elanya

I knew this article was worth waiting for! :D Here is the abstract:

The site at 43-53 Narrow Street, located in the ratcliff area, produced unprecedented finds relating to the period of London's expansion as a mercantile centre during the 17th century. the most extensive amnd interesting discoveries comprised a 15th century brick clamp and building remains with associated pits and ditches dating from thw 16th through to the 18th centuries. the remains dating to the late 16th through to the end of the 17th century proved to be former properties of people with maritime focus, heavily involved in piracy and privateering. the pits and ditches, particularly those of 17th century date, were filled with pottery, glass and other objects, a significant proportion of which origiated in the Neatherlands, France,m germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, Iran and China, and many of the examples recovered have otherwise rarely if ever been found in britain. It is argued that the most appropriate interpretation of the finds assemblage is as the remains of booty and global mercantile and ilicit trade at a time that access to the New World and the far East was being opened up and fought over. The discoveries offered a unique opportunity to view a 17th century community of intimately interacting seafaring families from the perspective of their land-based material culture and the remains of thier homes. This paper focuses on the deveopment of the site from the late medieval period to the early 18th century, and places the finds for this period in their historic context, providing a unique insight into the material culture of a new and emerging social class in early modern England.

"Pottery as Plunder: a 17th-century Maritime Site in Limehouse, London," by Douglas Killock and Frank Meddens