Fowler’s Pottery: Excavation of a 19th Century Manufacturing Site in Mid Ulster

This monograph presents the 2019 excavation of Fowler’s Pottery near
Coalisland, Co. Tyrone, revealing a rare 19th-century coarse earthenware site. It details
vessel types, kiln structures, and historical records, offering key insights into rural
pottery production and local industry.

This monograph details the 2019 Centre for Community Archaeology excavation of Fowler’s Pottery, a nineteenth century pottery manufacturing site located in the townland of Derrybuoy, just outside Coalisland, Co. Tyrone. The site produced coarse earthenware pottery, a type which has received little academic attention to date, and this publication will therefore be of great use in advancing our limited knowledge of the coarse, utilitarian pottery used every day in nineteenth century households. Four distinct vessel forms were produced in four possible decorative styles, showing a specialised range of production which appears to have primarily targeted the rural market. Several key features of the pottery were also identified and are described at length, including the kiln, drying room and clay extraction pit, as well as large quantities of brick and kiln furniture. The narrative is greatly supplemented by historical records including personal letters, census returns and local testimony which offer a high-resolution view of precisely how and when the pottery operated. While other Post-Medieval pottery production sites have been excavated in Ireland previously, this is the second example of a nineteenth century kiln producing coarse earthenware pottery to be excavated, and the first to receive publication, meaning that this site is of critical importance to advancing our knowledge of local economy and manufacturing in the period.

List of Figures and Tables

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Background

Historical Background

The Coarse Earthenware Pottery Industry of the 18th and 19th Centuries

Geophysical Survey

Objectives

The Excavation

Site Description

Methodology

Account of the Excavation

The Pottery

Methodology

Results

Discussion

Pottery Vessel Types

Kiln Furniture

The Kiln

The Drying Room

Conclusion

Bibliography

Appendix 1: Report on Historical Sources

Appendix 2: Context List

Appendix 3: Harris Matrices

Appendix 4: Pottery Quantities

Appendix 5: Pottery Weights (grams)

Appendix 6: Rim Form and Diameter

• By (author) Sarah Gormley
• By (author) Jordan McClelland