A late 18th-century inn clearance assemblage from Uxbridge, Middlesex

Abstract

Numerous large, well-dated 18th- to 19th-century closed assemblages of domestic pottery, glass and other artefacts have recently been excavated in the London area. Discarded as a single deposit, these ‘clearance groups’ offer an invaluable opportunity to compare individual establishments across the social spectrum, allowing the evolving role of ceramics in a rapidly developing consumer society to be traced. This article is concerned particularly with clearances from inns and taverns, focusing on a fine assemblage of pottery, glass and clay pipes from the site of the King’s Arms in Uxbridge, deposited c. 1785–1800. The range of finds recovered, their sources and function, and their contribution to our understanding of inn society are discussed and comparison is made with clearances from other victualling establishments and households in London, Guildford, Leicester and the American colonies, examining in particular the availability of ceramics, choice, taste, social status and function, as demonstrated by archaeologically recovered collections assembled by their original owners rather than by the preferences of modern curators and collectors.