Dear List members,
 
In the Netherlands we are close to the source of the stoneware
bottles. The bottles CAN be a good indicator for dating a complex, by
watching close. The advantage here is that we find them in large
amounts. Sometimes even they are used as buildingmaterial for
small dams in canal between two fields. They are often found in
cesspits/privies.
 
The typochronology we find here is as follows:
 
P-jugs: The first stoneware bottles to arrive from the Westerwald are
the so called P-jugs, because they have a blue or purple P on the
shoulder of the bottle. This arrives around 1650-75. The first type is
high (approx. 30-35 cm) and has a very broad shoulder and ts smallest
point just above the footring. The colour outside is buff to
white and it has a clear saltglaze. The colour of the inside
can be brown, yellow ans is often pink to buff. There is a threefold
straphanle with on top one, two or three litlle holes. The lower
attachment of the handle has a shallow nick. The neck can be 8-10
cm. The meaning of the P is vague. It does not mean the containace,
because it appears on large and small bottles alike. Instead of P's,
stars, W's, B's and L's are found. This shape disappears around 1750.
 
Than another P-jug takes over. This one has a P aswell. The form
is somehwat more bullet-shaped but still has a broad shoulder. The
footring has almost disappeared, but still it is not straight. The
straphandle gets smaller. The colour stays white outside, the colours
inside remain the same. The sizes get smaller, between 25-30 cm
height. This type survives until around 1780.
 
Than the first brown stonewarebottles come up. They are the first
ones to have impressed marks like 'CT TRIER' etc. The marks are
roughly set. They also have a cobalt blue or puple circle around the
mark. The form is not yet straight. Inside the turning traces
can be seen. Outside there is often a diagonal upward trace of the
cloth by which the bottle was smoothened. The handles get small and
have often small holes (1 or 2) the neck is around 3-4 cm high. The
bottom has traces of removal with a wire. This type is gone by 1810.
 
Than the first NEARLY straight bottle shows up around 1800. The body
is straight but just above the foot it is still a little bit bent
inward. The neck gets lower (3 cm) and a little boarder. The handles
stay small. The colour is brown to redbrown and lightbrown. The
turing traces inside can be very coarse. The outside is the same as
the previous type. This bottle has no more blue or purple rings
but olny marks (see: marks) This type is gone by 1825.
 
Than it gets boring. The straight bottle appears. The rule is the
less highly shouldered the earlier. So around 1840 the shouders are
still a bit round, in 1880 they will be almost rounded-square. The
turning inside is deep. Outside it has still the diagonal striping.
all sizes exist, from very small (10 cm) to very big (40 cm) with
varying wideness. The average bottle is 20-30 cm high.
 
Than a new technique arrives. From 1879 the bottlepressmachine is
invented in the Westerwald. Within 5-8 years all the bottles are made
by machine. You can see this by absence of the turning inside and the
diagonal striping outside. The bottles are made of two halfs and
'glued' together, you can see the vertical line of this.. There are no
more traces of removal by wire on the bottom. The colours stay the
same.
 
Marks:
 
Four kinds of marks appear:
 
1. The SPA/SOURCE mark tells you where the water comes from (Selters,
Birresborn etc.)
 
2. The mark of the owner or exploiter of the source for example
'Rackoczy'
 
3. Than the makers-mark, the place wher or by who the bottle has been
made. Thse marks usually can be found under the handle. The cypher
and letter stand for the potter and the place wher he comes from. H =
Hohr (in Westerwald), 342 is the number of the potter in the local
guild. These marks are there because more potters fire their bottles
in one kiln.
 
4. The containance. In the Napleontic era marks like 1L, 1/2L appear.
Before and after that marks like 1 KAN or 1/2KAN are found.
 
The bottles are made in all stoneware centres not only in the
Westerwald. So also in Grossalmerode, around Trier etc.
 
The USE primaraly is for healthy source water. But in many cases they
are used second hand as liquorbottle. Huge amounts are found in
cesspits of inns where the defenately did not drink large amounts of
water (in Delft, Vlaardingen in Holland etc.).
 
Research in Germany has pointed out that all kinds of bottles are
used at the sources. All bottles can return to the source to be
refilled. Around the source of Sauerborn all 1770-1810 types are
found with all marks (Nienhaus, 1988, in: Keramos). So what is inside
the bottles is often not told by the outside.
 
Good literature  is scarce. In the German serie Keramos good articles
are found. The best literature comes from the magazine Der
Mineralbrunnen, for the mineralwater industry in Germany. All
these articles are in German.
Wieland has collected over 300 different marks but these are not
published yet.
 
Hundreds of millions of these bottles are made and exported around
the world, the Dutch had gin and liquor in it, the Germans probably
water.
 
Hope to help you,
 
Michiel Bartels
State Service for Archaeology
Amersfoort
The Netherlands
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