactured by Maling, showing mark on base (see Plate 19)
Plate 30: Feeding cup, Find No. 2FB, from excavation, showing edge of half-covering on top, manufactured by Maling. It would have had a spout and a handle, with the handle at 90º to the spout.
Plate 31: Base of feeding cup shown in Plate 30, showing Maling mark
Plate 32: Left- rim sherd from red-striped, sausage-rimmed chamber pot, Find No. 2DI, from excavation, and right- rim sherd from the same in blue, from surface of midden
Plate 33: White glazed porcelain doll's head, from fieldwalking - note mark on forehead.
I would like to thank Agathe Dawson, Ken Dawson, Ian Mitchell, Allison Naismith, Jonathan Riddell and Bob Will for help with the excavation and many other things. Thanks to the City of Edinburgh Archaeological Service for monitoring the excavation. Thanks to Tom Arnott for showing me the crockery at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and for his enthusiasm, to Harry Kelly for his help in identifying patterns on sherds, and to David Scarrot for showing me all the crockery with the Edinburgh crest in the Huntley House Museum's archives.
Permission from the Merchants of Edinburgh Golf Club to remove sherds from the surface of the midden and carry out the excavation is gratefully acknowledged.
Thanks to Richard Jones and Bob Will for all their help and advice - it is very much appreciated.