Dear Jennifer,
 
The site of Corotoman on the Rappahannock River in Virginia, a large
mansion built ca. 1720 and burned ca. 1723 (I can't remember exactly),
produced several examples of what the excavators called "capuchines."
These were small, demitasse-like coffee (?) cups made of dipped white
salt-glazed stoneware.  Most were pretty badly burned, needless to say.
These were just part of an impressive assemblage representing the household
stuff of Robert "King" Carter, then the richest man in the Virginia colony.
He may have been a bit ahead of his peers in possessing such recent and
fashionable stuff for consuming what must have been a pretty uncommon
beverage at the time, although I think similar cups were found at the
Calvert site in Annapolis (see Anne Yentsch, A Chesapeake Family and their
Slaves, Cambridge University Press, 1994).
 
Corotoman was excavated under the direction of Carter Hudgins, who was then
at the Virginia Research Center for Archaeology.  I assume that all the
records and collections are now held by the Virginia Division of Historic
Landmarks in Richmond; Elizabeth Acuff would be the contact there.
 
In the realm of social and ideological significance of coffe, have you had
a look at Wolfgang Schivelbusch, Tastes of Paradise:  A Social History of
Spices, Stimulants, and Intoxicants?
 
Happy researches!
 
 
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Mary C. Beaudry, Associate Professor
 
Department of Archaeology
Boston University
675 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
USA
 
tel. 617-353-3415
fax. 617-353-6800
email [log in to unmask]
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~