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THE CLAY TOBACCO-PIPE IN BRITAIN
CHAPTER FOUR
The dating of clay-pipes
MUCH careful research and scrutiny of early wills, marriage
licences, parish registers and similar local records have enabled
the names of some tobacco-pipe makers to be recovered from the
obscurity of three centuries: when the marks on spur, stem or
bowl of a pipe contain either initials, or a punning allusion in a
rebus, relating to some known name of a pipe-maker, it is some-
times possible to date the pipe within a decade or two. That
many pipe-making families hold the same initials for father, son
and grandson, and that many unrelated names in different parts
of the country have the same initials are but two of the difficulties
that often obscure the maker's identity. Nevertheless, this
method, and the occasional plainly-dated pipe have enabled an
evolutionary series of typical shapes to be derived. Although
such a series has many pitfalls for the unwary if applied without
supporting knowledge of other factors, it is in itself a powerful
tool for the archaeologist concerned with the recent centuries
since the Middle Ages.
With an old clay-pipe may be found other objects, or the pipe
itself may be sealed under a floor in such a way that the two can
be demonstrated to be contemporary: then a most valuable
evidence is available to date the associated objects.
KEY TO DATED TYPES
To make this Memoir useful as a guide to antiquarians who
wish to date clay tobacco-pipes, either for the interest in the pipes
themselves, or to allocate approximate dates to associated objects
apparently contemporary with them, there is given on pages 23-27
a dated key to principal features of tobacco-pipes, and diagrams
showing the variations in bowl-shape during the past four
centuries are given in figs. 9 and 10 (which are full-size for direct
comparison with specimens).
In order to avoid mistakes which are bound to arise if the
reader should attempt to use these diagrams without more ado,
he is urged not to neglect the other indications, and the cautions
against pitfalls which have already been given in the text.
A SIMPLE DATED SEQUENCE
To start with a simple series which generalises the sequence
of forms, the following diagrams has been prepared: