In a word - yes- a late 17th c. date is appropriate and there are
variations in the marks both on the bowls and the stems.  The Evans'' pipes
(out of Bristol) are well documented in:
Walker, I C 1977 Clay Tobacco Pipes with Particular Reference to the
Bristol Industry. 4 vols, National Historic Parks and Sites, Canada


Silas Hurry



At 11:06 AM 5/26/03 -0400, you wrote:
>I am currently in the field at a site in northeastern Pennsylvania that
>may have a Contact Period component. During preliminary stratigraphic
>examination, we came across a clay tobacco pipe fragment, unfortunately in
>what appears to be a disturbed context. Nevertheless, my initial research
>suggests that it may date to the second half of the seventeenth century,
>perhaps confirming the presence of a Contact Period occupation. With the
>limited resources immediately available to me, I've found a reference to a
>William Evans in an article by Mitchell (Sudbury  ed. 1983 Historic Clay
>Tobacco Pipe Studies, Vol. 2). What appears to be a roulette-applied
>design on the stem contains the initials 'WE' with a design similar to
>that illustrated by Mitchell (1983: 21), but has circles to either side of
>the initials, with the diamonds above and below.
>
>Until I'm out of the field at the end of June, I won't be able to conduct
>more extensive research. So, I am hoping that someone will be able to let
>me know if my suspicions about the age of this pipe are correct.
>
>Thanks in advance.
>
>Philip Perazio
>Temple University